Chapter 3 Crack in the ice

Emma Carter had only been at Wolfe Enterprises for two weeks, but she had already produced a ripple in waters that had previously been calm.

She had not planned to. She was not trying to stand out. But standing out was easy when you worked with an irrepressible silent fire.

She arrived early every day, at 6:45 a.m., and was frequently the last to go. She accurately predicted Alexander Wolfe's requests, handling his schedule, travel, contracts, and meetings so well that even the senior staff began to ask, "Who is the new girl?"

Her workstation, which was directly outside Alexander's glass office, turned into a control tower. Emails are sorted, phone calls are filtered, and schedules are aligned. There was no task she could not do, and no detail was too little for her to master.

Emma quickly realized that perfection does not come cheaply.

Things changed on Thursday.

"Why did you move Henderson's call to Monday?" Alexander's voice cut through the air like ice.

Emma glanced up from her computer. "Because your quarterly board meeting preparations begin on Friday, and you have asked no interruptions." Henderson is just a progress update; Monday will provide you more bandwidth.

He stood in front of her desk, towering, arms crossed. His piercing gray eyes narrowed.

"That was not your decision to make."

Emma's heart pounded, but her voice stayed calm. "I thought you hired me to make judgment calls when your schedule was full."

His gaze fixed on hers. Silence.

The atmosphere in the office tightened all around them. Two junior analysts waited near the copier, pretending not to hear. An executive assistant lifted her brow as she looked out of a cubicle.

"I asked you to assist me, Miss Carter," he replied cautiously. "Do not override me."

Emma could feel heat creeping up her cheekbones. I understand, Mr. Wolfe. I will move it back.

He turned and went back into his office, saying nothing.

Her fingers trembled as she scanned the calendar. A sharp sting of shame burst in her chest, accompanied with a flicker of something more.

Was it indignation?

She would make the right choice. And he knew it.

That night, she was late again, double-checking everything on his schedule. While studying the board meeting documents, she noticed an error in the Q2 expenditure report.

She hesitated.

Should she point it out after today?

Yes. Because that was her job. And since even Alexander Wolfe was not flawless.

She stuck a sticky note to the printed summary: "Figures on line 4B do not match the ledger. Recommend review before submission."

The next morning, she saw the note was still there-but with a new one beneath it, in large black ink:

"Good capture. Adjusted."

No, "Thank you." No smile.

She felt it anyhow.

A shift.

By week three, the office was bustling with new energy, most of it focused on Emma.

There were murmurs in other places.

"She is overly aggressive."

"She acts as like she owns the place."

"She is frequently with Mr. Wolfe."

She overheard the comments, which drifted like poisoned bubbles. Nonetheless, she ignored them. Mostly.

However, not everyone hid their jealousy.

Good morning, Emma. Claire Hollis, Alexander's longtime executive coordinator, talked in a smooth tone. Claire, blonde, elegant, and surgically strategic, had polished her craft at Wolfe Enterprises, one favor at a time.

Emma offered a lovely smile. Good morning, Claire.

Claire leaned on the edge of her desk, paper in hand. "I thought you should know-Alexander like his coffee with exactly two sugars, not one. Just a comment to help you progress."

Emma paused. "Thanks. But I have been using both from day one."

Claire blinked, her grin tightening.

Emma returned to her screen.

Claire did not like her. That much was apparent.

Noah, the junior strategist who called her a "lovely little intern" in the elevator, had not spoken to her since she corrected his error at a team meeting.

They saw her as a threat.

Because she did not understand how to play little.

Her and Alexander's friendship developed into a strange dance of conflict and unexpected understanding.

"You highlighted a gap between the customer's requirement and our delivery capability," he said one day after she called a plan too ambitious. "Do you realize that this contradicts Richard's projections?"

Emma nodded. "Yes. However, the estimates are not based on current supply chain bottlenecks. "If we overpromise, we will underdeliver."

Alexander's jaw tightened, but not with anger.

"You are not afraid to disagree," he remarked.

"Only when I am accurate."

A long pause.

He smiled for the first time. It was minor. Just barely there.

However, it caused her chest to flutter in an unexpected and uncomfortable way.

She went back to her job, bewildered.

Emma Carter was not interested in falling for her boss.

Regardless of that...

There were moments.

When he was reading contracts, he stood too close. His eyes lingered as she laughed unexpectedly. His voice softened as he spoke with her privately.

Was she dreaming?

She could not be.

The true crack occurred on a Friday afternoon.

She was finishing up paperwork when a voice rang out from the hall.

"Hello, Emma Carter!"

Richard Thomas was Wolfe Enterprises' senior strategist and self-proclaimed "golden boy." He rushed up to her desk, holding a printout.

"Why did you remove Slide 12 from the client's deck?"

Emma stood. "Because the numbers were inflated, Mr. Wolfe favored a cautious approach."

Richard's face flushed. "That slide reflected my involvement."

"I am aware. But that was not accurate."

His gaze flashed to Alexander's office, then back to her. "You think you can just stroll into here and make executive decisions?"

"Before submitting, I verified for accuracy."

"Assistant, remain in your lane!"

Before she could react, Alexander's door opened.

"What is occurring here?"

Richard turned, suddenly composed. "It was only a misunderstanding.

"Your assistance overstepped."

Emma sought to defend herself, but Alexander spoke first.

"She followed my instructions. If there is an issue with the numbers, discuss it with your own team.

Richard faltered. "Right, of course."

He walked down the hallway, humiliated.

Emma sat back down, her fingers trembling. She avoided Alexander's look.

But he did not depart.

Instead, he got closer. He dropped his voice.

"You did the right thing."

She glanced up. "So, why does it feel like war every time I do?"

"People do not like being outshone."

She blinked. "Even if they're wrong?"

"Especially if they are incorrect."

Their gazes met-his frigid steel, her mute fire.

It hung in the air between them, unspoken.

He was starting to see her.

Not as an employee.

However, there is something more.

That night, when everyone had left, she stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, looking out at the shimmering skyline.

She should have felt proud. She would prove herself again and again.

However, she felt uncomfortable, The attention. The tension. The intimacy.

Alexander Wolfe was no longer just her boss. He had become a mystery, which she was gradually unraveling.

Something evil ignited within her as she unwound.

Not admiration,Not respect.

Slightly softer,Something much riskier.

She turned as footsteps approached.

Alexander stood behind her, hands in his pockets.

"Long day," he said.

She nodded. "Long week."

He moved closer until he was standing by her, both of them peering out into the darkness.

"You carried yourself well today."

Thank you.

The silence continued.

Then he softly enquired, "Do you like working here?"

She gazed at him. "Yeah. "Regardless of politics."

He laughed, and the sound was shockingly warm. "They will become worse."

"I expected it."

He turned to face her and truly looked at her.

"You are unlike anybody I have ever hired."

Emma swallowed. "Because I speak my mind?"

"Because you are making me question myself."

That put her down cold.

For a while, they just stood there.

No titles.

There are no power dynamics.

Only two people in the quiet of the night.

Then Alexander straightened.

"I shall see you Monday, Miss Carter."

And like that, the moment was gone.

But Emma knew.

The fractures under the ice were widening.

Eventually, something would crack.