Chapter 2

Ever since I started acting as Alex's unofficial interpreter, his vocabulary had shriveled down to almost nothing.

These days, his directives were so brief they were borderline parody.

Most of the time, the man couldn't be bothered to use more than a single syllable.

He was certainly making his own life easier, but he was turning mine into a perpetual scavenger hunt for meaning.

Every day was a grueling marathon of explaining his cryptic nonsense to the rest of the team until my throat felt like I'd been swallowing sand.

I spent half my shift camped out at the breakroom water cooler, but at least the office perks were on the company's dime.

Too boring to be an extra? I'd be the first to object—this setup was actually a total dream.

But before the smugness could really settle in, a heavy, burning gaze pinned me to my chair, sharp enough to draw blood.

I turned to find Alex glaring at me, looking absolutely livid.

I snapped my spine straight immediately.

I cut right through the middle of Laurel's long-winded presentation.

"Ms. Harper, let's keep it moving. Mr. Grant's on a tight clock today, so let's jump to the next item," I directed firmly.

Laurel's face tightened with clear annoyance. "Mr. Grant," she called out.

Alex didn't even give her a courtesy glance, remaining completely silent.

A fresh wave of text started scrolling across my vision again.

Comment: [Does this side character seriously think the lead is into her? He's only acknowledging her to protect the heroine.]

Comment: [He's just using the side character as a human shield so his girl doesn't get targeted by the office sharks. He's speeding up the meeting for her sake.]

Comment: [The hero is so whipped.]

I caught a glimpse of the feed and my lips curled into a dry smirk.

Fine, I got the message—their golden couple was the center of the universe.

Whatever, I was totally over it.

I shouldn't even have been in the room; I should have been staying in my lane and keeping out of the splash zone like the ultimate third wheel.

My eyes narrowed as a sudden shot of adrenaline hit me.

There was no way I was going to let myself become a cheap prop in their little relationship games.

I needed to get these two together as fast as humanly possible so I could finish my script and get the hell out of here.

The goal was simple: get Alex to fast-track my exile to a regional branch office.

I decided then and there to play matchmaker.

I was going to set them up if it was the last thing I did.

*****

It was time to put the plan into motion.

Immediately after the meeting, I pulled up Laurel's digital file and started digging.

Laurel Harper, twenty-eight, Ivy League pedigree, stunning, and possessed a runway-ready look that could stop traffic.

She was absolute main-character material.

I checked Alex's calendar again—there was an industry summit at three, and Laurel was already on the guest list.

The stars were finally aligning, and a rush of pure adrenaline hit me.

I gave the door a sharp knock and stepped into Alex's office, announcing, "The car is downstairs."

Alex didn't even bother to look up from his screen. "Mm."

I pushed through the nerves to keep the momentum going. "Ms. Harper's heading to the summit too, and since it's on the way, I figured we should give her a lift."

Alex finally lifted his gaze, his expression unreadable and heavy.

The digital feed sparked to life across my vision.

Comment: [What is the side character doing? Is she seriously trying to ship the main couple? LOL, he isn't even into her yet.]

Comment: [Actually, Alex does end up giving her a ride later, and he even plays the hero for her at the summit. That's literally the first spark of the whole romance!]

My heart hammered against my ribs—I definitely had this in the bag.

Alex stayed silent for three agonizing seconds before letting out a sharp, "Mm?"

He was clearly annoyed.

But I decided to lean into some convenient selective hearing and treated that grunt like a signed and sealed agreement.