After meeting the investors for lunch, Caleb went back to the office. A smile crept onto his lips when he saw the hot water on his table. Bailey always knew what he wanted even before he asked.
He placed his briefcase down and pulled on his tie. His computer beeped, signaling an email, but he closed his eyes. He had been feeling out of touch for a few hours now.
There was no reason for him to feel this off. Distractions had always been unwelcome to him, especially at work. His professional life was the one place where everything was supposed to make sense.
But lately, things were going out of control. Not here, especially not in his personal life.
His eyes drifted to the sleek, black phone on his desk. Isabelle hadn't called him back. Again. He called so many times, but still no response from her.
As expected. It stings, though.
It had been weeks since they had a real conversation. It's been weeks since he'd seen her, really.
Isabelle was always on the move: performing in Paris, rehearsing in New York, or preparing for another ballet tour. Caleb knew he was getting into when they started dating.
Isabelle warned him she would always put her career first above all. He respected that about her. It was important to him that his partner had life, a drive, and ambition. In that way, they were alike.
But as months passed, she changed, or he just didn't know her at all. She'd grown distant.
Caleb, though he would never admit it, started to wonder if the cracks in their relationship were beyond fixing. Maybe there was no point in trying if she couldn't even pick up her phone to answer his call.
He rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming. She was a distraction he couldn't afford. He had a company to run, deals to close, and meetings to go to. A woman was merely a blip in this multi-billion dollar empire, even if he liked her.
Caleb opened his laptop, pulling up the presentation he needed to review before the Tokyo call. His fingers hovered over the keyboard, but his mind kept drifting.
Damn it, focus.
A knock at the door pulled him from his thoughts. Bailey stepped in, holding a file. "Mr. Reid, the final numbers from the Tokyo branch just came in. I thought you'd want to review them before the call."
"Leave them on the desk," Caleb said, his voice rougher than he intended.
Bailey didn't flinch as she placed the file neatly on the corner of his desk, her movements smooth and efficient. She could take his shit any day and still help him run his company flawlessly.
She was perfect.
Caleb glanced at her, noticing the way her black hair was pinned up, not a strand out of place. She was always so composed, so put together. Her crisp white blouse and dark skirt were simple, but they suited her. There was an elegance to Bailey—one that was easy to overlook because of how professional she was.
And he preferred her this way.
"Is there anything else you need?" Bailey asked, her voice calm, as if she hadn't noticed his probing gaze.
In the spur of the moment, Caleb wanted to tell her everything. The frustration. The pressure. The way Isabelle's silence gnawed at him. But he wasn't this type of person.
Caleb wasn't one to talk about his personal life, especially to his employees.
Not with anyone ever. Except... probably Bailey. She knew things about him that others didn't. He trusted her that much.
Caleb cleared his throat and looked away from her.
"No," he said finally. "That'll be all."
Bailey nodded and turned to leave, but then paused at the door. "Mr. Reid," she said carefully. "If you want, I can push the Tokyo call back an hour. Give you more time to prepare. Or take a break."
Caleb stared at her, surprised. She wasn't wrong; he could use the extra time. But it wasn't like him to adjust his schedule on a whim. Wasting time wasn't in his vocabulary.
Still...
"Do it," he said, after a pause. "Push the call back an hour."
Bailey nodded and left the room, closing the door softly behind her.
Caleb leaned back in his chair, exhaling slowly. Once again, Bailey proved how perfect she was for him. He didn't say anything, but she perceived his mood.
It was a small thing, but it gave him a moment to breathe. She always knew what he needed, and it somehow soothed him knowing that somebody cared.
---
By the time the Tokyo call came around, Caleb felt better. The extra hour had given him time to take a breather and review the numbers thoroughly.
When the meeting started, he was sharp, focused, and back in control. He led the conversation with the precision and authority his team had come to expect from him.
The meeting ended, and as the rest of the team filed out of the conference room, Caleb's mood darkened.
"Bailey," he called, his voice clipped. She was standing by the door, her tablet in hand, ready to take notes as usual.
"Yes, Mr. Reid?" she asked, stepping forward.
"Why wasn't Legal prepared with the paperwork for the new contract? I told them I wanted everything finalized before today."
"I followed up with them this morning," Bailey replied, her tone measured. "They're behind because of the new regulations, but they'll have everything ready by tomorrow."
"Tomorrow isn't good enough," Caleb snapped, his frustration spilling over and his voice rising a notch. "I need it today."
Bailey stared him dead in the eye as she nodded calmly, as though she'd expected his reaction. "I'll call them again and make sure it's prioritized. But if you need it to be perfect, you need to wait for it."
Something about the way Bailey handled him—so steady, so unshaken—always managed to defuse him. Caleb let out a breath, the tension easing slightly.
"Okay, I'll give them until tonight. Thank you," he muttered, quieter this time.
Bailey didn't say anything, just gave a small nod and left the room.
---
An hour later, Caleb sat at his desk, reviewing the reports from the Tokyo branch when his phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen, expecting a work email, but instead saw Isabelle's name.
Isa: Sorry, I missed your call last night. Rehearsals are crazy. Can we talk later this week?
Caleb stared at the message, his grip tightening on the phone. Later this week? What did she take him for? They hadn't spoken in days, and now all she could offer was some vague promise of a conversation?
He tossed the phone onto his desk, rubbing a hand over his face. He liked her; in fact, at one point, he believed he loved her, but she became insufferable with her antics.
Clingy for a while and gone in a second.
She had become controlling as well, saying he needed to follow the dos and don'ts for their relationship. Caleb could do it; he tried to understand, but it was starting to feel suffocating.
A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. Bailey stepped in, holding a folder. "Mr. Reid? I have the updated projections from the financial team."
Caleb looked up, feeling a surge of irritation. "Bailey, I asked for those hours ago."
"I know," she said evenly, stepping forward to place the folder on his desk. "But I wanted to make sure everything was accurate before I brought them to you. Last time, you almost fired the team. We can't magically come up with everything."
She lingered by his desk, her expression calm, though her eyes—those clear, sharp green eyes—seemed to study him for a moment. It was as if she could see through his thoughts, and instead of making him uncomfortable, he had the opposite reaction.
Their gazes locked as if a silent war was going on between them. He sighed and looked away, accepting the files.
He leaned back in his chair, exhaling slowly. "I'm losing my patience with this team, Bailey."
"I know," she said softly. "But they're doing their best with the resources they have. I'll make sure they're on top of it."
Caleb ran a hand through his hair, his frustration starting to ebb. "You always know how to handle things, don't you?"
Bailey's lips curled into a small, almost imperceptible smile. "It's my job."
Caleb watched her for a moment, noting how composed she always was. There was something about Bailey—her professionalism and her unwavering calm—that soothed him. She wasn't like the others who worked for him, always nervous or eager to please. Bailey was efficient, capable, and unflappable.
And attractive, though Caleb rarely allowed himself to think about that. Her beauty was understated, the kind that didn't shout for attention but was impossible to ignore once you noticed it.
Those green eyes of hers could hook a person's soul.
He shook the thought away. Bailey was his assistant, nothing more. She was good at her job, and that's what mattered.
"Thank you, Bailey," Caleb said after a moment and smiled at her softly. "I don't know what I'd do without you."
Bailey's smile softened, but it disappeared in the blink of an eye.
"I'll follow up with Legal about the contract," she said before turning to leave.
As the door clicked shut behind her, Caleb leaned back in his chair, staring at the folder on his desk. He trusted Bailey more than anyone else in the company. Actually, more than anyone else in his life.
Probably more than Isabelle. Or his parents.
He was one lucky man, wasn't he?