Page 25 of The Boss and the Wedding Mess

We reach his new office. Not much has changed, but he seems pleased. Alexander scans the room, checks the desk, then nods.

"Very good. I’ll settle in and reach out if I need something."

I nod politely and start to leave, but he stops me. "Could you bring me a coffee?"

"Of course." The trials of being a young assistant. I’m basically a walking coffee maker.

I stop by my boss’s office first. Ιf he wants one too, I can kill two birds with one stone. I then head to the kitchen. While the machine brews, I get lost in thought as I prepare the cups and wait for the machine to finish brewing.

What can I do to keep this job?

If I apologize sincerely to this Stephanie, and if Alex gives me a fair chance, maybe this will work. I’ll just grit my teeth and show my best side. It won't be easy. I just need to make sure I keep my emotions in check and don't act impulsively. Sometimes my mouth is unfortunately faster than my brain. I sigh quietly, pour the coffee into cups, and head back.

I serve my boss first, then bring Alexander his. He’s at his desk, working. That’s when I notice a USB drive beside his laptop.

"Here you go," I say, setting the cup down. "Wouldn’t an external hard drive be better? Those little things don’t hold much."

"It’s my lucky charm. I’ve carried it forever." Alexander picks it up and turns it in his hand almost reverently before setting it back down next to the laptop.

Got it. Everyone has their quirks.

He looks at the coffee. "Thank you, London." He smiles, takes the cup, then asks, "Do you actually like your first name?"

"Yes, I do." I don’t want to get into this with him.

"I spoke with Stephanie. She’d like to meet you. How about tomorrow evening? They leave for their honeymoon Wednesday, so it’s perfect timing."

"Yes, that works. Right after work?"

Oh man, I'd rather avoid this meeting altogether. But I have to get through it now. Maybe she's actually nice, and I'll get off with just a black eye.

"Can I give her your number? Then you two can set it up directly."

"Yes, of course." I try to mask how nervous I feel. "Do you need anything else?"

"No, thank you for the coffee." He lifts the cup and takes a sip.

I say goodbye and head back to my desk. There’s still so much to do.

A whole lot.

In the afternoon, I’m so focused on my work that I lose track of time. It’s only when colleagues start heading out and the office takes on that end-of-day hush that I notice I’m already four minutes past clocking off. I stand, stretch, and head toward my boss’s office. Looks like he’s working late today. But when I knock, there’s no answer. So I turn toward Alex’s office instead.

The door is slightly ajar, and that’s when I hear voices—my boss and Alexander talking inside.

“Are you absolutely sure?” my boss asks his son. If Mr. Blackthorn didn't sound so alarmed, I probably would have knocked. But instead, I stand there, trying to breathe as quietly as possible.

“Yes, of course. She already admitted it, apologized, and everything’s fine for now,” Alexander says, reassuring him. My stomach twists. They’re definitely talking about me. Which means now my boss knows. Damn.

“This is outrageous!” my boss snaps. I’ve never seen him this angry. My heart sinks to my knees, and I start trembling.

"You will fire her!" my boss demands. And with that, my heart plummets to the floor.

"I can't do that," Alexander defends me.

"Why not? You can never trust someone like that again!" I'm finished. Done for. That's it. I thought things with Alexander could work out, but if even my own, usually gentle boss is against me, I might as well kiss my job goodbye.

“But she needed it, and she promised to return it to me.”