24~An Accident

[Emily]

The moment the elevator doors opened, I literally ran out as though my butt was on fire.

The hallway felt like air after being underwater for so long.

I walked a few steps before I realised that I had been holding my breath and forced myself to exhale. My face felt warm, my neck tight, and my thoughts annoyingly loud.

Oh my gosh. What had happened in there?

I looked down at my left hand that had touched… no, no, I didn't want to think about it.

Instead, I adjusted the strap of my bag on my shoulder and kept walking, focusing on the steady click of my heels against the floor.

But still the sensation lingered. It had been unwanted, irritating and embarrassing, the way my hand had landed on it when I'd tried to steady myself. And I'd unintentionally squeezed it!! Good Lord!

How could I have touched that? I could barely look him in the eyes as it is; now this?

It had been an accident, but it didn't make it any less mortifying or gross, especially because it was him, the man I wanted to have nothing to do with.

I was absolutely irritated with myself for freezing instead of stepping back, even though it had only lasted a second. But that second was long enough for my brain to register what was happening and immediately file it under things I would like to erase forever; End of Story.

I didn't look back at the elevator. I didn't want to see his eyes on me. The thought alone made me cringe.

By the time I reached my desk, I'd smoothed my expression into something neutral and logged into my computer. About a hundred emails waited for me, and I had to do so many other things that I didn't have time to deal with what happened.

And although I was confident the incident was already forgotten, I found myself avoiding the executive floor for the rest of the day and taking the stairs instead of the elevator to the floor above mine.

When my phone buzzed on my desk, I picked it up with a small smile, knowing that it was my little bundle of joy using Aunt Mary's phone.

"Hello"

"Mummy, am I going to see you tonight?" Hayden's little voice filled my ear through the phone. I chuckled lightly and said, "I'm so sorry. I've been absent lately. There's been a lot going on at work, but I'll be home today to cook your favourite meal."

Hayden cheered into the phone, "Mummy, buy me ice-cream when you're coming home," and ended the call before I could even reply.

Due to the upcoming launch tomorrow, I've been unable to spend enough time with Hayden. I often arrived late when he was asleep and left early before he woke up. Luckily, Mary, who was already retired, agreed to look after him for me in exchange for groceries. She was such a kind woman and like a mother to me.

But tonight I'd be there to cook his favourite meal, give him his ice-cream, and tuck him to bed.

°°°°

The day before the launch feels like standing on the edge of a cliff and convincing yourself the wind won't push you off.

I arrived at LensCorp before sunrise, coffee in hand, tablet under my arm, my mind already running through checklists that loop endlessly, no matter how many times I ticked them off.

The program would take place at exactly six p.m. in the main auditorium.

I stand at the back of the massive room, just taking it in, the results of the past weeks of hard labour.

The room contains a stage wide enough to hold a small orchestra. Banners flank the podium, LensCorp's logo on one side and Lockwood Enterprises on the other. Seeing them together sends a strange jolt through me.

This is real.

I walk down the aisle, heels echoing softly, and start checking details. Microphones tested, check. Teleprompter synced, check. Press packets arranged in neat rows, check. The Donation pamphlets are exactly where they should be, check.

I double-check the pediatric hospital list for the tenth time. Everything has to be flawless because if it isn't, it will be my fault.

"Emily!" Lisa's voice rings out from the stage. "Tell me you slept at least a little."

"Does three hours count?" I call back.

She laughs. "Barely. Come up here. You won't believe whose name I found in the final dignitary list."

I stop mid-step. "Who?" I ask, suddenly wide awake.

Lisa grins like she's been waiting for this reaction. "Axel, freaking, Connor."

I climb the steps, my heart beating slightly. "The Axel Connor?"

"The one and only," she says. "New York's golden boy, the pediatric surgical prodigy and humanitarian saint. Yes, that Axel Connor."

I feel something warm bloom in my chest. "I thought he rarely attended corporate events."

"He does when it's for Kids," Kendra chimes in. "Apparently, he's been advising on the ethical framework for the rollout."

I shake my head, stunned. " That's incredible."

Axel Connor.

I'd read about him years ago; every article I could find after his name started circulating everywhere, 'The youngest doctor to successfully perform surgery on conjoined twins', with both surviving and thriving years later. People had said it was a miracle, but I had only one thought in my mind: he was a man with magical hands, a miracle in scrubs.

And then I came across a rare live broadcast of him, and I'd been left stunned. The man was beautiful. Not handsome but beautiful. He had a softness about him that had the ladies swooning.

He was a man who didn't just talk about changing the world but actually did it.

It was good to say that I had a tiny crush on him… maybe not so tiny.

"I can't believe he'll be here," Lisa says dreamily. "Do you think he'll be handsome in person?"

"Lisa," I mutter, but I'm smiling.

For the first time in weeks, the knot in my chest loosens, and I feel my heart beat slightly, not out of fear but from excitement.

It felt like this… was the reason for being here. To see the man I'd looked up to for so long.

And all the crap I had to deal with, including being in the same building and accidentally groping my baby daddy/murderer, was for this future meeting—yeah, I was delusional.