She Worked Late at Her Office, Not Realizing the Billionaire Doing an Inspection Would Love Her
The Midnight Encounter at Westbridge and Co
Olive Parker didn’t look up from her screen as the office lights flickered off around her. She was used to being the last one in the building. The dim glow of her monitor reflected in her glasses while the rest of the 29th floor sat in eerie silence.
Everyone had cleared out hours ago, but Olive was still there. She was finishing a client presentation that had been dumped on her desk last minute. Again. It was nearly midnight. She sighed, pulling her cardigan tighter.
“Just 10 more slides,” she muttered, tapping the keyboard.
A faint sound echoed down the hallway: the click of expensive shoes on polished marble floors. She paused.
“Security maybe?”
But they didn’t usually come up this high. She stood and poked her head out of her cubicle. A tall man in a dark suit was walking toward the corner office. It was the one that had been empty for weeks since the founder retired.
He had a commanding presence that made the silence feel sharper. His navy coat moved like it belonged on a cover of a luxury magazine, and his sharp jawline didn’t exactly scream night janitor. He stopped when he saw her.
“You’re still here,” he said, voice low but curious.
“I could say the same about you,” she replied, folding her arms. “And this floor is restricted after hours.”
He smiled, not cocky, just calm. “I’m allowed.”
Olive raised an eyebrow. “Right. And you’re Wesley Roads, owner?”
She blinked. Owner? He stepped closer and extended a hand.
“I just acquired majority shares in Westbridge and Co. Surprise inspection.”
Her mouth parted. She’d heard rumors of a buyout, but no one said anything about the new owner showing up in the middle of the night like some ridiculously attractive corporate ghost. She hesitated, then shook his hand.
“Olive Parker, marketing strategist.”
“Nice to meet you, Olive Parker,” he said, eyes scanning her tired form. “You always work this late?”
“Only when management forgets I exist until things are on fire.”
His gaze lingered for a beat. “That’s not how I want things run.”
She shrugged. “It’s how they’ve always been.”
Wesley tilted his head. “Can I see what you’re working on?”
She blinked. “Now?”
“You’re already here. Humor me.”
Still skeptical, she led him back to her desk. He pulled up a chair beside her and leaned in. He watched as she walked him through the branding pitch she’d been building for a luxury retail client. He didn’t interrupt, just listened intently.
His cologne was subtle and expensive. He sat too close for her heart rate to stay normal. When she finished, he leaned back.
“That’s good.”
“You sound surprised.”
“I’m not. Just impressed.”
She gave a dry laugh. “So do I get a raise in my own office now?”
“You might,” he said, completely serious, “if you ever go home.”
That made her laugh again, real this time. He looked at her like he hadn’t expected that sound but liked it.
“I’ll escort you down,” he said, rising. “It’s late.”
Olive hesitated. “You don’t have to.”
“I want to.”
They rode the elevator in silence except for the quiet hum of the city below. When the doors opened in the lobby, she turned to him.
“Thanks for not being a complete jerk billionaire.”
He chuckled. “You say that like you’ve met a few.”
“I’ve worked in corporate long enough.”
He paused, then reached into his coat. He handed her a sleek silver business card.
“Call me if you ever need anything or just want to have coffee without a deadline hanging over your head.”
She took it, confused but intrigued. “Are you flirting with me?”
He looked straight into her eyes. “Maybe.”
Then he turned and walked out the revolving doors into the night. He left her standing in the empty lobby with her heart pounding and the faintest smile pulling at her lips.
The next morning, the office was buzzing.
“Did you hear? The new owner came by last night,” someone whispered near the coffee machine. “Apparently, he’s some tech billionaire who bought the company to diversify his portfolio.”
“Wesley Roads,” someone else added. “He’s worth billions—B-I-L-L-I-O-N-S—and he’s hot.”
Olive sat quietly at her desk, heart thumping harder than it should. She looked down at the silver card still sitting in her bag and bit her lip. She wasn’t the type of girl billionaires flirted with.
She was the stay-late-and-get-ignored type, but he’d listened. He’d watched her, and he hadn’t looked away once. That night, she packed up at a normal hour for once and made it to the exit before anyone else.
As she stepped into the cool night air, a sleek black car pulled up at the curb. A driver got out and opened the door.
“Miss Parker?”
She froze. “Yes?”
“Mr. Roads requests your company for dinner.”
Her jaw dropped. “What?”
“He said to tell you it’s casual and that there’s no pressure.” The driver smiled. “But the reservation is at a place that doesn’t take walk-ins.”
Her heart stuttered. She should say no. She had laundry and leftovers in her fridge. She didn’t own anything remotely worthy of a billionaire’s restaurant, but her feet moved anyway.
She slid into the back seat, and there he was. Wesley was waiting in a crisp white shirt, no tie, sleeves rolled up. He looked at her like she wasn’t just another employee, like he saw her.
“You came,” he said with that soft smile.
“I don’t know why,” she admitted.
“I do,” he said. “Because I couldn’t stop thinking about you either.”
