After Hours

EVIE

Tuesday, 10:00 a.m. - Luxurious Pearl Building, Summit Realtors

Everything was going perfectly.

At least, that was what I believed at ten o’clock on Tuesday morning.

For the past three years, I had worked tirelessly to establish myself at Summit Realtors. I had started with little more than ambition, determination, and an unreasonable number of late nights. Now, at twenty-five, I was leading a team of five in Area 15 and managing a project that had become the most significant achievement of my career.

Aurelia Residences.

Even thinking about it made me proud.

It had taken months of research, countless meetings, endless revisions, and more cups of coffee than I cared to admit. I knew every detail of the development, from the financial projections to the construction schedule. Every figure had been checked, every risk assessed, and every decision carefully considered.

Aurelia wasn’t simply another development project.

It was proof that I was capable of more than people had initially expected from me.

And I intended to prove that again and again.

“Evie?”

I looked up from my computer to find Ava Cole standing beside my desk, a folder tucked beneath her arm.

“Margaret wants to see you in the conference room. Immediately.”

I frowned.

“Immediately?”

“Her exact words.”

“Did she say why?”

Ava shook her head. “No. But she didn’t look particularly pleased.”

That was reassuring.

Margaret McGuire had been with Summit Realtors for twenty-five years. She was experienced, demanding, and known for her ability to recognise a problem before anyone else even realised one existed. She rarely summoned people without a reason, and she certainly didn’t use the word immediately unless something required her attention.

I saved my work and stood.

“All right. Thanks, Ava.”

She gave me a sympathetic smile.

“Good luck.”

I grabbed my notebook and made my way towards the conference room, wondering what could possibly have happened.

Aurelia’s latest financial report had been submitted the previous afternoon. The contractor updates were accounted for, the revised figures had been checked, and the development timeline remained on schedule.

As far as I knew, there was nothing to worry about.

That thought lasted until I opened the conference room door.

Margaret was seated at the head of the table, a thick folder resting in front of her. Several members of the management team were already present.

And then I saw him.

Cade Thorne.

Thirty years old, blond hair that fell just past his ears, blue eyes, and the sort of confidence that suggested he had never questioned his own abilities a day in his life.

Cade was the Development Team Lead for Area 10. He managed a team of seven and had built quite a reputation for himself within the company.

Unfortunately, his reputation wasn’t the only thing that had grown over the years.

His ego had kept pace.

We had known each other for almost three years, and I could count the number of pleasant conversations we’d had on one hand.

We weren’t exactly enemies.

We simply had a remarkable talent for bringing out the worst in each other.

Our first proper disagreement had happened over a financial report. He had questioned my projections in front of several colleagues without bothering to read the supporting documentation. When I pointed out that the answers to his questions were already in the report, he hadn’t taken it particularly well.

Since then, our interactions had consisted mostly of clipped greetings, sarcastic remarks, and the occasional argument neither of us was willing to lose.

I had long ago accepted that Cade Thorne and I would never be friends.

I took a seat opposite him.

He glanced up briefly before returning his attention to the papers in front of him.

Charming.

“Good morning,” Margaret began.

The room fell silent.

“I’ll get straight to the point. As you are all aware, the company has been conducting a financial reassessment of several ongoing developments. Following that review, management has decided to make some structural changes to improve efficiency and strengthen project oversight.”

I straightened in my chair.

Structural changes.

Those two words rarely meant anything good.

Margaret opened the folder in front of her.

“Effective immediately, Aurelia Residences will fall under the leadership of Cade Thorne.”

For a moment, I thought I had misunderstood her.

I looked at Margaret.

Then at Cade.

Then back at Margaret.

“I’m sorry,” I said, keeping my voice measured. “Could you repeat that?”

Margaret met my gaze.

“Aurelia Residences will now be managed under Cade’s leadership.”

I felt something tighten in my chest.

“But I’ve been leading that project from the beginning.”

“I’m aware of that, Evie.”

“I’ve overseen the planning, the financial projections, the contractor negotiations, and the development schedule. My team has been working on this for months.”

“And the work you’ve done has been recognised.”

“Then I don’t understand why...”

“Evie,” Margaret interrupted gently but firmly. “Please allow me to finish.”

I pressed my lips together.

Beside me, Cade remained remarkably quiet. He sat back in his chair, listening as though this were simply another routine meeting and not a decision that had just turned my professional world upside down.

Margaret continued.

“As part of the restructuring, your team in Area 15 will be merged with Cade’s team in Area 10. Both teams will work together under a single leadership structure, with Cade appointed as Team Leader of the combined group.”

I stared at her.

Twelve people.

Two teams.

One leader.

And apparently, that leader wasn’t going to be me.

