Chapter 2

7th December, 2026

Blair

As soon as I stepped into the hallway, I kept silent save for greeting the few people that passed by on occasion. 

My mind was still fixated on his words when I turned the corner and nearly I nearlyy bumped into Gina, my assistant and friend.

“Holy sh— Blair! I was looking for you.” she exclaimed.  “Josh needed your review on the Prima project. I told them you were in Mr Palmer's office but…you look pissed.”

“I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about, Gina.” I said, passing her. 

“Yep, definitely pissed.” she muttered. I ignored it even as she sidled up and wrapped her arm around me.

 “Come on, spill.” She tugged. “What happened?”

I pursed my lip. A part of me wanted to talk about it. Gina was the only one that knew about my truth and the plans of the secret proposal. My irritation was already at an all time high. If I spilled out everything I wouldn't be able to stop. 

Before I could refuse, Gina leaned in.

“Did it have anything to do with THE proposal?” She asked. 

The reminder made my gut clench. It was the magic words that made me unable to hold back.  

Without hesitation, I pulled Gina close into the empty elevator and pressed the button. 

“Did you accidentally tell anyone about it? Anyone at all?” I asked as soon as the elevator closed. 

“What? No. You know I'd never do that.” She shook her head alarmed, “why would you ask that?”

I sighed in defeat before leaning towards her, grateful that we were alone.

“Anything I say doesn't leave us.” I whispered conspiratorily. Gina nodded in response before gesturing to zip her mouth shut.

“Lips are sealed babe.” she whispered to assure me. It didn't matter to me, the warning was just a formality. I already trusted her. Taking a deep breath I leaned in. that the Design proposal was not just her own and that Gideon suggested bringing Zayn freaking Olsen.

Once I was done I faced forward keeping a straight face. Through the metal reflection I watched Gina’s expression shifted to shock and disbelief.

“Holy cow.” Gina gasped, “What is Mr Palmer thinking?”

“Tell me about it,” I muttered under my breath. “I’m supposed to somehow make peace with that asshole and go with him for this proposal. I don't know which is worse.”

The elevator stopped at my floor right on time. I moved and Gina followed, patting my arm as we walked through the hallway.

“But…be honest, are you considering it? I mean, it is Mr Palmer’s orders so you technically have no choice. Are you really going to try buttering him up?”

“Only if hell freezes over.” I snorted openly, turning the corner that led to my office.

“I know Gideon has good intentions.” I said, low enough for her to hear as I walked furiously. “but he doesn't know how bad he is. Zayn keeps putting himself in his good graces but I won't stand for it and I'd be damned if I let the credit go to that smug, egotistical…”

My words trailed off as I stopped in my tracks the same time as Gina did, because several metres away in the hallway I came face to face with none other than Zayn freaking Olsen himself.  

Zayn's icy blue eyes pierced through the distance. My jaw clenched and my blood simultaneously cooled, less in a calm way and more in a ‘trying to not lose it’ way. My reaction was a conditioned reflex that might as well have been second nature at this point. It had been that way for the past year since we’d begun working together.

Although stating ‘together’ itself was equally debatable.

He looked just as nauseating as the last time I'd seen him. Coiffed black hair that stood out with his tanned skin, chiseled features, damnably condescending blue eyes and his hulking 6.1 frame in a black shirt and pants, the only outfit he seemed to know existed.

In sum, he looked irritating.

His gaze never wavered either, and like always, his face held that same cold expressionless look I knew was hiding his condescending smug ass.

My hands clenched around the water bottle, a burning knot of annoyance seeping over me.

Was he the one that orchestrated it? 

Due to the sensitivity of the proposal, Gideon had ensured to keep it under wraps to avoid getting anyone excited. Except for me, him and Gina— who I'd told —nobody else knew that Huntington was participating in the bid. Nobody was supposed to know. 

How then did he find out about it? Had he eavesdropped? Spied on my plans? It had to be his doing. One way or the other he must have found out about it and convinced Gideon to let him join in his attempt to overmine me. 

Did he know that I was returning from Gideon's office after hearing the news?  He was probably feeling incredibly smug now, having caught me off guard and sabotaging me.

Again.

The bottle crinkled under my hold. If not for my professional decorum and reputation, I would have closed the distance to confront him. Maybe slap him like I'd fantasized about whenever he pissed me off and insulted my work which was in context, MANY times.

But that fantasy, like all the other times, would remain just that. A fantasy.

We remained in the staring match for a few more seconds, like predator staring at predator, neither willing to give in. Then just as suddenly, he broke it first, decisively walking away and disappearing into the corner. A few seconds later his door shut.

I released the breath I was holding. In any other case it would have felt victorious but I was far from relaxed. 

“Wow.” Gina whispered. I paid it no mind, moving forward. The more I thought about it, the more upsetting it was.

