Our Accidental Forever
Chapter 12: Elephant in the Room

Chapter 12: Elephant in the Room

Arec’s POV:

I walked into my office, the door closing behind me with a soft click. The moment the door shut, I exhaled deeply, muttering under my breath, "What the hell?" I ran a hand through my hair, pacing behind my desk. My new assistant was my one-night stand? I couldn’t believe it.

The day had started off normal enough. I’d walked out of the elevator, ready to meet the new assistant, expecting nothing out of the ordinary. Only to see her - my one-night-stand.

The shock of recognition hit me like a brick. For a split second, I was stunned for a moment, almost unable to believe that the woman I’d spent the night with was now sitting in my office, her eyes wide with the same shock and confusion I felt.

I had to pull it together fast. "Get a grip," I told myself.

I quickly pulled myself together, though. I’ve always been adept at hiding my emotions, especially in the business world.

I had no choice; this situation demanded control. Masking my surprise with a cool, professional demeanor, I acted as if nothing was out of the ordinary. But inside? Inside, I was anything but composed. I was a mess.

As I stood there, staring out of space the memory of her expression kept replaying in my mind.

I could still see the look in Ella’s eyes when she realized who I was. The way her eyes widened when she recognized me

There was nervousness, embarrassment, and something else, uncertainty, maybe? She’d avoided eye contact, her voice trembling slightly every time she spoke to me. It was clear she was as aware of the situation as I was. "Damn it." I thought, trying to push those images out of my head.

I leaned against my desk, my mind racing through the possibilities.

"What should I do now?" The question kept bouncing around in my mind.

Should I address what happened between us last night? Or would it be better to just pretend it never happened?

The safe choice was obvious: maintain professionalism. I couldn’t risk any rumors flying around the office, or worse, a scandal that could tarnish my reputation, and the company’s.

The thought of Sam crossed my mind. He’s going to love this, I thought with a grimace.

If he found out that, the woman from last night, was now my assistant, he’d never let me hear the end of it. I could already hear the teasing, the endless jokes.

But that was a problem for later. Right now, I needed to focus on reasserting control over the situation.

I pushed off from the desk and made my way to the window, looking out over the city skyline.

Determined to handle this like any other business problem, I decided that I wouldn’t let this affect our working relationship. I’d treat Ella like any other assistant, ensuring she understood the boundaries and expectations, and I needed to enforce them. Simple.

But as the morning passed, it became increasingly difficult to ignore the tension between us. Every time I called her into my office, every time I looked at her, I could sense her nervousness. She kept avoiding my gaze, fumbling slightly with her words. It was getting on my nerves.

By midday, I knew I couldn’t ignore it anymore. I called her into my office again, watching as she walked in, clearly trying to keep it together. She stood in front of my desk, looking more like she wanted to disappear than be in the same room with me.

"Ms. Davis," I started, keeping my voice as cold and as business like as possible.

She flinched slightly at the formal tone, and I noticed her hands tightening around the notepad she carried.

"I want to make something clear," I continued, forcing myself to meet her eyes, which were wide with unease.

"Whatever happened between us last night," I paused, watching the color rise to her cheeks. "it stays in the past. It doesn’t affect our work here. Understood?"

She nodded quickly, almost too quickly. Her eyes darting away from mine. "Yes, Mr. Weston. Of course," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

I wasn’t finished. "I need everything to be perfect," I said, my tone leaving no room for doubt.

"This is a demanding job, and I won’t tolerate distractions. Any mistakes, any at all, and you’re gone. Do you understand?"

She straightened a little, her voice a bit stronger this time. "Yes, Mr. Weston," she repeated.

"Good." I nodded, dismissing her with a wave of my hand. "Now, get back to work."

She turned and practically fled the office, and I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. "God, this is a disaster." I’d hoped that would be the end of it, that we could both move forward without letting last night’s events interfere with our work.

As the rest of the day passed in a blur.

I buried myself in work, trying to push Ella, and the night we shared,out of my mind. But every time I saw her, every time I caught a glimpse of her out of the corner of my eye, every time she knocked on my door or brought me a report, I couldn’t help but remember. The way she’d looked at me, the way her skin had felt against mine, the sound of her moans...

No. I shook my head, trying to snap out of it. This wasn’t going to happen. I had to keep things professional, had to keep a distance.

Finally, as the day drew to a close, I watched from my office as Ella gathered her things, moving quickly, almost desperately.

Clearly, she was eager to escape, eager to get away from me, from the tension that had been hanging over us all day. I could practically feel her relief as she headed for the door, but before she could leave,I found myself calling out to her.

"Ms. Davis."

She froze.

Slowly, she turned back to face me, her expression carefully neutral. "Yes, Mr. Weston?" she asked, forcing herself to meet my gaze.

I studied her for a moment, my expression unreadable. A part of me wanted to say something, anything, that might make it easier, to reassure her that everything would be fine. But I couldn’t afford that. I had to keep things professional.

"Good work today," I said, keeping my tone cool and distant. "I’ll see you tomorrow."

She nodded, muttering a quick "Thank you," before she made her way to the elevator as fast as she could without actually running.