Chapter 8: Jealousy?

The sun was shining brightly through the tall windows of the Kingsley Corporation office as Charlotte entered, already immersed in the day’s tasks. She was excited about the progress she was making with her designs, and despite the previous tension with Asher, she was determined to keep things professional and focus on her work. She had a lot on her plate, but today was special—her best friend, Elijah, had decided to drop by for a quick visit during her lunch break.

“Hey, stranger. How's the world of blueprints treating you?”

Charlotte’s face lit up as she turned to see Elijah, her best friend, standing there with his trademark grin. Elijah, tall, with dark hair and striking green eyes, he had an easygoing charm that drew people in. With his signature easygoing grin, Elijah had always been her rock, the one person who could make her laugh even on her worst days. They’d been through everything together, and his presence always managed to bring out the best in her, no matter how stressful her day was. .

“Eli!” she exclaimed, jumping up to give him a quick hug. “You know, the usual: too many deadlines and not enough coffee.

He chuckled, his eyes twinkling. “ I brought you something to fix that.” Elijah held up a large cup of her favorite coffee from the café down the street, a gesture that warmed her heart.

"You didn’t have to come all the way here just for me!

“Well, you’ve been working nonstop, and I figured you could use a little caffeine break. Plus, I couldn’t resist seeing you,”

“You’re the best,” she said, gratefully accepting the cup. “What would I do without you?”

Elijah smirked, leaning casually against her desk. “Crash and burn, probably,” he teased, though his gaze softened as he watched her sip her coffee.

They found a small table in the corner of the lobby, chatting easily. Charlotte immediately felt her stress melt away as they joked about old times, their laughter filling the room. Elijah’s quick wit and warmth had always made him easy to be around, and Charlotte appreciated how he could make her laugh even on her worst days.

“So,” Elijah said, leaning in with a smirk. “What’s the office life treating you like? And more importantly, how’s that new boss of yours? The one you keep mentioning.”

Charlotte rolled her eyes playfully. “Complicated,” she replied. “He’s... intense. All work and no play, if you know what I mean. He’s not the easiest person to get along with.”

Elijah chuckled. “Sounds like fun. I’ll have to meet this guy one day.”

Just as Charlotte was about to respond, she caught a glimpse of Asher out of the corner of her eye. He was walking through the lobby, clearly on his way to a meeting. But then, he slowed down, his gaze locking onto Charlotte and Elijah. For a brief moment, Asher’s face showed something uncharacteristic—an unfamiliar pang of emotion Charlotte couldn’t quite place.

Asher paused, watching them from a distance. His eyes narrowed slightly as he saw the easy camaraderie between Charlotte and Elijah. She was laughing, looking so at ease with Elijah in a way he had never seen her in the office. The gnawing feeling in his chest—the one he didn’t want to acknowledge—started to surface. Jealousy. It was strange and uncomfortable, something Asher couldn’t quite push aside.

Charlotte noticed Asher standing nearby and immediately felt the tension in the air shift. Sensing the awkwardness, she quickly stood up, waving Elijah to join her as she approached Asher.

“Asher,” she called out, giving him a polite smile. “I didn’t realize you were still here. I want you to meet someone.”

Asher’s eyes flickered from Charlotte to Elijah, the intensity in his gaze masked by his usual composed expression.

“This is Elijah,” Charlotte said, gesturing to her best friend. “Elijah, this is Asher Kingsley, my boss.”

Elijah extended his hand with a warm, friendly smile. “Nice to meet you. Charlotte’s told me a lot about you.”

Asher accepted the handshake, though his grip was a touch firmer than usual. “Likewise,” he responded coolly. His gaze lingered on Elijah for just a moment longer than necessary, as if sizing him up.

“All good things, I hope?” Asher added, his tone professional but with an undertone Charlotte couldn’t quite place.

Elijah’s smile remained, though he noticed the subtle tension. “All good things. Charlotte speaks highly of her work here.”

Charlotte, sensing the awkwardness, jumped in quickly. “Elijah and I go way back. He’s basically family.”

Asher’s jaw tightened ever so slightly. Family. That word stung in a way he didn’t expect. “That’s good,” he replied, his voice betraying none of his inner thoughts. “It’s nice to have that kind of support.”