“Maybe…perhaps , it won't be so bad.” she said in a fake cheerful tone, an attempt I knew to cheer me up, “Perhaps you two could make it work. Set aside a truce just for the big proposal, even if temporary. I mean, maybe Mr Palmer has a point. You two don't like each other but if you could cooperate—”

“I can't." I cut Gina off, stopping in my tracks right in front of my office. Spinning around to face her I fixed her with a look.

“You know how he's treated me, what HE did back then.” I said, unable to keep the resentment from my tone. “If it were you, would you be able to cooperate with him after that?”

This effectively silenced her. Gina shrank back looking chastised, both apologetic and understanding. I sighed, easing my expression into something more assuring.

“It's okay.” I gave her a small smile. “Don't think about it too much. I'll deal with it.”

My words had the right effect as Gina relaxed. She nodded before offering her fist for a fistbumps. I warned at her attempt to comfort me and acquiesced, completing the fistbump.

“You can do this boss.” She whispered fiercely, peeking a glance at HIS door opposite us before giving me a thumbs up, walking backwards. Only when she was gone did I let my smile fall.

Facing the door across, opposite my office, my jaw clenched knowing he was there.

I forced myself to look away, turning the knob of my office door to enter before slamming the door shut.

…

“And he said I should try to work with him. Can you believe that?!”

I paced around in my apartment heatedly narrating the entire debacle. I'd held back for the rest of the day. Alone in the comfort of my home I could finally let out my frustration at the situation. ESPECIALLY how I didn't want to work with the cold asshole. 

“That must be harsh,” Emma, my sister in law, replied on the other side. I sighed and flopped onto the couch.

“Honestly. I've thought about it all day and I still can't understand what Gideon's thinking.” I said, raising my phone to properly look at her through the live video call. “I want to believe it's Zayn’s fault. He'd somehow finagled himself into this and convinced Gideon to do it. He always had a soft spot for himprops to him playing the cold tortured role when he's just an assshole. But…maybe it's mine. I must have made him doubt me somehow.”

“Don’t say that B,” Emma said seriously, raising an eyebrow, “Nothing about this is your fault. You're growing to be a top notch designer for a reason. Don't doubt yourself because of this.”

Before I could respond a loud sound came just before my brother's frame peeked out on the far end of the screen.

“Am I allowed to give my opinion?” he chimed in.

“No.”

“No way.”

 Emma and I spoke at the same time. We shared a smile before she shifted the video and turned towards him.

“Go away Jason.” She said, “Your sister and I are having an important girl talk. No icky men allowed.”

“Hey!” he cried out, mock offended as his face returned back into the screen, “You guys do know you're using my phone for your ‘girl talk’. Blair, help me out here. Did you seriously call me just to talk to Emma?”

“Obviously.” I snorted. Watching his face fall before the phone was pulled away and Emma's face reappeared. A loud sigh came through.

“This is so heartbreaking, betrayed by my wife and little sister.” he said like a forlorn, tragic character. I laughed with Emma as she shooed him away.

Eventually our laughter died down. Emma stabilized the phone and rested on the bed facing me.

“He’s gone. We're alone now so where were we?” She asked. I sighed.

“This is going to be a disaster. I still want to try and convince Gideon but he's so bullheaded when it comes to these things. What other choice do I have?” I frowned, using my free hand to pick at my sweater sleeve, “we’re like oil and water. Incompatible in every way. I just know that if he comes in he’ll try to undermine me and turn everything into one of those messed up sterile geometry projects with only two colors. He thinks black, white and gray is the only color on the goddamn color spectrum. How on earth am I supposed to work with him?”

“Well—”

She was cut off by the sound of a door opening.

“Blair, if you need help to rough up someone, I can come over to take care of the guy.” Jason's voice came in the background. Emma frowned, turning to me apologetically before getting off the bed, disappearing from the screen. Still, I could hear their exchange.

“Were you eavesdropping?” 

“Come on Em, I heard Blair talking about someone mistreating her-”

“Girl talk. What did you get about that? No. Eavesdropping.” her voice was light but scolding. I smiled knowing in the face of Emma’s scolding he was definitely looking like a whipped dog.

“You're right, you're right. I'm sorry babe.” Jason said placatingly. I had to stifle a laugh.  

“Why are you still standing here then?” Emma snapped and my brother stammered. 

“I’m just trying to offer some advice—”

“Nope. Nada. Zilch. No advice.” She interrupted. “You're temporarily exiled from the premises. Now shoo. Make yourself useful in the kitchen or something.”

“Emma baby—”

“Shooo!”

Soon after I heard his grumbling before the sound of a door shutting. I stifled my smile as she reappeared on screen. 

“Always such a busybody.” I teased. She didn't respond, as if in deep thought. When she looked up, she looked serious.

“Blair, don't get heated up for what I'm about to say.” She said, raising her hand in defense. “But after hearing all this, I think your boss is right. You should try working with Zayn.”