10. NOT YOUR AVERAGE ASSISTANT

Selene knocked on Alaric’s office door twice, opened it without waiting for a response and walked in.

With the coffee mug in her hand, she walked to his desk, setting the cup down on the right side, not too full and careful not to spill a single drop.

Alaric’s gaze flicked to the mug, then to her face, then back to the mug without saying a single word.

How long are we going to keep playing the game of ‘will he notice’? Nyx commented. It’s clear he’s not going to.

Selene knew better than to wait for a response, let alone praise. She’d gotten his coffee almost six times in a row now. At least, that’s what she thought. Maybe he didn’t actually like it.

She walked back to her desk.

Behind her, she heard the faint clink of the mug being lifted. No comment. No complaint.

Somehow, that felt like one of the greatest achievements since she started working on the executive floor.

Never thought the day would come where I’d see you smiling over something so little. Nyx muttered.

I’m not smiling. Selene said internally, catching herself just in time.

You are.

And it’s not ‘something little,’ okay? it feels nice to just be good at something. Selene tried to explain.

If you say so. Nyx replied, clearly not believing a single word she’d said.

A few hours passed as Selene and Alaric worked through the day. Then a call came in to Selene’s office telephone.

“This is the assistant of Silas Blackwood. I’d like to speak to Alaric Blackwood.” Without wasting a second, Selene walked into Alaric’s office to inform him.

Picking up his phone, Selene watched him make a call with an urgency she’d never seen before.

“My father’s here,” Alaric said, already reaching for his jacket, voice flat in a way Selene hadn’t heard before. “Cancel everything for the next two hours.”

“If there’s anything you can’t handle, call Flynn. He’ll take care of it.” Without another word, Alaric left.

Selene continued with her work while quietly hoping there would be no problems till Alaric returned.

Flynn dropped by not long after Alaric left, walking up to Selene with a large grin.

“I’m sure there's someone out there that thinks you don’t have your own office,” Selene joked.

“Ouch,” Flynn gasped, gripping his chest in pretense. “Maybe I should just go back then.” He added, pretending to turn around.

“Yeah, right,” Selene laughed, knowing Flynn well enough to believe he wouldn’t leave. “He’s not in by the way,” she added.

 “Oh! I’m not here for him.”

“I’m here to keep you company.”

“Oh really? I’m truly honored,” Selene joked, bending her head forward in a mock bow, even though her face gave away her surprise.

“Don’t get used to this,” Flynn said, leaning against her desk. “I’m only here because Alaric would never forgive me if I let his desk collect dust from boredom.”

“What is actually going on anyway?” Selene asked, trying to sound casual. “He left in such a hurry.”

“It’s a lot of boring stuff. Trust me, you’re not missing out on anything,” Flynn joked, although the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes this time.

Selene decided to let it go, dropping the topic. She didn’t believe him though.

“That aside, tell me about yourself,” Flynn asked. “You seem fun, unlike Alaric’s former weird assistants.” He rolled his eyes.

Selene laughed. She’d noticed that conversations always came easily with Flynn.

“Well, I’m 25, which you probably already know,” Selene smiled. “And I live with my Grandma. Not a very mysterious person as you can see,” she joked.

“That’s more than enough to write a movie in my opinion,” They both laughed.

“Funny how your name might have slipped out once or twice in a conversation with my grandma recently. You definitely know how to leave an impression,” Selene said.

“I’d take that as a compliment,” Flynn laughed.

His phone buzzed. He glanced at it, and something in his face changed — quick, but she caught it.

"I have to go."

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah. Just–" He stopped, which wasn't like him. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Call me if anything explodes," Flynn said, turning around just enough to see Selene’s face. He reached for his usual grin and almost managed it.

"Define 'explodes.'"

"You'll know it when you see it," he said, walking away briskly.

Well, Nyx said, breaking the silence, this is ominous.

It’s fine, Selene thought back, though she wasn’t entirely convinced herself. It’s just an empty hallway.

Sure. Nothing bad has ever happened in a quiet, empty office.

She rolled her eyes and turned back to her desk, trying to lose herself in the stack of documents she had not finished yet. But her focus kept slipping every minute—the smallest sound made her glance up. The distant elevator chimed from somewhere down the hall, too far to be on her floor.

Ten minutes passed. Then twenty.

It felt like the day would not come to an end.

Then the elevator dinged — close this time. On her own floor.

Selene’s head snapped up.

She hoped it was Alaric or Flynn.

The elevator doors slid open, and a man stepped out before they’d even fully parted — mid-fifties, sharp suit, the kind of watch that cost more than Selene could even imagine. He didn’t pause to take in the floor the way most visitors did. He just walked, straight toward her desk, like he already owned the ground beneath him.

Umm…should we be worried? Nyx asked, worried.

Selene stood before he reached her, smoothing down the front of her blazer.

"I have a meeting with the CEO at two." He didn’t bother with a greeting. He checked his watch as though it might have lied to him. "Where is he?"

