The morning in the city tasted like burnt coffee and exhausting cynthia brooks clutchef her paper cup as if it were life suppoet,dodging pedesteians and hanking taxis.she was late again!
"third warning ",she muttered to herself ,racing toward the lowering glass building that housed "𝚟𝚘𝚜 𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚛",the city's most prestigious fashion empire
"one more and i'll jobless and homeless",she said to herself
her flats slapped against marble floors as she balted through the lobby ,waving nervously at the receptionist
The elavator doors were closing
"hold..hold it,please !"she gasped ,slipping inside anf colliding straight in a man black suit ,her coffe flew in slow motion.a dark splash across his white shirt
silence
then,the faint hiss of someone 's horrified gasp behind her
cynthia froze "oh no ",the man's voice was calm-too calm"do you make a habit of attacking yor siperiors before 9 am?
she looked up and met eyes colder than ice
Alexander blackwood ,the creative director himself ,the man whose designs ruled billboard ,whose interviews she re- watched secretly because he some made sarcasm sound peotic ,now she'd baptized him in coffee
"i...i'm so sorry ,sir!,it was an accident,i didn't mean...."she tried to manage to say
before he held up his one finger *stop"
the single word sliced through her rambling ,he stared at her name badge"cynthia brooks?"he said
yes ,she nodded ,swallowing hard
"come to my office "he said simply,walking away
no shouting ,no visible anger .which was somehow worse
she followed in silence,every nerve buzzing,his office is huge,cold,with expensive-black,shelves of trophies,faint scent of bergamot
he rugged off his jacket ,reavealing a white shirt beneath"you work in finance?"he asked as he placed his jacket on an hanger
"yes sir",she replied
"what are you doing running through the building like a courier?"
cynthia 's voice cracked "i....i was late,and the elavator.."she tried to explain before he cut her off
"excuses bore me",he said without looking at her
her stomach dropped ,she waited for the words you're fired.instead, he signed softly and said "next time don't run"
she was so suprised that is his reponse when she sees and picked upa flash drive in the floor beside her chair as alexanderis going though a file
"you're not firing me ?"cynthia blinked
alexander finally looked up,his expression unreadable "i'm not firing you today,misbehave next time so that you can get fired",he said insultingly
"thank you sir ",cynthia backed toward the door ,heart pounding her hands shook so much she barely noticed when the flash-drive slipped into her bag