Destiny's POV
I was still sleeping when I heard a sound coming near me. At first, I ignored it, my tired mind brushing it off as some distant noise. But the sound came again, louder this time, piercing through the silence of my room. Still half-asleep, I realized it was my mobile ringing. Without even opening my eyes, I reached for the nightstand, fumbling until my hand found the device. I picked it up without checking who it was because my eyes were still heavy with sleep.
"Who dared to disturb my beauty sleep?" I thought groggily as I brought the phone to my ear, my voice thick with sleep. "Hello?" I mumbled, barely aware of my surroundings.
"Are you still sleeping, princess?" The voice on the other end was sharp, confident, and all too familiar.
For a moment, my brain struggled to process what I was hearing. 'That voice... I know that voice,' I thought, but my mind was slow to catch up.
"Who is this?" I asked weakly, still in a sleepy daze. I was barely aware of anything other than the fact that someone had called me far too early for my liking.
There was a chuckle on the other end of the line before the person spoke again. "I didn't think you'd forget your boss in just one day, Miss Walker."
My eyes shot open at that, the sleepy fog lifting from my mind instantly. 'Boss?' I quickly glanced at the caller ID, and sure enough, there it was: Liam Collins.
I sat up so fast that my head spun. "I... I'm so sorry, sir!" I stammered, my heart racing with embarrassment. "I was still sleeping and didn't check the caller ID before I answered. Is there something you need?"
I could almost see the smirk in his voice when he answered, "I want you to come in by eight. I've already checked the files, and two of them are not in order. I need them redone before nine, so you'd better hurry up. And Miss Walker, bring me a coffee."
He hung up before I could even process what he'd said. For a moment, I was completely still, my mind blank as the words replayed in my head. Then I glanced at the time and saw it was already 7:05. Panic surged through me. I had fifty-five minutes to get to the office, fix the files, and somehow make it in time.
In my haste, I bolted out of bed, only to crash to the floor, tangled in the sheets. "Of course," I muttered under my breath, scrambling to free myself from the cocoon of blankets wrapped around my legs. I had no time to waste. I ran to the bathroom, opting for the fastest shower in human history, and threw on the first dress I could find. I barely even looked at it. My hair? A lost cause. I twisted it into a messy bun and ran out the door, glancing at the clock—7:30.
"Not bad," I thought as I hailed a cab, although my stomach grumbled in protest. No time for breakfast.
By the time I reached the office building, it was 7:55. Miraculously, the traffic had been light, something that never happened in this city. I thanked whatever divine intervention had allowed me to get here early, but there was no time to dwell on it. The office was eerily quiet. Most of the employees hadn't arrived yet. I rushed into the elevator, my mind racing. I had to grab Liam's coffee first—his caffeine fix was clearly more important than mine.
After making his coffee, I hurried to his office. I grabbed the files from my bag and knocked on the door, my heart pounding in anticipation.
"Come in," came his voice, calm and collected as always.
I pushed the door open, stepping inside. Liam was sitting behind his desk, typing furiously on his computer. He didn't even glance at me as I walked in.
"Good morning, sir," I greeted him, setting the coffee and the file on his desk. "Here's your coffee and today's schedule."
He barely acknowledged my presence, his eyes glued to the screen. "You're ten minutes late, Miss Walker," he said. His voice was cool, but not angry. "But since I called you in early, I'll let it slide. The files sit here and fix them. You can return to your desk once you're done."
I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding and sat down in front of him. He hadn't even looked at me once. I flipped through the files, starting to work as quickly as I could. The last thing I wanted was to mess up again.
But as I worked, I started to feel... uneasy. The sensation of being watched crept over me. I looked up, half-expecting to see him glaring at me. Instead, he was still typing, his eyes focused on the screen, his coffee cup in hand. Shaking my head, I went back to the files, trying to focus.
It happened again. The feeling. Like his eyes were on me, watching. I glanced up, but this time, he was looking down at his coffee. I was imagining things, I told myself. He was probably just as focused on his work as I was on mine.
I pushed through, determined to finish quickly. Finally, I completed the corrections. "Sir, I've finished the files," I said, standing up and stretching slightly as I handed them to him.
He took them without a word, his gaze finally flickering up to meet mine as he flipped through the pages. "Good work, Miss Walker," he said, his voice neutral. "You may go back to your desk."
I nodded and left his office, feeling a strange mix of relief and anxiety. I returned to my desk and tried to immerse myself in the mountain of work I still had to get through.
Hours passed, but the gnawing hunger in my stomach made concentrating difficult. I'd already had two cups of coffee, and it wasn't enough. There was still an hour and a half before lunch, but I couldn't wait that long. I glanced at the clock and then at Liam's office. Maybe he hadn't eaten either, given how early we'd both started.
Without thinking too much about it, I stood up and walked to his door, my hand lifting to knock. Just as I was about to, the door swung open, and I found myself face to face with Liam.
He didn't see me at first. He was busy typing something on his phone, completely distracted, and in his hurry, he walked straight into me. I let out a startled yelp, the force of his body knocking me off balance. I reached out, instinctively grabbing onto him, but my hand found his coat, pulling him down with me.
We both went crashing to the floor, the world spinning as I fell back. Pain shot through me as I hit the ground, and I groaned, trying to catch my breath. My eyes snapped open, and I realized Liam was on top of me, his hands on either side of my head, caging me in.
I froze. His face was so close, so incredibly close. Our eyes met, and for a moment, the world seemed to stop. My heart raced, pounding against my chest like it was trying to escape. I could feel his heartbeat, too, fast and strong beneath my hands.
His green eyes darkened as they roamed over my face, lingering on my lips. I didn't even realize what I was doing until it was too late, I licked my lips, nervous and unsure. His gaze followed the movement, and something shifted in the air between us.
Neither of us spoke, neither of us moved. We were trapped in this strange bubble, oblivious to the world around us.
Then, the sound of someone clearing their throat shattered the moment.
I snapped out of it, my face flushing with embarrassment as I tried to push Liam off me. He blinked, startled as if he had just realized where we were, and quickly stood up, offering me his hand. I took it, still mortified, and he helped me to my feet.
As I dusted off my dress, I turned to see who had interrupted us. Standing in the doorway was a middle-aged woman with a knowing smile on her face.
"Well, I didn't expect to see Liam with a girl in such an interesting position," she said, her voice full of amusement.
I wanted to disappear right then and there. Could this day get any worse?
Liam, however, seemed completely unfazed. "What can I say, Melissa? She just can't stay away from me. I mean, who could resist?"
I shot him a death glare, my anger flaring up again. "You're the one who ran into me! I didn't do it on purpose."
He turned to face me, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "Well, you shouldn't have been standing in front of the door."
"You should watch where you're walking," I fired back.
"I didn't expect you to be standing there."
"I was about to knock, but no, you were too busy with your phone and walked straight into me!"
"You should've knocked sooner instead of waiting."
"I wasn't waiting for the right time!" My voice was rising, frustration bubbling over. "This is your fault, not mine!"
"It's my office. I can walk wherever I want."
He was clearly enjoying this, a smug grin on his face. I could feel the anger rising in my chest, ready to explode when Melissa's laughter broke through our argument.
"You two sound like children," she said, shaking.