I Hated My Cold Boss — Until a Storm Trapped Us in the Cabin
Chapter 1
Claire Morgan had worked for Adrian Blackwood for eleven months, three days, and approximately seven hundred hours of overtime.
She had counted.
Not because she was obsessed with him.
Because she was trying to understand how one person could be so consistently impossible.
Adrian was the CEO of Blackwood Renewable Systems, a fast-growing energy company headquartered in Boston. At thirty-eight, he had built a reputation for being brilliant, disciplined, and emotionally unavailable.
Employees called him the Ice King when he wasn’t around.
Claire preferred a more accurate description.
Exhausting.
He didn’t yell.
He didn’t insult people.
He simply looked at them until they understood they had disappointed him.
He rarely smiled.
He never attended office parties.
He answered emails at two in the morning.
And when Claire delivered excellent work, his response was usually:
“Good. Next.”
She had started as his executive assistant and quickly become his operations coordinator because she was one of the few people capable of keeping up with him.
She hated that he had noticed.
She hated even more that she admired him.
That Thursday morning, Adrian walked into the conference room carrying a folder.
“We leave tomorrow.”
Claire looked up.
“For where?”
“Montana.”
She stared.
“Why?”
“Site inspection.”
“I thought the Montana team was coming here.”
“They were.”
“And?”
“Their proposal isn’t acceptable.”
Claire closed her laptop.
“So we’re flying there.”
“We’re not flying.”
She blinked.
“What?”
“We’re driving.”
“From Boston?”
“No.”
“We’re flying to Denver and driving from there.”
She nodded slowly.
“That’s still a lot of driving.”
“Three hours.”
“Okay.”
He placed the folder in front of her.
“The cabin is already booked.”
Claire looked at the itinerary.
A remote mountain property.
One cabin.
Two bedrooms.
One vehicle.
She looked up.
“You booked one cabin?”
“Yes.”
“With two bedrooms?”
“Yes.”
She stared at him.
“Do you realize how this sounds?”
Adrian’s expression didn’t change.
“Professional.”
She almost laughed.
“Right.”
He turned to leave.
“Claire.”
“Yes?”
“Bring warm clothes.”
“I assumed Montana had weather.”
His mouth twitched.
Almost a smile.
Then he left.
Claire stared after him.
She hated when he did that.
That tiny almost-smile.
It made him more human.
And she didn’t need that.
The next morning, they flew to Denver.
The drive to Montana began under clear skies.
Claire sat in the passenger seat with her laptop.
Adrian drove.
For the first hour, they discussed the project.
Permits.
Construction.
Costs.
Then silence.
Claire finally asked:
“Do you ever talk about anything that isn’t work?”
“Sometimes.”
“When?”
“When I’m not working.”
She rolled her eyes.
“Very funny.”
“I wasn’t joking.”
She looked out the window.
Mountains rose in the distance.
The further they drove, the fewer buildings they saw.
By late afternoon, the weather changed.
Clouds gathered.
Snow began.
The road became slick.
Adrian slowed.
Claire watched the sky.
“We should turn around.”
“We’re close.”
“How close?”
“Forty minutes.”
She frowned.
The snow intensified.
The windshield wipers struggled.
Then the GPS lost signal.
Adrian checked his phone.
“No service.”
“Great.”
Claire stared ahead.
A sign appeared.
PRIVATE ROAD — FOUR MILES
Adrian turned.
The road was narrow.
Snow covered the edges.
Claire gripped the door.
“This is a terrible idea.”
“We’re committed.”
“I hate that sentence.”
He smiled.
“You use it often.”
They continued.
Twenty minutes later, the vehicle stopped.
Adrian tried again.
The tires spun.
Nothing.
They were stuck.
Claire stared at him.
“Tell me you have a plan.”
He looked toward the dark forest.
“The cabin is two miles.”
“In this?”
“We walk.”
She stared.
“You have officially lost your mind.”
He opened the trunk.
Snow blew inside.
He pulled out two winter packs.
“Let’s go.”
Claire looked at the storm.
Then at him.
“You really expect me to hike through a blizzard?”
“No.”
He handed her a coat.
“I expect you to wear this.”
She caught it.
“You’re impossible.”
“I’ve been told.”
They started walking.
The storm swallowed the road behind them.
Claire slipped once.
Adrian caught her arm.
“Careful.”
She pulled away.
“I’ve got it.”
“I know.”
They walked in silence.
Then the cabin lights appeared through the trees.
Claire sighed with relief.
Adrian unlocked the door.
Inside was a fireplace.
Two bedrooms.
A kitchen.
A pile of firewood.
And absolutely no cell service.
Claire dropped her bag.
“We’re trapped.”
Adrian looked out the window.
Snow covered the road.
“Yes.”
For the first time since Claire had met him, Adrian looked uncertain.
And somehow, that made her nervous.
Because if the Ice King was worried…
The storm was probably worse than she thought.
