Crisis Unfolding

The moment Gabriella stepped out of the office, the tension outside hit her all at once.

Phones rang endlessly, and voices overlapped in rising chaos. Footsteps echoed sharply against the polished floors, and employees rushed back and forth, their movements hurried and restless.

The entire office floor felt unstable. Like something was about to collapse.

‘Marry Me,’ the words echoed louder in her head.

Her chest tightened, and she tried to push the thought away.

“…Have you seen the latest report?”

“…They’re saying there was another break-in.”

“…this is getting worse…way worse.”

Fragments of conversations drifted toward her from every direction.

Gabriella’s stomach dropped.

Another incident?

She forced herself to move.

Her gaze shifted instinctively to the large television mounted on the wall. A reporter’s voice cut sharply through the office.

“…yet another robbery linked to Kingston Enterprises' fingerprint lock system.”

Gabriella’s steps slowed.

“…raising serious concerns about the company’s credibility and product safety.”

A video clip played above the headline.

Blurred footage of a home in disarray, electronics missing, valuables stolen.

“…customers are now questioning whether Kingston Enterprises can be trusted.”

A tight knot formed in Gabriella's stomach.

“…some clients say they will be canceling orders and opting for products from Raymond Enterprises going forward.”

She tore her gaze away from the TV.

This wasn’t just bad; it was spiraling.

Her heels clicked softly as she made her way back to her desk.

Across the room, a group of employees huddled, whispering urgently.

“I know the owners of that home. They said the locks failed to secure the house."

“They’re saying investors are already pulling out.”

“No way.”

“I’m serious.”

Gabriella’s grip tightened on the edge of her desk.

Was it really that bad?

She swallowed hard, trying to ignore the growing unease in her chest.

But it didn’t go away. If anything, it grew stronger.

A sharp ringing sound snapped her attention back.

She reached for the desk phone quickly, forcing her voice into something steady.

“Kingston Enterprises, Office of the CEO, how may I be of service?”

“Tell your boss we know he planned all of this!!!” a man barked from the other end of the phone.

Gabriella pulled the phone away from her ear.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me right. These selfish businessmen don’t care about their customers.”

Gabriella rubbed her fingers against her temples.

“I’m sorry, Sir, if you have a complaint, please channel it to customer care.”

“Are you kidding me? My shop was robbed because of you people.”

“Have a good day, Sir.” She said and hung up abruptly.

She closed her eyes tightly and prayed for patience. All she wanted was a decent job to pay her bills, and somehow she had walked straight into a storm.

She exhaled slowly and forced herself to sit up straight.

“Gabriella!”

She looked up quickly.

One of the administrative staff hurried towards her, her expression tense.

“Is the boss in? We’ve got clients demanding immediate responses.”

“Yes, but…” she glanced briefly to Alexander’s office, “now might not be a good time for that.”

“Then what do I do? Some of them are threatening lawsuits.”

Gabriella’s heart sank.

“Just forward everything to legal for now,” she said, trying to keep her tone steady.

“They’re overwhelmed already,” the woman replied, “they said to prioritize only high-risk cases.”

Gabriella pressed her lips together.

“But they’re all high risk right now,” she muttered under her breath.

The woman hesitated, weighing her options.

“Just keep logging everything,” she said, “The boss will sort it out soon enough.”

The woman nodded and rushed off again.

Gabriella leaned back slightly in her chair, her gaze drifted to the TV again.

The news hadn’t changed.

A bold red banner now stretched across the bottom of the screen.

KINGSTON ENTERPRISES UNDER FIRE.

This couldn’t be happening. She had only worked at the company for a week.

Her stomach twisted. She looked away quickly.

He needed to fix this... and fast.

Her eyes shifted slowly to the CEO’s office. The door remained closed as though protecting Alexander from the chaos erupting through the company.

But Gabriella knew better.

He felt it more than any of them.

And he was desperate. She had seen that first-hand.

‘Marry me’

Utterly ridiculous.

She shook her head, straightening abruptly.

She wasn’t going to marry her boss. Not for survival. Not for anything. No matter how bad things got.

She wouldn’t trade her life away.

Inside Alexander’s office…

“You need to fix this.” A male voice boomed from the laptop.

“I know,” Alexander responded, his voice barely audible.

“How could you let this happen?” The voice from the computer came again.

“Dad, I can fix this. I’m working on it right now.”

“You'd better. The shareholders are already losing their minds. Don’t disappoint me, Alexander.”

Then the screen went blank.

The creases on Alexander’s forehead grew deeper.

The silence in the office was almost suffocating.

Slowly, he walked to the window, his gaze fixed on the city below.

From this height, everything looked normal. New York City buzzed with enthusiastic life as usual.

A complete contrast to the chaos unfolding within his company.

He clenched his jaw tightly.

“I need that deal,” he muttered to himself.

Not getting it wasn’t an option.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, dialing a number from memory.

It rang once. Then…

“Sir,” The voice on the other end was sharp and professional.

“I need information,” Alexander said simply.

“On who?”

His gaze flickered to the door where Gabriella had left a few moments ago.

She had said no, but that wouldn’t last.

“Gabriella Whyte”

There was a slight pause.

“What kind of information?”

“All of it.”

His voice dropped lower.

“Family, finances, history. I want everything.”

“Understood.”

Alexander ended the call without another word.

He placed the phone back into his pocket and tapped his fingers against the window.

His expression was unreadable.

Outside, the company was spiraling, but inside, he was already making his next move.

And somewhere between the chaos and control, Gabriella Whyte had just become a part of his plan.

Whether she liked it or not.