I Hated My Cold Boss — Until a Storm Trapped Us in the Cabin
Chapter 4
The storm lasted another day.
Claire had stopped checking the window.
There was no point.
The world outside remained white.
Inside, the cabin felt increasingly separate from reality.
Adrian had become less formal.
He wore a sweater.
No watch.
No polished shoes.
He looked like an ordinary man.
Claire liked that.
One morning, she found him chopping wood.
“You’re doing that wrong.”
He looked over.
“I’ve done it before.”
“You’re wasting energy.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“You’ve been watching.”
“I manage operations.”
“Apparently, wood is an operation now.”
She laughed.
He handed her the axe.
“Show me.”
She hesitated.
Then tried.
The log split.
She smiled.
“See?”
“Beginner’s luck.”
She hit another.
It split cleanly.
Adrian laughed.
“Okay.”
“Admit it.”
“You’re efficient.”
“That’s enough.”
They carried the wood inside.
Later, Claire found an old box of photographs.
She opened it.
Adrian walked in.
“What did you find?”
“Your father.”
He went quiet.
She held up a photograph.
A younger Adrian stood beside an older man.
He looked happier then.
“He loved this place,” Adrian said.
Claire looked at him.
“You look different.”
“I was twenty.”
“Happy?”
“Sometimes.”
She gently placed the photograph down.
“What happened?”
“My father wanted me to join the company.”
“And you did.”
“Eventually.”
“Did you want to?”
“No.”
“What did you want?”
Adrian smiled.
“Architecture.”
Claire blinked.
“Really?”
“I wanted to design buildings.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“My father needed me.”
Claire understood.
“You gave up your dream.”
“Yes.”
She looked at him.
“Do you regret it?”
He thought.
“Sometimes.”
The answer surprised her.
She asked:
“Do you think you can still do it?”
“Maybe.”
“You should.”
He smiled.
“You always tell people what to do?”
“Only people who annoy me.”
He laughed.
The conversation became easy again.
Then Claire admitted something.
“I hate being your employee sometimes.”
He smiled.
“Why?”
“Because you’re always right.”
“I’m not.”
“You act like you are.”
“That’s different.”
She laughed.
He stared at her.
“What?”
“You smile differently here.”
“How?”
“Like you’re not trying to win.”
Claire became quiet.
He was right.
In the office, she was always proving herself.
Here, there was nothing to prove.
No promotion.
No competition.
No audience.
Only two people.
That realization frightened her.
Because when the storm ended, they would return to Boston.
He would become her boss again.
She would become his employee.
Everything would return to normal.
And maybe they would pretend this never happened.
That night, Claire asked:
“What happens when we leave?”
Adrian looked at her.
“Whatever we decide.”
“That’s not easy.”
“No.”
“You’re my boss.”
“I know.”
“I work for you.”
“Not permanently.”
She frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve been considering moving you into a new division.”
She stared.
“Before the trip?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because you’ve outgrown your role.”
Claire felt something in her chest.
“Then why didn’t you tell me?”
“I wanted to wait.”
She shook her head.
“You always make decisions alone.”
“I do.”
“That’s another thing I hate.”
He smiled.
“Fair.”
She looked at him.
“Maybe you should stop.”
“Maybe.”
They sat quietly.
Then the radio crackled.
A faint signal.
A rescue team was clearing the road.
They might be able to leave tomorrow.
Claire should have felt relieved.
Instead, she felt disappointed.
She wasn’t ready to leave this version of Adrian.
And that scared her.
