The tension in Conference Room B was thicker than a triple-shot espresso.
Aria forced a bright, practiced smile as she faced the seated group of executives from Sutton Hotels. Across the table, Ethan adjusted his now half-buttoned, coffee-stained shirt with the casual confidence of a man who didn't care one bit what anyone thought—which only made Aria want to strangle him more.
"Good morning," Aria began, her voice steady despite the storm brewing in her chest. "We're thrilled to present a fresh, dynamic direction for Sutton Hotels' new rebranding campaign."
Ethan leaned casually against the wall, arms crossed, and winked at her. Winked.
She pretended not to notice and clicked to the first slide.
The screen flashed bright pink.
Aria blinked. That was wrong. The opening slide was supposed to be a sleek, minimalistic image of a luxury hotel suite.
The next slide was worse.
A giant meme of a confused cat in a hotel bathrobe, captioned: "Is this luxury?"
Laughter rippled around the room.
Aria's blood ran cold. She shot a glare at Ethan, who raised his hands in mock innocence.
"Technical glitch?" he offered, biting back a grin.
"Excuse us," Aria said tightly. She flicked the remote, but instead of her carefully planned pitch, the slides continued: a series of ridiculous stock images—goats at a spa, a man sleeping in a bathtub full of noodles.
The clients were in hysterics.
Aria was going to kill him.
She dropped the clicker and stormed over to Ethan, hissing, "What the hell did you do?!"
"Me?" Ethan whispered, fake-offended. "I wouldn't dare sabotage your precious presentation."
"Your smug face says otherwise."
"Maybe your laptop just… sucks?"
Aria gritted her teeth. "You absolute—"
"Is this part of the pitch?" one executive chuckled. "Because honestly, it's kind of hilarious."
Aria straightened, her brain scrambling for a save. And like any great survivor in a corporate warzone, she pivoted.
"Actually," she said smoothly, flipping to a slide with a hotel suite and a flamingo on the bed, "this was our way of highlighting how outdated, ridiculous hotel marketing can be when it takes itself too seriously. Sutton Hotels is different. We embrace bold, unexpected experiences. And sometimes, that means flamingos."
A beat of silence.
Then a burst of applause.
Ethan's eyebrows shot up in grudging approval.
Aria plastered on a smug grin. Checkmate, Cole.
The rest of the pitch went surprisingly well, with Aria steering the ship while Ethan occasionally tossed in charming one-liners that made the clients laugh.
When it finally ended, their boss, Mr. Lawson, clapped them both on the back.
"Great teamwork," he said. "I knew pairing you two would work."
Aria smiled through clenched teeth.
As the clients filed out, Ethan leaned in and murmured, "Not bad, Lane. Didn't know you had improv chops."
"Don't get comfortable," she shot back. "I'm still reporting you to IT."
He grinned. "Looking forward to our next war."
Aria stormed out, but the heat in her chest wasn't just anger anymore. And that was the most infuriating part...