Double Update, because why not? Enjoy!

♬ ✥*

Serenity.

This company was surely no Grant Enterprises — or anything that I could even imagine. I was aware that there were several skyscrapers in downtown, but this was definitely one of the tallest in the midst of them. It was as if it was saying to the city, 'I am superior to all of you'. Obviously, that wasn't the case, but still.

It was close enough.

Intimidated — that was the word that defined what I was feeling. I had no idea how anyone could enter this building without experiencing that. A couple of days ago, I thought my nerves were high when I entered Grant Enterprises, I had no idea what was yet to come. Part of me began to regret it, but I wasn't going to let those anxious emotions pass through the barrier. I needed to keep those massive imaginary walls up.

The moment I stepped foot into the main lobby, my jaw almost dropped at how exquisite the interior looked. Contemporary, sleek, sophisticated, and grandeur, with blacks, silvers, accenting with resonant greens. The space swirled with gardens carrying leafy plants, adding a whimsical aura in a strictly corporate atmosphere.

It was clear that it still seemed fresh from the renovations that Mr Styles had done once he took over. The look was crisp and impeccably modern. Needless to say, it was beautiful.

Like I'd done briefly at G.E. the other day, I had to check-in with security; however, the wait time was immensely longer. They took my ID so they could check their system to see if I actually had an appointment. A call was then made to Joelle's secretary to confirm it.

Once everything was verified, they told me precisely what floor her office was. None of that was included in my plan. I didn't expect it to be so complicated. It should have been, though. The building wasn't just ordinary — it was a skyscraper; and specifically, corporate. Places like that have boxes that carry you from floor to floor, and up to the very top.

Tightly, I held my folder close to my chest and navigated through the building to find the elevators. Glossy silver doors opened, a few men and women in expensive tailored suits and tailleurs hastened outside, whilst others walked inside. Lastly, I followed anxiously behind them.

One of the many problems that crossed my mind was that I'd be stuck with several strangers in a confined space, with barely any air. I couldn't do it — but I had to. If I took the stairs, I'd probably reach there tomorrow evening, surely looking like an absolute mess. But before I could attempt to reconsider, the opening was sealed shut.

Every few seconds, the lift would stop, and more people would leave and enter again. I couldn't have a panic attack right now. I just couldn't. So I focused on my breathing and counted, praying it would help.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven —

I was just a few numbers away from my destination. There was one more left in the enclosed box with me. Thankfully, the button for the floor above what I needed was lit, so I wasn't going to be left alone.

"Floor forty-eight," the electronic voice echoed through the small space.

As quick I as I could, I was out the steel doors as soon as they opened. Unfortunately, my purse bumped into the other woman in the lift with me. I didn't have enough time to apologise, which was unlike me in a normal situation. Moving over to the side, I caught my breath, trying to ease the heavy feeling in my chest. Intense — too intense.

Why did I do this to myself?

"Excuse me, are you Miss Hayes?" I heard someone call out to me, realising quickly that a secretary a short distance away, had already seen me.

What was this place? The CIA? Everything was on surveillance — even the people were.

"Yes. I have a ten-thirty appointment," I replied with a single nod, and sauntered over to her desk.

"Wonderful, I'll let Ms Larson know you're here," she said, with a wide smile on her face. I noticed that Joelle's PA was overly perky for how I was feeling. It only made me intimidated, even though she seemed to have a friendly personality.

I simply nodded in response and then watched her disappear into what I assumed was her office.

Glancing around, I took in my surroundings, and located what I needed the most — the stairwell. Perfect.

"She's waiting for you," the familiar voice spoke again. Turning back to face the secretary, I followed her gesture and walked into the office.

Like her secretary, Ms Larson had the same expression, though, her appearance seemed a tad more professional side. That only meant that she could be a little bit stiffer in reaction, but time would only tell.

I knew that this wasn't where I needed to be, but it was the start. Phase three on my plan wasn't that far ahead, but I hoped all I needed was an hour or so. After that, I'd finally be able to continue forward towards my goal.

