Chapter 009

By eight, I was already in front of Clara’s office building, Allegra Group, sweaty palms, thrift-store blouse, and all.

Stella, the assistant with the sharp bob and sharper attitude, escorted me into a glass-walled conference room. A few staff members were already seated, murmuring over schedules and event plans.

Clara walked in last, confident as always, clipboard under her arm, red lipstick perfectly in place.

She stopped at the front, scanned the room, and smiled.

“Well,” she began, “before we start, we have something important to do.” Her gaze found me. “We’d like to officially welcome Mara Collins to Allegra Group.”

My heart flipped.

Everyone clapped politely, some with genuine warmth, others with that corporate curiosity: who is she and why is she here?

I stood awkwardly, offering a small wave. “Hi… um, thank you.”

Clara nodded. “Mara showed excellent initiative, attention to detail, and calm under pressure at our last event. She’ll be joining us as an assistant coordinator.”

Assistant coordinator.

It sounded like magic.

Like a door cracking open.

Clara gave me a reassuring smile before turning back to the room. “Alright, people. Let’s get to work.”

As papers shuffled and voices rose, I pressed my folder to my chest to keep from grinning too hard.

How easy it is to actually fake it till you make it.

I sat near the end of the long table, trying to look like I belonged, even though my entire body felt like I’d somehow snuck into a world built for people who spoke a language I wasn’t fluent in.

A young girl walked in few minutes after the meeting had begun, wheeling a cart full of water, she passed it round, as some people murmured a polite “thank you” while others completed ignored her.

Clara stood at the head of the table, clicking through the slides on the projector screen. Venue charts, budgets, client reports, color palettes. things I’d only ever seen on P*******t pages while daydreaming about a life I had no access to.

But here I was. Sitting among them.

“Alright,” Clara said, flipping to the next slide, “before we move on to the vendor updates, there’s one major announcement.”

The room quieted immediately.

Even the interns stopped typing.

Clara’s tone shifted into something sharper, more formal. “At the end of this month, Allegra Group will be hosting a performance and partnership review.”

A few nods went around.

“Which means,” she continued, “all departments need to be prepared, organized, and ready to present.”

She paused—then looked at Stella.

Stella stood, clearing her throat. “This isn’t going to be our usual internal update. The board requested that our biggest partner be physically present for the review.”

At the word physically, the energy in the room changed.

People stiffened.

Someone exhaled a quiet, “Oh damn.”

Stella clasped her hands. “Mr. Adrian Holt will be attending.”

That did it.

Whispers broke out instantly.

“He never comes in person.”

“He sends representatives.”

“This must be huge.”

“Does Clara know what he’s going to ask for?”

Clara raised a hand, and the room fell silent again.

“Yes. Adrian Holt will be here,” she confirmed. “His team reached out this morning. He wants an overview of our annual projections, expansion plans, and the adjustments to our new luxury division.”

Luxury division.

Projections.

Partnership reviews.

Clara continued, steady and serious. “This means the office needs to be spotless, our files need to be airtight, and our presentations need to be perfect. Adrian expects efficiency. He does not tolerate disorganization.”

Stella nodded in agreement, adding, “He’ll also want to meet department assistants. So for those of you who’ve recently joined us…” Her eyes flicked briefly toward me. “Be prepared.”

My breath caught.

Prepared for what?

Prepared how?

Prepared why?

I forced my expression to stay neutral even as the weight of the moment pressed onto my shoulders. Not fear. Not quite excitement. Something in the middle—something dangerously close to both.

Clara closed her folder. “Meeting will be held next Friday at nine sharp. Everyone is expected to contribute. I don’t want last-minute scrambling.”

Someone in the back groaned quietly, already stressed.

Clara ignored it. “This will be a significant moment for Allegra Group. Let’s show our best.”

With that, she dismissed everyone.

Chairs scraped back. Papers shuffled. People immediately started discussing tasks in urgent tones before they’d even reached the door.

I collected my notebook slowly, letting the room empty before I stood.

Adrian Holt.

The man the cameras worshipped.

The man people whispered about like he was some untouchable myth.

And now he was coming here.

To this building.

To this room.

To this world I’d only just stepped into.

My hands tightened around my notebook—not in fear this time, but something closer to anticipation.

Not because I wanted him. But because this is actually freaking working! And I’m still in disbelief.

I stepped into the hallway as the room emptied out, trying to catch up to Stella. Even if she clearly didn’t want me here, she was the only familiar face in this entire building, and I desperately needed to understand how this place worked.

I hurried after her, weaving through the polished corridor, hoping I could catch her before she disappeared around the corner, when a voice sliced through the almost quiet hallway.

“Elizabeth! Hi—Elizabeth, wait up!”

I froze.

Who the hell shouted like that in a place this sophisticated? And why wasn’t the Elizabeth answering?

I sighed and turned toward the staircase, ready to leave the screaming girl behind, when a smaller yet unexpectedly firm hand caught my shoulder and spun me around.

“Elise! Hi, I didn’t expect to see you here today,” I blurted out—half shock, half disbelief.

“Hiii! Oh my God, Elizabeth, I thought I wouldn’t see you here today.” She was slightly out of breath, cheeks flushed from speed-walking just to reach me.

Then it hit me.

Shit.

I was Elizabeth—and I had already forgotten the damn alias I fed her two nights ago. Why the hell did I even pick that name? I wondered for the hundredth time this week, sounds like a Victorian girl from a wealth family who defies her father and runs away with her lover.

“What brings you here?” I asked quickly, pulling her aside so no one would overhear.

“Well,” she began, “I realized after I got home that night that we didn’t exchange contacts. I thought maybe I’d never see you again. Then I remembered—I could just ask your aunt for your number, so I did.”

“My… aunt?” My stomach dropped.

“Mrs. Clara, silly!” she giggled. “But I’m glad I ran into you instead. Do you want to grab coffee? There’s a really cute place just down the street.”

My aunt. Of course Clara is my aunt! And should have my contact. Shit.

My head spun. The room spun. Everything spun.

She had almost blown my cover. If Clara found out I lied, if anyone did, I would lose my job… and my only chance at this double life I was building.

Holy shit. This was too close.

“Come on!” she chirped cheerfully, sliding her hand into mine before I could protest. “It’ll be quick. I promise.”

Before I could gather my thoughts, she was tugging me down the hallway, half dragging me past the reception desk and straight toward the glass doors.

I tried to slow her pace. “Wait—we can’t just—”

But she was already pushing the door open, sunlight spilling in as she pulled me outside.

“Trust me, Elizabeth,” she teased over her shoulder, “you look like you need coffee.”

The cafe was small but cute, and the coffee was out of this world! I have never tasted something so good in my entire life.

“So before I forget,” Elise said, bringing out her phone “put in your number here, so we can get to hang out this week.”

I smiled softly, taking the phone from her hand and typing in my number.