The silence between them lingered for a moment, heavy and uncomfortable, before Asher cleared his throat. “I didn’t mean to interrupt. I just wanted to remind you about the meeting with the design team in half an hour.”

Charlotte nodded quickly. “Of course, I’ll be there.”

Asher gave a curt nod, his eyes flicking to Elijah once more before turning to leave. “Nice meeting you, Elijah.”

“Likewise,” Elijah replied, though the tension between them hadn’t gone unnoticed.

Asher walked away, his shoulders a little more rigid than usual. He couldn’t shake the strange feeling that had settled in his chest. Why should it matter who Charlotte spent her time with? It wasn’t like he had any claim on her personal life. And yet, the sight of her laughing so effortlessly with Elijah gnawed at him in a way he didn’t want to acknowledge.

Back at the table, Elijah watched Asher leave before turning to Charlotte with a curious look. “So that’s the boss? Interesting guy.”

Charlotte exhaled, trying to brush off the awkwardness of the moment. “Yeah, he’s... complicated, like I said.”

Elijah chuckled, though there was a seriousness in his gaze. “He seemed a little... tense. But don’t worry. I’m sure it’s just work stress, right?”

Charlotte smiled, though a part of her couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that lingered after the encounter. “Yeah, probably. I have to get back to work,” she said, half-regretful, half-reluctant to let their easy conversation end.

Elijah gave a dramatic sigh. “Ah, the curse of corporate life. You’ve changed, Evans. We used to be able to talk for hours.”

She rolled her eyes, playfully shoving him. “Some of us have deadlines, you know.”

“Well, I’ll leave you to it then,” Elijah said, standing up straight. “But we’re still on for dinner tonight, right? You, me, and pizza?”

Charlotte grinned. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Elijah winked at her before walking away, his heart heavy with the unspoken feelings he’d carried for years. He loved Charlotte—had loved her for as long as he could remember—but she’d never seen him that way. To her, he was the best friend, the confidant, the guy who always had her back. And as much as it pained him to stay in that role, it was better than not being in her life at all.

Later that day, as Charlotte was reviewing architectural plans at her desk, her phone buzzed with a text from Elijah;

Don’t forget. 7 p.m. Sharp. Don’t keep me waiting!

Charlotte smiled, typing back a quick response before putting her phone aside and returning to her work. The day passed in a blur of meetings and design tweaks, but in the back of her mind, she looked forward to unwinding with Elijah later.

Unbeknownst to her, Asher had passed by her desk several times throughout the day, each time catching a glimpse of her smiling down at her phone. His chest tightened once again, a flicker of irritation bubbling up. What was it about Elijah that made Charlotte so carefree? He shook his head, frustrated with himself. There was no reason to care about her personal life. But every time he saw her with Elijah, a pang of jealousy surfaced that he couldn’t quite control.

As the day wound down and the office started to empty, Asher found himself walking past Charlotte’s desk again. She was still there, working late as usual, her focus entirely on the designs in front of her. He paused for a moment, lingering just long enough for her to look up.

“Oh, Asher,” she said, surprised to see him. “You’re still here?”

“Yeah,” he replied, trying to sound casual. “Long day.”

“Tell me about it,” she said with a tired smile. “But I’m almost done.”

Asher nodded, his gaze lingering on her for a moment longer than necessary. “You and Elijah seem close,” he remarked, trying to sound disinterested but failing miserably.

Charlotte blinked, caught off guard by the comment. “Yeah, we’ve been friends forever. He’s like family to me.”

Asher’s jaw tightened, though he kept his expression neutral. “I see.”

There was an awkward pause, but before Charlotte could ask what he meant, he cleared his throat. “Well, don’t stay too late,” he said, turning to leave.

“I won’t,” Charlotte called after him, watching as he walked away.

As the door closed behind him, Charlotte couldn’t help but wonder what had prompted Asher’s sudden interest in her friendship with Elijah. She shrugged it off, assuming it was just idle curiosity. But as she packed up her things for the day, a small part of her couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something more behind Asher’s words—and the way he’d looked at her.