Chapter 52

Laura's POV

My eyes darted to the window as the familiar glass-fronted building of my office loomed closer. My pulse kicked up a notch when Kelvin made no move to slow down.

"Kelvin," I warned, my voice sharp. "You missed the stop."

"Did I?" he mused, not bothering to look at me as he smoothly turned into the office parking lot.

Panic gripped me. "Kelvin, I swear to God, turn this car around!"

He let out a low chuckle, clearly entertained by my distress. "Relax, Laura. It’s just a parking lot. No need to have a meltdown."

"Are you insane?" I hissed, my hands gripping the seatbelt. "People are going to see us together!"

"And?" He pulled into a prime parking space near the entrance and cut the engine. "You do work here, don’t you?"

I stared at him in horror. "You are unbelievable."

Before I could make a run for it, he was already out of the car. My heart stuttered as he strode around to my side, his long legs eating up the distance in mere seconds. I fumbled with the door handle, but before I could get it open, he beat me to it.

He pulled open the door and leaned down, one hand braced on the roof of the car. His tall frame loomed over me, effectively trapping me in place.

"Come on, Laura," he said smoothly, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "Be a good girl and step out."

Heat flared up my neck. "I hate you so much right now."

"That’s unfortunate," he murmured, tilting his head. "Because I’m really starting to enjoy our mornings together."

I clenched my jaw, knowing there was no way to get out of this without drawing even more attention. And sure enough, a few of my colleagues were already glancing our way, their eyes widening in interest.

I groaned, resisting the urge to smack him across the face, and begrudgingly stepped out. He stepped back just enough to let me pass, but not before leaning in ever so slightly.

"See? That wasn’t so bad," he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.

I shot him a glare, then spun on my heel, marching toward the entrance. I could hear his deep chuckle behind me, sending my frustration soaring.

As I walked into the office, I could already feel the curious stares and whispers following me.

Great. Just great.

This was exactly what I had wanted to avoid.

He had just made sure my Monday morning would be an even bigger nightmare than usual.

"Laura!"

I barely had a chance to reach my desk before Nathan appeared out of nowhere, his sharp gaze scanning my face. His sandy-blond hair was slightly tousled, and he held a cup of coffee in one hand, his other hand already on my arm as if to steady me.

"What the hell was that about?" he demanded, his voice low but urgent. "You just pulled up with Kelvin? In his car?"

I groaned, pressing my fingers against my temple. "Nathan, please. It’s too early for this."

"Too early?" He scoffed. "Half the office just witnessed your grand entrance! Spill, Laura. What’s going on?"

I exhaled sharply, knowing there was no way he’d drop it. "I wanted to hitch a ride this morning. That’s all. But I met the bus on the way and he decided to be a controlling ass and insisted on dropping me off instead."

Nathan’s eyes narrowed. "He insisted? Laura, you know that guy has an agenda, right?"

I waved a dismissive hand. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Don't fret."

Nathan sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "You sure that’s all? Because it looked like a scene straight out of a damn office romance novel. The way he—"

I shot him a glare. "Finish that sentence, and I swear I’ll spill your coffee all over your expensive shoes."

He smirked, holding up his hands in surrender. "Fine, fine. But if he keeps pulling stunts like this, people are going to start talking."

I groaned. "They already are."

He gave me a knowing look. "Yeah. And I have a feeling the boss doesn’t mind one bit."

I hated that he was right.

And even more, I hated that a tiny, traitorous part of me didn’t mind either.

I barely had time to process Nathan’s words before a sharp voice sliced through the office noise.

"Well, well, look who decided to make an entrance," a sickly sweet tone rang out.

I turned just in time to see a blonde woman approaching, her designer heels clicking against the floor with unnecessary aggression. Emma. Of course. If there was office gossip, she was the first to spread it. And judging by the way her manicured fingers tightened around her coffee cup, I already knew this wasn’t going to end well.

Her lips curled into a smirk. "You know, Laura, it’s not exactly professional to hitch a ride with the boss. But then again, I suppose professionalism was never your strong suit."

I stiffened. "Excuse me?"

She took another slow step closer, tilting her head with mock pity. "Oh, don’t play coy. Everyone saw it. You, stepping out of Kelvin’s car like some—"

It happened so fast, I didn't see it. One second, she was smirking. The next, her coffee cup 'accidentally' tipped, and a splash of lukewarm liquid seeped into my blouse.

"Oh no," she gasped, her expression as fake as her sympathy. "I’m so sorry. How clumsy of me."

A hush fell over the surrounding desks. My hands clenched at my sides, and for a moment, I simply stared at her, feeling the warm liquid soak through my clothes.

Then, before she could gloat any further, I calmly lifted my own coffee cup and, with zero hesitation, upturned it over her pristine white blouse.

A collective gasp echoed through the office.

Emma shrieked, stumbling back as dark liquid dripped down her front. "Are you insane?!"

I met her furious glare with a cool, flat stare. "Oh no," I said, mirroring her earlier tone. "I’m so sorry. How clumsy of me."

Nathan choked on a laugh behind me.

Emma’s face turned red with outrage. "You…you—"

"You should probably go clean that up," I cut in smoothly. "Wouldn’t want people thinking you’re anything less than professional."

Her mouth opened and closed, her fury practically radiating off her. But before she could spew whatever insult she was gearing up for, I turned on my heel and strode past her, heading straight for the restroom.

Kelvin had already ruined my morning. A little spilled coffee was the least of my worries.