“Sir, we’re very sorry for the inconvenience, but a message was sent out informing everyone that all meetings for today have been postponed.”

"If you don't mind waiting, he'll be back as soon as he can," Selene added, even though she didn't know when either Alaric or Flynn would return.

He studied her for a moment, unconvinced, his gaze flicking toward the closed office door behind her. "Where is he?"

"Finishing something time-sensitive." She gestured toward the small seating area near her desk, keeping her tone light, unbothered — like this happened every day. "He'll want the extra minutes with you more than he'd want to be interrupted right now. Trust me."

"And you are?"

"The person making sure your time isn't wasted while you wait." She let a small, practiced smile settle into place. "Coffee, Mr. Hargrove?"

He didn't answer right away. His eyes swept over her — the desk, the neatly stacked files, the framed little chaos of a cactus Chloe had insisted she keep — cataloging, deciding.

He's testing you, Nyx said, quieter now, finally useful for more than snide comments for once. Don't blink.

"Black," Hargrove finally said, lowering himself into the chair like he was doing her a favor by sitting. "Little sugar."

Selene poured it herself, hands steadier than she felt, and set it down in front of him — right side, she noted absently, old habit — before taking the seat across from him instead of retreating back to her desk.

"While you wait," she said, "I can walk you through what Mr. Blackwood's team flagged ahead of today. Save you some time once he's in."

Hargrove studied her for a moment before glancing at the folder in her hands.

“And you're familiar with the details of the deal?”

Selene hesitated for barely a second. “Familiar enough to know which parts are worth your time.”

His eyebrow lifted. “That's a confident answer.”

“I'm his assistant,” she replied. “Keeping up is part of the job.”

Hargrove gave a quiet hum, still watching her. There was something deliberate about the way he looked at people, as though he were constantly measuring how much they knew and how much they were pretending to know.

Selene resisted the urge to shift in her seat. She had dealt with difficult people before, but never someone who seemed capable of spotting a lie before it left her mouth.

“Very well,” he said at last. “Show me what you've got.”

Selene opened the folder, forcing herself to ignore the nervous flutter in her stomach.

Selene, you don't actually know what he flagged. Matter of fact, you don't know anything about this at all.

I know enough, Selene shot back, already reaching for the folder she'd seen Alaric skim through twice that week.

"There's been some hesitation internally about pacing," she said, opening the folder like she'd rehearsed this a hundred times. "Not about the partnership itself — about timing. I imagine that's something you'd rather address directly than have buried in a slide deck."

Hargrove leaned back slightly, arms folding.

For the first time since he'd stepped off that elevator, he didn't look impatient.

He looked interested.

"Most assistants would've just offered me coffee and prayed I didn't ask hard questions."

"I did offer you coffee."

That earned the smallest twitch of a smile — barely there, but real.

"So what exactly is the hesitation," he asked, leaning forward now, "beyond vague talk of 'pacing'?"

Careful, Nyx warned. I have an idea. How about you just stop talking?

Selene kept her expression even, flipping to a page she'd actually read — Victor's notes from the Redwood discussion, close enough in spirit to borrow from.

"There's concern about moving too fast on integration before the groundwork's fully secured," she said carefully. “There’s no doubt about the partnership. More about making sure it's built to last past the first quarter."

It wasn't a lie. It also wasn't entirely true. It was close enough that it held.

Hargrove nodded slowly, some of the sharp edge easing out of his posture. “That’s more sense than I’ve gotten from anyone on this deal in two weeks.”

"I'd like to think Mr. Blackwood hires accordingly."

"Apparently."

The elevator dinged again.

This time, Selene didn't jump. Not noticeably.

Alaric stepped out first, jaw tight, still visibly carrying whatever had happened upstairs — until his eyes landed on the scene in front of him. Hargrove, seated. Coffee in hand. Selene mid-conversation like she belonged there.

He stopped walking for half a second too long.

Oh look, Nyx said. There's that face again. You’re so fired. Again.

“Mr. Hargrove." Alaric recovered smoothly, extending a hand. "Apologies for the delay."

"No apology necessary." Hargrove rose, shaking it, glancing briefly back at Selene. "Your assistant kept me more than occupied."

Something flickered across Alaric's face — too fast to name, gone before it fully formed.

"She has a habit of doing that," he said.

Selene busied herself gathering the folder, hiding whatever expression that comment threatened to put on her face.

As Alaric led Hargrove toward his office, he paused at the door just long enough to glance back at her.

He didn't say anything.

AUTHOR’S NOTE:

🎧 SPEAK UP! Okay, be honest… would you have survived that conversation with Mr. Hargrove, or would you have exposed yourself immediately? 😭😂

🎤 #Vote#! Enjoying the story? Don’t forget to vote with your Moon Tickets! ❤️

🔮 PREDICTION: What do you think Alaric is thinking after seeing Selene handle Hargrove like that? 👀🔥

🎤 RANDOM QUESTION: What’s one skill you wish you were naturally good at? 😂

Thank you for reading! 😍❤️ See you in the next chapter! 🔥