CHAPTER 2 ~ 𝚆𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝙿𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝙷𝚎𝚎𝚕𝚜 ~

The flowers were arranged next to each other in line, more exquisite than the other. One of the staff led them to a confined area, as they walked in, Hayden nestled down in one of the Parsons chairs, and Cassandra did the same.

Morning light streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating the polished mahogany table, as Hayden and Cassandra waited for the meeting to begin. He had spent countless hours before wondering who they would be meeting, and in his mind it had been a man of authority—someone who was solemn, who commanded respect, dressed in a perfectly fitted tuxedo, perhaps in his mid-sixties, with gray hair and an air of undisputed confidence.

They had spoken before on the phone, and always greeted by the voice of a man with an unassailable English accent — his interpreter, they figured — nothing surprising there.

The room echoed with a sharp click—the distinct sound of heels approaching. With growing anticipation, Hayden and Cassandra both glanced toward the door.

Just then, the door handle turned, and a figure came in that completely failed to match any expectations. She was wearing a black bodycon dress that clung to her silhouette and showed off her physique; a length of white fur sat wrapped around her arms, the kind of garment that exclaims power like a marching band.

She possessed dark hair that flowed lightly about her shoulders, and determination and intelligence sparkled in her eyes.

A shock of surprise lit in Hayden’s eyes, which he masked with a smile. There was an undeniable presence around the woman that radiated confidence. The sound of her heels clicking on the floor while she walked into the room echoed like a realization of change ahead.

“Good morning, Mr. Hayden,” she said in a smooth but powerful Asian accent that caught the attention straight away. "I am delighted to be here.”

Her assistant, a stunning man who you’d think walked off the cover of a Vogue magazine, arrived with her. He looked maybe mid-30s, but his face seemed to be demanding that he was really in his early 20s. His hair was slicked back in a polished, traditional Asian contemporary fashion. He moved with an almost careless elegance, and equally fascinating aura to his pitchy-voiced allure. The finely tailored suits he wore spoke to a meticulousness: he was not just that slightly under-appreciated assistant but a helpful partner when things got hairy.

Cassandra thought inwardly as she looked at Hayden, who was ushering the lady in. While assumptions were bound to be wrong, this one seemed to be a lesson in humility beyond what anyone could have anticipated.

Shaking off preconceptions about what he did know about her and the make-believe version that he had concocted in his mind, Hayden worked at leaning into his perception and found an unexpected respect for the woman he was face to face with. He never expected the meeting would be so illuminating.

“My pleasure,” he said as he shook her hand, smiling. She smiled back, her eyes sparkling with interest and curiosity, her face warm and welcoming. He could sense the weight of her unrelenting, steady stare.

The press of her palms against his was more than a greeting; it was a wordless say-all. Their hands separated, and an unvoiced understanding crossed.

As they settled at the dining table, within minutes, a lovely spread of dishes began to arrive. The table became a colorful spread of culinary creations with delectable scents wafting through the air and beckoning all to the feast.

While enjoying their food, they talked the matter over and arrived at a solution. She signed on with their company pretty much without hesitation or much negotiation.

“It’s been a pleasure doing business with you,” he said, offering a handshake again.

“Thank you,” she said, satisfaction cracking her tone.

Time whizzed by, and the meeting ended, then another, and then another. And as closing time approached, the once-bustling office space started to seem abandoned. The noise began to quiet and be overtaken by the sounds of the city beyond the walls. Colleagues got up from their chairs, collected their things, and offered polite greetings. Colleagues were found in small groups on the stairs, talking and laughing together, filtering out of the tall building and onto the street.

She fast-tracked the conversations they’d had and the decisions they'd taken. Tired, she returned to her desk for the inescapable burden of unfinished work.

Inside, the screen’s glow lit up a tangle of files and sticky notes. She inhaled deeply, steeling herself for the labor ahead. Her time was running short, but she still had significant documents to dig into — reports that needed her eyes before she could finally call it a night.

Her fingers brushed fabric and paper, ruffling through documents, mentally arranging priorities as the world outside continued to turn without her.

When she arrived in the parking lot of her apartment, it was already past 10 p.m. She rode the elevator and was at her door in about a minute, entering her passcode in a burst. As soon as she entered, the scent of lavender and cherry struck her nose, and she breathed in her favorite smell.

After entering her bedroom and swiftly removing the heels from her feet, which were already screaming in the cage that had previously adorned them, she proceeded directly to the wardrobe to get rid of the other items that were attached to her as clothes.

The water ran through her bare body as she let out a deep moan of exhaustion from the stress and daily activities. As she let the water run from her head down, her body adapted to the temperature. She wanted to stay longer, but her feet were hurting from overuse. With her hair tied with a towel, she pulled a robe from the hanger and wrapped it around her body as she exited the shower.

Walking over to a mirror stand, she grabbed the hair dryer and plugged it into a nearby wall socket, quickly drying her hair and changing into a more comfortable outfit, sinking into the bed as her body betrayed her, sending her mind into a world of relaxation with expectations of what tomorrow held for her.