Azaria could not stay still.
The office that had once felt like a space of control now felt increasingly suffocating, the air thick with something dense and unrelenting. Her heels clicked rapidly against the polished floor as she paced, each turn tighter than the last, each step fueled by the storm raging beneath her composed exterior.
Behind her, Rowan stood near the desk, watching her with visible concern.
"I still can't believe this," he said, dragging a hand down his face before letting it fall to his side. "I mean, what is this? What kind of decision is that? Did they even evaluate your work or consider you at all?"
Azaria didn't respond.
Her mind was moving too fast, replaying the announcement over and over again like a glitch she couldn't shut off.
Celeste Aldrith.
The name echoed in her head with every step.
Rowan let out a short, disbelieving laugh, shaking his head. "The nepotism in this company is actually insane. I thought we were past this kind of thing, but clearly not." He stared absentmindedly at his shoes.
Azaria turned sharply at the end of her pacing path, her expression tight, but she still said nothing.
"I've never even heard of her," Rowan continued, his tone growing more incredulous. "Not once. Not in any department, not in any meeting, not even in passing. And suddenly she's just, what? Dropped into the Director of Operations role? Out of absolutely nowhere, might I add."
Azaria's jaw tightened.
Yes. That was exactly what it felt like. Dropped in. Handed over. Gifted. While she–
Her hands curled briefly at her sides before she forced them to relax, continuing her pacing.
Rowan exhaled sharply. "You've been doing this job for almost a year, Azaria. A year. Without basically anything. I've literally had to drag you home some days because you were working yourself to death. And they just give it to someone else because of her last name?"
Still, she said nothing.
The silence was extremely heavy and dangerous. It felt like a storm was brewing and she would implode soon.
Rowan watched her for a moment longer, his concern deepening. "Say something, Zee."
Azaria stopped.
For the first time since she had started pacing, she stilled completely, her back to him, her gaze fixed somewhere ahead but clearly seeing nothing.
Her mind was working.
Trying, and failing, to make sense of something that simply did not make sense.
Before she could speak, the door opened and both of them froze. The sudden intrusion cut through the tension like a blade, it had been very unexpected. Were they here to kick her out and back to her own office?
Slowly, almost in sync, Azaria and Rowan turned toward the doorway.
And then they saw her. The woman who stepped inside carried herself with an effortless elegance that immediately commanded attention. Dark hair framed her face in soft waves, contrasting beautifully with her olive-toned skin. She was, quite simply, breathtaking.
Azaria knew it instantly. There was no denying it. The woman was striking. She was stunning. She looked like she had stepped out of a magazine.
She wore a pristine blouse, neatly tucked beneath a tailored navy blazer that hugged her frame perfectly, paired with a black pencil skirt that fell just below the knee. Stilettos elevated her height even further, and Azaria couldn't help but notice just how tall the woman was.
The heels made her as tall as Rowan.
And Rowan was tall.
Azaria believed even without the heels, the woman would still tower over her.
The woman's lips curved into a bright, gleaming smile, warm and open, it immediately suggested friendliness. She seemed like a very approachable and pleasant woman.
Azaria blinked once, caught off guard.
For a brief moment, her irritation faltered, confusion taking its place as she instinctively prepared to address her. This had to be a mistake. The woman was probably in the wrong office and lost her way.
"Yes . " Azaria started, her tone automatically shifting toward professional courtesy. "Can I help–"
"You must be Azaria Freeman!"
The words cut cleanly across hers, cheerful and certain.
Azaria stopped.
The woman's smile widened, her eyes lighting up with recognition.
"Idris told me I'd meet you here!" she continued brightly. "I'm Celeste Aldrith, the new Director of Operations." She beamed.
Everything inside Azaria went still and flat out died. Beside her, Rowan didn't move either and for a second, two, maybe three, neither of them spoke. They just stared at her. At Celeste Aldrith.The name that had ignited fury just minutes ago now stood in front of them, real and smiling and entirely.
