The Directors gaze.

Oliver's POV: 

'I, Oliver, have never been this excited or nervous to meet someone, but here I am, anxiously waiting for Emma to step into my office.'

"I need to act cool," he muttered to himself.

Knock!

Knock!

Then he heard the knocks on his door.

'Oh, she's here'. Oliver thought about it and adjusted his tie to make sure he looked his best.

Ahem!

He cleared his throat. 

"Ahh, you're finally here, Emma Valentino."

I had expected a smile to grace her lips, but the moment she stepped in, it was far from what I expected.

She had a confused expression.

'Why is she looking at me that way? What is she thinking about?' Oliver thought with a furrow in his brows.

"What are you doing here?" said Emma, recognizing the face she had bumped into on her way back to her cubicle after talking to Lizzy.

"What do you mean?" Oliver countered with a smirk on his lips.

'Act cool!' Oliver chastised himself, making sure to add a bit of finesse to his actions by leaning to his side, tilting his head ever so slightly to get his good angle clearly seen by Emma.

With great concern, she said to him, "You shouldn't be here; that is the chair of the managing director, yet you are sitting on it. What if he sees you and fires you?"

Cross-popping veins made their way to his forehead at the subtle insult, but he managed to swallow his words.

"Do you think the managing director is someone who fires his employers as he pleases?" Oliver said it with curiosity.

"Well, from what I have heard, people call him a demon; some even say he should be in a psychiatric home." she explains.

'Be calm, Oliver. You can do this!'

"And what kind of person do you think he is?" He managed to respond.

"Well, I don't know, but I guess I'll have to find out today. For someone with a sharp tongue earlier, you sure are pushing your luck."

Knock!

Interrupted by a knock on the door, the wooden door opened, revealing the secretary.

"Mr. Oliver Fredrick, you have a meeting in the next 30 minutes." She said this without giving Oliver a glance, as her eyes were still focused on the notepad.

"Hold on. Who?" Emma interjected, shocked.

"I mean Mr. Oliver Fredri..."

"I heard that, but is he THE OLIVER FREDRICK?" Emma said it with her eyes wide open, shocked and confused.

"Yes," said the secretary, who was also confused.

"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry... I wasn't thinking when I said that. Look, everything I said wasn't true. Please forget about it." Emma waved her hands and shook her head.

"So what ward do you think I should be in?" Oliver said it jokingly, smirking at her embarrassment.

"Ward? Who would dare put our ever-competent managing director in a ward?!" The secretary exclaimed.

Oliver could see Emma's look of horror at the secretary, which unintentionally added fuel to the fire.

"I really didn't mean it that way," Emma said, looking at her feet.

He gave a little smile and said, "Have a seat," gesturing to the chair, then looked at his secretary. "You may leave us."

Emma shuffled her way to the chair, sinking into it, her face red from embarrassment, trying her best not to look at Oliver.

"Can I see the project?" He asked.

She handed the project over to him.

After spending a few minutes reviewing the entire project, he could confidently say that she had contributed a wealth of excellent ideas.

"I must say, you really are smart. I love the ideas, but they need one or two adjustments. Don't worry, I will send more materials for you to add to this write-up." He uttered these words while observing her grave expression.

'Is this how she looks when she is so serious?' he asked himself. 

"Alright then, check on the points I just sent to you, re-amend the report, and get it back here tomorrow." 

"Okay, sir, oh, and I'm really sorry for what I said earlier. I didn't mean it that way." Emma explained it apologetically.

"Don't worry so much about it," he said reassuringly. 

"Thank you. I would take my leave now, sir."

She stood up from the chair, going straight for the door. I watched as she sheepishly stepped out of the office with a little smile. 'Hold one, did I just smile? That is weird,' he said to himself. 

***

Emma POV: 

'Oh no, what the fuck did I just do? My mouth will get me sacked.' Emma's mind kept racing through what happened at the office as she made her way back to her workstation.

Upon arrival, she met Lydia, who was talking to another colleague.

"Hey guys," she said.

"Oh, hi Emma, you're back. Tell me, how did it go with the director?" Lydia asked. 

Taking a seat, Emma said, "Awful," with a dreadful expression.

"What happened? Tell me!" Lydia asked, getting excited about it.

Emma grunted, "Can we do that over lunch? I am starving."

***

The cafeteria was bustling with hungry people eagerly lining up for food. The noise of spoons and plates clattering filled the air. 

Emma and Lydia were amidst them, beginning their conversation with laughter.

Hahaha!

"What the actual fuck? Are you serious?" Lydia exclaimed. 

Emma, fully ashamed of what she did, answered with a nod, covering her face in shame.

Lydia laughed, remarking, "You are so funny; if I were the secretary, I would have laughed my ass off."

She face-palmed herself, hoping for Lydia's reaction.

"I was so ashamed, and I felt so bad that I didn't know how to deal with the situation even after the apology. At one point, I prayed that the grounds would open so I could just jump in." 

"However, the fact that he didn't react with fury is somewhat strange." Lydia frowned.

"Well, he was in a good mood, and I didn't lose my job, so it's a win-win situation." Emma smiled broadly as she continued to eat, and Lydia nodded in agreement.

***

Oliver POV: 

Oliver stretched, unwinding the tight knots in his back. The silence in the office made the steady ticking of the clock on the wall noticeable. He glanced at it, surprised to see that it was already midnight. 

"Shit, I lost track of time," he cursed.

Pit pat!

The gentle rain drumming on the window caught his attention.

He stood up and walked over to the window.

Emma was there, standing in the rain. She held her coat tightly around her, with a little umbrella that could barely cover her, waiting for a taxi that seemed unlikely to come anytime soon. 

Oliver frowned, feeling unpleasant about what he saw. He couldn't leave her there in the rain. So he gathered his things, shoving his laptop in his bag and some random papers he didn't pay attention to. 

"Wait for me." He said to himself,. 

He rushed straight to the packing lot, slid into his car, and drove up to the front of the building. 

"Emma, get in." He said it with a voice filled with concern. 

Emma looked up, surprised to see what her boss had said.

"Oh, don't worry, sir, the taxi will soon be here." 

"Get in now!!." Oliver responded in a demanding voice, leaving no room for negotiation. 

Giving up, she hurried over and slipped into the car, shaking off the rain from the umbrella. As he started the car, Oliver felt a sense of satisfaction and relief. 

'I did good, yes, one good deed for Oliver!' He internally squealed with delight at making amends for his early mistake.'

Emma's phone rang, getting his attention. He watched her face light up with a smile. 

'Who is that?' he said to himself.