"If you ever find yourself in the wrong story, leave." - Mo Willems, Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs.

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Caden's POV

It's been a month since I've worked with Sanders Corp.

Yes, a whole month! Four weeks, thirty days, 730 hours, 43,800 minutes, 2,678,400 seconds.

Nothing truly special has happened since the night I found myself in Silas's room. My face was surprisingly bare of any makeup although my body was still wrapped in the tight dress.

My head throbbed with unimaginable pain and I was surprised to see medication along with a glass of water sitting on the nightstand beside me.

When sleep was soon evaporating my state, I realized then that I was in Silas's bedroom. My boss's bedroom!

Like the rest of his penthouse, different shades of brown and black colors coated his furniture and walls and his bathroom felt like it could bathe twenty people at the same time.

Quickly exiting his room, I found the allure of his piano calling me but I learned my lesson from the last time I played and directed my attention to the rest of the apartment.

My mind was a whirlwind of confusion and angst.

How did I end up in my boss's penthouse? What was I doing sleeping in his bedroom? Am I going to get fired for sleeping in his bed? He smelled so good.

Wait, what?!

With that thought in mind, I bolted out the building, quickly calling a cab with my new phone and ridding all thoughts of Silas and his delicious- sorry, um, his scent, just his scent out of my system.

The following Monday had gone on the same as usual, with Silas barking orders and me creating the invitations for their upcoming charity ball.

Which so happens to be this week.

Silas barely looked at me when I had come into work, either setting his eyes on his computer or looking down on some files; never truly meeting my eye and I can only assume the damage I must have caused under my drunken state.

Not that I mind being ignored because being under his piercing stare is like having someone look into your soul and reveal all your secrets.

My check was given the following hours by Sage, which I was so freaking thankful for!

And Jesus, if it wasn't the most amount of money I've ever held in my hands.

I immediately ran to the grocery store, first buying a new case of beer for Cole and then finally splurging on some good food.

That night, I cooked spaghetti with cheese on top and oh my lord, if it wasn't the best dish of store bought pasta sauce I have ever tasted.

Anyway, these past few weeks have been relatively quiet. And it seems as though the not meeting my eye contact with me seemed to work out with Silas as it did for me because he's never even glanced at my direction once since that night.

Even more so, things at home have been rather tame. Cole has only beaten me once this past month and it was because I joked about the Cole-sized imprint on our couch.

Yeah, he didn't really like it that much.

But on the bright side, he was quite tired that night and so he went to bed after only a few slashes with each hand.

A couple weeks ago, I had gotten a call from Jonathan's attorney saying he'll be accepting a plea deal from the DA, which basically means that we don't have to go to court and stuff.

That's what really cheered me up since I wasn't really looking forward to going back into court. Well at least for once, I wouldn't have been the one hearing my sentence.

His plea deal entailed three years of prison, considering that he had had numerous other charges of alleged sexual assault and harassments along with three years of probation.

"What about this one?" Izzie asks me, holding out with a sleeveless light pink chiffon dress. "Eh, not my favorite."

Right now, me, Izzie, and Leia are shopping for our dresses for the charity ball that will be hosted this Friday. I just got my check a few days ago which means that me and the girls get to splurge on some dresses!

I've been told that Sanders Corp has had a deep partnership with the National Breast Cancer Foundation for years now, and they've donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to research.

They host this ball every year since they've created their company, which has only been three years, and it becomes one of the biggest events of the year, with thousands of well known people across the country invited in to feast and raise awareness for breast cancer.

And of course, their theme has always been to wear pink, so the ladies are expected to wear pink gowns (or suits) while the men wear pink suits and ties.

This year, Sage really pushed on the theme of princesses and ball gowns, and since Silas and Sawyer were tired of all his yapping, they finally agreed.

I rented out this perfect ballroom for the day and hired the best caters in the city.

God, I want this event to be perfect; I've been planning it for a month now, making sure that every detail is just right.

This also gave me a pass from being Silas's errand boy but I'm not quire sure if it has anything to do with his ignoring me. Either way, I'm glad, because my legs are SORE.

And this will definitely show Mr. Sanders (aka Silas) that I'm worthy to work for them.

"I like this one," Izzie comments, holding out a long, off the shoulder, blush-colored dress with a side slit.

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"That would look perfect on you, Izzie!" I squeal.

She beams at me before looking at Leia, giving her a 'This one's pretty, right?' look.

She nods, then turns her head, shuffling through the racks of dresses.

"I wonder who's going to bid on the brothers?" Leia inquires, her head still buried in clothes.

