Two days later. The day before the announcement.

The corporate corridors of Vance Enterprises felt like a pressure cooker.

Christian’s chest puffed wider with every step he took toward his office. But the moment the doors swung open, his arrogant expression went cold. His brows slammed together, and his upper lip curled in deep disgust.

"Amelia!" he roared, his voice bouncing off the glass walls.

The frantic, rapid clicking of high heels immediately filled the air. Amelia appeared in the doorway, breathless and clutching a tablet to her chest. "Yes, Mr. Westbrook?"

"Why the hell have the interior designers not shown up yet?" he demanded, his chest heaving under his tailored shirt. "This office should have been completely stripped and remodeled by now!"

Amelia swallowed hard, clearly exhausted by his erratic temper. "Sir, they said the fabric shipments—"

"I don’t want a single person coming in here to congratulate me tomorrow in an outdated office space!" Christian’s harsh voice sliced through her explanation. "Fix this, Amelia. Now!"

Amelia nodded rapidly, her face pale. "Right away, Sir. But—" She hesitated, tapping her pen against the tablet. "If you are being promoted to CEO tomorrow, won’t you be moving into the executive suite on the top floor anyway? Why do we need to waste money remodeling this one?"

Christian turned to her, a condescending smirk breaking through his anger as he shook his head. "Oh, my dear, naive Amelia," he said, his tone dripping with patronizing pity. "As the new CEO, I can keep whatever office space I choose. I will be second in command only to Richard Vance himself. Having two offices simply shows my reach."

Amelia nodded quickly, eager to placate him. "Of course, Sir. You’re entirely right."

"Now, get those designers on the phone immediately!" he snapped, waving his hand to dismiss her. "In the meantime, I refuse to sit in here and look at this drab furniture."

While Christian was busy throwing a tantrum on the lower level, he had absolutely no idea that Roxanne had just arrived on the executive floor. She was currently sitting in the quiet, climate-controlled Human Resources office, putting the final strokes of her pen onto a thick stack of legal documents.

"That will be all, ma’am," the HR director said, offering a warm, respectful smile as she gathered the papers. "Congratulations, once again."

Roxanne offered a small, polite smile, leaning slightly across the desk. "Thank you. But it’s a bit too early for congratulations. I’d appreciate it if we keep everything completely under wraps until tomorrow morning."

"Understood," the director nodded, watching with quiet admiration as Roxanne gathered her purse and stood up.

Stepping out into the wide corridor, Roxanne took two steps before freezing dead in her tracks. Emerging from the far end of the hallway, striding directly toward her, was Christian.

"Shit," she muttered under her breath.

There was no turning back. The hallway was a straight shot, and his eyes had already locked onto her. Roxanne quickly composed herself, smoothed down her blouse, and continued walking forward.

Christian’s brows furrowed deeply as the distance closed between them. He stopped right in front of her, his gaze darting to the frosted glass door she had just exited. "What on earth are you doing up here? And why were you just in the executive HR office?" he asked, his tone laced with immediate suspicion.

Roxanne’s heart did a nervous flutter against her ribs. What do I tell him to get him off my back? Her mind spun in frantic circles, trying to manufacture a believable lie before her hesitation gave her away.

But before she could speak, Christian’s eyes widened, a sudden look of realization washing over his face. "Wait," he murmured, his voice shifting an octave higher. "Did the executive committee call you in there to ask questions about me? To find out what kind of corporate benefits or office adjustments I prefer?"

Roxanne stared at him, her mouth parting slightly. It took every ounce of her willpower not to burst out laughing at his delusion.

"Oh, don’t tell me," Christian continued, a massive, giddy grin spreading across his face as he misread her silence entirely. "They are planning some kind of massive surprise welcome for me, aren’t they?"

Roxanne opened her mouth to shatter his fantasy, but the sharp, rhythmic click of approaching heels cut through the tension.

"Miss Westbrook?"

Roxanne turned to see Libby, Richard’s personal assistant, stepping up beside them. "Mr. Vance is waiting for you in his office," Libby announced, her tone perfectly professional.

Before Roxanne could even move, Christian began waving his hand at her, shooing her away.

"Oh, hurry up then! We cannot keep the boss waiting," he urged, practically beaming. "Just go in there and do whatever it is you’ve been doing, Roxy. As long as it secures my promotion tomorrow, I don’t care."

He then turned a sharp, arrogant glare toward Libby. "And by the way, it’s Mrs. Westbrook, not Miss."

Libby didn’t blink. She simply offered a polite, empty nod. The two women exchanged a brief, knowing glance before turning on their heels, leaving Christian standing alone in the hallway, looking thoroughly pleased with himself.

"Does he have no idea?" Libby asked quietly as they approached the double doors of the CEO’s suite.

"None at all," Roxanne murmured, a dark spark of anticipation in her chest. "He thinks the board is planning a surprise party for him. I think I’ll just let him keep expecting a surprise."

Libby let out a soft chuckle as she opened the door, stepping aside to let Roxanne pass.

The moment the door clicked shut behind her, Richard rose from his leather chair. He bypassed the desk entirely, closing the distance between them in three long strides. His large hands slid around her waist, pulling her flush against his broad chest as he leaned down to press a warm, deep kiss onto her lips.

The scent of his rich cologne instantly filled her senses, grounding her.

"Hello, beautiful," he murmured against her mouth, his deep baritone vibrating straight through her core.

Roxanne let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, letting her head rest against his chest for a brief second before he led her to the plush sofa across from his desk.

"How are you feeling?" Richard asked, sitting close enough that his thigh brushed against hers. He tilted his head, studying her face. "You look nervous."

Roxanne exhaled a sharp, ragged breath, her shoulders sagging. "The announcement is tomorrow, Richard. Of course, I’m nervous. Especially with Christian running around the building making grand arrangements, fully convinced the entire day is about him."

Richard smiled, a steady warmth in his eyes. He reached across the small space, taking her hand and wrapping his long fingers securely around hers. "Breathe," he said softly, his touch acting like an anchor. "Let me show you the official schedule for tomorrow morning. Maybe seeing the layout will help you relax."

Roxanne nodded, leaning closer.

Richard turned his laptop screen toward her, his thumb gently tracing the back of her hand. "Here is the timeline," he explained. "The press and the board will be seated by ten-thirty. The official announcement will be made at eleven o’clock sharp. You cannot be late, Roxanne."

Roxanne scanned the crisp black text on the screen, the reality of what was about to happen finally setting in. She looked up from the monitor, meeting Richard’s gaze. "Will Christian be in the room as well?"

"You went out of your way to save his job, remember?" Richard said, a playful, ironic tilt to his lips. "So, yes. As a senior executive, he is required to be there."

Roxanne let out a slow, steady exhale, imagining the impending fallout.

Richard smiled. He reached up, his warm index finger hooking under her chin to lift her face toward his. "Tomorrow changes everything," he whispered. "And no matter what happens, I want you to keep your eyes locked on me."

Roxanne nodded.

"Everything is already in motion," Richard said.

Roxanne frowned. "What do you mean?"

Richard smiled. "The board has signed. HR has finalized everything. Security has their instructions. The press invitations were sent three days ago," he paused, looking at her. "Nothing that happens tomorrow can be stopped."

Roxanne looked at him, feeling the fierce, protective strength of the man beside her, and the nervousness inside her finally melted away into pure determination.

She smiled, her voice steady. "I’m ready."