♬ ✥*

The meeting with Joelle went great. She turned out to be super kind and sweet, we even started to go on a first-name basis. I supposed that's always a good sign. The only problem was that she didn't see that a dance studio was something that Urban Corp. would invest in. I appreciated her honesty and time for listening to everything I had to say.

However, I still wasn't done; as a matter of fact, I hadn't even started yet.

When I closed Joelle's door, I mentioned that I was going to take the stairwell down for some exercise. Her secretary thought I was a bit mental to go down forty-eight floors on foot; but what she didn't know, was that I was only going up two levels.

Slowly, I opened the door to the level I reached, trying to make as little noise as possible. A short distance away, I could see the elevator leading to this floor, and a separate one several meters away, off to the other side. It was slightly different in hue — and something told me that it was dedicated to the CEO himself. Of course, he had special treatment. I didn't blame him, I'd hate to have to ride in an elevator with other people — then again, I'd hate to ride in them. Period.

Directly across from it was the desk of his personal assistant's. She was absolutely beautiful. Striking ginger hair, sun-kissed skin, slim, and quite petite. Her outfit was professional, yet incredibly stylish. Anyone that walked through the doors of this company followed the same executive look.

There were only a few hallways that could be seen from where I was standing. I guessed that there weren't many since it was the CEO's domain.

Behind her desk was a small walkway that led to an opaque glass door. I could only see a sliver of it, since it was just around the corner. Nonetheless, it was the only one that appeared to be a direct contrast from the rest of them that I'd seen in this entire building. That only meant one thing, the door led to the office of mister Harry Styles, himself.

Great. Now, all I needed to figure out was if the man I needed was actually in the office, and not in a meeting — and possibly semi-free. A man like him probably never knew what the word 'free' meant. I waited in the corner off to the side, to see if anyone would come and stop by to see Mr Styles' PA — and with luck, I didn't have to stay put for much longer.

"Hey, Iris. Is Styles free?" A man asked her, who'd just escaped through the elevator doors. He placed both hands on her desk and leaned forward a bit. He was dark skinned and incredibly good looking. If Amara was here, she'd definitely find him just as attractive.

"Hey, Quincy. And since when is he ever free?" she joked.

Called it.

"Very true." He chuckled. "So he's in, yeah?"

"Yeah."

"I just wanted to talk to him about the files I sent him yesterday evening. He had me work past hours to get them done and told me to drop by in the morning. How long do you think I can talk to him for?" he questioned.

She quickly checked her computer and replied to him, "He's got just under an hour before he needs to head out. Luckily this time, I don't need to tag along," she informed. "But I know you won't need longer than fifteen. You're always straight to the point."

"You know me too well."

"I just let him know you're here. You can go right on in. Keep in mind, though, he's not in the best of moods today," her voice was soft as she replied to him. He thanked her before heading inside.

Iris went back to work, and I still stood in my spot, attempting to be as patient and quiet as possible. That failed, though, when I heard my phone vibrating in my purse. Oh, God, no. Quickly searching through my bag, I pulled it out and set it on silent. I knew that it was Amara checking in on how my meeting went. I couldn't reply to her now, so I turned off my device completely. I needed zero distractions.

It was almost fifteen minutes when the man, known as Quincy, opened the door and walked out with a frown. He huffed, waving goodbye to Iris, and pressed the button calling the elevator. A few seconds went by when he stepped into it and he disappeared from my sight.

That's exactly what I needed. Mr Styles indeed was not in a good mood. I mean, she'd warned him in advance, but the fact that the man still didn't have a change of emotion, wouldn't help my case — not one bit.

With a deep sigh, I headed back into the staircase, stepped down one floor so that I could call an elevator from there. It was probably best to come in from the 'front door' to play my little game. I was so close to making it.

I pushed my anxiety, putting in my mind that it was only seconds that I'd have to be in that small box — and thankfully, that was the case. No one else was with me when I stepped outside with a friendly smile on my face.

You can do it.

"Hello."

