Elisa slumped into the chair at her new “office.” It was a cozy but modest space tucked into the corner of Carter Enterprises, filled with neatly stacked paperwork, a sleek laptop, and a coffee cup engraved with “Miss Taylor.”
The problem was… none of it felt like hers.
“Miss Taylor, here are today’s files,” Jake said, placing a thick folder on her desk with a polite smile. “Your first meeting with Mr. Carter starts in an hour.”
“Wait, meeting? What meeting?” Elisa asked, her voice rising in panic.
Jake gave her a strange look. “The charity gala planning. You’ve been handling it for weeks. It’s crucial for Mr. Carter’s public image.”
Elisa’s mind raced. Weeks? Oh, right, the gala! I wrote that subplot to force the CEO and the heroine to spend more time together.
“Of course,” she lied, forcing a weak smile. “I’m on it.”
As Jake left, she buried her face in her hands. “Why did I ever write this mess?” she muttered.
Her phone buzzed, and she glanced at the screen. To her surprise, it wasn’t a work notification—it was a group chat titled The Dream Team.
[Chat Conversation]
Lila: Elisa, how’s the dragon today?
Amber: Bet he already snapped at her before 10 a.m.
Elisa: You could say that.
Lila: Hang in there! By the way, you’re still coming to karaoke tonight, right?
Amber: Don’t flake again, or we’re kidnapping you.
Elisa’s fingers hovered over the keyboard. The names felt familiar—too familiar. Then it hit her: these were side characters from the novel. Lila and Amber were supposed to be the heroine’s quirky, supportive best friends.
At least I didn’t make everyone in this world insufferable, she thought, typing a quick response: I’ll try my best. Work’s a little crazy right now.
Just as she set her phone down, another notification popped up. This one made her heart sink.
Meeting Reminder: 10:00 AM – Ethan Carter and Elisa Taylor.
---
Forty-five minutes later, Elisa found herself in a sleek conference room, seated across from Ethan. He was reviewing documents with the intensity of a surgeon, his brow furrowed in concentration.
Elisa tried to focus on her own copy of the agenda, but her eyes kept drifting to him. How had she managed to create someone so aggravatingly perfect on the outside and so impossibly difficult on the inside?
“Miss Taylor,” Ethan’s voice cut through her thoughts.
“Yes?” she blurted, sitting up straight.
“I asked for your input on the guest list,” he said, his tone clipped.
She blinked down at the paper in front of her. Names swam before her eyes. She hadn’t written this part in detail—she’d just skimmed over it in the novel.
“Well, uh…” She cleared her throat, stalling for time. “I think… we should focus on inviting high-profile donors who align with the company’s values.”
Ethan’s gaze sharpened. “And which values are those, exactly?”
Elisa’s brain went blank. Why does he have to ask so many questions?!
“Integrity,” she said finally. “And, um, innovation. Growth?”
Ethan leaned back in his chair, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. “Safe answers,” he said. “But predictable.”
Elisa bit the inside of her cheek. He wasn’t wrong, but did he have to be so smug about it?
Before she could respond, Jake entered the room with a phone in hand. “Mr. Carter, a call from the London office,” he said.
Ethan rose smoothly from his seat, his eyes flicking to Elisa one last time. “We’ll continue this later,” he said, his voice low.
As soon as he was gone, Elisa slumped in her chair, releasing a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.
“This is going to be impossible,” she whispered.
But deep down, a small voice reminded her: impossible or not, she had written this story. And if anyone could navigate it, it was her.
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