I glanced around the room, hoping someone would offer an explanation that made this decision seem remotely logical.

Nobody did.

“With respect, Margaret,” I began, choosing my words carefully, “I understand the need for restructuring, but Aurelia Residences is a project I’ve been managing successfully. Is there a particular reason why the leadership needs to change?”

Margaret folded her hands on the table.

“The decision was made after a review of the company’s current priorities and resources. We believe consolidating the teams under one leader will improve coordination and oversight.”

“Wouldn’t it make more sense to appoint someone familiar with the project?”

The moment the words left my mouth, I knew I had touched a nerve.

Cade finally looked up.

His blue eyes settled on mine, and the faintest trace of amusement appeared on his face.

“Are you suggesting I’m not familiar with development projects, Miss Voss?”

I met his gaze.

“I’m suggesting that familiarity with a specific project matters when you’re responsible for its success.”

His expression barely changed.

“And I’m suggesting that a fresh perspective can be useful.”

“A fresh perspective is useful when the person providing it takes the time to understand what they’re looking at.”

A silence settled over the table.

Someone shifted in their chair.

Margaret’s expression warned me not to continue, but Cade looked almost entertained.

“I suppose we’ll find out soon enough,” he said.

There it was.

That effortless confidence.

The unspoken assumption that he would walk into my project, make a few adjustments, and somehow improve everything I had spent months building.

I looked away before I said something that would make the situation worse.

Margaret cleared her throat.

“Now that the new structure has been established, I want to make one thing very clear. This is a business decision. Personal disagreements will not interfere with the work that needs to be done.”

Her gaze moved between Cade and me.

“You are both experienced professionals. I expect you to act accordingly.”

“Of course,” Cade replied smoothly.

I nodded.

“Understood.”

“Good.”

Margaret turned another page in her folder.

“There is one more important matter. The board of investors will be arriving tomorrow morning at nine o’clock sharp to assess Aurelia Residences. They will expect a comprehensive presentation covering the project’s current progress, financial projections, development strategy, timeline, and expected returns.”

My stomach tightened again.

Tomorrow?

“Given the change in leadership, Cade will be responsible for presenting the project to the board.”

I looked at her sharply.

Cade presenting Aurelia Residences?

A project he had taken over only minutes ago?

Margaret continued before I could speak.

“Evie, you will provide him with all relevant documentation and brief him thoroughly on the project’s current status. I expect the two of you to work together to ensure that the presentation is accurate, complete, and ready for tomorrow morning.”

I stared at her, struggling to keep my expression neutral.

I was being asked to hand over months of work, explain every detail to the man who had just replaced me, and then sit back while he presented it as the leader of the project.

And I had less than twenty-four hours to make sure he didn’t make a mess of it.

“Is there anything else?” Margaret asked.

Nobody answered.

“Very well. I expect everyone to familiarise themselves with the new structure and begin working together immediately. We have a great deal to accomplish.”

Chairs shifted as the meeting came to an end. Several people gathered their documents and exchanged quiet remarks before leaving the room.

I remained seated for a moment, staring at the notebook in front of me.

Months of work.

Months of planning, negotiating, calculating, revising, and double-checking.

And in less than ten minutes, everything had changed.

“Evie.”

I looked up.

Cade was standing beside the table, holding a folder under one arm.

“We’ll need to go through the project documents today.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“How fortunate. I was just thinking about how much I would enjoy spending my day explaining my own project to someone else.”

His mouth curved into a faint smile.

“Try not to make this more difficult than it needs to be.”

I slowly closed my notebook.

“Then try not to make assumptions about a project you haven’t even reviewed.”

His smile disappeared for a fraction of a second.

“I know how to manage a development project, Evie.”

“I never said you didn’t.”

“You didn’t have to.”

I stood, gathering my things.

“Look, Cade. I don’t know what Margaret has told you, but Aurelia Residences isn’t a project you can understand by skimming a few reports. There are details behind those figures, decisions behind that timeline, and reasons why certain things have been done the way they have.”

“Then explain them to me.”

“I intend to. That’s what Margaret asked me to do.”

“Excellent.”

He leaned back in his chair, perfectly relaxed.

Interesting.

Apparently, his ego had already chosen a winner.

I adjusted my grip on my notebook and met his gaze.

“Tomorrow’s presentation had better go smoothly, Cade. For both our sakes.”

His expression shifted into that infuriating half-smile.

“Don’t worry, Evie. I’ll manage.”

“We’ll see about that.”

I turned and walked out of the conference room before he could get another word in.

Tomorrow’s presentation would be the first real test of our new arrangement.

And I had a feeling that working with Cade Thorne was going to be far more complicated than either of us cared to admit.