Between Deadlines and Desires

The morning sun filtered through beige curtains, casting pale streaks across Olivia Dalton's tiny Brooklyn apartment. She stirred before her alarm, as always. Her body had memorized the rhythm of sacrifice.

In one fluid motion, she was on her feet, tying her robe and heading toward the kitchen. The coffee was already brewing. She moved like a woman born for mornings-elegant, efficient, almost too perfect. Every action had a purpose. Every second was borrowed time.

She had two mouths to feed, one empire to serve, and no room for error.

As she cracked eggs into a pan, footsteps padded softly across the floor.

Ethan appeared, his hair tousled, face still puffy with sleep. Sixteen and impossibly kind-eyed.

"Hope I didn't wake you up?" she asked, her dark brown eyes filled with concern.

"Morning, Liv," he said, voice gravelly. "Smells like a good day already." He rubbed his eyes. "And no, you didn't. Been up for an hour already."

She smiled. "Don't jinx it."

He moved behind her and kissed her shoulder gently. "Don't forget about our date, okay?"

She paused.

"The gallery?"

"Yup," he said, grinning. "You promised."

Olivia flipped the eggs with a practiced flick. "I remember. I'll be there. Just... might run late."

Ethan gave her a mock-stern look. "That's not part of the promise."

She sighed and turned to face him. "I'll be there. Pinky swear."

He held up his pinky, and she linked hers with it. The weight of the gesture hit her harder than she expected. Some people pinky-swore over candy or games. They swore over borrowed time and broken sleep.

As he grabbed his plate and headed to the living room, Olivia lingered in the kitchen. She caught a glimpse of herself in the microwave door-tired eyes, sharp cheekbones, lips that rarely smiled freely anymore. She looked like someone surviving, not living.

She pulled her phone off the charger. Two emails from Clinton, both marked "urgent." He'd sent them at 3:12 a.m. She read the subject lines-one about rescheduling his board call, the other about a missing file. Nothing new. Clinton Reign's version of sleep was ambition.

Olivia replied swiftly, fingers flying over the screen while the coffee machine hissed. Then she checked the clock. Time was already slipping.

Pressed skirt. Silk blouse. Hair slicked into a low chignon. Makeup subtle, professional. Executed in fifteen minutes flat. There was no room for the dreamer in her-not when survival required discipline.

As she buttoned her cuffs, her eyes drifted to the edge of her dresser. A small, dusty sketchbook sat underneath a pile of receipts and unopened mail. She reached out to touch it, then stopped.

She couldn't afford to open it. Not today. Not any day.

By 6:00 a.m., she was on the subway, wedged between a man with garlic breath and a teenage girl filming a TikTok dance. She didn't flinch. This was the rhythm of her life. Predictable. Efficient. Safe.

But today, something was different.

Across from her, a girl about Ethan's age was sketching in a journal-fashion illustrations, jagged and bold. Olivia's eyes lingered. The strokes reminded her of something-herself, before the world happened. Before responsibility consumed everything.

She looked away quickly. Reality didn't allow room for nostalgia.

By 7:30 a.m. Olivia Dalton moved through the glass doors of Reign Capital with the grace of someone who'd done it ten thousand times-and maybe she had. She didn't pause at reception. She never did.

The building towered over Manhattan like a silent threat, cold and gleaming. Clinton Reign's empire.

The marble lobby gleamed. Her heels echoed with authority. No hesitation, no misstep. Olivia Dalton wasn't just an executive assistant-she was Clinton Reign's right hand, spine, and shield. As she entered the 43rd floor, heads turned-some nodded in respect, others in pity.

Everyone knew Olivia ran that office like a war general in heels. No mistake was allowed. No emotion shown. Especially not in front of him.

She reached the top floor and walked through a corridor so silent it could hold a secret. The assistant in the outer office barely glanced up before unlocking the private doors.

And there, in his office, stood the king himself.

Clinton Reign, tall and severe in a navy suit, stood by the window with a phone to his ear. Even in silence, he commanded the room. She could feel the tension in the air like static.

He didn't turn around. "You're two minutes early," he said flatly.

"I'm never late," she replied, placing the tablet with his schedule on the table.

"I know," he said, still not facing her.

By 8:01 a.m., Olivia Dalton was already sorting through Clinton Reign's schedule.

She cleared her throat. "Today at ten, you have the Q3 stakeholder meeting. Lunch with Representative Cormac was confirmed for 12:30 at The Argent. At 3:00, you're reviewing the M&A projections with Thomas. And I moved your personal trainer to 6:15."

Clinton turned slightly, his gaze sharp, unreadable. "Cancel the trainer."

She blinked. "Understood."

"And push Cormac to next week. I don't have time for small talk with politicians."

Olivia nodded, already typing. "I'll handle it."

He paused then, watching her fingers move. "You always do."

There was something in his voice-detached, but faintly curious. She didn't look up.

He returned to the window.

By 6:00 p.m., Olivia exited the Reign Capital building. She didn't look up at the towering glass. Her eyes were on her phone as she texted Ethan.

On my way. Don't start without me.

The train was slower this time, the car quieter. As it rumbled toward Brooklyn, Olivia finally allowed herself to breathe. She didn't realize she'd been holding her breath all day.

She arrived at the gallery just past 6:45. The place was tucked between a laundromat and a nail salon-humble, but vibrant.

Inside, Ethan lit up when he saw her. "You made it!"

"I pinky swore, didn't I?" she said, ruffling his hair.

They walked through the tiny gallery, surrounded by bold art and quiet awe. Olivia watched Ethan glow as he described the short film he wanted to make someday. For the first time that day, she let herself imagine something different. A future not built on sacrifice-but on choice.

She didn't know it yet, but the life she built so carefully was beginning to crack.

And the girl buried under routine royalty was finally waking up.