The morning sun shone brightly on Elle as her eyes fluttered open slowly. The ache between her legs reminded her of what exactly went down yesterday, and although she felt sore, she considered it a good reminder.
She turned to face Nicholas, only to realize that he wasn't there. All that was beside her was a bunch of rumpled sheets. She placed her hands there, smoothing it out. It was warm—he probably just got up.
She fell back onto the pillow too tired to move. As she felt her eyes closing again, Nicholas walked in from the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist. Beads of water trickled down his toned stomach as he brought his eyes up to look at Elle.
"Get up. We're late." He grumbled, walking into his wardrobe to get ready. "I have some clothes arranged for you, go now." He commanded with a sharp edge to his voice.
Elle's brows furrowed in confusion, but regardless, she obeyed, slipping into the bathroom to take her own bath. In the shower, she couldn't help but wonder what was the matter. "Did I do something wrong?" She mumbled to herself, stepping out and putting on a robe.
She entered back into the bedroom to find Nicholas already dressed in a black suit with a briefcase in hand. " I'm giving you thirty minutes to get ready, or else I'm leaving without you." He warned, grabbing the handle of the door, ready to walk out.
Elle gently rested a hand on his forearm, almost gripping onto him in an attempt to hold in back. "I-I don't understand, Nicholas. Did I do something wrong?" She asked, her confusion growing with each passing second.
Nicholas grimaced, yanking his arm out of her hold. He dusted it off as if she had left some specks of dust there. Elle's heart panged as she watched him. "Elle, what the hell are you doing?"
"I'm sorry, I thought—"
"No," He shunned, his voice clipped, "You must've thought wrong."
"Tell me what's the problem, Nicholas. We can fix this." She pleaded in desperation, not wanting him to slip out of her fingers once again
"There's nothing to fix, Elle. What happened between us last night was a mere mistake, and that's all it'll ever be. I suggest you get your head out of the clouds and prepare for work." He snapped, and with a swift movement, he exited the room, leaving Elle alone.
Her chest tightened as she let out deep breaths. She thought there was a possibility of something happening between them, but maybe he was right. Nonetheless, she wasn't going to give up until she had him all to herself. If she couldn't have him, no one else could.
She hurriedly got ready, putting on the clothes and making herself look decent before she stepped out.
The car ride to work was silent, as both of them didn't exchange words, though Elle stole some glances every once in a while. Upon reaching the office, both of them walked in together, which attracted a few whispers and stares here and there.
Everyone in the office knew that Elle was Nicholas's right hand, but what was she doing in his car in the early hours of the day? It was rather odd.
Elle kept her head up high, ignoring the obvious yet hushed whispers, as she strode down the hall and to the elevator. There was a meeting today and she had a few things to put in order before everyone took their seats.
She got the documents ready and within a few hours, it was time for the meeting. This time, it was some board members, and there were influential investors aside from them.
As the meeting progressed, Elle found herself recalling the conversation that had ensued between her and Nicholas earlier in the day. She wondered how she could fix things between them before it worsened.
"Elle, do you have any information on the revenue for this next quarter?" One of the crucial investors, Mr. Earhart, asked, folding his hands on the table.
"Oh," She froze, "Yes, of course. If you would just give me one moment…" She murmured, flipping through the documents placed in front of her, until she found what she was looking for.
"Alright. So according to our forecast, the revenue for the next quarter is, uh… $1.2 million."
Nicholas's eyes narrowed as he stared at Elle. "No, It's $2 million, as outlined in the updated report."
The board members exchanged uneasy glances, unsure of what answer to go along with. Here was Nicholas saying one thing, and Elle saying another.
After flipping through a few more pages, her eyes scanning each line, she nodded, "Oh…yes, you're correct, Mr. Greg," She nervously chuckled, trying to downplay the situation,
"Right…" Mr. Earhart spoke slowly, trying to maintain control of the situation.
"And how does your team plan to handle the current integration challenges?"
"We're planning to outsource the entire system to cut costs."
Nicholas cleared his throat, interjecting, "That's no longer part of the approved plan. We've decided to cut it into three phases instead, ensuring compatibility between existing systems and the new technology."
Elle's face flushed in embarrassment. How could she keep making such stupid mistakes? Nicholas would be incredibly angry and it wouldn't make things any better for her.
After the meeting, Nicholas harshly pulled Elle into his office, slamming the door shut behind them. "Elle, do you know what you've just done?" He said through grit teeth, running his hands through his hair.
"I'm sorry, I got a little confused…"
"Confused about what? Just because we had sex doesn't mean you're special to me."
Elle scoffed, crossing her arms, "That wasn't what you were telling me last night."
"Well, consider yourself a replacement for Megan. It's never going to happen again." He spat, each word striking Elle like a stake in her heart.
Her eyes glistened with tears as she tried to maintain her composure. He always made her feel less— and today was no different.
Nicholas pulled an envelope out of his desk, his expression unreadable. He tossed it to her, and it landed on the floor, right next to her feet. Her hands trembled as she picked it up and tore it open. Inside was an elegant invitation embossed with the words Winter Gala.
"Get ready," Nicholas said, his tone sharp, "And this time, don't embarrass me."
"I won't." She whispered, her voice wavering.
"Good. Because if you do, Elle..." He smirked, the threat hanging heavy in the air. "You won't just regret it—you'll lose everything.