TANGLED WITH MR BLACKWOOD

Monday, 9:14 AM | Blackwood Signature Events – 18th Floor

Lexi walked into the office like a quiet storm.

Her curls were set in neat, elegant waves, glossy and soft around her face. A nude pair of heels clicked steadily beneath her flowy beige slacks, and her white blouse was tucked with a poise that suggested intentionality. Not the frantic kind of rush she used to survive on — this morning, she looked like she belonged in the building that once intimidated her.

Her glow wasn't from makeup — she barely wore any. It came from somewhere deeper. A strange, lingering aftertaste from the unexpected conversation she'd had in the CEO's office days ago… and from the power that came with finally being seen.

She was halfway to her desk when Camille muttered, "Someone's feeling themselves this morning."

Lexi didn't even blink.

She simply slid into her seat, powered on her computer, and pulled out her notepad. Confidence didn't require explanation. And today, she wasn't offering any.

Across the room, Maya watched her with a weird sort of admiration, half-whispering to another junior planner, "Did she win the lottery or something?"

Lexi smiled to herself.

But her peace barely lasted ten minutes.

There was a shift — a literal energy drop — like the floor had tilted.

Then came the sound of Ava's heels. Click. Click. Click. But when everyone glanced up, it wasn't just Ava walking in.

It was Mr. Blackwood.

The air disappeared.

Conversations died mid-sentence. Fingers hovered above keyboards. Chairs froze in mid-swivel. The 18th floor had never seen him walk through like this. Ever. He sent reports, gave orders, held meetings from the top floor. Ava usually filtered the day-to-day for him.

But this?

This was unexpected.

Even the plants felt like they stood taller.

Lexi straightened in her seat — not from fear, but reflex. She could hear Maya's sharp gasp two desks away. And though she didn't dare turn her head, she could feel the ripple around her. A full-on executive inspection. Nobody had prepared for this.

Mr. Blackwood didn't say a word.

He walked in like he owned the oxygen in the room — calm, tall, powerful in that tailored dark suit and clean lines. His gaze barely swept the open space before he veered into Ava's office with the smooth quiet of a man who commanded every room without effort.

The moment the glass door closed behind him, low whispers surged back.

"Oh my God…"

"Did you know he was coming?"

"Why's he here?"

"Maybe someone's getting fired—"

"Shh!"

Lexi sat still, but her pulse had quickened. She shouldn't care. She didn't care.

Until the door opened again.

Ava emerged first, her face composed, but the glint in her eye suggested she knew what her boss had just done to everyone's heart rate. Mr. Blackwood followed — just as unreadable, just as powerful.

Then came Camille.

Like a moth to flame, she stepped forward in that forced sashay of hers, lips painted in too-bright red. "Mr. Blackwood," she chirped, "I was just working on the updated design list for the Ridgeway venue. I was going to send it, but maybe I could walk you through it—"

He didn't even stop walking.

"No need."

Two words. Flat. Crisp. Final.

He didn't look at her. Didn't blink. Didn't pause. Just kept walking.

The slap was invisible, but it stung all the same.

Camille faltered, blinking rapidly as if trying to laugh it off, but the silence around her only deepened her shame. Vanessa glanced at her with wide eyes, mouthing something that looked suspiciously like ouch.

Lexi looked down quickly, hiding her smile in her notepad.

Until she felt it.

His shadow.

The quiet hush of footsteps that had stopped… right in front of her desk.

Lexi blinked up — and locked eyes with the CEO.

Mr. Blackwood stood on the other side of her desk, towering and calm, dark eyes scanning her face with no trace of coldness — just a quiet, deliberate pause.

Then he bent slightly forward, resting a hand on the desk's edge.

"Miss Thompson," he said, voice smooth and deep, "How was your weekend?"

Lexi's brain emptied.

That was… personal.

Not work-related. Not even remotely professional. It was a normal question. But coming from him — in a space where he barely acknowledged birthdays or small talk — it felt like a phenomenon.

Her throat felt tight. "I—um…"

Don't stammer, Lexi.

She swallowed. "It was good, thank you, sir." Her voice came out soft but steady. "Quiet, mostly. I spent time organizing the gala proposal framework."

