Elena Hart checked the time on her phone for the third time. "Five minutes," she muttered. The ballroom was already filling up, and her team was still trying to fix the flower arrangement near the entrance.
"Move those two tables closer together." Elena pointed toward the left side of the room. "Not too close, Daniel. We still need enough space for the guests to walk through."
Daniel adjusted the tables while Elena stepped back to inspect the arrangement. The flowers looked better now, but one of the place cards was sitting at an awkward angle. She fixed it herself.
"Elena, the sound system is ready," Sarah called from across the ballroom. "Good. Have you checked the microphones?" "Twice." "Check them one more time, please." Sarah gave her a look. "You know, some people actually trust their team." "Some people have never had a microphone stop working in the middle of a client's speech." "Fair enough." Sarah disappeared toward the stage.
Elena let out a breath and glanced around the ballroom. The event was a private business gala organised for a group of investors and business executives. Her company had been hired to handle the arrangements, from the seating plan to the decorations and the coordination of the evening. It was a good opportunity for them.
Their company was small, and they couldn't afford to lose clients over careless mistakes. They didn't have dozens of employees or an unlimited budget. They simply had a hardworking team and a reputation they were trying to build. Every successful event mattered.
Elena had spent the entire afternoon making sure everything was ready. Now she needed the evening to go smoothly.
"Elena?" She turned to find the hotel manager approaching her. "Yes?" "One of our VIP guests has arrived. He's been shown to his table, but he has a few complaints about the arrangement." Elena glanced toward the entrance. "What kind of complaints?" "I'm not entirely sure. He asked to speak with the person responsible for the event." "All right. Send him over if there's a problem."
The manager hesitated. "Actually, I think it would be better if you went to him." Elena narrowed her eyes. "Why?" "He seems rather particular." She almost laughed. Of course he did. "Fine. Where is he?"
The manager pointed toward the VIP section. Elena followed his gaze and spotted a tall man standing beside one of the tables. He wore a black suit that fitted him perfectly, and his expression suggested that he wasn't impressed by anything around him. Two men stood nearby, speaking quietly with the hotel staff.
Elena didn't recognise him, but she could tell from the attention he was receiving that he was important. She straightened her shoulders and walked over.
"Good evening. I'm Elena Hart, the event coordinator. I was told you wanted to discuss something about the arrangements." The man turned toward her. His eyes moved briefly to the event badge clipped to her blouse before returning to her face. "You're responsible for this?" Elena glanced at the table beside him. "Yes. Is there a problem?" "The seating arrangement."
She followed his gaze. "What about it?" He gestured toward the chairs. "They're too close together." Elena examined the arrangement. The chairs had been positioned according to the approved seating plan, leaving enough room for the guests to move around comfortably. "I can have them adjusted if necessary."
"Necessary?" He looked at her. "Do you think this is acceptable?" Elena kept her expression neutral. "I think it's a reasonable arrangement, but if you need more space, we can make some adjustments." "Then do that." She looked at the surrounding tables. "Moving these chairs will affect the spacing at the next table. I'll need to adjust both arrangements." "That's your job, isn't it?"
Elena slowly turned back to him. "Yes, it is. And I'm explaining what needs to be done." "Then perhaps you should spend less time explaining and more time doing it."
For a moment, Elena simply stared at him. She had dealt with demanding clients before. Some wanted more flowers, others wanted different lighting, and a few changed their minds so often that she wondered how they made decisions at all. But this man had managed to irritate her within two minutes.
"Of course," she said. "I'll get right on it." He gave a short nod, apparently satisfied. Elena turned to leave. "And please make sure it doesn't happen again."
She stopped. Slowly, she looked back at him. "Make sure what doesn't happen again?" "Poor planning." Elena pressed her lips together. "I understand you have a problem with the seating arrangement, but the layout was approved before tonight. If you want it changed, I'll change it. There's no need to speak to me as though I've deliberately done a bad job."
His expression hardened. "I don't pay people to give me excuses." "And I don't appreciate being spoken to as though I'm incompetent."
The silence between them lasted several seconds. One of the men standing nearby suddenly became very interested in checking his phone.
The stranger looked at Elena with a cool expression. "You have quite a lot to say." "Only when someone gives me a reason." "Do you always speak to clients this way?" "Only the ones who mistake being demanding for being right."
Elena realised what she'd said a second too late. The hotel manager, who had followed her over, looked horrified. The man's expression barely changed, but something in his eyes sharpened. "Interesting."
Elena lifted her chin. "Would you like me to adjust the chairs?" "Yes." "Then I'll do that." She turned and walked away before she could make the situation worse.
She had a feeling the man wasn't used to being challenged. Unfortunately for him, Elena wasn't particularly good at pretending to agree with people when she thought they were being unreasonable.
She returned to the VIP section and reorganised the chairs, making sure there was enough room without disrupting the other tables. It took less than five minutes.
When she finished, she approached him again. "It's done. You should have enough space now." He inspected the arrangement. "Better." Elena waited. He looked at her. "Is there something else?" "No. I was waiting for you to say thank you." "I didn't ask you to do anything beyond your job." "And I didn't ask you to make the simplest task unnecessarily unpleasant."
