22 The CEO’s Coffee and a Colleague’s Curiosity
22 The CEO’s Coffee and a Colleague’s Curiosity
ra Vance sat perfectly still in her chair, fingers moving swiftly across her tablet as she took detailed notes. The morning meeting had been going for nearly an hour, and Mr. Thorne was now addressing the marketing department’s new campaign.
“These projections are uneptable,” Damien’ Thorne said, his deep voice cutting through the tension-filled conference room. He leaned forward, one hand nted firmly on the polished table. “I want the revised numbers on my desk by tomorrow morning.”
The marketing director nodded nervously. “Yes, Mr. Thorne.”
ra observed the exchange without expression, recording every detail while maintaining herposed demeanor. To her right, she noticed Olivia Monroe, a recent hire in themunications department, staring at Damien with undisguised
admiration.
“Is there something else you’d like to add, Ms. Monroe?” Damien asked suddenly, catching the young woman’s gaze.
Olivia blushed furiously. “No, Mr. Thorne. I was just… thinking about your approach to the campaign.”
“And?” Damien raised an eyebrow.
“It’s… brilliant. I mean, very insightful,” Olivia stammered, clutching her pen so tightly
her knuckles turned white.
Damien gave a curt nod before moving on to the next item on the agenda. ra continued taking notes, her face betraying nothing despite noticing Olivia’s flustered
reaction.
When the meeting finally concluded, everyone began gathering their materials. ra organized her notes efficiently, preparing to return to her desk.
“That was intense,” Marcus Cole, head of the legal department, remarked as he passed by ra’s seat. “Do you have those contract points we discussed?”
01:09
177
<
22 The CEO’s Coffee and a Colleague’s Curiosity
“Yes,” ra replied, pulling up a separate document on her tablet. “I’vepiled everything, including the references to the previous agreements.”
Marcus scanned the document and nodded appreciatively. “This is impressively thorough, ra. How do you manage to catch every detail while still taking notes for the general meeting?”
ra offered a small smile. “Practice.”
“She’s amazing, isn’t she?” Olivia chimed in, appearing beside them. “I was watching you during the meeting. You didn’t miss a single point Mr. Thorne made.”
“It’s part of my job,” ra responded simply.
Marcus excused himself, leaving ra and Olivia alone in the now-emptying conference room. Olivia leaned against the table, her eyes bright with curiosity.
“How long have you worked for Mr. Thorne?” she asked.
“Almost seven years,” ra answered, continuing to organize her materials.
“That’s a long time,” Olivia remarked. “You must know everything about him.”
ra looked up, her expression neutral. “I know what’s necessary for my professional responsibilities.”
Olivia lowered her voice. “He’s so intimidating. But in a good way, you know? So powerful and decisive.” Her cheeks flushed again. “I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone somanding.”
ra nodded politely but offered noment.
“Could I possibly get a copy of your meeting notes?” Olivia asked. “I was so… distracted that I missed some key points.”
“Of course,” ra replied, sending the file with a few quick taps. “Check your email.”
Olivia’s phone pinged. “Wow, that was fast.” She scrolled through the document, eyes widening. “These are incredibly detailed. You even included references to previous meetings and projects.”
“Context helps with implementation,” ra exined.
01:09
22 The CEO’s Coffee and a Colleague’s Curiosity
“I heard you studied economics and business administration,” Olivia said. “But these notes reference technology trends, legal precedents, and marketing concepts. Did you study all those fields too?”
ra gathered her tablet. “I read widely.”
“What do you rmend for someone who wants to understand more about what we do here? Olivia asked eagerly. “I want to impress Mr. Thorne with my knowledge.”
ra paused, considering the question. “I can send you a reading list if you’d like.”
“That would be amazing!”
Ten minutester, back at her desk, ra emailed a carefully curated list of books, journals, and online resources to Olivia. Her phone rang almost immediately.
“This list is… extensive,” Olivia’s voice sounded overwhelmed. “There must be fifty
books here.”
“You asked forprehensive understanding,” ra replied evenly. “Knowledge isn’t acquired overnight.”
“How many of these have
you read?”
“All of them,” ra said. “Plus supplementary materials.”
There was a brief silence on the line. “I see why Mr. Thorne values you so highly. You’re
incredible.”
ra thanked her politely before ending the call. She turned her attention to the quarterly report she waspiling, pushing thoughts of Damien Thorne to the periphery of her mind.
The afternoon sun was casting long shadows across her desk when Marcus approached again.
“ra, Mr. Thorne has the Montgomery meeting at four. Could you prepare his coffee beforehand? He specifically asked for you to make it.”
ra looked up from her work. “Of course.”
She saved her document and headed toward the executive kitchen. The request wasn’t
01:09
317
22 The CEO’s Coffee and a Colleague’s Curiosity
unusual-Damien had always been particr about his coffee, especially before important meetings. What was unusual was her own reaction. For years, preparing his coffee had felt like a small victory, a tiny connection between them. Now, it was simply another task.
