Overbearing CEO's Contract Love
Chapter 422: Elevator Panic

Chapter 422: Elevator Panic

"Ugh, I’m so tired! I really don’t want to get up!" Emma Hart groaned as she lay in bed. Yesterday had been exhausting, with the fishing trip turning into a near-brawl between the two old men over the fish they caught. It took the entire car ride back and a long dinner to finally resolve their argument.

"I’m off. I have a meeting today. You just stay in bed and relax, my little lazy cat," Damien Sterling said, kissing Emma on the forehead before leaving the room.

"I’ll come to the office for lunch," Emma called after him, feeling tired of staying home every day.

Damien nodded and gave her a playful wink as he left.

By the time Emma woke up, it was already 10 AM. She had a light snack, freshened up, and got ready to visit Damien at his office.

As lunchtime approached, Emma took the executive elevator to Damien’s office, as she usually did.

"Wait, wait, please!" A girl’s voice called out just as the elevator doors were closing. Startled, Emma quickly pressed the button to hold the doors open.

A girl with straight bangs, dressed in a forest-themed outfit, hurried over, carrying a stack of folders. "I’m so sorry!" she said with an embarrassed smile.

"No problem. Which floor are you going to? I can press it for you," Emma offered, noting how the girl struggled with the heavy load.

"The top floor, thank you," the girl replied.

Emma’s eyes widened in surprise. "What a coincidence, that’s my stop too."

They eyed each other curiously. Emma thought the girl seemed sweet and probably a new secretary, though Damien had never mentioned hiring anyone new. The girl, meanwhile, noticed Emma’s casual attire and guessed she wasn’t an employee.

Suddenly, the girl lost her grip, and the folders nearly tumbled to the ground. Emma quickly stepped in to help, taking some of the folders.

"You’ve got quite a lot there. Let me help you with some," Emma offered warmly, feeling a pang of empathy for the slender, delicate girl who reminded her of herself before she started working out.

"Thank you so much," the girl said gratefully, then paused before asking, "Are you with the company?"

"Well, sort of," Emma replied, unsure how to explain her relationship with Damien. "I guess you could say that."

"Hi, I’m Riley Turner, the intern assistant to the president of Turner Group. I’m here to deliver some documents to Mr. Sterling," Riley introduced herself with a cheerful smile.

"Nice to meet you, I’m—" Emma began, but the elevator doors opened, and Damien’s long-legged secretary rushed over, her high heels clicking on the floor.

"Mrs. Sterling, you shouldn’t be doing such heavy lifting. Let me take those," the secretary said, quickly taking the folders from Emma’s hands.

"Mrs. Sterling!" Riley Turner’s face paled instantly. Her recent actions felt disrespectful, and she didn’t know how to make amends.

Emma Hart, now free of the heavy folders, felt a lot more comfortable and continued the conversation, "I didn’t get to finish earlier. I’m Emma Hart, Mr. Sterling’s wife." She felt a bit embarrassed saying the last part.

"I’m so sorry, Mrs. Sterling, for making you help me carry those things," Riley Turner said, wishing she could disappear.

"It’s really no big deal, just a small favor," Emma replied with a sweet smile. She found Riley to be quite endearing, likely inexperienced and easily flustered around higher-ups.

"Mr. Sterling isn’t here right now, bring the documents inside," the tall secretary called out to Riley from the doorway.

"Okay!" Riley responded in a raised voice. Despite her sweet tone, she lacked confidence, which probably made her seem timid.

She hurried into Damien Sterling’s office, placed the documents down, and then quickly stepped out, only to bump into Damien, who was just exiting the elevator.

"Mr. Sterling, Mrs. Sterling is here, and the documents from Turner Group have arrived," the secretary said respectfully.

"Thank you," Damien replied simply, then turned to Emma. "Have you been waiting long? Let’s go eat," he said, moving to put his arm around Emma’s waist. Just then, he noticed Riley stepping out of his office.

"You must be Mr. Turner’s assistant?" Damien said, recognizing her.

"Yes, Mr. Sterling. I’m here to deliver the documents," Riley replied nervously, gripping her skirt hem.

"Thank you. You can head back now," Damien said coolly, then guided Emma towards the elevator. Before leaving, Emma cheerfully waved goodbye to Riley.

As the elevator doors closed and the couple left, Riley breathed a sigh of relief. She turned to the secretary, grabbed a cup of cold water from the cooler, and gulped it down. "That was terrifying. I thought she was just an assistant, and I had her help me carry things."

The tall secretary chuckled softly, covering her mouth, "This just shows you can’t judge a book by its cover. Who knows what tricks she used to get our CEO into bed? But for us workers, it’s best to stay professional and not gossip about our bosses."

"What does that have to do with me? I’m not part of your company," Riley Turner replied nonchalantly. She thought to herself that Emma Hart was attractive, but if she had met Damien first, maybe it would be her walking out of the elevator with him.

Lost in her thoughts, Riley couldn’t help but smirk.

"Hey girl! Stop daydreaming and get ready. Don’t we have a meeting with both bosses this afternoon?" the secretary snapped her fingers at Riley. She thought to herself that she was getting old, finding it harder to understand what young girls like Riley were thinking.

Riley snapped back to reality and quickly sat down next to the secretary to organize the documents. Regardless of her daydreams, she needed to focus on the task at hand.

