Deadline To Desires

Deadline To Desires

Tinkoi Joseph

5.0
Comment(s)
View
16
Chapters

For years, 24-year-old Lily Harrington has endured life as the executive assistant to Damian Caldwell, the insufferably perfect 28-year-old Vice President of Caldwell Enterprises. With his impossible deadlines and complete lack of empathy, Damian has made every workday a battle. The only thing keeping Lily in this relentless job is the marketing manager promotion she's been chasing for years. When a make-or-break presentation for a high-profile client looms, Lily sees her chance to finally prove her worth. She just never expected that a business trip to Paris would be the turning point that changes everything.

Deadline To Desires Chapter 1 1

Lily Harrington

I pressed my fingers against my temples, willing the tension away, but it was useless. My inbox overflowed with last-minute emails, my phone buzzed with relentless notifications, and the ever-growing stack of paperwork on my desk taunted me.

Damian Caldwell, the insufferable, impossible, perfect-in-every-wrong-way boss of mine, had just dropped another impossible task into my lap. A high-profile client meeting had been scheduled- without warning, of course-and it was my job to ensure everything was flawless. Not just acceptable, not just great, but lawless.

The worst part? The meeting wasn't even happening in the city. We were flying to Paris tomorrow morning.

I should have been excited. Paris- city of lights, romance, and the best croissants known to man, but excitement was the last thing I felt. Exhaustion, frustration, resentment- those emotions were alive and well.

"Lily, where's the revised proposal?" Damian's deep, authoritative voice cut through my thoughts.

I looked up from my computer screen, meeting his cold, steel-blue gaze. He stood in the doorway of my office, impeccably dressed in a charcoal suit, the picture of power and control. His expression was unreadable, as always.

"It's in your inbox," I said, keeping my voice level. "Sent it twenty minutes ago."

A muscle ticked in his jaw. He pulled out his phone, tapped the screen a few times, then nodded. "Good. We'll go over it on the plane."

The plane The private jet that would be flying us across the ocean together. In close quarters. For hours.

Fantastic.

"Anything else?" I asked, bracing for the inevitable.

"Yes. Pack appropriately. This isn't a vacation."

No kidding.

He turned and walked away before I could reply, leaving the scent of expensive cologne in his wake. The man was infuriating. Demanding. Completely unaware of the fact that I had a life outside of work.

Except... I didn't, really. Not anymore.

Once upon a time, I'd dreamed of more. Moving up the corporate ladder. Making a name for myself. But working under Damian had become all-consuming. He took and took, never acknowledging the sacrifices I made.

I grabbed my bag and powered down my laptop. If I had to spend the next several days trapped in his presence, I at least deserved a night of peace before the chaos.

Damian Caldwell

Work never stopped, not for me, not for anyone in my company. Excellence was not optional- it was expected.

I leaned back in my chair, rolling my sleeves up, scanning the proposal Lily had sent. It was good. No, it was great. She always delivered. The problem wasn't her competence-it was the distractions she allowed to creep in.

Lately, I'd noticed her hesitation. The brief moments of defiance in her eyes. The sighs when she thought I wasn't looking. Lily was slipping, and that couldn't happen.

The Paris deal was too important. If we landed this contract, Caldwell Enterprises would dominate the European market. Failure wasn't an option. That meant Lily needed to be at her best.

Dragging a hand through my hair, I glanced at the clock. Late. Too late to be at the office, but that didn't matter. Work was my life. It had been ever since I took over operations. There was no room for anything else.

Still, my mind drifted back to my assistant. Lily. The only person in this building who dared to challenge me, even subtly. She was sharp, dedicated, infuriatingly stubborn, and she was starting to pull away.

I didn't have time to deal with that. Not when the future of the company rested on this deal. She'd just have to keep up.

She always did.

Lily

Sleep was a luxury I rarely afforded myself, and tonight was no different. I tossed and turned, replaying every conversation, every look Damian had given me. His expectations weighed on me even in my dreams.

Morning came too soon. My alarm blared, dragging me back to reality. With a groan, I forced myself up, showered, and packed for the trip. Professional, sleek, businesslike-everything Damian would approve of.

The drive to the airport was quiet. Too quiet. The calm before the storm.

When I arrived at the private terminal, Damian was already there, standing near the jet with a cup of coffee in hand. He glanced at his watch, a silent reminder that I was precisely three minutes early-not good enough in his world.

Without a word, he handed me a folder. "Final itinerary."

I took it, skimming the details. Meetings, dinner with the clients, more meetings. No breathing room. Typical.

As we boarded, he gestured toward the plush leather seats. "Sit. We'll go over the presentation."

So much for easing into the flight.

The plane took off, and we worked in silence, tension thick between us.

Hours passed, then somewhere over the Atlantic, turbulence hit- sharp, and jarring. I gripped the armrest, with my heart racing.

