Lily successfully dragged herself into her room, dropped her keys and bag onto the bed, and collapsed dramatically beside them.
For a moment, she just stared at the ceiling.
Then she smiled.
The smile quickly turned into a muffled shriek into her pillow.
She couldn't believe this was happening.
She had fully prepared herself to work with Sam Hemmingsworth. They used to share an office before he transferred to North Star Branding, so she assumed working with him would be easy.
But Mr. Vanguard?
The owner of North Star Branding himself?
Lily swallowed nervously.
She just hoped he wasn't one of those strict, boring businessmen who treated smiles like a crime.
Her phone vibrated inside her bag.
She sat up, reached for it, and immediately smiled when she answered.
Tessa appeared on the screen wearing a satin robe, already tucked comfortably into bed.
"How was the meeting, baby girl?" Tessa asked with a grin.
Lily raised a brow.
"What?"
"Don't tell me you skipped work and stayed in your room crying all day because of Benjamin."
Tessa scoffed dramatically.
"Girl, please. I shouldn't even be wasting tears on that man. I went to work, came home early, and packed all his stuff so I could send it to his apartment."
Lily pointed at the screen proudly.
"Go girl!"
"Period!" Tessa snapped her fingers. "Now tell me how the meeting went."
Lily relaxed against the headboard, unable to stop smiling.
"It was actually awesome… but there were some unexpected changes."
Tessa frowned immediately and moved closer to the camera.
"Like what?"
"I'm not working with Sam Hemmingsworth anymore."
"What?" Tessa blinked.
"I'll be working with the CEO himself."
Tessa's mouth dropped open.
"Wait—Rodney Vanguard? The handsome rich guy?"
Lily nodded slowly.
"Mhm."
"Whoa," Tessa breathed. "That's a game changer. Girl, if this project goes well, you might even get promoted. And maybe the two of you could—"
"No," Lily cut in immediately. "Don't finish that sentence."
Tessa burst out laughing.
"Oh, come on! Anything could happen. Imagine dating Rodney Vanguard. You'd become one of the most powerful women in the country."
"If you don't stop talking like this, I'm hanging up."
Tessa ignored her completely.
"Rodney and Lily sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S—"
Lily ended the call instantly.
She tossed the phone onto the bed and rolled her eyes.
Tessa was always trying to revive her love life.
Still…
Lily looked up at the ceiling again, unable to stop thinking about it.
This was a huge opportunity.
Maybe she was dreaming.
PING.
She glanced at her phone and grinned when she saw the notification from the company group chat.
Mr. Rodney Vanguard and Lily Richards are the official representatives for this year's collaboration project!
Lily stared at the message for a few seconds.
Well.
That confirmed it.
This was real.
She grabbed her pillow and screamed into it.