The elevator lurched to a halt between the forty-fourth and forty-fifth floors.
Elena braced herself against the railing as the lights flickered, then dimmed into low emergency mode. A mechanical groan echoed through the shaft, followed by dead silence. Her phone buzzed once and then died. No signal.
She sighed sharply and pressed the emergency button. Nothing.
Great.
Across the small, enclosed space, Liam Carter stood silently with his hands in his coat pockets, eyes lifting to meet hers with a calm that somehow only irritated her further.
"What did you do?" Elena snapped.
Liam raised a brow. "Me?"
"This has your signature all over it. The building crashes. The servers crash. And now the elevator, when I just happen to be in it with you?"
"If I wanted you trapped with me," he said dryly, "I'd at least make sure we had Wi-Fi."
Elena scowled, folding her arms. "Don't flatter yourself."
They stood in awkward silence for a few long seconds, the hum of the backup lights the only sound between them. The space was small,just enough for six people comfortably. But with only the two of them, it somehow felt stifling.
"I assume someone's working on this?" she asked.
Liam leaned back against the panel, surprisingly calm. "I sent a signal from my watch to the mainframe before the panel went dead. Security should have a ping in a minute. Unless they're as behind on updates as the rest of the company."
"You're enjoying this," Elena muttered.
"I'm enjoying the irony. Roth Industries. Top of the tech world. Can't keep an elevator running."
She narrowed her eyes. "Careful. I'm still your boss."
"Only during business hours." He gave a small smirk. "We're technically on pause right now."
Elena didn't respond, mostly because she couldn't think of a retort. And partially because, to her annoyance, that smirk made something flutter low in her stomach. Infuriating.
Liam tilted his head slightly, studying her the way someone might study a sculpture they weren't sure they liked but couldn't stop looking at.
"You know," he said after a beat, "you're not what I expected."
She arched her brow. "What did you expect?"
"A puppet. Groomed heiress. Corporate figurehead. Cold, perfect, untouchable." He shrugged. "You're colder, actually. But not perfect."
Elena stared at him, stunned.
"Was that supposed to be a compliment?"
Liam chuckled softly. "Wasn't meant to be an insult."
Before she could reply, a sudden jolt rocked the elevator again, and Elena lost her balance, stumbling forward right into Liam's chest.
He caught her instinctively, his hands at her waist, holding her steady. For a moment, neither of them moved.
Her hands pressed against the fabric of his shirt. His heart beat under her palms. Her breath caught.
Liam didn't speak. He just looked down at her, his face mere inches from hers, eyes unreadable,intense and curious.
And for a fraction of a second,there it was.
Something unspoken. Something unprofessional. Something dangerous.
Elena pulled back abruptly, straightening her blazer like armor.
"This never happened," she said firmly, turning toward the door.
"Sure," Liam replied behind her, his voice low, amused. "Whatever helps you sleep."
A moment later, the elevator jolted back to life and began moving again.
As the doors opened to the executive floor, Elena stepped out first without looking back.
But Liam watched her go, one hand still pressed lightly against his chest, where her touch had lingered.