Chapter 64 Another Coffee CHAOS
Lilian's POV.
I stared at the coffee order scribbled on the sticky note Xavier had slapped onto my desk fifteen minutes ago.
Grande, Iced. No, hot. Two sugars. Actually, one. With Oat milk. Wait, almond milk.
My eye twitched.
This was the third coffee run today. The third. And it was only 11 AM.
I crumpled the note in my fist, resisting the urge to march into his desk and dump the entire coffee pot over his perfectly styled hair. But I couldn't. Because the jerk had a leverage, The stupid one night stand mistake. The threat of a lawsuit. My pride trapped in his cruel, petty hands.
I grabbed my bag and headed out, ignoring the pitying looks from coworkers.
"Lilian, another errand?" Janet from accounting team whispered as I passed her desk.
I forced a smile. "Just getting Mr. Quinn his coffee."
"Again?"
"Again." I muttered with a sigh, walking out of the building.
The café was packed. I had to wait in line for twenty minutes, rehearsing exactly how I should resign, but no idea came to me and it's all because I'm stuck with that demon.
When I finally got back to the office, Xavier was leaning against my desk, arms crossed, looking at his watch.
"You're late," he said flatly.
"There was a long line."
"I don't pay you to stand in lines."
My jaw clenched. "You don't pay me at all. I'm doing this because you threatened me."
His eyes darkened as if he just realized he doesn't actually pay me, but he said nothing. He took the coffee from my hand, our fingers brushing for a split second. I pulled back sharply like I had been burned.
He took a sip, then almost immediately his face twisted in disgust.
"This is almond milk."
"Yes, you asked for almond milk."
"I changed my mind. I want oat milk now."
I stared at him in disbelief. "You're joking."
"Do I look like I'm joking?"
No. He looked like a heartless robot in a designer suit.
"Mr. Quinn, I have actual work to do you know. My own job. Remember? Chief editor? The position I earned before you decided to ruin my life?"
"Then you should've thought twice before taking advantage of me when I was drunk."
My hands curled into fists, not this same accusation again. "For God sake, We were both drunk!"
"Go get the coffee, Miss Knowles."
I wanted to scream. Instead, I snatched the cup from his hand and stormed back out.
By the time I returned with the correct coffee, it was past noon. My lunch break was gone. My stomach growled loudly as I set the cup on his desk.
Xavier didn't even look up from his computer. "Put it on the left side. I don't like things on my right."
I moved the cup two inches to the left.
"The dry cleaning is ready," he added. "Pick it up before 3 PM."
"That's across town! and there's not enough time today"
"Then you'd better hurry."
I bit my tongue so hard I tasted blood. "Fine."
"And reorganize the files in the storage room. By color."
I froze. "By color?"
"Yes. Alphabetically is inefficient."
"That makes no sense!, you specifically requested---"
"Are you refusing?" He cut me off finally looking up, his blue eyes cold and unbothered like a threat to dare refuse him and feel his wrath.
"No," I muttered with gritted teeth.
"Good. You're dismissed."
I turned and walked out before I said something that would get me actually sued.
"
The dry cleaning took an hour. The traffic was horrible, and by the time I got back, I had missed an important editorial meeting. My assistant called me in concern.
I guess my boss hasn't told them about my recent reschedule with Mr Quinn. If Xavier hadn't made arrangements with my boss I would have been fired a long time ago, but it seems boss hasn't informed the rest of my teams, and honestly I'm grateful, I really can't imagine myself explaining to them that I'm in a messy situation with Xavier Quinn.
"Lilian, is everything okay? You've been distracted lately." Sally said over the phone.
"I'm fine," I lied. "Just dealing with some important personal stuff."
She was silent for a while, "Well, don't let it affect your work. You're one of our best you know."
Guilt twisted in my stomach. I was one of their best, and here I was running errands for a man who hated me.
Sighs.
When I delivered the dry cleaning to Xavier's office, he barely glanced at it.
"Hang it in the closet."
I did. Then I stood there, waiting for the next humiliating task.
He gestured to the storage room. "The files."
Right. By color. Because that's a thing normal people do.
Two hours later, I was surrounded by folders, my hands covered in paper cuts, my back aching. I had sorted them into piles: blue, red, green, yellow, white.
It was the dumbest thing I had ever done.
I heard footsteps behind me and didn't bother looking up.
"Almost done?" Xavier's voice was closer than expected.
"Define 'done',"I muttered rudely.
"Don't get smart with me."
I stood up, wiping dust off my skirt. "I'm not getting smart. I'm getting exhausted. Do you have any idea how ridiculous this is?"
"You should've thought about that before you----"
My face heated. "I didn't know it was your bed! I was drunk and went into the wrong room!"
He scoffed, "Convenient excuse."
"It's the truth! Why won't you just let it go!"
We stared at each other, the tension thick enough to choke on. His jaw was tight, his eyes unreadable.
"Just finish the files," he said finally, turning to leave.
But as he walked past me, his arm brushed a stack of folders on the shelf. They tipped, and before I could react, a heavy binder fell directly into the cup of coffee sitting on the edge of the table.
The cup flipped.
Hot coffee exploded across my chest.
I gasped, stumbling back as the burning liquid soaked through my white blouse. "Oh my God!"
Xavier cursed under his breath. "Don't move."
"Don't move? I'm covered in hot coffee!"
He grabbed my wrist, pulling me toward his office. I tried to resist, but his grip was firm.
"Let go of me!"
"You need to change before you get a scar."
"I don't have anything to change into!"
He shoved open his office door and went straight to the closet in the corner. He pulled out a dark grey sweat shirt and thrust it at me.
"Wear this immediately."
I stared at the sweat shirt then at him. "I'm not wearing your shirt."
"Would you rather walk around looking like you spilled an entire pot of coffee on yourself? and lets not forget it's hot coffee."
I glanced down. The patch where it spilled on me was really hot, as if I was ironing my blouse right on top of my body, and my blouse was completely see through now, clinging to my skin. My cheeks burned.
"Fine." I snapped, snatching the shirt from him.
He turned his back. "Change."
I hesitated, then quickly unbuttoned my ruined blouse and put on his shirt. It was huge on me, the sleeves were hanging past my hands, but it smelled exactly like him. Clean. Expensive and Distracting.
I rolled up the sleeves, trying to make it look less ridiculous.
When I looked up, Xavier had turned around. His eyes were on my hands as I adjusted the sleeves, and for just a moment, something flickered across his face.
Something that wasn't cold as usual.
But then his expression hardened again.
"Stop wasting time," he said with a clipped voice. "You need to go to a hospital and check if you're wounded."
I stared at him, my heart doing something weird in my chest.
He stared back, unblinking.
Then he turned and walked out, leaving me standing there in his jacket, confused and breathless.