Bailey Hartfield walked through Reid International's pristine doors at exactly 7:45 a.m., as she always did—never a second too early, and never a second too late. 

Her mornings started like this. She always arrived twenty minutes before her boss, Caleb Reid, was scheduled to walk in the doors of the company. 

The city was barely awake, but she was already on her third cup of black coffee. Her desk, as always, was as immaculate as the man she worked for. 

The stillness of the office at this hour calmed her nerves, granting her a precious few minutes. A while later, the low hum of the murmur of early arrivals came. Bailey liked it this way, it's the calm before the storm.

Her fingers flew across the keyboard as she reviewed Caleb's schedule for the day. He was scheduled to have meetings with the board, a lunch with a potential investor, followed by a video conference with the Tokyo branch. Every detail mattered. 

Caleb Reid was a man who demanded excellence, and Bailey had learned long ago that anything less would not suffice.

She glanced at the time on her computer screen. 7:55 a.m. Like clockwork, he would be here in five minutes. As she scanned through her emails, a familiar voice broke the silence.

"Morning, Bailey."

Bailey looked up to see Maddie, her colleague from the marketing department, smiling as she passed by. She returned the smile, but her attention quickly shifted back to her work. There was always something to do, something to prepare before Caleb arrived. 

"Morning, Maddie," she replied, her voice calm but focused.

Maddie paused, balancing her cup of coffee in one hand while giving Bailey a curious look. "It's still early but you're always so... on it."

Bailey let out a small, polite laugh. "You know how it is."

Maddie shook her head, amused. "Yeah, working for him? I don't know how you do it. He's..." She hesitated, searching for the right word. "Intense."

That was putting it mildly. Caleb Reid was more than intense. He was relentless. 

His standards were sky-high, and anyone who couldn't meet such expectations was a waste of Reid International space. Bailey had seen more than a few employees crumble under the pressure. But not her.

Bailey just smiled, not offering much in response. She wasn't about to criticize her boss—certainly not in front of anyone. If anything, she respected the man for his drive and precision. 

Sure, he was demanding, but that's what made him successful. And if she was being honest with herself, it was what made working for him so... satisfying.

Maddie sighed, taking the silence as a cue to move along. "Well, good luck today. I hear the investors Caleb's meeting with are a tough crowd."

Bailey nodded, already focused on her screen again. "Thanks, Maddie."

As Maddie disappeared around the corner, Bailey's phone buzzed on her desk. She glanced at the screen, her heart skipping a beat as Caleb's name lit up. 

Mr. Reid: I'll be there in 5 minutes. Have my coffee and the files ready.

Of course, he was arriving on the dot. 

Suddenly, a commotion ensued, and Mark, the IT specialist, came running to her. 

"Bailey, the files are not loading! I've tried rebooting it twice, but it keeps freezing. We might lose the whole presentation," Mark said, grabbing his hair in frustration. "What should we do?" 

Bailey's eyes narrowed as she stood, already reaching for her phone. "Keep trying. I'm calling Tokyo to see if they can send a backup file."

Mark nodded, but the tension in his shoulders showed that he wasn't optimistic. Bailey walked swiftly to the conference room, her heels clicking in perfect rhythm. She pressed the phone to her ear and dialed the number for the Tokyo office.

"Tanaka-san, this is Bailey Hartfield. We're having technical difficulties on our end with the presentation file. Can you resend the document in a different format? We only have three minutes."

There was a brief pause before the connection crackled with a reply. "I'll send it right away."

"Thank you," Bailey said, already moving to Mark's side. She crouched by the projector, her fingers deftly adjusting the connections. "Try it again. Let's bypass the main server and run it directly from the backup network."

Mark blinked at her. "I didn't know we could do that."

"We can," Bailey said firmly, her tone leaving no room for doubt. "Now, go."

She stood, smoothing her pencil skirt and adjusting the collar of her blouse.

"Bailey!" Maddie appeared at the doorway, her face flushed. "The investor lunch has been moved up. They're arriving at 11:30 now, not 12:30."

Bailey didn't even blink. "Call the restaurant and adjust the reservation. Make sure they get our private table. I'll have the files sent over as soon as this is fixed."

Maddie nodded, impressed but not surprised. "Will do."

Bailey's attention returned to the task at hand just as the Tokyo team's email pinged into her inbox. "Got it," she said, opening the file and handing it over to Mark. "Upload this one."

Mark's fingers flew across the keyboard, and within seconds, the presentation began to project smoothly onto the screen. The moment it appeared, her shoulders relaxed.

"Perfect," she murmured, just as the elevator doors slid open.

Caleb entered, his presence commanding the room before he even spoke. He was on time, his dark suit impeccable and his expression unreadable. Bailey smoothed her skirt and met him at the door. She stood, spine straight and head held high. 

His office was adjacent to hers, separated by a glass wall that offered her a clear view of him throughout the day.

He was tall, with sharp features that made him look as though he'd been carved from stone. His dark hair was slicked back, not a strand out of place, and his gray suit fit him as if it had been modeled after him. He moved with purpose, his every step measured and deliberate. There was no wasted motion, no hesitation. 