As she measured the precisely ground beans, ra reflected on this emotional shift. Her decision to divorce Damien had freed her in unexpected ways. The little things that once seemed meaningful-making his coffee exactly as he liked it, anticipating his needs before he voiced them-now felt like the professional courtesies they truly
were.
“Oh, there you are!”.
ra looked up to see Olivia standing in the doorway, slightly out of breath.
“I overheard Marcus asking you to make Mr. Thorne’s coffee,” Olivia said, stepping into the kitchen. “Could you show me how? I’d love to learn.”
ra’s hands stilled over the coffee machine. “Why?”
Olivia’s smile turned slightly sheepish. “Well, I’m hoping to make myself indispensable around here. And if Mr. Thorne specially requests you to make his coffee, it must be important to him.”
“It’s just coffee, Olivia.”
“But it’s his coffee,” Olivia persisted. “Details matter to someone like Mr. Thorne, right? I want to understand everything that’s important to him.”
ra recognized the look in Olivia’s eyes-admiration bordering on infatuation. It was a look she’d once seen in her own reflection, many years ago.
“Please?” Olivia added. “I promise I won’t get in your way. I just want to learn.”
ra considered her for a moment. A year ago, she might have felt threatened or protective, unwilling to share even this small connection to Damien. Now, she found herself nodding.
“He prefers dark roast beans, freshly ground,” ra began, gesturing for Olivia toe closer. “The water temperature needs to be precisely ny-six degrees Celsius.”
01:09
22 The CEO’s Coffee and a Colleague’s Curiosity
Olivia watched eagerly as ra demonstrated each step, exining Damien’s preferences in detail-ck coffee, no sugar, served in the navy blue cup with the white interior, never the matching white cup with navy interior.
“That’s so specific!” Olivia eximed. “How did you learn all this?”
“Observation,” ra replied simply. “And he told me directly when I got it wrong.” “Does he have a preference for who delivers it?” Olivia asked, her intention obvious.
ra measured the coffee into the cup with precision. “No. He only cares that it’s made correctly.”
“So I could take it to him?” Olivia’s eyes brightened with hope.
ra felt a curious sensation-not jealousy or possessiveness, but something closer to pity. She remembered that feeling of wanting to be noticed, of searching for any opportunity to be in Damien’s presence.
“If you’d like,” ra said, carefully transferring the finished coffee to the correct cup. “Really?” Olivia’s face lit up with surprise and excitement. “You wouldn’t mind?”
“No,” ra answered truthfully. “I wouldn’t mind at all.”
Olivia studied her face, seeming to search for any sign of reluctance or territorial behavior. Finding none, she broke into a wide smile.
“Thank you! This is so kind of you. Most women in your position wouldn’t be so helpful to someone expressing interest in their boss.”
ra’s lips curved in a small, enigmatic smile. “I’m not most women.”
“Can you teach me to make it properly next time?” Olivia asked. “So I can do it myself?”
The question hung between them-innocuous on the surface but loaded with meaning. Olivia was asking for more than a coffee tutorial. She was asking for permission to step into a role that ra had upied for years.
In that moment, ra realized how truly done she was with Damien Thorne. The thought of someone else making his coffee, trying to please him, seeking his approval— none of it bothered her anymore.
01:09
22 The CEO’s Coffee and a Colleague’s Curiosity
“Sure,” she responded simply.
Olivia blinked, clearly surprised by ra’s easy acquiescence. “Really? You’d teach me?”
“Yes,” ra confirmed, handing the perfect cup of coffee to Olivia. “His meeting starts in ten minutes. You should deliver this while it’s still the exact temperature he prefers.”
As Olivia carefully took the cup, bncing it with nervous precision, ra felt a weight lift from her shoulders-one she hadn’t even realized she’d been carrying. Another small thread connecting her to Damien, severed cleanly and without pain.
“Thank you, ra,” Olivia said earnestly. “You’re not what people say you are at all.”
ra raised an eyebrow. “And what do they say I am?”
Olivia flushed. “Oh, you know… cold. Unapproachable. Possessive of your position with Mr. Thorne.”
“I see,” ra replied, her voice soft but steady. “Well, people often mistake professionalism for coldness.”
“And the rest?” Olivia asked hesitantly.
ra smiled, genuinely this time. “Perhaps they’ve been talking to the wrong person about who I really am.”
Olivia nodded thoughtfully before carefully making her way out of the kitchen, coffee cup held like a precious artifact. ra watched her go, feeling neither regret nor
concern.
For the first time in years, she was making choices based solely on her own feelings, not on how they might affect her rtionship with Damien. It was liberating to realize that she truly didn’t care who made his coffee anymore.