Lizzy’s Secret Christmas Wishes
Lizzy’s Secret Christmas Wishes
Kana Wu
Elizabeth Bennet’s face glowed in the soft light of her monitor. Her shoulder-length brown hair was twisted into a bun secured by a yellow pencil, with tendrils escaping in every direction.
A few minutes later, Elizabeth leaned back in her seat, relief washing over her face.
“Finally!” she exclaimed with a triumphant pump of her arm.
Her fingers swiftly navigated the trackpad to save the article and submit it to her boss, Richard Lee, and then locked her computer before retrieving her bag from the bottom drawer of her desk.
Standing up, she checked their family group chat messages through her smartwatch. A big smile spread across her lips upon reading the good news that Kitty and Lydia had secured part-time jobs as center assistants at the local after-school facility.
“That job will keep them busy and prevent them from having future problems,” she read her dad’s comment. And she couldn’t agree more. Kitty and Lydia were difficult to control because their mom spoiled them.
Her eyes swapped around, and an eerie sensation crept over her as she took in the sight of the empty, dark cubicles that stood silently in the long, rectangular office.
Despite the twinkling string lights and the festive red and green Christmas decorations adorning the cubicles, the office felt noticeably different at night.
Clenching her jaw, Elizabeth reached out to switch off her desk light and hurried toward the glass entrance doors. The steady beams of light from the long overhead strip lights provided comfort as she made her way through the doors.
However, an irrational thought crept back as she closed the door behind her and noticed that the recessed light above the doors had gone out. She quickened her pace along the empty corridor to the elevator hall and almost collided with a tall man in a suit standing with his back toward her.
The man turned his head as she halted. Their eyes met and widened.
“Chief!” she exclaimed in surprise.
“Elizabeth? What are you doing here at this hour?” the man asked back, glancing at his watch before turning to her.
Elizabeth groaned inwardly. The man was Fitzwilliam Darcy, known to employees as Chief or sometimes just Darcy, the Editor-in-Chief of Pemberley Lifestyle Magazine (PLM), where she had been working for the past two months.
“I-I stayed late to finish the article for the January edition,” she answered, forcing a little smile.
Although she felt relieved that it was him and not a ghost, as other employees had teased her about, she couldn’t help but feel her heartbeat quicken for two reasons.
The first reason was that she thought she was alone in the building.
The second reason was because she had successfully avoided the man since she started working here, until tonight.
“The deadline isn’t in two days, right?” Darcy questioned, looking at her solemnly.
“Yes, it is, but I preferred to finish it earlier than the deadline,” she replied politely, her fingers clenching on the bag’s strap.
Under the warm-tone glow of the recessed lights, she caught a glint dancing in his eyes before a smile broke on his handsome face. Elizabeth chose to ignore it, though she couldn’t deny that when he smiled, he looked charming.
At the exact moment, a soft ding sounded, and the elevator doors opened.
Darcy gestured for Elizabeth to enter first. Once she did, he followed behind, selected the ground floor, and pressed the close button.
As the elevator began its descent, Elizabeth stood awkwardly beside him, her eyes avoiding their reflections on the polished metal panels.
“Has Richard informed you about the positive responses to your article for this month’s edition?” Darcy broke the silence.
The remark startled her. She glanced up at their reflection and saw Darcy looking at her.
“Yes, he did earlier,” Elizabeth replied shortly.
“I liked it too. The idea isn’t new, but you crafted it well with a new approach and innovative perspective,” Darcy commented.
“Thanks,” she murmured, glancing at the indicator lights above the elevator doors, hoping it would reach the ground floor faster.
“Your short answer suggests you’re unwilling to talk to me,” he pointed out.
She didn’t reply but glanced sideways at him.
“Well, that’s fine by me,” Darcy said, sounding upset, and shrugged.
Elizabeth turned to him, feeling anger coursing through her veins. “Just in case you forgot, you haven’t apologized for unfairly criticizing my family.”
Huffing, Darcy turned to her. “I didn’t criticize your family.
I liked your dad, Jane, and Mary, but I found Lydia, Kitty, and your mom a bit different.
Your younger sisters are lively but seem too wild for their ages.
And your mom- she was so enthusiastic about matchmaking for her own daughters.
In the second meeting, she asked if I had any single friends for Mary, Kitty, and even Lydia.
