Chapter Ten: Sparks and Clashes
The day had barely begun, and already Kim Monroe felt like throwing her coffee at the wall. Her phone buzzed for the third time in a row with reminders, updates, and irrelevant emails from people who didn't seem to understand the word urgent. She was halfway through snapping at her assistant when her office door opened without a knock.
Kelly.
He strolled in like he owned the place, holding a manila folder in one hand and a stubborn calmness in the other.
"You're late," Kim snapped before he could say a word.
He held up the folder. "I brought what you asked for."
She folded her arms, leaning back in her leather chair. "Oh? And what exactly would that be?"
Kelly placed the folder on her desk. "Market profiles. Cross-referenced with new trends. Your previous data was outdated."
Kim picked it up, flipped through a few pages with a lazy hand, then paused. It was good. Thorough, even. Still, she didn't show it.
She closed the folder slowly and set it aside. "This doesn't impress me. Anyone could've Googled this."
Kelly smirked. "Then maybe you need new people if your team couldn't find it."
Her eyes narrowed. "Don't mistake initiative for importance. You're still the errand boy."
"Then maybe you should send your errand boy to more board meetings," he shot back calmly. "Looks like I do a better job."
There it was again—that cool defiance. The part of him that didn't cower under pressure, that looked her dead in the eye and refused to flinch. It grated her nerves in a way she couldn't explain. Or maybe didn't want to.
Before she could respond, her office door opened again. Monica stepped in, confident and sharply dressed in navy blue. Her presence alone pulled the atmosphere tighter.
"Sorry to interrupt," she said, not looking sorry at all.
Kim stood immediately. "Monica. You're early."
"I make it a point to be." Monica's eyes landed briefly on Kelly, then flicked away like he wasn't worth her time.
He took the hint and stepped aside. As he exited, he caught Kim's gaze once more. A silent dare. A spark.
When the door shut behind him, Kim exhaled sharply.
"He's new," Monica said casually, picking up a paperweight. "And clearly doesn't know his place."
"He's temporary," Kim muttered.
Monica smiled. "Let's hope so. I'd hate for him to get in the way."
The meeting was short, filled with half-veiled threats and stiff smiles. Monica had always been a snake in lipstick, and Kim knew it. They'd been competitors for years, clawing through the same industries, bidding on the same properties, circling each other like predators in the same jungle.
When Monica finally left, Caramel entered moments later. Her heels clicked dramatically across the marble floor.
"That woman has poison in her perfume," Caramel muttered, fanning her nose.
Kim slumped slightly. "She's just here to rattle me."
"Did it work?"
"I don't get rattled."
Caramel raised a brow. "Right. Just like you don't notice tall men with smug smiles and folders full of gold."
Kim groaned. "Caramel."
"What?" she grinned. "You talk about him like he's a migraine. But you let him argue with you in your own office. That's new."
Kim glanced at the door where Kelly had disappeared. "He's irritating. And too comfortable."
Caramel smirked. "And you're bothered. That's why I like this."
Kim rolled her eyes but didn't respond. She wouldn't give Caramel the satisfaction.
Meanwhile, in the breakroom, Kelly was laughing with Zuri, the little girl showing him a sketch she drew of him at a desk.
"I look like a boss!" he laughed.
"You are a boss, Daddy. But mean lady still shouts at you."
He chuckled. "She's not so mean. Just... complicated."
Zuri squinted. "You like her?"
Kelly hesitated, then ruffled her hair. "I like peace and quiet. So probably not."
Zuri didn't look convinced.
Back in Kim's office, she stared at the folder again. Her pride told her to throw it away. But her gut told her it mattered.
And pride had never won her any wars worth winning.