"Good morning, I'm here to see —"

"If you're here for Mr Styles, he doesn't see anyone without an appointment," she interrupted. "Unless you're a new employee, but I don't recall anyone being hired recently."

"Oh. No, no. Actually, I'm here to see you. You're Iris, right?" I asked, holding a grin as she nodded with a puzzled expression. "I just came up from seeing Joelle Larson about an investment opportunity. She was telling me how pretty you are and amazing with what you do. I just had to meet the person she was talking about."

"That's a bit odd, since I haven't talked to her much lately, but thank you." She smiled. "I'm sorry I didn't catch your name."

"Serenity."

"That's a beautiful name."

"Thank you," I spoke, shifting slightly in my spot. "I know this is awkward, but do you want to go for lunch? I have to get to know the person Joelle talked my ear off about."

"I had no idea lunch was now. I tend to lose track of time sometimes. Things get a bit crazy around here. I don't normally do things like this, but sure. You seem really nice. I'm just going to send a quick note to my boss. I mean, it is lunch hour, but you never know." She chuckled lightly to herself while typing away on her computer. "Just going to run to the bathroom real quick. I'll be back."

"Alright, I'll wait for you." I smiled. Or not.

Iris tided up her desk area then made her way down the hallway across us. The second she was out of sight, my feet made their way in front of the intimidating entrance. My knuckles knocked softly on the frosted glass door, I could see the trembling happen with my fingers. A faint 'come in' was heard on the opposite side — so I did what I was told.

Shutting the door behind me, I set foot in the room and took in my surroundings. This time, my lips actually parted at everything around me. The size of the office was easily three times bigger than Joelle's. Everything was so immaculate, pristine, and simply so executive — all so absolutely and professionally elegant.

Mr Styles stood with his back facing me, checking over some files in his hands. A dark charcoal grey suit adorned his body. The jacket was snug against his broad shoulders, coming down in a slim fit. The way his muscles contracted as he moved was visible through the fabric and it showed just how fit he was. His trousers were no different as they were tailored to perfection.

But when he turned around, I was speechless, and my jaw somehow shut preventing a gasp escape past my lips. Pictures did no justice at all to how beautiful this man was. Without a doubt, he was the most handsome living being I'd ever seen in my entire life.

His chocolate brown hair was short, showing faint curls at the tips. Brows were strikingly bold, tapering off softly into feathers. They were a pair of brunette wings that helped shape his face. The hue of his eyes couldn't compare to the rarest of emerald gems with how they twinkled with ultimate lustre and shine. His lips were petals of the most delicate flower in a deep and dark cerise pink with a rosy tint that graced his cheeks. A faint amount of stubble clung onto what seemed to be baby soft skin. And his jawline, it was sharp, defined, and I'm sure it could cut diamonds. Nothing about the way he presented himself faltered. He showed strength, confidence, poise, with a slight smug and arrogant undertone.

"Who the fuck are you? And what are you doing in my office?" Rage spread loudly through the space, venom dripping through his words. His brows were furrowed in confusion and pure fury.

"Hi, I'm Serenity Hayes. I'm here to propose a small business that you can invest in." I smiled, still clutching onto my folder tightly. His eyes raked up and down my body. It was evident that it wasn't flirtatious but spiteful. It made me feel insecure and even more anxious than I already was.

Well, this wasn't going to go well.

"What kind of name is Serenity? That's a noun, not a name," he seethed, waiting a couple of seconds before speaking again, "I'm not an average or top investor in this company. I'm the fucking CEO."

Okay, scratch 'slight' off, he is majorly smug and arrogant — no 'undertone' necessary.

It stung a bit at his insult. I hadn't even said much to him yet. How could someone so incredibly successful, do what they've done, without a smile on their face?

That brought back thoughts to when I looked at the few pictures I'd seen of him online. They all had one thing in common — no smile graced his delicate lips.

As of this current situation, nothing about it was delicate.

"My name has a story to it and that has nothing to do with why I'm here," I responded calmly.

"Why are you here?" His words were boiling in anger.

