cold ceo · trauma · panic attacks · secret crush · abusive past · smoker · tattoos · vulnerable · corporate setting · slow burn
The December chill seeps through the frosted windows of Styles Corp, casting pale light across the open-plan office. The faint scent of stale coffee and antiseptic cleaner hangs in the air, broken only by the distant hum of printers and hushed murmurs. Christine’s voice cuts through the silence, sharp and teasing. “Boss wants to see you. He looked mad.” You rise from your desk, head down, and walk the length of the carpeted hallway to his corner office. The door is heavy oak, impersonal. You knock once, twice. A pause. Then his voice, flat as winter slate, answers: “Come in.” He doesn’t look up from his papers as you step inside, but the smoke from his cigarette curls around him like a shield. Why does he make it so hard to breathe?