Caleb Reid was an epitome of a man in control. A man at the top of his game. 

"Bailey," he said without looking at her, his voice low and firm as he passed by her and headed into his office.

"Good morning, Mr. Reid," she responded.

He paused slightly, his blue-gray eyes flicking toward her for half a second. "I trust you have everything ready?"

"Of course," Bailey said, already following him into his office with the reports in hand. A steaming coffee was already at the side. 

Caleb sat down at his oak desk and extended his hand for the documents without looking up. Bailey handed it to him, feeling the briefest brush of his fingers against hers before retreating at her spot, waiting for his next instructions like she always does. 

For the next few minutes, the only sound in the room was the soft rustle of papers as Caleb reviewed the reports. Bailey was ready to respond to whatever he needed, though she knew better than to speak unless asked. Caleb liked silence when he worked, and Bailey had learned early on that he valued efficiency above all else. 

"Bailey," he called, looking up from the papers. "Move the Tokyo conference at 3 p.m. Make sure the presentation is flawless. No mistakes."

"Yes, Mr. Reid. Noted," she replied, her voice steady.

He nodded once, a barely perceptible movement, but Bailey knew it was his way of acknowledging a job well done. Caleb didn't offer praise easily, but in the five years she'd worked for him, Bailey had come to understand his subtle cues.

As Caleb continued to work, Bailey couldn't help but steal a glance at him. There was something about the way he carried himself—so composed, so focused. His strong jawline, the slight furrow in his brow when he was deep in thought. He had an intensity about him, a confidence that was palpable.

He shone like the sun, bright and scorching. His blue-gray eyes seemed to see through her soul every time. He was the most handsome man she had ever seen. 

Bailey quickly looked away, chiding herself. Focus, Bailey. 

She had no business thinking about Caleb like that. He was her boss, and more than that, he was completely out of her reach. Caleb Reid didn't get involved with his employees, and even if he did, someone like her wasn't what he'd be looking for. 

No, Caleb's world was filled with glamorous women—women like Isabelle Laurent, his girlfriend. Isabelle was a ballerina, stunning and graceful in ways Bailey could only dream of. The kind of woman who belonged by Caleb's side.

Bailey busied herself with her tablet, answering a few emails as she tried to push those thoughts away. It didn't matter. She was here to do a job, and she was damn good at it.

Half an hour later, Caleb emerged from his office, his expression as unreadable as ever. "I need you to sit in on the meeting with the board this morning. Take notes and make sure the presentation is on point."

Bailey nodded, already gathering her things. "Of course."

As they walked to the conference room, Bailey matched his pace, keeping a respectful step behind. Caleb's presence made even the most seasoned executives sit up straighter, and as they entered the room, the energy shifted. Everyone knew who held the power. 

Tension crackled in the air as the meeting ensued. Caleb was a perfectionist, and he wasn't afraid to call out anyone who didn't meet his standards. When one of the board members stumbled through a financial forecast, Caleb's tone turned sharp.

"That's unacceptable," he said, his voice cool but cutting. "You're basing this on last quarter's numbers, not the projections I sent you. We're not here to look back; we're here to plan ahead."

The board member flushed, stammering an apology. Caleb didn't acknowledge it; his attention was already back on the numbers spread across the table.

Bailey sat at the far end of the room, her hands flying over the keyboard as she took notes. She'd seen this side of Caleb before—the ruthless businessman who left no room for error. 

It was part of why Reid International had grown so quickly under his leadership. He demanded perfection, and in return, he delivered results.

The meeting wrapped up an hour later, and as the board members filed out, Caleb handed her a stack of documents. "Send these to Legal. I want their feedback by the end of the day."

"On it," Bailey said, tucking the files under her arm.

He gave her a brief nod before disappearing back into his office. Bailey exhaled, feeling the tension in her shoulders ease slightly. Working for Caleb was demanding—sometimes exhausting—but she couldn't imagine being anywhere else. 

She thrived on the challenge and the constant push to be better.

By the time lunchtime rolled around, Bailey had just finished sending the documents to Legal and was about to grab a quick bite when Maddie popped her head into her office. 

"Hey, a couple of us are going to grab lunch at that new place down the street. Want to come?"

Bailey hesitated. Technically, she could take a lunch break, but with Caleb's busy schedule, she liked to stay close. "Thanks, but I'll have to pass. I've got a lot to finish up before the Tokyo call, and Mr. Reid is in the meeting with the investors; he might need me anytime."

Maddie gave her a sympathetic smile. "You're too dedicated, Bailey. But hey, that's probably why you're the only one who's lasted this long with the boss."

Bailey laughed softly, but the comment stuck with her as Maddie headed out. It was true. Caleb had a reputation for running through assistants faster than most people went through coffee. But she'd lasted five years. 

And deep down, she knew why.

It wasn't just the work. It wasn't just the challenge.

 It was Caleb, her boss... and her unrequited love.