Imperial Hotel.
By the time Sienna reached the Imperial Hotel's administrative office, she was slightly out of breath.
She stood by her office door, her hand reaching for the handle of the booking department. Just as she was about to open it, a familiar male voice called out from behind her.
"Good morning, Big Boss…"
Sienna froze.
Her hand stopped mid-air before she slowly turned around and saw Riley Davis walking down the corridor toward her with a relaxed smile on his face.
Riley worked in the same department as her and was also her best friend. He was two years younger, cheerful and talkative, with a talent for cracking jokes at the worst possible moments.
He held two cups of coffee carefully in both hands, moving like a man who had mastered the delicate art of carrying caffeine without spilling a single drop.
Sienna narrowed her eyes at him when she heard him call her Big Boss.
She began to worry that if Angie, their actual big boss in the division, found out about it, she might flip out.
"Stop calling me that, Riley!" she said flatly. "Or someone might punish you."
Riley grinned even wider, clearly enjoying her reaction.
"Well, you are indeed my boss..." he corrected playfully, placing extra emphasis on the title. "I'm simply showing respect for my superior."
"Respect?" Sienna smiled, knowing her best friend was only trying to humor her. "You remember respect only when you want something in return. Tell me what it is."
Riley laughed softly and held one of the cups out toward her.
"Your favorite," he said, ignoring her annoyance.
Sienna accepted the latte without hesitation. "Thank you," she replied, taking a small sip.
The warm taste of coffee immediately eased the tension in her shoulders. It felt like her brain had finally received the fuel it desperately needed to function normally.
She glanced at the wall clock in the corridor and realized she had arrived just in time.
A quiet sigh of relief escaped her lips.
'Good,' she thought. 'My career survives another day.'
She turned back toward Riley, who was now leaning casually against the wall while sipping his own coffee.
"Let's not waste time standing here," she said, pushing the office door open. "We should go to the meeting room upstairs—"
Riley followed her inside.
But the moment Sienna stepped into the office, she stopped. Her brows slowly drew together in confusion.
A few colleagues remained inside the room, sitting at their desks or chatting quietly near the windows. They all appeared relaxed.
Then she looked at the clock again.
"Huh, why are you still here?" Her voice was clearly confused. "You're supposed to be in the meeting room, right?"
Before anyone could answer her, she had already walked quickly to her desk at the end of the room.
Sienna dropped her bag on the chair and bent down to swap her sneakers for the pair of black high heels she kept under the desk. She slipped her feet into the heels and stood up, adjusting her balance. Then she reached up and untied the hair tie from her messy bun. Her long, wavy ginger-brown hair spilled down her back.
She had just stepped away from the desk when Riley spoke from behind her.
"You don't need to go upstairs... the meeting is canceled."
Sienna's feet came to a halt mid-step.
For a moment, she thought she had misheard him.
Slowly, she turned to face Riley. "What do you mean?"
Riley took another calm sip of his coffee.
"The meeting with Sterling Capital is canceled," he repeated casually.
Sienna stared at him. Her brain needed a few seconds to process the sentence.
'The meeting was canceled? How so?'
She was utterly speechless because she had rushed to be on time, only to learn that the meeting had been canceled.
How could an important meeting with Sterling Capital, planned well in advance, be canceled without any of the staff informing her?
"You're joking, right?" she asked.
Riley shook his head, still looking far too relaxed for someone delivering such devastating news.
"Unfortunately, nope!"
Sienna nearly laughed. "Ugh, Riley... You know, I rushed here...!?"
He nodded sympathetically. "Yeah, I noticed."
"And, I spent money on a taxi," she continued, trying to protest.
"Very tragic," Riley said with a humorous expression, agreeing.
Sienna sighed when she heard his sarcasm. She stared at him, eyes narrowed.
"And you're only telling me this now?"
Riley playfully raised both hands.
"Well, my friend, in my defense," he said with a grin, "you looked very passionate and determined when you walked in. I didn't want to ruin your dramatic entrance."
Sienna grabbed Riley's sleeve and pulled him away from the office before he could even finish his coffee.
"Hey—hey! What's the emergency?" Riley protested as he stumbled behind her.
"Keep walking and stop talking," Sienna said firmly. "You need to explain more about it!"