"Fuck!" He cursed, quickly moving away from the woman and pulling his pants up.
Olivia knew her husband was many things: toxic, temperamental, abusive, but not unfaithful. He hit her for even implying that he was cheating! She never imagined that she would walk in on him having sex with another woman the very next day!
"How could you?" Olivia asked as tears gathered in her eyes.
Sebastian walked up to her, still buckling his belt. "What are you even doing here?"
"Hello, I'm Caroline." Sebastian's mistress, who was perched on his desk, introduced herself with a cocky smile.
Olivia ignored the woman. "You're having an affair?" She cried. "After all these years? We have a daughter! How can you hurt me like this?"
"I can't talk about this right now. You have to go." Sebastian said.
"What?" Olivia exclaimed, surprised by Sebastian's audacity. "I caught you cheating and you're kicking me out of your office?"
"Leave so I won't have to call security to escort you out." He threatened.
Olivia's eyes were wide with shock. She knew that her husband had changed, but the Sebastian she had fallen in love with and started a family with, would never treat her so cruelly. She could barely recognize the man in front of her.
"Sebastian---" Her lips trembled as she said his name.
"I said leave!" Sebastian yelled. She knew he meant every word he said.
Olivia raced out of the office with tears streaming down her face. She did not stop running until she was inside an elevator.
Thankfully, she was alone. She fell to the floor and sobbed. She had never felt so heartbroken and disrespected. It felt like her heart had been ripped out of her chest.
'Ding!' went the elevator.
The door opened and a tall man in a perfectly tailored grey suit walked in. He paused to stare at her, confused. Clearly, he had never seen a grown woman crying on the elevator floor before.
"Are you alright, miss?" He asked.
Olivia nodded.
He offered her his hand and helped her up to her feet. Even with tears in her eyes, Olivia could recognize a handsome man when she saw one, and this one was gorgeous. His hair was black, his eyes blue and he had perfect bone structure.
"Thanks." Olivia muttered, embarrassed that a stranger had seen her so vulnerable.
They stood far apart, in awkward silence. Olivia stole a glance at the stranger and caught him staring back at her, amused.
"Stop staring---" Olivia was interrupted by a loud noise. The elevator shook, making her fall against the stranger's chest.
Olivia looked up at him to apologize, but the moment their eyes met, the lights went out and the elevator stopped moving.
"No, no, no." Olivia panicked. "Why is this happening to me?"
"Relax." He turned on his phone's flashlight. "The elevator stopped working. It happens."
Olivia moved away from his body. "It's never happened to me before." She said.
The man smirked at her. "There's a first time for everything. If the operators are competent, we should be out of here soon enough."
Olivia tried calling her driver for help, but her phone was not connecting.
"Phones don't work in a bad elevator." The man said, while watching her with a small smile.
"What part of this is amusing?" Olivia asked, annoyed.
"Stop panicking, we'll be alright." He grinned, revealing a dimple on each cheek. "What's your name?"
He had seen her crying on the floor, a behavior so unbefitting of her status. She would not let him know who she was.
She turned away from him. "I can't tell you."
His laughter echoed through the elevator. "You're hilarious. I'm Desmond." He introduced. Olivia ignored him.
Several minutes went by without changes and Olivia grew restless.
"Are you alright, miss?" He asked as he watched her pace.
Olivia did not respond, she just kept trying to use her phone.
Desmond caught a glimpse of the picture of a child on Olivia's lock screen. "Is that your daughter?" He asked and Olivia nodded. "She's beautiful."
"She's also very smart. She's my perfect little angel." Olivia smiled proudly.
"I guess she's got her dad's eyes. Desmond pointed out. Laurel's eyes were green, just like Sebastian's, while Olivia's were blue. "He must be a wonderful man."
Olivia fought back tears when she thought of Sebastian. "He was."
Desmond was immediately apologetic. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. May his soul rest in peace."
Olivia burst into uncontrollable laughter while Desmond watched, confused.
"Sorry---" Olivia said between fits of laughter. "He's not dead, he's just not a great husband."
"Is he the reason you're crying on the floor in a public elevator?" Desmond asked, but Olivia only looked away without saying a word. "I think your little girl would want you to be happy. Besides, you're too pretty to be stuck in a bad marriage."
Olivia raised her head to look at him and caught him staring at her. Slowly, he moved his face towards hers till their noses touched. Olivia felt her heart thumping in her chest. Why was she letting a stranger get this close to her? And why did it excite her so much?
Suddenly, the elevator lights went on, snapping her back to reality. She quickly stepped away from him, avoiding his gaze. She would not let him see how flustered the experience left her.
Soon, the elevator started moving. She felt his palm against hers as he slipped a card into her hand.
"My friend's birthday party is at the Gambinos tomorrow night. If you want to have fun, you should join us." He said.
"I don't go to parties." Olivia retorted.
He took a step towards her, closing the space between them. "If you want to see me again, you should come."
Olivia raised a brow. "Why would I want to see you again?"
"Because this can't be the last time we see each other." The elevator door opened. "See you soon, Blondie." He smiled, then left.
"See you soon, stranger." Olivia whispered to herself.
For the rest of the day, Olivia could only think of one thing_ the man in the elevator. His striking blue eyes, dimpled smile and the way his skin felt against hers. She blushed each time she remembered how close they had gotten to kissing.
She thought about the encounter so much, she almost forgot why she was crying in the elevator in the first place.