For as long as you’d worked at the company, your boss had been a pain in the ass. Always with his impossible deadlines, nitpicking every detail like his life depended on it. And, of course, he had to deliver his criticism with that perfectly calm, annoyingly smooth voice—like nothing in the world could bother him. Except, apparently, you.

It wasn’t like you tried to get on his nerves. Okay, maybe you did—just a little. But could anyone blame you? He was too uptight for his own good, and someone had to keep him from turning into a robot. Besides, it wasn’t like you hated him. Not exactly. You just couldn’t stand the way he acted like he was always right.

And now, here you were—stuck with him again.

The day had already been a mess. Endless meetings, emails piling up, and the final straw? He had called you out—in front of everyone—for a typo. A typo. Like that was the worst crime ever committed.

So, when you saw him stepping into the elevator right as you did, you knew the universe had it out for you.

“You know,” you said as the doors slid shut, “some bosses actually thank their assistants instead of breathing down their necks.”

He didn’t even glance at you. “Some assistants double-check their work.”

Of course. Always with the attitude.

“Wow,” you drawled. “I’m honored. You saved that one just for me?”

“I’m generous like that,” he said flatly, adjusting his cuff.

You leaned against the wall, refusing to let him get under your skin. “Must be exhausting being this uptight all the time.”

“Not as exhausting as fixing your mistakes.”

You opened your mouth to snap back—but the elevator suddenly lurched, hard. The lights flickered, and just like that, everything stopped.

For a second, you both just stood there.

You tried jamming the emergency button. Nothing happened. You tried your phone. Zero signal.

Next to you, he sighed like the universe personally inconvenienced him. “Perfect.”