Everything felt so wrong.
Azaria's body felt rigid, her mind struggling to reconcile the image in front of her with everything she had expected.
This… This was Celeste Aldrith?
Rowan's silence was just as stunned, his usual demeanour completely stripped away as disbelief settled heavily across his features.
Azaria was the first to recover. The shock cracked, replaced quickly by something that had been eating her up since she was given the news. Pure anger.
"You're Celeste Aldrith?" she asked.
The question came out slower than intended, edged with disbelief she didn't bother to hide.
Her gaze swept over the woman, head to toe, assessing her and searching for something that justified this. Anything that justified it because this was not what she had expected. Not at all.
She had imagined someone else entirely. Someone cold. Someone arrogant. Someone who walked in knowing the position had been handed to her and acted like it. Not this. Not a woman who looked like a ray of sunshine.
Celeste nodded eagerly, as if the question was the easiest one in the world.
"Yes!" she said, her enthusiasm untouched. "That's me."
She glanced around the office then, her eyes moving over the space with curiosity, taking everything in.
"This is amazing," she said, almost to herself. "I'm so excited. I've never really worked with something this big before."
Rowan made a strange sound beside the desk. It was a sound of confusion.
Azaria didn't look at him because she was still trying to process what she was hearing. Celeste continued, completely unaware– or unconcerned– with the tension thickening in the room.
"My dad did own a logistics firm before he retired," she added, as if that explained everything. "And I handled my cousin's wedding planning when the original planner quit suddenly. It was a huge event, very complicated, but I managed everything so well, Isla literally cried."
She smiled again, clearly proud.
"And I did a great job," she said brightly. "So I think working here at Aldrith Corp will be just as that. A piece of cake. I can't wait to get started. I'll need to change the decor in this office though. It feels like a middle aged man worked here."
She didn't even know about Callaghan.
Rowan turned slightly away, lifting a hand to cover his mouth as another strange noise left him. It was something between a cough and a laugh this time. His shoulders shook.
Azaria's head moved to really look at Celeste.
"A piece… of cake," she repeated slowly, her tone flat with disbelief.
Celeste nodded, completely earnest. "Yes!"
And then she kept going.
"Well, the wedding had so many moving parts. The vendors, schedules, last-minute changes, you know? But I handled all of it, so I think I'll just incorporate that same approach here. Idris said you'd ease me in anyway, so I'm really not worried."
She smiled again, completely at ease.
"Honestly, once you understand the flow of things, it's really all the same–"
"That's quite enough."
The words sliced through the air.
Celeste stopped mid-thought, her expression shifting instantly to surprise. The brightness in her face dimmed just slightly, confusion flickering in its place.
Rowan turned away completely now, clearly fighting to contain himself.
Azaria didn't look at either of them because if she stayed there for one more second she'd burst.
She turned and eithout another word, she walked straight past Celeste, close enough to feel the faint brush of her presence, the subtle scent of something light and expensive, but she didn't acknowledge it.
She reached the door, pulled it open, and stepped out into the corridor.
Behind her, she heard movement. "Azaria, wait!"
Rowan was hot on her heels.
His footsteps were quick as he caught up with her, falling into step beside her as she moved with purpose down the hallway.
"Where are you going?" he asked, his voice low but urgent.
Azaria didn't slow.
"Do you know where Idris is?" she asked.
Rowan blinked, thrown by the directness of the question. "I, uh…" He frowned slightly, thinking. "I heard the higher-ups are having some kind of important meeting. Top floor. Why?"
They reached the elevator lobby just as the doors slid open with a soft chime.
Azaria stepped forward immediately.
Rowan hesitated.
"What are you going to do?" he asked quickly.
She turned to face him as she stepped inside the elevator.
For a brief moment, the fury she had been holding back was fully visible in her eyes.
"I'm going to give them a piece of my mind."
Then the doors slid shut, leaving Rowan in stunned silence.