What kind of mother does that?” He paused, his eyes studying her.
“No matter how my mom acts or whether my younger sisters seem too wild in your eyes, it’s not your place to judge my family.
You put yourself above others and judge people you haven’t really known,” Elizabeth retorted sharply.
“Then, out of the blue, you expect me to like you right off the bat? You are….” Her voice trailed off as she glanced up at Darcy.
“I’m what?” Darcy challenged her.
“… too arrogant, and I dislike people with that attitude.”
Meanwhile, the elevator doors opened wide, revealing a hallway decorated with Christmas wreaths and ribbons, but neither of them moved out of the carriage. They glared at each other.
“If that’s your opinion of me, why did you apply to this company? You’ll be seeing a lot of me. Were you unaware that it’s owned by my family?” asked Darcy, closing the gap between them.
Elizabeth took a step back before dropping her gaze. “If I had known, I wouldn’t have applied.”
Darcy frowned, his arms crossed in front of his broad chest as if waiting for more information.
“The small magazine company I worked for a year after graduation ceased its operation. My uncle, Mr. Gardiner, suggested I apply for an opening as a junior journalist here,” Elizabeth continued.
“During my orientation, I discovered its parent company, Pemberley Worldwide Media, had just been acquired by a private equity firm. Later, when you became the Editor-in-Chief, replacing Mr. White after his retirement, I realized the private equity firm belonged to your family.”
She looked up, meeting Darcy’s brown eyes. “I’ll find another job so we won’t be in each other’s way.”
After saying that, she stepped out of the elevator, but Darcy stopped her by holding her elbow. His eyes brushed her face gently, showing slight annoyance but concern at the same time.
“You have ink on your nose. You should clean it before others see it. Besides…” Elizabeth flinched, feeling her heart race as he leaned in, fixing his eyes on hers.
His hand reached the back of her head and delicately pulled out a pencil she had used to secure her hair, causing it to cascade down her shoulder.
“…I don’t think you’d want people to see you with this beautiful hair accessory. ”
He placed the pencil in her palm and headed toward the long reception desk in the expansive foyer. Two guardsmen stood behind the desk. Across from them, a majestic Christmas tree adorned with golden ribbons and beautiful decorations stood proudly in the center.
“Working late, Mr. Darcy?” one of them said politely as Elizabeth stood in the elevator lobby, reaching for her cell phone and turning on the selfie camera to see her reflection.
Her eyes widened at the sight of a blue streak of ink on her nose.
She reached into her bag, pulled out a wet tissue, and tried to wipe it off.
The ink didn’t completely disappear but faded enough to be less noticeable.
The security guard nodded in acknowledgment as Elizabeth signed her name under Darcy’s on the late-working employees’ log.
“Good night, Miss. Drive safely,” he said once Elizabeth finished signing.
The cold December night brushed her face as she stepped outside. She groaned as she spotted Darcy standing on the tiled steps of the building’s patio, waiting for her.
“I know you’ll refuse, but it’s already late. Let me walk you to your car,” he offered as she approached him.
“Thanks,” Elizabeth responded after a quick consideration, and they strolled toward the empty parking lot.
Above them, the silver glow of the moon radiated in the inky sky, and the stars glittered as if competing to be the brightest among them.
“Beautiful night, isn’t it?” Darcy remarked, his face turned skyward.
Elizabeth followed his gaze. “Yes, it is,” she agreed.
Then they fell into silence. Only the sound of their footsteps echoed in the deserted parking lot.
Elizabeth blamed herself for not parking closer to the building during her lunch break.
If she had, she wouldn’t have needed to walk with Darcy to the far end of the parking lot.
She couldn’t help but sigh in relief as they neared her car.
As she reached for the car door handle, Darcy was quicker. Their hands brushed unintentionally as she slid into the driver’s seat, sending a jolt of electricity through her skin.
“Thanks for walking me to my car. Have a good night, Chief,” she said politely.
Darcy nodded and closed the door. He took a few steps back, but Elizabeth could feel his eyes on her.
Steeling herself against looking back, she started her car and drove toward the exit gate.
After reaching a safe distance, she stole a glance in her rearview mirror, noticing Darcy standing motionless.
His figure gradually faded into the distance until he disappeared as she exited through the gate and merged onto the street.
***