Page 87 of Five Years
Ariana laughed. “Okay, I give in,” she admitted defeat. Her hands slid down Leah’s back, pulling her closer.
The bed felt too good to Leah—the covers warm, Ariana’s body against hers a temptation too strong to resist. She knew the reality of her day ahead—meetings, calls, emails—so many waiting to be answered, but for now, none of it mattered.
The world beyond their bed seemed distant, and all that existed or mattered for Leah in that moment was the quiet intimacy of being with the person she loved, her person, the one who finally made her apartment feel like home.
“We can be quick,” Leah said, her voice low, seductive.
Time passed in fragments, their coffee grew cold, the minutes slipped by unnoticed, and the world outside never found a way to intrude.
At 8:30 am, the doors of the elevator opened with a soft whoosh. Leah Green, 37, CEO of the Douglas Green Advisory Group, walked in with the kind of confidence that filled the room before she even spoke.
She stood tall, an assurance she learnt from her father. The commanding presence was effortless, captivating. A skill that seemed to switch on like a lightbulb the moment she found the belief in herself. Her long layered bangs glistened under the fluorescent office lights—nobody would suspect that a brief brush was all the attention she had given her hair that morning. Her tailored suit hugged her form in all the right places, the trainers and t-shirt adding a casual element for a Friday, but despite her well-kept appearance, it was her smile and energy that had the greatest impact on the people around her. It softened the sharpness of her position and, like her father before her, she wanted to create an inclusive working environment where everyone came to work feeling valued and appreciated for their contribution to the company.
Leah loved her position. When her father decided to take a step back earlier than planned, she jumped headfirst into the challenge. He was still there to advise when needed, but his new role only saw him come to the office every few weeks. Her father built Douglas Green Advisory Group from the ground up; years of hard work, perseverance, and countless setbacks led the company to the place it was in now—one of growth and a prosperous future.
The transition hadn’t been easy. Yet Leah made it look seamless. She spent over a year learning the ropes, speaking with key colleagues, observing her father, chairing meetings that felt so out of her depth back then, but it paid off. People respected Leah for her determination to learn, her ability to listen, and the ways she so effortlessly made people feel like they mattered.
In the midst of her walk through the office floor, she spotted Ariana. She was sitting at her desk near the back of the room, typing away on her laptop. Leah had left five minutes earlier than Ariana that morning and still she always got to work before her—how? Some things remained a mystery.
Leah took her in: the brown skin-tight tank beneath the white blazer, and the slightly cropped tan-coloured trousers was one of Leah’s favourite looks on her. When she looked up and saw Leah, her face lit up.
“Morning,” she said with a grin, her voice warm.
Ariana settled into her role at DG quickly. Douglas wasn’t wrong when he sold her as one of the best advisors he’d ever met—she was, and her salary and company benefits reflected her work, not her relationship to the CEO.
Leah spent five years of her life pining after Ariana, too many years to then have to keep secrets. She didn’t hide their relationship as such, but the intimate details remained private in the workplace.
Ariana’s smile softened, her eyes twinkling with affection. Leah strode over to her desk, leaning down ever so slightly so she could whisper in her ear.
“You’re late,” she teased.
“So are you.” Ariana smirked.
“Touché.” The corner of her lip curled upward.
It was sweet, simple, an exchange nothing like the formality of the boardroom meeting she was about to attend.
“Let’s do dinner tonight, shall we try and leave by 8?” Ariana raised an eyebrow.
“Sounds perfect.” Her voice was low, an obvious hint of affection.
Ariana leaned back in her chair, her arms crossed, watching Leah walk away with a smirk on her face.
Damn, she whispered.
Leah turned back, rolled her eyes at Ariana’s cringey admiration, but the playful smirk on her face betrayed her. She loved that girl, it was obvious to anyone who knew them.
“Leah, do you have a moment?” Camila asked.
“I have a meeting in twenty minutes, if you can make that work?”
“Yes, I just have a question.”
“Sure, take a seat.” Leah smiled warmly, gesturing towards the chair.
Camila was a trusted assistant at Douglas Green, eight years’ experience with the company, and one of those rare people that Leah would bet her life on.
“The position you’re advertising for the financial advisor—I was wondering if you think I would be good for it?”
