Finn Ryder walked into the conference room at Ryder Industries, a leading tech firm in the city. The company's logo, a stylized letter "R" made up of circuits, adorned the wall.
Ava, Finn's assistant, was already seated, sipping on a cup of coffee. "Morning," she said curtly.
Finn raised an eyebrow. "Good morning, Ava. Always a pleasure to see you bright and early."
Ava's expression was unimpressed. "Save it, Finn. What's the plan for today?"
Finn's eyes sparkled with amusement. "Well, we have a meeting with the marketing team in 15 minutes. And I'm sure you'll be your usual charming self."
Ava rolled her eyes. "Ha ha, very funny. Just make sure you're prepared for the meeting."
Just then, Alex walked into the conference room, a look of confusion on his face. "Uh, guys? What's going on? I thought we had a meeting about the Johnson account?"
Ava raised an eyebrow, her expression unimpressed. "Oh, great. You're here. How exciting."
Alex's face flushed. "Hey, what's wrong with you?"
Ava shrugged. "Nothing's wrong with me. I just don't have time for your incompetence."
The marketing team arrived, and the meeting began. Finn was his usual charming self, but Ava could see the hint of sarcasm behind his smile.
As the meeting drew to a close, Sharon walked in, a smile plastered on her face. "Sorry I'm late, Finn. I hope I didn't miss anything."
Finn's expression was neutral. "Not at all, Sharon. We were just discussing the new advertising campaign for the X5 smartphone."
Sharon's eyes lit up. "Oh, I have some great ideas for that. Can I share them?"
Ava raised an eyebrow. "Oh, joy. This should be good."
But before Sharon could launch into her ideas, Finn stood up. "Actually, Sharon, I think we've covered enough for today. Why don't you send me your ideas in an email?"
Sharon's face fell, but she quickly recovered. "Of course, Finn. I'll send them right over."
As the meeting broke up, Ava packed up her things and made a hasty exit, muttering something about needing to get back to work.
Finn's phone buzzed, breaking the spell. He glanced down, his eyes narrowing as he read the text from Ava.
"Hey, boss man. Need to talk to you about the marketing campaign. Can we grab lunch?"
Finn's eyes flicked back to the door, where Ava had just disappeared. A slow smile spread across his face.
"Sure thing, Ava. I'll meet you at that new sandwich shop at 12:30."
Finn's fingers flew across the keyboard as he typed out a response. He was looking forward to lunch with Ava.
As Alex caught up to Ava in the hallway, he reached out and grabbed her arm, spinning her around. "Hey, Ava. Can I talk to you for a minute?"
Ava's eyes flashed with annoyance. "What do you want, Alex?"
Alex's face was inches from hers. "I just wanted to apologize again for what happened yesterday. I feel like I made a bad impression."
Ava's expression was unyielding. "You think?"
Alex's eyes locked onto hers, his gaze burning with intensity. "I know I messed up, Ava. But I promise to make it up to you."
Ava's eyes rolled. "Save it, Alex."
But before she could push him away, Alex's arms wrapped around her, holding her close. Ava's eyes widened in shock, her face flushing with anger.
Just then, Finn walked around the corner, a look of surprise on his face. For a moment, his eyes narrowed, a flicker of jealousy flashing across his face. But it quickly turned to anger as he heard Alex's next words.
"I think Ava's just playing hard to get, Finn," Alex said, his eyes glinting with amusement.
Finn's face darkened, his eyes blazing with anger. "That's enough, Alex," he growled, his voice low and menacing.
Ava took advantage of the distraction to push Alex away, her eyes flashing with anger. "Get your hands off me," she spat.
Finn's eyes never left Alex's face. "Security," he barked into his phone. "We have a situation here."
Alex's eyes widened in terror as Finn's security team appeared out of nowhere, surrounding him. "No, Finn, please," Alex begged, his voice shaking. "I didn't mean to upset you. I'll do anything, just don't fire me."
Finn's expression was cold, hard. "It's 'Boss', Alex. Not 'Finn'. It's Boss for you."
Alex's face went white as he realized the gravity of his situation. "Y-yes, Boss," he stuttered.
Finn's eyes narrowed. "You're not fired... yet," he said, his voice dripping with menace. "But you're on thin ice, Alex. Very thin ice."
Alex's face remained white as he nodded, still shaking. He knew he had to tread carefully if he wanted to keep his job.