After lunch, Damien Sterling and Emma Hart headed directly to the conference room to wait for Mr. Turner. Meanwhile, outside Mr. Sterling’s office, the tall secretary and Riley Turner were hurrying towards the conference room with their documents.

"Darn it, I left one of the files in Mr. Sterling’s office," Riley suddenly said as they waited for the elevator.

"Go back and get it then. I’ll wait for you," the tall secretary said, holding the elevator door open.

"No, you go ahead. I need to double-check some information," Riley insisted. It was her first time preparing for such an important meeting, and she wanted everything to be perfect.

"Alright, but don’t take too long!" the secretary replied, stepping into the elevator. He didn’t want his work progress to be delayed by Riley.

"Got it," Riley said, smiling as she watched the secretary leave.

Once the elevator doors closed, Riley quickly ran back to Damien Sterling’s office to find the missing document. However, when she searched his desk, it was nowhere to be found.

In the conference room, the tall secretary placed part of the meeting materials on the table.

"Mr. Sterling, our documents are ready. Mr. Turner’s assistant is just doing a final check. I’ll go and hurry him up," the secretary said respectfully.

"No need, just bring in some coffee," Damien replied. The secretary nodded and left.

"Mr. Sterling!" Mr. Turner entered the conference room with his male assistant.

Damien and Emma stood up to greet him.

"Mr. Turner, we’re almost ready. Please have a seat and wait for a moment," Damien said respectfully.

"No worries, I’m early anyway. Gives us more time to chat," Mr. Turner replied casually.

Suddenly, Damien felt his pocket and realized he had left an important item in his office—the USB drive needed for the meeting. His brow furrowed.

"What’s wrong?" Emma whispered in his ear.

"I forgot something in the office. I’ll go get it. Stay here with Mr. Turner," Damien replied. He excused himself from Mr. Turner and left the conference room.

"Must be getting forgetful like his grandpa!" Mr. Turner joked, laughing heartily.

Emma gave a polite, if slightly awkward, smile.

Damien took the elevator back to his office and coincidentally bumped into Riley Turner just as she was about to leave.

"Mr. Sterling," Riley stammered as the elevator doors opened to reveal Damien’s stern face, causing her heart to skip a beat.

Damien nodded and walked straight to his desk, opened a drawer, and retrieved a tiny USB drive. He then briskly headed back towards the elevator.

Riley Turner waited by the elevator for Damien Sterling. She thought to herself that she couldn’t just leave her boss stranded.

"Thanks," Damien said, his tone devoid of emotion.

Riley responded softly, feeling the air around them grow tense. Being near Damien, who was not only handsome and wealthy but also exuded an intimidating coldness, made her feel nervous yet strangely captivated.

Suddenly, the elevator jolted to a stop, and everything went pitch black.

"What’s happening?" Riley’s fear spiked. While she wasn’t afraid of the dark, being trapped in an elevator was extremely dangerous. Her hands, clutching the documents, began to tremble uncontrollably.

"Put the documents down, take off your high heels, stand against the elevator wall, and hold onto the handrail," Damien instructed calmly in the darkness.

Riley, without hesitation, followed his directions.

Damien took out his phone, the screen’s glow illuminating his face. He called the control room and informed them of the situation.

"Just wait a moment," he said, his voice always precise and unhurried.

This calm demeanor made Riley feel surprisingly safe despite the danger, and she couldn’t help but smile to herself.

After about five minutes, voices could be heard from outside the elevator.

Damien responded to the rescuers and coordinated their efforts to free them.

It was a minor glitch, and they were soon out of the elevator.

Word of the incident quickly reached the conference room, prompting Mr. Turner to rush to the elevator, accidentally knocking over a cup of coffee in his haste.

"Daughter!" Mr. Turner shouted as he saw Riley emerging from the elevator. He ran over and hugged her tightly.

"Dad, I’m fine!" Riley reassured him, tenderly touching his wrinkled face. Her use of "Dad" revealed their relationship instantly.

"Dad?" Emma Hart and Damien Sterling were both taken aback. Riley Turner was Mr. Turner’s daughter. It made sense now—why would the CEO of a top-ten global real estate company have an intern as his assistant? Moreover, both had the last name Turner.

"It’s all right now, you’re safe!" Mr. Turner finally calmed down after ensuring his daughter was unharmed.

"You just survived a scare, so why don’t you rest for a bit outside?" Mr. Turner suggested, looking at Riley with concern.

"That wouldn’t be proper," Riley objected, not wanting special treatment because of her father’s position.

"Forget proper. I make the rules, and I’m telling you to rest in the lounge!" Mr. Turner said, gently pushing Riley towards the rest area.

Riley reluctantly dragged her feet, not wanting to be idle while the important meeting was going on.

Emma Hart noticed the playful back-and-forth and saw Damien’s frustration as he rubbed his temples. She stepped in, "How about this: you all go ahead with the meeting, and I’ll stay with her."

Mr. Turner’s face lit up with relief, "That’s perfect! Riley, stay with Emma and listen to her, all right?"

Though Riley wasn’t thrilled about spending time in the lounge chatting, she nodded and followed Emma.

Reluctantly, Riley smiled and went with Emma to the lounge.