Chapter 3: The Day After

Pulling on her blazer, Charlotte hoped that the material would protect her from the shame she was about to experience. Before opening the glass doors of Kingsley Corporation, she took a few deep breaths and then entered the building. Following the terrible meeting she had with the CEO himself, Asher Kingsley, she was on the verge of calling in sick. On the contrary, she was resolute in her intention to show up, maintain a professional demeanor, and put the accidental spill of coffee behind her.

“Hey, Charlotte! How’s our office barista today?” a voice called out, pulling her out of her thoughts. It was Tim from accounting, grinning as he leaned against his cubicle.

Charlotte forced a laugh. “Hilarious, Tim. I’m here to design buildings, not make your morning latte.”

“Oh, but you do it with such flair! Especially when it’s on the boss’s shirt,” Tim added, making a dramatic motion like he was tossing coffee onto someone.

Charlotte's face heated when she heard a few other coworkers laughing close by. With a meek grin, she waived them away and headed straight for her desk, intending to become lost in her work.

Her heart almost stopped as she turned the corner toward the elevators. Asher Kingsley himself was standing there, waiting for the elevator. As always, tall, sharp in a fitted suit, and totally calm. She forced herself to swallow and tried to vanish, but fate was not on her side.

A moment later, the elevator door swung open, and Asher stepped forward to meet her eyes. Attempting to avoid looking into his eyes caused Charlotte to freeze, and she nearly lost her balance. She drew a deep breath and hurried inside, uncomfortably shoving herself into the spot beside him.

Deafening quiet followed the sliding closure of the doors. Uncomfortably, Charlotte moved, her thoughts abuzz with potential words. Perhaps an explanation? Should she just act as if nothing transpired? Feeling more and more foolish by the second, she hesitated before closing her lips.

It was as if Asher was oblivious to her inner struggle. With his hands buried in his pockets and an expressionless face, he remained still. At last Charlotte had had enough.

“I… um, I’m really sorry about yesterday,” she blurted out, her voice coming out in a nervous rush. “The coffee, I mean. That was—well, that was just—”

“An accident,” Asher said calmly, cutting off her rambling without so much as a blink. “It happens.”

Charlotte blinked. That was it? No icy reprimand, no lingering annoyance? Just… “it happens”?

“Right,” she nodded, her voice small. “Thanks for being so understanding.”

Asher glanced at her then, his dark eyes cool but not unkind. “It’s fine, Miss Evans.”

The elevator doors opened, and he stepped out, leaving Charlotte standing there, her face flushed with embarrassment all over again. She practically ran to her desk, trying to convince herself that she wasn’t still mortified.

But of course, the universe wasn’t done with her yet.

“Charlotte,” her supervisor, Jennifer, called out as soon as she sat down. “Can you step into the conference room? We’re assigning teams for the new luxury hotel project, and I want you to work closely with Mr. Kingsley on this.”

Her stomach dropped. “With… Mr. Kingsley?

Jennifer smiled. “Yes, it’s a huge opportunity. You’ll be collaborating directly with him and some of our top designers. It’s going to be intense, but I know you can handle it.”

Charlotte nodded weakly, the weight of her supervisor’s words sinking in. Collaborate directly with Asher Kingsley? After the coffee disaster? Fantastic.

She was shaking with anxiety as she entered the conference room. Asher, who appeared as composed as usual, was already perusing a few papers as she sat across from him. Her anxiety level soared as a result of his blatant disregard for her presence.

At the start of the meeting, Asher explained the project's objectives and distributed responsibilities. Charlotte marveled at his uncanny ability to hold the room in his grip because of his laser-like concentration. However, she appeared to experience a mental glitch whenever his eyes shifted to her.

“Charlotte, I’ll need you to oversee the conceptual design phase,” Asher said, his tone firm but professional. “It’s a priority, and I want the first drafts by the end of the week.”

“Of course, Mr. Kingsley,” Charlotte replied, trying to sound confident, though her voice wavered slightly.

As the meeting went on, Charlotte couldn’t stop replaying the coffee spill in her mind. Her embarrassment over that moment made her hyper-aware of everything she was doing. At one point, while reaching for her notebook, she accidentally knocked over a stack of papers. They scattered across the table, and in a panic, she blurted out, “At least it wasn’t coffee this time!”

The room went silent.

Everyone stared at her, Asher included. For a split second, she thought she’d made it worse, but then… she heard a soft chuckle. She glanced up and saw Asher stifling a laugh, his eyes crinkling ever so slightly at the corners.

Charlotte’s face turned bright red, but she couldn’t help but laugh at herself. The tension in the room lifted as her colleagues grinned, and Asher, though composed, seemed just a little less intimidating.

The meeting ended, and Charlotte breathed a sigh of relief, though the butterflies in her stomach wouldn’t go away. She gathered her things, grateful the day was almost over. But before she left the room, she noticed Asher still at the head of the table, reviewing some notes.

She paused for a moment, watching him. He was meticulous in his work, eyes sharp as he skimmed through the documents, making quick, precise marks with his pen. There was something about his focus, his dedication, that struck her.

Despite the cool exterior, Asher Kingsley clearly cared deeply about his work. And that made her admiration for him grow just a little, even if she couldn’t quite shake off the nerves that still lingered from her earlier embarrassment.

As she turned to leave, she couldn’t help but feel Asher’s eyes on her. He said nothing, but for the briefest moment, their gazes met, and Charlotte thought she saw a flicker of something—something softer, hidden beneath the layers of his stoic demeanor.

With a quiet smile to herself, she left the room, wondering what the next few days working with Asher Kingsley would bring.