Oh yeah, did I mention that there's going to be an auction to have the opportunity to dance with some of the finest bachelors in all the country?

Sawyer suggested this as they did the same thing last year but with females, and I agreed because what harm can that do?

Silas was very against this idea however, saying 'he did not want to be bought over like a piece of meat' but his brother convinced him.

No doubt Silas, Sawyer, and Sage will have some of the highest bidders but I'm curious as to how high the number will go and by whom.

"Same. I'm hoping there's going to be a cat fight," Izzie chuckles.

"Hm. Maybe you should bid on Silas, Iz," Leia says, a smirk on her face. "You know, to get back in his good graces."

Oof. Yeah, Izzie was severely punished for leaving me stranded in the club alone. We didn't mention Leia and Marcus since they just would just have been in trouble with us.

Fortunately, I said that the bartender must've heard 'cocktail' instead of 'mocktail' when I ordered it, which caused me getting drunk.

I'm not sure Silas believed it but I'm pretty sure he just wanted me out of his sight more than he wanted to investigate the confusion even further so he let it slide.

Izzie was put on probation, which basically meant that she has to do all the boring paperwork and deal with annoying Karens.

When she found out she had given me a cocktail, she apologized profusely, so much so that I had to threaten to tell Silas that it was her that gave me the drink so that she would stop apologizing.

To be honest, I enjoyed being drunk more than I thought I would. It felt like my every worry was slipping away from me to be forgotten and all there was was me and the music. I definitely feared that I would react the same way as Cole, and that's what put me off drinking.

However, I'm not saying that I would want to get passed out drunk again, especially since Ryland informed me that I was a 'lightweight.'

Speaking of Ryland, we haven't talked that much since that night but he says 'hi' to me every morning and always meets my eye in the window of my office.

His gaze always makes my blush shine through and my heart to skip a few beats before I am pulled back into work.

"Shut the hell up," Izzie chuckles. "For your information, I love the paperwork," she says, with her nose held high.

"Mhm, sure."

"How about.... this one?" Leia picks out a pale pink, satin dress with an A-line and spaghetti straps. "That would look beautiful on you!" I exclaim.

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She beams at me before entering the dressing room.

I'm left alone inside the boutique as I scan more dresses.

"There's nothing in here I like," I grumble.

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It's the end of the day and the ball is TOMORROW!!

Yes, it's tomorrow and I still haven't found a dress.

SHOOT!!

"Are you busy?" A head peaks through my door and I see Sage there.

"No, I'm about to go home," I reply, hooking my bag over my shoulder.

I look down at my new attire that I just bought over the weekend.

Thanks to my new income, I was able to buy more office appropriate clothes, with the help of Izzie, and the first outfit I decided to wear was a black, long-sleeved blazer dress. There are two slips of buttons along the center that hugs encases my waist.

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The price was quite high, and something I could never possibly afford months ago, but I surprisingly, was able to buy other dresses.

Yeah, that should give you a good prediction of how much I get paid.

I also bought a purse to put my things, even know it's kind of large for just my phone, but it was a good deal, according to Izzie.

"Oh, okay," he says softly, his eyes locking on the ground.

That's strange. "What?"

He visibly hesitates before looking back at me, giving me a sheepish grin. "I was just wondering if you had a dress for tomorrow?" he says quickly, averting my eyes.

My shoulder sag. "No, I don't," I whisper. Dang, I really need a dress.

All the dresses at the boutique were cute, but just... not for me.

I do not know what I'm going to do. "No, I don't. I mean, not yet, anyway," I say, recovering myself.

His eyes lights up like fireworks and he finally meets my gaze. "Well, that's fine because I- uh, I came across this dress when, um, when I was driving by those dress.. stores." I have never seen Sage stumble over his words like this. Actually, I've never really talked Sage all that much, so seeing him so nervous is quite... strange.

"Yeah, and I found this dress that was on sale- it was really cheap so I bought it and- Okay, do you want it or not?" he finally blurts out.

I just stare at him in shock.

He has a dress for me?

"How do you know my size?" I question.

He scratches the back of his neck. "I'm very observant."

"How much was it?"

"Not that much. It was 15%, no uh, 50% percent off. Really good deal," he chuckles awkwardly.

"Um, okay," I reply, a bit confused.

"Great, just follow me into the parking lot so I can give it to you." And with that word, he bolts out of my office.

I stand stock still before I remember that he wants to give me the dress in the parking lot, and then I use the legs that have been shaped for running these past few weeks and sprint to catch up to Sage.

Finally reaching his car, a sleek navy bleu Tesla, he pulls out the dress from the backseat of his car.

