Matched with my boss

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Jake

"The line between success and disaster was so thin I could almost feel it with every breath."



The clock on the wall read eight-thirty at night when I finally took a moment to lean back in my chair and take a deep breath. The lights on the twenty-eighth floor flickered, giving me that feeling of lonely company I’d always sensed in corporate offices at this hour. The reflection of the city lights filtered through the windows, filling the room with flashes that seemed to dance over the steel and glass. The New York skyline was alive, and yet, up here, everything felt so still, so controlled.

Tonight, however, something inside me wasn’t as static as the office. A small spark of excitement warmed my chest. Daphne had agreed to go out with me, and that simple confirmation made the day’s accumulated exhaustion feel lighter. Thinking of her, of the sound of her laughter, of how she’d move during our dinner, slowly eased my tiredness away.

I was determined to make our first date something special. I’m not the type to improvise when something truly matters, and Daphne definitely mattered to me. I stood up from my chair and grabbed my jacket from the back. I planned to make a reservation at one of my favorite restaurants—something intimate, cozy, where we could talk without the pressure of noise or a bustling crowd. But before I could head home and finally relax, there was something I still needed to handle. The numbers. Always the numbers.

This morning, I’d asked my assistant for the company’s financial statements. I didn’t just want to review the accounting for the businesses we managed; I wanted to see the internal numbers for Sidle Financial Consulting. It was a good way to understand how everything was functioning from the inside, especially now that I had just taken over. But, to my frustration, those reports still hadn’t arrived. My assistant had promised to get them to me soon, but apparently, he’d forgotten and had already left for home.

I decided to head down to the fifteenth floor, where the accounting team was located. The elevator descended in a smooth motion, surrounded by a silence interrupted only by the soft hum of the motor. When the doors opened, I found myself in a hallway lit by the yellowish glow of the fifteenth floor. This level didn’t have the same sleek, modern design as the upper floors. The walls were decorated with vintage photos of the city, and the desks, smaller and clustered together, seemed full of life. Papers, half-empty coffee cups, and small personal items adorned each workspace. Despite the late hour, there was still some activity. Some employees worked quietly, others conversed softly. It was a more human space, a reminder that the company wasn’t just steel and glass but real people who made it run.

I looked for Navarro, who usually stayed late when there was important work to finish. Walking down the hall, I saw him in his office, bent over a couple of documents, his gray hair reflecting the dim light from his desk lamp. I approached and tapped gently on the doorframe to get his attention.

"Navarro, do you have a minute?" I asked, trying to sound relaxed, though my mind was still on the reports.

Navarro lifted his head and smiled when he saw me, straightening up with an audible creak of his chair.

"Jacob, of course, come in. What can I do for you?" he said in that affable, almost paternal tone of voice. I wondered how many times he’d used that tone to reassure my parents when things got tense in the company.

"I wanted to ask about the company’s financial statements. Do you have them here? I requested the reports this morning, but I still haven’t received them," I said, trying not to sound impatient. I knew accounting was doing a great job, but the numbers were my responsibility, and I couldn’t afford to put things off.

Navarro nodded slowly, looking toward one of the walls as if he were calculating something mentally.

"Oh, yes, yes. Actually, one of the new accounting assistants..." Navarro leaned out into the hallway, pointing toward a cubicle that was empty at the moment. "Your new accountant, one of the best I’ve had in university, has been consolidating those reports. She’s doing a complete financial analysis and should have it ready by tomorrow morning. But she’s already left for home today."

I nodded, though a slight frustration washed over me. Not because the accountant had gone home, but because, without those reports tonight, my plans to make some headway were stalled. However, it was hard to stay annoyed as Navarro began describing some of the financial performance indicators they were working on. Truthfully, I wasn’t paying too much attention.

"Thanks, Navarro. I understand; I’ll wait until tomorrow, then," I said finally, trying to end the conversation as politely as possible. Navarro was a good person, someone who cared about the team, and at any other time, I would have enjoyed staying to chat with him.

"No problem, Jacob," Navarro said, looking at me with a warm smile. "I’m sure they’ll be ready first thing, and I assure you they’re in very good hands."

I thanked him and turned to leave the fifteenth floor. As I walked back toward the elevator, I couldn’t help but glance at the cubicle Navarro had pointed out. It was neat, with some documents stacked carefully and a small plant next to the computer monitor. There was something charmingly human about that space, something that reflected the dedication and care of someone who took their job seriously.

Once inside the elevator, I leaned my head against the wall, allowing the gentle movement to relax me. The doors closed, and the outside world faded momentarily. Everything was starting to take shape in my mind again—the dinner I was going to plan, the reports I would review tomorrow. And Daphne, somewhere in the midst of it all, appearing in my thoughts like a promise of something different, something beyond the control and routine I had always pursued.

When I finally stepped out of the building, the fresh night air hit me head-on, clearing away any remaining exhaustion. I walked toward my car, parked right by the entrance, and as I got in, I couldn’t help but smile at the thought of what awaited me.

I started the engine and headed home, already beginning to imagine all the little details I could take care of to make that dinner perfect. I didn’t know if Daphne preferred Italian or French cuisine, but I had a feeling that something warm and cozy, with good wine and a relaxed atmosphere, would be ideal. I wanted it to be something where she would feel comfortable, without pressure, without excessive expectations. Yes, that’s what I needed to plan.

The city unfolded around me as I drove, and I couldn’t help but think about how much my life had changed in such a short time. Just a few weeks ago, my mind was entirely focused on the company and what would happen when I took over as president—the challenges, the goal of taking Sidle Financial Consulting to a new level. But now, even with all the responsibilities on my shoulders, there was room for something more. Something brighter, more alive. And that something had a name: Daphne.

The city lights flickered, and the moon hung high over the buildings, reminding me that, for the first time in a long time, I was actually looking forward to the next morning. This date had already become the highlight of my week, and probably also the moment where everything could change.

As I thought of her, I couldn’t help but imagine her reaction when she saw me. And that made me feel something unusual. It wasn’t nervousness, at least not like what I usually felt before a major negotiation or a presentation. It was a sort of electrifying anticipation, mixed with the sense of standing on the edge of the unknown. I couldn’t recall the last time I had felt anything like it.

When I arrived at my apartment, I had already started mentally planning a to-do list for the date. Staying late at the office had been worth it because I finally had a plan, a goal that went beyond my career and responsibilities. But I also knew there was much left to discover. Daphne had agreed to go out with me, but how open were our lives, really, to everything that might come after?

For now, I could only focus on making that evening unforgettable. I knew that, for a man like me, who had always approached each situation like a business deal, this was something different. There were no agreements to sign, no contracts to negotiate, only emotions to experience. And that, though terrifying, was precisely what drew me in.

That night, I reclined on the couch, checking a few emails on my tablet, but I couldn’t concentrate much. My mind kept drifting back to her. To the smile she might have when we saw each other, to the words we would exchange as the night went on.

The uncertainty, the risks, the insecurities. All of it was there, but so was the chance for something new. And that was enough to make it all worthwhile. Tomorrow, the reports and accounting could wait. The important thing now was that, finally, I was ready to take a risk for something different.