Is he Snooping?

Alexa's POV 

The office buzzed with the low hum of productivity as I reluctantly settled into my seat across from Steve, Dad said it was only going to be a short while but here we are. 

It's been three days of Mr Richard explaining to his son and telling him why the meeting had to go on. Three days of his father pleading with him. What nonsense. I scoffed. I was even sick and tired of the whole meeting thingy. 

"You are welcome. " He had greeted me to my surprise, I quickly pretended like I wasn't surprised, perhaps he had mistaken me for someone else. He sat across from me and gave me a sideways look. His mere presence grated on my nerves, and the air between us seemed to crackle with unspoken animosity.

 One of the young men who sat at the edge got up as the projector before us came on as he began to explain the high competition in the market. 

"If we adopt this strategy it will not only leave our product being sought after but it will become highly competitive ,demand very high and therefore pushing some of the lesser products out of the market. "

As much as I tried to focus on the task at hand, at the young man in suit, every keystroke felt like a reminder of the brewing storm within me.

Steve's eyes, sharp and unwavering, met mine briefly before he shifted his attention back to the screen.

"So you are saying we should release about a hundred of our products into the market ?" Steve asked, leaning back on his chair, I could practically feel the weight of his eyes on me.

 "You know this is a relatively new product. " He continued.

 "I was thinking we should change the packaging, sponsor some TV shows that way we don't think hard on how to run ads on our products, by the time we sponsor some shows lots if people will be forced to find this new product and as soon as the first hundred runs out the demand will be high".

No sooner had he finished that the applause came rolling in. I had wanted to say something like that now he thinks himself a god. I sighed, suppressing the urge to roll my eyes as I scanned through the documents on my screen. The sooner we got this over with, the better.

 "You are quite good at this, what a brilliant idea," I muttered under my breath, more to myself than to Steve.

He smirked a barely noticeable twitch at the corner of his lips. "Thanks for the compliment. Just try to keep up, Alexa and you will learn. "His condescending tone irked me, but I bit back a retort. 

Was he saying I was a dumb head. This project was a necessary evil, and wasting time on arguing with him wouldn't get us anywhere. I actually knew that was what he was looking for. I focused on the words on my screen, determined to prove that I could be professional, even in the presence of my nemesis.As we delved into the details of the launch of the new products our exchanges became a series of tense negotiations.

 Each suggestion was met with skepticism, every decision was analyzed and critiqued. The constant back-and-forth was draining, and I couldn't shake the feeling that Steve was deliberately making this process more difficult than it needed to be.He kept throwing random questions and giving out suggestions nobody had asked, making the meeting go further than the actual time. My butt now hurts from sitting for too long. Hours passed in this push-and-pull, a dance of collaboration and conflict. We argued about everything, from the color scheme of the package of the new product , to the why and what TV show to sponsor.

Steve leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled in contemplation. "You know, Alexa, as much as I despise working with you, you have been a great help, You have brought such helpful suggestions that ... I don't know, there's a twisted kind of satisfaction in seeing our minds work together like this."I scoffed, not willing to let him think for a moment that I agreed with him. 

"Satisfaction? More like a headache.Besides you have been the one throwing suggestions here and there. "I reminded him.

 "Yeah, I know, I really appreciate you coming over to continue with the meeting even though something transpired the last time. I'm grateful, thank you. "I smiled thinly but his words lingered, and I found myself pondering on the possibility of him being a nice person and working with him. Perhaps there was something about him that I did not understand when we first met. 

As the afternoon sun dipped lower in the sky, casting a warm glow across the office, our progress became more tangible.

It was a revelation, a begrudging acknowledgment that, despite our differences, we were creating something noteworthy together.I felt happy though and felt fulfilled that I was part of this project. Amid a particularly heated debate over the project's conclusion, I caught a glimpse of a genuine smile on Steve's face. It was fleeting, quickly replaced by his usual mask of indifference.

With the final touches in place, we both leaned back in our chairs, the weight of the completed project settling over us.

"The product will be launched on the first day of the next month," Steve said.

 "Yes,it should be at the market in April to prepare it for the Easter celebration. " I chipped in even before I could stop myself. 

I was awarded a genuine smile from Steve making him look more friendly and handsome. A sense of accomplishment mingled with the lingering tension, creating an atmosphere that was both charged and oddly satisfying.

The board meeting was in an hour - after lunch - and I was hungry and needed a refill after our little exhausting episode. Everyone got up after the end of the meeting to go grab some rest and probably have something to eat.

 "I'm heading out to get lunch, do you need anything?"Steve looked up at me from his phone after a long second and said nothing, then went back to whatever he was doing on his phone.

"I ought to be treating you to lunch, something special. " He finally said. You know I was starting to feel bad for what I did to him the other day.

 "Huh,really." I stuttered surprised again but quickly changed my expression from being surprised to being indifferent.

 "I can get something to eat by myself. " I said, I got up and walked out of the conference room.

The small restaurant in the company was half filled with workers. I settled on a chair overlooking the parking lot and waiting for my orders. 

Looking down at my phone, I mumbled under my breath. "Past four. " I got a little angry thanks to Steve. My food was served and I dug in immediately.

 "I thought you had gone for a yoga practice. "A voice said, placing my open little notepad on the table.

"You forgot this. " He smirked and took a seat before me. 

"You went through my diary. " I almost gagged. 

"So people still keep diaries? "He gave a small laugh. "Interesting ,I will also love a diary too. "

"Mind your business. " I kept the notepad in my bag.

 "Hey. " He raised both palms up. "Easy. " 

He called one of the waiters. "A cappuccino please."

He kept staring at me as I ate. At intervals our eyes met . 

"What? " I asked, annoyed. He kept staring at me, then half got up from his seat leaning very close to me like he wanted to plant a kiss on my lips. 

"A woman. " He said, tracing the line of my lips with his long finger. "As beautiful as you should..... " He touched my lips and held out his finger for me to see the piece of food he had taken from my lips....Use a ."

He looked at me, his eyes laughing at me then he got up to

go.

"You can have the Cappuccino, don't thank me, what are friends for. "