It's placed into a white bag and over it, a plastic covering, so I can't really see what it looks like but before I could comment anything, he shoves the dress into my arms and says, "Hope you enjoy it," before stepping around the car and driving straight out of the parking lot.

What just happened?

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Arriving at Izzie's apartment, I pull out the dress from its bag, Leia and Izzie waiting anxiously waiting behind me. "Oh my god, will you hurry up," Leia complains.

I furrow my brows at her before removing the plastic covering and then the white bag.

My eyes light up like lanterns when I see the dress.

"OMG, what does it look like?" Izzie squeals but I don't respond.

The dress is... perfect.

It is a gorgeous peach colored gown with a plunging neckline and flowers scattered across the straps and bodice of the dress.

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"Get out of the way," Izzie pushes me to the side to take a look and her eyes shine with excitement. "It looks fucking amazing!!"

Leia briefs a glance and nods. "Who gave it to you?"

"Uh, Sage," I mumble. Is this professional? Giving free gowns to your employees? That dress was definitely worth a pretty penny and well... would I have to pay him back or...

"OMG, would you stop overthinking, I could practically see the gears turning in your head," Izzie comments. "Just enjoy the nice gesture."

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Silas's POV

"Are you ready, brother?" Sawyer peaks his head through my bedroom door before stepping in.

I take in his suit. He's wearing a light pink, double buttoned blazer with the same color pants and a white turtleneck undershirt. He adorns his outfit with a small hoop earing and some pink nail polish painted on one hand.

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"I am going to attract some hot guys at this thing," he states, twirling in front of my mirror. "Okay, now get out."

Quickly shoving him out of my room, I finish tying up my tie and take in my look.

I'm not a huge fan of events in general; the flashing lights, the loud music, the even louder people trying to get my attention.

And for the most part, I avoid them. Except for this.

This is the one event that our entire staff is required to go to, including the out-of-state workers.

We cover everything for them: the plane tickets, hotel fees, food, drinks, everything. Except their outfit.

We invite thousands of well-known, philanthropists, CEOs, engineers, singers, actors, etc. They all come here to dance and dine and raise money.

Yes, about the money.

I was pissed about the auction that apparently, I was required to participate in.

I was already against the auction last year so what made them think I'd be cool about it this year was beyond me. Especially when I learned that I would be auctioned off as well.

Auctions are dumb in general, but to bid off of people like they are an object is just not honorable. And besides, who would spend thousands of dollars just to get a dance out of me?

What really convinced me was the amount of money that apparently I would generate, which, again, would go to charity.

I decided to wear just a simple light grey suit with a pale pink, almost orange tie. I spritzed on a few sprays of cologne and was ready for the ball.

As I tie my Armane shoes, my mind unintentionally goes to a certain amber-eyed girl who has no business being in my brain.

Ever since that godforsaken night, I never so much as glanced her way, which to some people may seem rude, but to me, it was just being practical.

Even just her sleeping in my apartment, sexually or not, is highly unprofessional, and I can't even begin to explain the things I did, the things I felt, while she was there, sleeping obliviously.

I had to do something, and the only reasonable thing was to ignore her.

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We enter the grand doorways and my jaw drops with how exquisite everything looks.

The chandelier glows above us and the tables and chairs have been drawn up to look like an actual royal ball.

An enormous dancefloor is centered, surrounded by said tables and chairs and I spot the DJ at the corner of the room, looking through his laptop.

As we near the tables, I spot from the corner of my eye, Wilson.

And dear god, she looks utterly breathtaking.

The dress hugs her figure in all the right places, and I can see that the pink/orange shade of her dress will most definitely make her stand out amongst the sea of different shades of pink.

Her hair is done up in curls, with pieces from the front braided and tied in the back. Her makeup is light, with some shimmery stuff in her cheekbones and corners of her eyes and I notice that her freckles are on full display, dancing across her cheeks and nose.

She looks beautiful. She is beautiful.

My eyes are so transfixed on her that I don't notice the fact that she's walking toward me, gaze set up right onto mine.

Shit!

Quickly, I look away, walking toward one of the bouquet of flowers on one of the tables. They are a mixture of different types of flowers, which ones, I couldn't tell you, but they all look pretty and they're all pink.

Wilson did a better job that I thought she would.

Usually, Mathew would organize the whole thing, as my schedule is far too busy to plan a party, but with Wilson as our new assistant, we all agreed to see if she would be able to pull it off.

And to my surprise, it only took her one month. Our usual events take about four or five months to plan, but this year has been very hectic, with Nguyen Enterprises and... her.