Chapter 77: Miss Miller And Mr. Walton: Round Two
Adrien Walton hates plants.
I found that out on my second day when he told a delivery guy to "take that green thing out of his office before it starts photosynthesizing." His exact words.
So, naturally, I decided to gift him one.
It wasn’t real, of course. I’m not that irresponsible — what if I accidentally killed it and he blamed me for botanical manslaughter?
No, this was war, not a gardening class. I went with a plastic aloe vera I found in the clearance bin of a decor shop. Slightly shiny, slightly crooked, and 100% annoying.
Mr. Walton’s office was a temple of stark, geometric perfection. Clean lines, muted colours, expensive art that probably cost more than my car. Everything was curated, controlled, utterly devoid of anything remotely... tacky.
Perfect.
And the temperature? Sub-zero. Sam from marketing called him the CEO of Antarctica. His office was always kept at a glacial chill that seemed designed to freeze out any warmth or humanity.
Right. Plan B: Subtlety and environmental manipulation.
I waited until just after lunch, when Adrien had a standing meeting with the executive team in the boardroom. This was my window.
I grabbed my fake aloe Vera plant, gave it a quick, pathetic dusting with a tissue, and made my way down the hall.