It's been days since Karen started working at Blackwood, and by the end of her first full week, she understood why Blackwood Conglomerate was called the office of fear.
It wasn't loud. It wasn't chaotic.
It was quiet.
Too quiet.
Fear lived in the careful way employees spoke, in how laughter died the moment Kayden Blackwood stepped onto the floor, in how even seasoned executives straightened their backs like soldiers at attention when his presence passed by.
Karen observed everything.
Fear doesn't always scream, she thought as she organized Kayden's schedule early Monday morning. Sometimes it whispers.
From her desk, she saw it all, the anxious glances, the forced smiles, the silent competition.
And she felt it too.
Not fear of Kayden himself, but fear of what her heart was doing whenever he was near.
"She won't last."
Karen didn't look up, but she heard the voice clearly from behind the partition.
"She thinks she's special," another woman replied. "Did you see how he spoke to her yesterday? He never does that."
Karen kept typing, fingers steady.
They don't know me, she told herself. And they don't know him.
Across the room, Melissa Grant, one of the senior assistants, adjusted her designer blazer and leaned closer to her allies.
"She's plain," Melissa scoffed. "No offense, but women like that don't survive here unless they're hiding something."
Karen swallowed.
You didn't come here to be liked, she reminded herself. You came here for the truth.
Just across Karen's cabin like office was a silhouette, Kayden watched the floor through the glass wall.
He hated distractions.
He hated office politics.
Yet somehow, his attention kept drifting to Karen, how she listened more than she spoke, how she anticipated needs before they were voiced.
She doesn't fear me, he realized.
That disturbed him more than admiration ever could.
"Mr. Blackwood."
Her voice snapped him back.
"Yes?"
"The Zurich call has been moved forward. I adjusted your schedule."
He nodded. "Good."
Their eyes met briefly.
The moment stretched.
Too long.
Kayden broke it first. "You should leave earlier today."
Karen blinked. "Why?"
"You've been staying late," he said curtly.
Concern slipped through before he could stop it.
Karen noticed.
Why do you care? her heart whispered.
"Thank you," she said softly.
He turned away.
Because you're becoming a problem, he told himself.
Karen walked out of Kayden's office towards her office when she overheard whispers and her name flying between workers.
The gossip worsened by midweek.
"She's trying to replace Melissa."
"She brings him coffee now."
"Did you see the way he looked at her?"
Queen watched it all unfold from the front desk, unimpressed.
Same story, she thought. Different woman. But this one… this one isn't playing the game.
An emergency meeting was held and during the presentation, Kayden lost his temper.
Mr Smith Anderson the finance manager kept stumbling through a presentation, numbers misaligned, excuses piled high.
Kayden's voice cut through the room like ice.
"Sit down," he said quietly.
Smith Anderson froze for a second, then started "my apologies sir, I'll....
"I didn't ask for explanations," Kayden continued. "I asked for results."
The meeting ended in humiliation and silence.
Karen followed him back to his office, heart pounding.
He's furious, she noted. But not cruel. Controlled.
Inside the office, Kayden slammed a file onto his desk.
"Incompetence," he muttered.
Karen hesitated, then spoke carefully. "Would you like me to reschedule the next meeting?"
He exhaled sharply. "No."
She stood there, unsure whether to leave.
"Karen," he said suddenly.
"Yes?"
"Why don't you flinch?"
Her breath caught.
"Flinch?"
"When people raise their voices," he said. "Most people shrink."
She considered her answer. "Because fear doesn't solve problems."
He stared at her.
Who taught you that? he wondered.
Silence fell again, heavy, charged.
For a moment, the distance between them felt thin. Fragile.
Kayden stepped closer without realizing it.
Karen's heart started racing as though it would fall out of her chest
Don't, she repeated over and over in her head, trying to warn herself.
This is a dangerous ground, besides you are meant to observe and get to know him better not jump his bones she reprimanded herself.
When their hands brushed accidentally, sparks were felt, the shock was immediate.
Kayden pulled back as if burned, while Karen took a step backward to create some sort of distance between them.
If only they knew that distance wasn't the solution to what they were feeling and wasn't gonna quench the fire already ignited.
"I think you should go," he said coldly.
Karen nodded, swallowing the ache in her chest. "Of course."
As she left, Kayden turned away, gripping the edge of his desk.
This cannot continue, he thought. I cannot afford this.
She walked to her office, took sometime to calm herself and started filing documents, she lost track of time while working on the last document that evening.
out of no where came the thought " he seems kind in a way, though controlling" and annoying acting as though I have a plague or something to be avoided, what is even his problem. She thought. I thought you wanted to know if he was a monster, she thought. So why does it hurt when he pushes you away?
Her phone buzzed, a message from an unknown number.
"Leave while you still can" .
Her stomach dropped.
She glanced around the empty office.
Fear crept in, not of Kayden, but of everything surrounding him.
At that exact moment, Kayden stepped out of his office and saw her pale expression.
"What's wrong?" he asked sharply.
She hesitated, then handed him her phone.
His jaw tightened as he read the message.
"Who sent this?"
"I don't know."
For the first time, Kayden's icy mask cracked, just enough for concern to surface.
You're under my protection while you work here, he said firmly. No one will touch you.
The way he said it, absolute, unyielding, sent a strange warmth through her fear.
He protects what he claims, she realized.
And Kayden, watching her closely, thought
I never meant to claim you.
But somehow, without meaning to, he already had.
The office of fear had found its newest weakness.
And it was love denied, restrained, and growing far more dangerous by the day.