Damian, on the other hand, barely reacted. He glanced at me, an eyebrow raised. "Nervous?"

"No," I lied, knuckles white against the leather.

His lips twitched, the closest thing to amusement I'd ever seen from him. "Relax. The odds of crashing are-"

"Don't. Even."

This trip was going to be a disaster. I could feel it.

Continue Reading

Other books by Tinkoi Joseph

More

You'll also like

He Thought I Was A Doormat, Until I Ruined Him

He Thought I Was A Doormat, Until I Ruined Him

SHANA GRAY
4.5

The sterile white of the operating room blurred, then sharpened, as Skye Sterling felt the cold clawing its way up her body. The heart monitor flatlined, a steady, high-pitched whine announcing her end. Her uterus had been removed, a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding, but the blood wouldn't clot. It just kept flowing, warm and sticky, pooling beneath her. Through heavy eyes, she saw a trembling nurse holding a phone on speaker. "Mr. Kensington," the nurse's voice cracked, "your wife... she's critical." A pause, then a sweet, poisonous giggle. Seraphina Miller. "Liam is in the shower," Seraphina's voice purred. "Stop calling, Skye. It's pathetic. Faking a medical emergency on our anniversary? Even for you, that's low." Then, Liam's bored voice: "If she dies, call the funeral home. I have a meeting in the morning." Click. The line went dead. A second later, so did Skye. The darkness that followed was absolute, suffocating, a black ocean crushing her lungs. She screamed into the void, a silent, agonizing wail of regret for loving a man who saw her as a nuisance, for dying without ever truly living. Until she died, she didn't understand. Why was her life so tragically wasted? Why did her husband, the man she loved, abandon her so cruelly? The injustice of it all burned hotter than the fever in her body. Then, the air rushed back in. Skye gasped, her body convulsing violently on the mattress. Her eyes flew open, wide and terrified, staring blindly into the darkness. Her trembling hand reached for her phone. May 12th. Five years ago. She was back.

My Alpha's Heartless Contract Wife

My Alpha's Heartless Contract Wife

Rabbit
5.0

"Anya, a 'wolfless' in a world of powerful werewolves, was invisible, drowning her sorrows and desperately lonely. One drunken text, a desperate cry for attention, accidentally reached the Alpha, pulling her into his terrifying orbit. Now, she's trapped, a pawn in his game, forced to warm his bed while he waits for his true mate, her heart breaking with every stolen moment. As a 'wolfless' in the Blackwood Pack, Anya felt like an outsider, always yearning for a connection. One night, in a drunken haze, a misdirected text meant for her best friend landed in Alpha Declan Blackwood's inbox: ""Send me something hot."" Minutes later, the most powerful, terrifying man in the Pack stood at her door, claiming her with a possessive kiss that ignited a dangerous, unwanted fire. The next morning, his cold indifference shattered her world. Publicly humiliated and instantly fired, Anya became a pariah. Her dying mother's urgent need for a million-dollar heart transplant left her with an impossible choice: accept the Alpha's cold, transactional marriage proposal or watch her mother die. She became his ""placeholder"" wife, a contract, not a partner, all while battling a confusing attraction to the man who treated her as property. Why did he demand her, only to remind her constantly of her worthlessness, especially when everyone knew he waited for his true mate? Her world crumbled when she overheard Declan tell his returning ""true mate,"" Kristin Larsen, that Anya was ""just a substitute."" Despite the crushing betrayal and a strange, unyielding pull, Anya, fueled by her mother's desperate need, vowed to survive this gilded cage and reclaim her life before she lost herself completely."

Chapters
Read Now
Download Book
Deadline To Desires Deadline To Desires Tinkoi Joseph Romance
“For years, 24-year-old Lily Harrington has endured life as the executive assistant to Damian Caldwell, the insufferably perfect 28-year-old Vice President of Caldwell Enterprises. With his impossible deadlines and complete lack of empathy, Damian has made every workday a battle. The only thing keeping Lily in this relentless job is the marketing manager promotion she's been chasing for years. When a make-or-break presentation for a high-profile client looms, Lily sees her chance to finally prove her worth. She just never expected that a business trip to Paris would be the turning point that changes everything.”
1

Chapter 1 1

04/02/2025

2

Chapter 2 2

04/02/2025

3

Chapter 3 3

04/02/2025

4

Chapter 4 4

04/02/2025

5

Chapter 5 5

04/02/2025

6

Chapter 6 6

04/02/2025

7

Chapter 7 7

04/02/2025

8

Chapter 8 8

04/02/2025

9

Chapter 9 9

04/02/2025

10

Chapter 10 10

04/02/2025

11

Chapter 11 11

04/02/2025

12

Chapter 12 12

04/02/2025

13

Chapter 13 13

04/02/2025

14

Chapter 14 14

04/02/2025

15

Chapter 15 15

04/02/2025

16

Chapter 16 16

04/02/2025