The meeting room was silent—too silent.
Élodie sat with her notebook open, pen poised, pretending to focus on the documents in front of her. In reality, her eyes were fixed on one person only.
Adrien Moreau.
He stood near the head of the table, tall, composed, hands casually tucked into his pockets. His presence alone felt heavy, like the room had shifted the moment he entered.
Lucien Moreau cleared his throat.
"Before we continue," he said calmly, "my son would like to introduce himself properly."
Adrien straightened, his expression unreadable.
He spoke slowly, confidently.
"Good morning. I'm Adrien Moreau."
"I'll be overseeing parts of this partnership and observing the internal workflow."
His voice was deep. Controlled. The kind that didn't need to be loud to demand attention.
Élodie didn't realize she was staring until—
Tap.
Her pencil slipped from her fingers and rolled onto the table.
Great. Just great.
She quickly picked it up, cheeks warming.
Why am I staring like an idiot?
Get it together, Élodie. He's just a man. A very… irritatingly attractive man.
She shook her head slightly.
No. No. This is not happening.
Focus. Work. Salary. Rent.
Reality slapped her back into place.
Lucien's gaze moved around the table before stopping on Élodie.
"Miss Marchand," he said.
"You've been one of our most efficient and reliable workers."
Élodie blinked, surprised.
"Thank you, sir," she replied, sitting straighter.
Lucien nodded once.
"Since Adrien is new to our internal systems, I want you to guide him through the workflow for today."
Her heart skipped.
Guide him?
Him?
She swallowed.
"Yes, sir. Of course."
Lucien glanced at Adrien.
"She'll explain everything you need to know."
"I expect professionalism from both of you."
With that, Lucien picked up his folder and walked out of the room.
Silence followed.
Just the two of them now.
Standing.
Facing each other.
Awkward.
Painfully awkward.
Élodie cleared her throat.
"Um… we should probably start," she said, gesturing toward the corridor.
Adrien looked at her for a moment, then nodded.
"Hmm."
That was it.
Just… hmm.
That's it?
No 'nice to meet you'? No smile? No expression?
She turned and started walking.
"I'll show you the main workstations first," she continued.
"This way."
Adrien followed quietly, hands in his pockets, eyes observing everything.
"We handle reports here," Élodie said.
"Deadlines are strict. Very strict."
"Hmm."
Is that his favorite word? she thought.
Does he say full sentences or is this a personality trait?
She pointed toward another section.
"This department manages client coordination. You'll need approvals before—"
"Hmm."
She paused mid-step.
Okay. Breathe.
Don't murder the CEO's son on day one.
They stopped near a glass wall overlooking the office floor.
"Any questions?" she asked, turning to him.
Adrien tilted his head slightly.
"No."
Short. Calm. Effortless.
Annoying.
She nodded.
"Good. Then you're set."
For the first time, Adrien's lips curved—not quite a smile, more like a hint of amusement.
"You're… efficient," he said.
Her eyebrows lifted.
"Thank you," she replied, polite but guarded.
He gave a brief nod and walked away, leaving behind silence… and a strange tension she couldn't explain.
Élodie watched him disappear down the corridor.
Her heart thumped once.
Hard.
Great, she thought.
This man is trouble. I can feel it.
And she had no idea that this was only the beginning.