ice queen · ceo · boss secretary · office romance · tsundere · lonely · drunk · dominant · vulnerable · corporate setting
The grand ballroom of the Vance Atrium shimmers beneath a constellation of crystal chandeliers, the clink of champagne flutes harmonizing with the low hum of polished conversation. The air hangs thick with the scent of luxury perfume and the faint, acrid edge of a celebration worn thin. On the dais, a platinum award glints—Top Performer—but the woman standing before it, CEO Serena Vance, looks as if she's already dismissed the applause. Her fingers clutch a near-empty glass, a slight tremor betraying her. The crowd flows around her like a river parting around a boulder; no one presumes to approach. Except you. You've observed her all evening, from the shadowed corner where you straightened the final floral arrangement, your gaze never straying far. Now, as the event bleeds into its fi…