His gaze settled on her. For a moment, Elena thought he might say something sharp enough to get them both into trouble. Instead, he picked up his glass of water. "You can go." She smiled politely. "With pleasure." This time, she walked away without looking back.
The rest of the evening passed without any major problems. The guests arrived, the speeches began on schedule, and the catering team managed to serve everyone without delay.
Elena moved between the ballroom and the entrance, checking on the staff and making sure the event stayed on schedule. She was reviewing the next part of the programme when Sarah appeared beside her.
"So," Sarah began, "how was your conversation with the VIP?" Elena didn't look up from her clipboard. "Which conversation?" "The one where you nearly challenged a man to a fight with your eyes." Elena finally glanced at her. "I did no such thing." "Really? Because I saw his face when you walked away." "Then you should have been paying attention to the sound system." Sarah grinned. "You're avoiding the question." "There's no question to answer." "He's handsome, though."
Elena stared at her. "Sarah." "What? I'm only saying." "Say it quietly." Sarah laughed. Elena shook her head and returned to the programme.
She wasn't interested in the man's appearance. She was interested in finishing the event, receiving payment from the client, and making sure her company left a good impression. That was all.
Later that evening, while Elena was checking the refreshments, the hotel manager approached her again. "Ms. Hart, the gentleman from the VIP section would like to speak with you." She closed her eyes briefly. "What now?" "I believe he wants to discuss a business matter." Elena opened her eyes. "A business matter?" "That's what he said."
She followed the manager toward a quieter section of the ballroom. The man stood near the windows, looking at his phone. When he noticed her approaching, he put it away. "Ms. Hart." "Yes?" "I understand your company handles private events." "We do." "How long have you been in business?"
Elena was surprised by the question. "Several years." "And you're responsible for the planning?" "I coordinate the events. I also work with a team." He nodded slightly. "My mother has a birthday celebration coming up in a few weeks. We're looking for an event planner."
Elena paid closer attention. "Your mother's birthday?" "Yes. Clara Bennett." She waited for him to continue. "It's a private celebration. Family, friends, and business associates. The guest list will be fairly large, and the arrangements need to be handled properly."
Elena considered the opportunity. A birthday celebration for the Bennett family would be significantly larger than most of the events her company handled. It could bring in more clients if everything went well.
"What kind of venue are you considering?" she asked. "We haven't finalised that yet. My family has a few preferences, but we'll discuss the details during the planning meeting." "And do you already have an event planner?" "We're considering our options."
Elena nodded. "If you'd like us to handle it, we'll need the expected number of guests, your budget, the venue requirements, and any special preferences your mother has. We can prepare a proposal for you to review." "Send the necessary information to my assistant. She'll arrange a meeting." "All right."
He studied her for a moment. "Can your company handle an event of that size?" The question irritated her more than it should have. "We wouldn't accept the contract if we couldn't." "That wasn't what I asked." "And I answered you."
His expression remained cool. "I expect the arrangements to be handled properly." Elena gave him a small smile. "Then I suggest you give us the opportunity to show you what we can do." He slipped his phone into his pocket. "Very well."
Elena waited a moment before asking, "I don't believe I caught your name earlier." "Roman Bennett." She nodded. "All right, Mr. Bennett. I'll wait for your assistant to contact me." "See that you do."
Elena's smile faded slightly. "Do you always have to make every conversation sound like an instruction?" "Do you always have to question everything someone says?" "Only when they make it so easy." Roman stared at her. Elena turned before he could respond. She had already spent enough time dealing with him for one evening.
By the time the event ended, Elena's feet hurt, her shoulders ached, and she was ready to go home. She helped her team pack the remaining materials before checking that the ballroom had been left in good condition.
Sarah joined her near the exit. "Did I hear correctly? The Bennett family wants us to plan a birthday celebration?" "Roman mentioned it." Sarah stopped walking. "Roman Bennett?" "Unless there's another Roman Bennett standing around here making my evening difficult." "Elena!" Sarah lowered her voice. "Do you understand what that could mean for us?"
"Yes, Sarah." "That's a major opportunity. If we do well, they could recommend us to other wealthy clients." "I know." Sarah studied her. "And you still look annoyed." "Because I am annoyed." "At Roman?" "Who else?" Sarah laughed. "Please, for the sake of our company, don't argue with him during the planning meeting." "Then he should try not to give me a reason." "Elena!" "I'm joking." Mostly.
She gathered her bag and followed Sarah outside. The night air felt good after hours in the crowded ballroom. Elena checked her phone, found a message from her mother asking when she'd be home, and quickly replied that she was on her way.
Then she opened her calendar and added a reminder to prepare the preliminary information for Clara Bennett's birthday celebration. It was a good opportunity. She knew that.
Her company needed more clients like the Bennetts, and she wasn't going to let her personal opinion of Roman ruin a chance to grow the business. Still, she couldn't help wondering what kind of man made a simple conversation feel like a business negotiation.
Roman Bennett was arrogant, demanding, and far too convinced that everyone should do exactly what he wanted. She hoped his mother's birthday celebration would be easier to plan than he was to deal with.
Unfortunately, Elena had no idea that the next few weeks would bring her into Roman Bennett's life in ways she could never have anticipated. For now, she had a proposal to prepare and a client to impress. And that was more than enough trouble for one evening.