A tiny twitch curved at the corner of his lips. Not a smile. But something close.

"Diligent," he murmured, then straightened.

She swore her heartbeat reached her ears.

Then he nodded once and walked away — back toward the elevator. Ava followed a moment later, heels echoing behind him.

The floor remained frozen.

Lexi sat still for half a second.

Then Maya leapt out of her seat and crashed into the side of her desk.

"What. Was. That?!" she hissed in a whisper-shout. "Did the CEO just—ask you—how your weekend was?!"

Lexi blinked. "I think so."

Camille was staring, her mouth slightly parted, eyes hard with disbelief.

Vanessa was whispering furiously to someone behind her file.

Lexi forced herself to breathe and leaned back slowly in her chair.

Maya leaned closer. "Girl… what did you do this weekend?"

Lexi gave her a look.

"Nothing!" she hissed back.

But inside, her chest thudded.

Because Mr. Blackwood had just done something he never did.

And everyone had seen it.

Later that day

Monday, 1:13 PM | Blackwood HQ Cafeteria

Lexi barely tasted her grilled chicken wrap.

Not because it wasn't good — the cafeteria food here was shockingly decent — but because her brain hadn't stopped replaying that moment at her desk. His voice. The way he leaned in. The way the room held its breath like she'd become a walking plot twist.

And now, Maya wouldn't shut up about it.

"So," Maya said with a full mouth of Caesar salad, "what's the verdict? Was it a flirty 'how was your weekend' or a casual 'I've never asked anyone else this in my entire career but I felt like breaking the rules for you'?"

Lexi gave her a flat look. "Maya."

"No, seriously." Maya leaned in, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Do you know how many times Camille has tried to talk to that man? And he practically deleted her today in HD. Then he walks up to your desk and just—bends. Over. Your. Table."

"Maya, stop."

Lexi felt the blush rise in her cheeks before she could control it. She shoved a forkful of lettuce into her mouth and stared out the tall cafeteria windows like they held answers to the universe.

Maya wasn't done.

"I counted," she said. "Fourteen seconds."

Lexi turned. "You counted what?"

"The amount of time he stood at your desk. That's fourteen more seconds than he's ever given anyone here outside a board meeting. Girl, you've got CEO proximity privileges."

Lexi groaned into her napkin. "It was just a question. A polite one."

"A personal one," Maya shot back. "You don't just ask Lexi Thompson about her weekend unless you're low-key obsessed. I mean, come on—clean curls, soft blouse, nude heels—girl, you walked in like a Pinterest board and he noticed."

Lexi shook her head, laughing despite herself. "You're impossible."

"And you're glowing," Maya said with a teasing smile. "Look, I'm just saying… whatever's happening, intentional or not, people are watching now."

Lexi's smile faded slightly as she stirred her juice with the straw.

She knew Maya was right.

People were watching. Camille's glare had practically followed her to the restroom. Vanessa was whispering more than usual. Even Ava had given her a strange, unreadable look in the hallway.

The attention was new. And it came wrapped in curiosity, judgment, envy — and worse, expectation.

Lexi let out a slow breath. "I didn't ask for this, you know."

Maya's expression softened as she poked at the last cherry tomato on her plate.

"I know. But maybe… you're not the same Lexi from two months ago," she said gently. "You walked in here a little chaotic, yeah — messy bun, always late, asking where the stapler was even though it was on your desk."

Lexi blinked. "Wow. Okay."

"But now?" Maya continued, ignoring her. "You're confident. Focused. You walk like you know what you're doing—even when you're winging it. You're getting noticed because you earned that spotlight, Lex."

Lexi blinked fast, feeling her throat tighten.

Maya wasn't done.

"And if someone like him notices too?" She raised a brow. "Maybe it's not a trap. Maybe it's not a scandal. Maybe it's just… something real trying to sneak into your life. Quietly. Like you always dreamed, but never thought you'd deserve."

Lexi stared at her. "Did you rehearse

that?"

Maya grinned. "No, but I should've. That was kinda poetic."

They both laughed, but something in Lexi's chest twisted — not unpleasantly. Just… carefully. Like something important had shifted.