One Night With My Alpha Professor novel Chapter 117

Chapter 117
Audrey
The following Monday morning dawned bright and full of promise. The Friday before, my “Life Cycle’ dress had been well received by Leo and the other designers despite the previous incident-much to Linda’s chagrin.
Now, Leo led us down the bustling hallway, down a set of stairs, and into a large utility elevator that would carry us to the basement of the building.
“For your third project,” Leo explained in the tense silence of the elevator, “you’re going to be participating in a competition against each other”
Linda, who had been leaning against the wall and examining her nails with a bored expression on her face, suddenly glanced up. “A competition?” she cooed, looking over at me. “Audrey and I do love a little friendly competition, don’t we!”
Great, I thought, my heart sinking. Another opportunity for her to make my life difficult. Still, I resisted the urge to grimace at her and turned to Leo. “What are the stakes?”
“You’ll each need to design four pieces for a small clothing collection,” Leo explained as the elevator doors slid open, revealing a large warehouse dotted with flickering fluorescent lights. “You have two weeks to complete this project, and you’re encouraged to use anything you need from our textile warehouse.”
Linda and I exchanged glances as we followed Leo into the cavernous warehouse. Our shoes clicked on the cement floors, echoing in the vast space. The air smelled like a combination of fabric and equipment.
The winner will receive bragging rights, of course, Leo continued as he led us through the racks, “but also an all-expenses paid weekend trip to Paris Fashion Week in the fall.”
My jaw dropped at that. Even Linda’s eyes widened into saucers.
“Paris Fashion Week?” we both blurted out in unison.
Leo grinned. “Brooks Designs has been invited to one of the shows this year,” he explained, stopping and placing his hands on his hips. “So, whichever one of you can impress us with your small collection will be joining us. Think you two can handle that?”
I felt like I was about to pass out. Going to Paris Fashion Week. It was like a dream come true. But before I could speak, Linda was stepping forward, clapping one perfectly-manicured onto Leo’s shoulder.
“I can’t wait to go with you,” she beamed. It took all my effort not to roll my eyes.
Leo chuckled and shook his head. “You two have an hour down here to pick out the fabric you’ll need,” he said, stepping aside. “Good luck
With that, we were given free reign of the fabric warehouse. Linda brushed past me, her lips curling into a sinister smile. “Good luck, human,” she cooed, just low enough so Leo couldn’t bear. “You’ll need it.”
I gritted my teeth but said nothing, determined not to let her get to me this time. had to focus on the task at hand and not let Linda’s taunts distract me. The stakes were too high. Going to Paris Fashion Week? I couldn’t let anything stand in my way of that
My jaw was permanently slack as I made my way through the huge racks of fabric-some of which were so high up you’d need special equipment to get them down-and ran my fingers along the countless textiles.
Silks, satins, linens, and wools in every shade and pattern adorned the shelves, each more beautiful than the last. Crates upon crates of sewing notions and supplies lined the walls. Warehouse employees buzzed past on forklifts, at one point causing me to yelp and jump out of the way just as I turned a corner and was nearly steamrolled by one.
1/3
13:02 Wed, Sep 18
Chapter 117
“Impressive, isn’t it?” Leo said, coming up behind me, his presence startling me out of my reverie.
I nodded, still clutching my chest from the close call. “It’s amazing But..” I frowned, looking around. “I don’t see any fabrics with the Black Textiles company logo. Weren’t they one of Brooks Designs’ main suppliers?”
Leo’s expression turned thoughtful, his brow furrowing slightly. Ah, yes. Interesting story, actually; Mr. Brooks suddenly had all of the Black Textile fabrics removed from the warehouse The partnership was ended abruptly.” He paused, his eyes flicking over my face. “No one really knows why,”
I felt my checks heat up, the realization hitting me like a ton of bricks.
Edwin must have ended the partnership… because of what Mr. Back had done to me all those weeks ago? I couldn’t think of another reason why he would suddenly end his partnership with such a large company.
Despite my lingering anger toward him, I couldn’t help but feel a small spark of warmth at the gesture. To think that he had done something so drastic, all because of me….
The logical part of my brain wanted to believe that it wasn’t because of me, that it wasn’t a coincidence.
But my heart, the part of me that still felt his fingers under my chin while the rain pattered on the roof over our heads, told me otherwise.
For the next week, I threw myself into the project harder than I had ever thrown myself into anything before,
Each night, I found myself staying late at the office, determined to create something spectacular. The hours seemed to slip away as I sketched, cut, and sewed, my mind laser-focused on the task at hand.
And each night, as I made my way out to the bus stop, I couldn’t help but notice that there was always one light left on in the building, right at the very top floor.
Edwin’s office-it had to be.
He must have been working late, too, I figured. I was still angry with him, but knowing he was there while I worked late into the night gave me a strange sense of security. It was as if his presence, even from a distance, provided me with a bit of comfort I didn’t know I needed
Each evening, as I waited for the bus, I would turn and crane my neck up at the glowing office far overhead. The soft, warm light stood out against the dark, empty building, a beacon of sorts. I wondered what he was doing up there, if he was as engrossed in his work as I was in mine.
It became a sort of ritual for me, checking to see if that light was on. And it always was.
One night, as I was packing up my things, the sound of footsteps broke the silence in the quiet design department. I looked up to see Linda sauntering over to my desk, a smug expression plastered on her face. I felt my stomach clench instinctively.
“Still here, Audrey?” she asked, the keys to her expensive sports car jingling in her hand as she yanked one of her desk drawers open. “Don’t you have a life outside of work?”
I forced a smile, refusing to rise to her bait. “I could ask you the same thing, Linda. What are you still doing here?” She pulled a leather bound folder out of her desk and held it up. “Forgot this.”
“Your designs?” I asked. “You forgot them?”
Linda merely shrugged. Unlike you, I don’t need to work so hard to succeed. I get to leave my work at the office most nights”
I watched her saunter past, keys still jingling in her hand. Just as she reached the door, I bit out, “What ever happened to “wanting to be better?”
2/3
13:02 Wed, Sep 18
Chapter 117
Linda paused, and I thought I saw her grip tighten on her folder I watched her with pursed lips, one hand clutching the edge of my desk, waiting for a response.
I never got one. She just walked out, the door slamming behind her.
Sighing, I shook my head and slung my bag over my shoulder. I waited a few minutes, just in case she was still out there, before heading out.
As I walked out of the building, I looked up, searching for that familiar light overhead. But tonight, the top floor was dark A twinge of disappointment twisted in my chest, which I immediately tried to squash. Why should I care if Edwin was working late or not? I told myself it didn’t matter, but the empty darkness above made me feel strangely alone.
I stopped at the bus stop, checking my phone for the time. The last bus was running late.
Five minutes passed, then ten, and the bus never came. Finally, I gave up and opened Uber on my phone, cursing the rising costs as I punched in my destination.
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps approaching broke through my thoughts. I looked up from my phone to see a tall figure walking toward me, hands in pockets. The figure, wearing a long trench coat, stopped a few feet away, their face hidden in shadow beneath the dim streetlight.
Swallowing, I took a step back. It was late, and there was no one around, and-
“Need a ride home?” Edwin stepped forward and held up his keys.
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