[Bonus Chapter] Morning Mishap

The present day...

Shortly after Melody stepped into the office, the door to Morgan's room swung open. "Ms. Brynleigh, at last... you're here!"

Morgan appeared at the entrance of his room, located across from her own. His voice carried a sweet tone, but there was something unsettling about it, like honey left to harden and crack on ice.

Melody greeted him with a smile as she entered her room. He was tall, standing at around 6'2 tall, with thick, dark brown hair that was always perfectly styled to accentuate his high cheekbones and captivating eyes. Despite being thirty-five years old, he still possessed a youthful look.

She gave him the customary greeting. "Good morning, Mr. Blodwyn," hoping Morgan would give his usual curt nod in return.

As Melody attempted to walk past him, Morgan grumbled, "Morning, Ms. Brynleigh? What time is it in your little world?"

Melody halted and met his icy stare. Morgan towered over her petite frame of around 5'4 tall and she had never felt so small before working for him at the Xicorra Corporation for two years.

Lately, she had been wearing high heels that she previously thought were as high as stilts just to reach his eye level. Yet, even with her elevated height, Morgan still had to tilt his head to look down at her, which he appeared to enjoy as his blue eyes glinted.

With a sense of relief, she assured Morgan, "I encountered some mishap this morning, but it won't occur again, Mr. Blodwyn."

Morgan had strict instructions for her to be punctual every morning, and Melody made sure to follow them without fail except this morning.

Despite Morgan standing in the doorway and watching her every move, she was able to pass by him, stow her bag and other items in the drawer, and switch on the computer, all without showing any sign of being bothered by his presence.

"Morning mishap is an apt description for what I have to deal with in your absence. I spoke to Ethan Wylder privately about the fact that he didn't get the contract signed as promised at nine this morning. I should contact the Representative of Southwest District Council personally to let him know that we will actually proceed with the proposal as written. In other words, I've done everything that was supposed to be your task this morning. Of course, even with your mishap, you arrived at past nine. Some of us have to get up and get to work before lunchtime."

This morning, her day had already been plagued by a series of unfortunate events, such as accidentally dropping her cell phone in a sink filled with water and losing her gold earrings in the trash.

As if that wasn't enough, she was also accidentally struck by a car that rolled backwards at a crossroads, leading her to wait for the police and receive a lengthy lecture about what everybody knew of the driver's negligence. Luckily, she was okay but losing her precious time for work.

With all of these things happening, the last thing she wanted was for Morgan to throw a tantrum and turn a deaf ear to the reason for her delay.

Melody glanced at him who looked hostile towards her, his eyes widened, his arms crossed over his broad chest and all because she arrived an hour late.

She avoided looking at his chest covered by the dark suit. During their first month working together, she remembered the incident when she made the mistake to enter the gym while she must go to a client meeting and found Morgan drenched in sweat and shirtless on the treadmill.

Morgan had the face of a supermodel with the most amazing hair she had ever seen, which was messy at the time. The memory of him wiping his chest with his shirt was etched in her mind forever.

"Excuse me, Mr. Blodwyn," she said between her gritted teeth. "I understand the burden I'm causing by having you handle the fax machine and picking up the phone. As I mentioned, it won't happen again."

"That's right, it won't happen again," he said with a smug grin.

If only Morgan had kept quiet, everything would have been perfect. She wished she could use a piece of duct tape to silence him. There was a roll of duct tape on her desk, which she had been saving for the right moment.

Morgan looked at her seriously and said, "And lest you let this incident fade from your memory, I'd like to see the full status tables for Mulligan, Tunnelworks, and Mount Venture Project on my desk by five in the afternoon. And then you have to make up for the lost time this morning by giving me a live presentation of the Brimstone report in the meeting room at six o'clock. If you're going to do this report, you're going to prove to me that you know what you're doing."

Melody gasped as she watched Morgan storm out of the room, forcefully shutting the door behind him. Morgan was well aware that she was working well ahead of the schedule set for the project, which was crucial for the successful completion of her thesis. She still had several months to finish the report after the contract was signed, and the terms had not even been fully determined yet.

Despite all of this, Morgan wanted her to give a presentation at... she glanced at her watch. Nine hours from now, assuming she skipped lunch.

She then opened the Brimstone file and studied it.

Melody remained at her desk during the lunch break while her coworkers headed out. She opted for a cup of hot chocolate and a bag of trail mix from the vending machine instead of her usual homemade or restaurant lunch. This was a rare occurrence, but she had a lot to do and couldn't afford to waste any time.

She lifted her head at the sound of the door to the outer room opening. Her face broke into a smile as she saw Jessica walking over to her desk. Jessica was one of the few people in the office that Melody considered a friend. They had bonded over their shared love for enjoying hot chocolate and trying new cuisines.

"Ready for lunch?" she asked.

"Well, it looks like I'll have to pass. Today has been crazy." In response to Melody's remorseful gaze, Jessica's smile broadened into a smirk.

"Today is crazy or the boss is crazy?" She whispered as she took a seat near the table. "I heard he was a bit cranky this morning."

Melody gave her a meaningful look. "You know Morgan better than anyone here. What do you think?" she asked.

Jessica shrugged. "As the son of the founder of the Xicorra Corporation, he's practically a living legend in this building."

"Yeah, even if I have to work myself to the bone, I wouldn't be able to finish this in time," Melody replied.

"Do you want me to bring you anything?" Jessica asked, gesturing towards Morgan's office with her eyes. "Maybe a hitman or some sewer water?"

Melody gave her a stern look and lightly tapped her shoulder. "Are you out of your mind? Do I really look like a cold-blooded killer to you?"

Jessica chuckled and exited the room.