I feel out of place

The city was crowded and busy as I stood in front of the towering glass and steel structure of Xander Sterling's office, with a steadying breath, I entered the smooth, and glossy lobby, stepping my feet beneath the shiny marble floors in nervous steps. The reception area somehow left me feeling somewhat out of place. It seemed to emphasize the huge difference between Xander's world and mine.

Moving toward the reception desk, I cleared my throat, my voice having a little bit of tension. "I have an appointment with Mr. Sterling."

The receptionist, a well-dressed woman with an air of haughtiness, glanced up from her computer screen and studied me with thinly veiled skepticism. "Name?"

"Amelia Jameson."

She tapped away at her keyboard, her lips curling into a condescending smile. "I'm sorry, but there's no appointment scheduled for you."

My heart sank, a mixture of frustration and shame bubbling within me. "I assure you, I do have an appointment. It's important."

The receptionist's eyes flicked to me dismissively, giving me the obvious 'look over'.

"I think I'd remember if Mr. Sterling had an appointment with someone like you."

Her words stung, and I struggled to maintain my composure. Just as I was about to protest, a commanding voice interrupted the exchange.

"That's enough, Emily."

My head snapped up, and there stood Xander Sterling, his presence catching my eyes as he strode toward us. His gaze bore into the receptionist, a cold determination in his eyes that seemed to send a shiver down her spine.

"Mr. Sterling, I—" she began, her voice faltering.

He held up a hand to silence her, his expression cold ice. "You're fired."

Shock painted her features as she stammered, "But—"

"Now," he stated firmly.

She hesitated for a moment, then quickly gathered her belongings and scurried away, her pride replaced by humbled manners.

Xander turned his attention to me, his eyes softening as he looked at me with a mixture of concern and apology. "I apologize for her behavior, Amelia."

My cheeks warmed with a mix of emotions—gratitude, surprise, and a touch of guilt. "You didn't have to do that."

He shrugged casually, a faint smile playing at his lips. "I can't have my employees disrespecting someone who's working 'closely' with me."

I frowned at the way he stressed that word and soon, he was raising his hands in surrender. "Okay. Just business"

I met his grey eyes, seeing a glint of something resting inside there and I sighed internally, seeing that I would have to put up with him anyway.

He led me through the quiet office, I took in the expensiveness of the space—the floor-to-ceiling windows, the extravagant furnishings, and the scent of his cologne that hung in the area.

He gestured for me to take a seat, and as I settled into the chair, I couldn't help but feel really out of place.

Only a blind person wouldn't notice how far apart our worlds were. Damn. I wasn't supposed to be here.

He was about to say something when his cellphone rang in the atmosphere between us,I played with the tips of my blouse, as he made a somewhat angry groan, diverting his gaze from me to attend to the matter at hand.

After talking back and forth in a lot of business terms that I didn't understand. His call came to an end. He stud up, his tall figure moving over from the desk. "Help me with my tie"

His deep husk voice uttered all of a sudden, and I jerked my head up in both surprise and confusion. His face was blank, watching as I moved my eyes from his eyes to his loosened tie hung across his neck.

My fingers fumbled a bit, as I rose to my feet, walking slowly towards him and tip toeing a bit to reach for it. A slight frown came over the sides of my face as I tried to recall the procedures again. My heart thumped against my chest due to the close promixity between us as it created enough leverage for him to try whatever, if he wanted to.

"I'm not exactly an expert at tying ties," I confessed in between my nervousness and the thoughts behind my head as my fingers worked to create a decent knot.

He gave a low chuckle in return. Something like amusement sparkling in his eyes as he glanced down at my almost trembling fingers.

He hummed, obviously occupied by something else at the moment. I tried to shake off the blush that wanted to creep up my cheeks, when I realised that he was merely staring at me the whole while that I was knotting his tie.

As I worked on his tie, I asked trying to distract myself a bit, "So, where are you headed?"

He glanced down at me, his eyes briefly locking onto mine. "Just a quick stop, and then I have to head somewhere else. I wouldn't want to keep you waiting here."

I finished the knot, adjusting it slightly. "There you go. Not too bad, I hope."

"Perfect," he said with a wink, straightening his suits.