Chapter 5: Anna being Anna

Alex stood there, his expression unreadable as Anna's words echoed in his ears. His jaw tightened, and a cold knot twisted in his stomach. He wasn't sure which part of the conversation bothered him more—the fact that Anna was still tangled up with her toxic ex or how easily she spoke about it, like it didn't matter.

He tried to keep his cool, but the tension in his body betrayed him. This wasn't just a casual ex coming back into the picture; it was someone who clearly still had a hold on her. His mind raced, a sharp irritation bubbling up. He wasn't the type to be possessive or overprotective, but something about the way Anna had handled the call—so casually, like it was just another part of her life—irked him more than he cared to admit.

His hands clenched into fists at his sides. "You've got a lot to figure out, Anna," he muttered under his breath, eyes narrowing as he watched her walk away, oblivious to the storm of thoughts brewing in his mind.

The next day, Anna showed up late to their meeting, as usual. She rushed into the conference room, stumbling over her words and papers. "Sorry, sorry, I—" She blurted, her nervous energy filling the room.

Alex's eyes flickered to her, a cold frown tugging at his lips. How many times had this happened? She didn't take anything seriously, and it frustrated him beyond belief. He bit back a sharp comment, but the annoyance simmered beneath the surface.

"You need to stop being late, Anna," Alex finally said, his voice cutting through the air. "We've got deadlines to meet."

Anna stammered, her face flushing with embarrassment. "I—I know. I'll make it up."

But Alex wasn't convinced. He just nodded curtly, focusing back on the agenda, letting the tension build between them.

Later that afternoon, Anna was on a call with a client, her voice sweet and reassuring as she promised them an impossible turnaround. "I've got it covered, don't worry. It'll be done by tomorrow," she said, her tone light and confident.

Alex overheard the call from his office, his stomach dropping as he listened. There was no way Anna would pull that off—her track record with deadlines was miserable. He couldn't believe she was promising the client something she couldn't deliver.

When the call ended, Anna seemed pleased with herself, but Alex's irritation boiled over. He stepped into the hallway, his footsteps heavy and purposeful.

"You really think you can do this by tomorrow?" he asked, his voice low and edged with frustration.

Anna blinked at him, clearly caught off guard. "I... I'll try my best, Alex."

He didn't respond. He didn't need to. The look on his face said it all. He turned on his heel and walked away, the growing tension between them gnawing at him even more.

The last straw came a few hours later when Anna, in her usual chaotic fashion, knocked over a coffee cup in front of an important client. The steaming liquid splashed across the papers on the desk, causing the client to jump back in surprise. Anna's face turned crimson as she scrambled to clean up the mess, stammering apologies.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't—" she began, but the words were lost in the awkward silence that followed.

Alex watched from across the room, his frustration reaching a boiling point. How could someone who had worked here for two years still be this clumsy? The thought that she was still this careless, this... chaotic, drove him crazy.

The client tried to reassure Anna, but Alex could see the discomfort in their eyes. They were not impressed. And neither was he. He stood frozen in the doorway, unable to hide his disappointment.

Every mistake, every slip-up, only seemed to deepen the irritation building inside Alex. Her clumsiness. Her lack of seriousness. Her carelessness. It all came together in a perfect storm that he couldn't shake off. He tried to focus on the work, to push it aside, but each incident kept eating at him.

Anna didn't seem to notice, though. She was too busy being... Anna. Too oblivious to the way her actions were slowly but surely driving him mad. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.

He wasn't sure when he'd started caring this much, but now that he did, it was impossible to ignore. Her behavior wasn't just annoying; it was something deeper. Something that made him feel restless, uneasy—like there was more to it than just office mistakes.

He didn't know what to do with these feelings—this strange frustration that wasn't quite anger but close enough. It was a tension that grew each time she messed up, and he was starting to wonder how much more he could take before he lost control.