"I thought someone so intelligent as you would have picked it out, instead of insulting my name."

Whoops. Wrong move, Hayes.

"Whoever you are, you've broken into my office, and you're talking back to me." His eyes were narrow, keeping his voice loud. "I don't like that kind of behaviour."

"We've established that my name is Serenity," I ignored his second remark.

Well, I don't like your behaviour. I mean, sure I technically did break-in, but you don't have to be so snappy. If only I could say what actually went on in my head.

"Iris!" he called, ignoring me when there was no reply. "Where the fuck is she?"

"Bathroom. We're going out to lunch." A tight grin tugged at my lips.

"You're what?" Disbelief was evident in his tone. "Who gave you the right to tell her when she can go or not?"

"She left a note to let you know. Plus it's lunch hour. I think she's a big girl, she doesn't need permission."

"She's my personal assistant. This is her fucking job. Iris!" He yelled out once more, the door flying open this time. The panicked girl stood at the entryway, entirely confused as she watched the scenario that had already folded out with wide eyes.

"Is she your friend?"

"Um, no, she's —"

"Actually, I don't care. Call security. I want this girl out of this building, or you're fired," he fumed.

"Mr Styles, I'm sorry. I —"

"Get her out. Now!" he exclaimed, not bothering to hear her explanation, before Iris darted outside through the doors again. I'm sure he had a button somewhere in his room, but he let someone else do the dirty work for him.

But was he always like that? I didn't believe it.

"Why are you still here?" he asked, looking back at me.

"I'm waiting for security." I smirked, challenging him, as. I watched his eyes blaze with fury.

"Oh, for fuck's sake."

"In the meantime, want to listen to my business pitch?"

"That's a joke, right?"

"No. I'm sure you don't know what those are," I replied with defiance. "On another note, your sarcasm needs a little work. Now, I'll just cut to the chase and summarise it, seeing as I don't have much time. I own a dance studio up in North Vancouver, and I need of an investor to help me bring it back to its former glory. When the economy crashed, I almost lost everything, so that's why I need this. It's been my dream since I was a child and I'm not going to let it go down in the drains. So please give me a chance and more time to explain —" 

"Problem, sir?" A deep voice was heard just behind me. When I turned around, I saw the monstrous tyrant of a man.

"Get her out," he said, pointing his finger at me, then towards the door. "Make sure she's never allowed back in. If she does, you're fired."

"You love that phrase, don't you?" I commented, not phased by his threat. My focus moved back on his security guard, and I decided to speak softly, "He's just mad. Don't listen to him."

His eyes were firm on me, but he only nodded in response to his boss.

"You don't know shit."

"Please, miss. Come on—" He tried to hold onto my arm, but I pulled back.

"I can walk perfectly fine, thank you."

"Finally."

"Mr Styles, your relief is only temporary," I informed him, before setting foot in the elevator.

"Out!" His booming voice echoed throughout the entire floor. He'd somehow heard me before the doors had shut.

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today," I mumbled to myself. It was then that I realised where I actually was. "Okay. Breath, Serenity. Deep breaths. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven —"

"Miss." The same man's voice rang in my ears, and I opened my eyes that I wasn't aware that they were shut.

"Thank you. Sorry about what happened. I swear I meant no harm. I just wanted to see if I could get an investor for my business," I explained with a sigh.

"Have a nice day," he said, ignoring my comment as we reached the front doors.

Stepping back outside, I let another deep breath enter and escape my chest. One after the other, I tried to calm myself down from what I'd done — that and the elevator ride. I didn't know what happened in the past couple of hours, but it was enough to make me think that I might've been on the verge of insanity.

There was something about him that made me want to try again — and to get him specifically agree to invest. Sure one of the main reasons was because there was literally no one else left in the city for me to go to. As for the other, I wasn't entirely sure.

After meeting him in a highly unconventional and unprofessional way, I still saw past his façade enough to know that there more to him than just the CEO of Urban Corp.

He had this charm to him that I could tell was there hidden beneath his rough exterior. His office was sad, just as his soul