CHAPTER 2
Ava
I stepped inside anyway. The door clicked shut behind me, the sound echoing through the massive office like a judge slamming a gavel. My wet sneakers squeaked on the polished marble floor as I clutched my damp resume and tried not to stare at the floor-to-ceiling windows showing New York glittering far below.
Damian Blackwood sat behind a huge glass desk that looked like it cost more than my entire life. His dark suit was perfect, his posture relaxed, and his storm-gray eyes pinned me in place without blinking.
"Sit," he ordered, his icy voice sending a shiver down my spine for reasons I didn't understand yet.
I rushed forward too fast. My toe caught the edge of the rug and I stumbled, grabbing the desk to steady myself—only to knock over a heavy crystal pen holder. Pens rolled across the floor like shiny escapees.
I dropped to my knees, laughing nervously as I scooped them up. "Oh no I am so sorry I swear I am not usually this clumsy or maybe I am but today is extra bad because of the rain and interview nerves you know how it goes right?"
He didn't move. "Stop talking and pick them up faster."
I grabbed the last pen and stood too quickly, bumping the desk again. His coffee mug wobbled, spilling hot liquid onto a stack of important papers.
I gasped. "I am fixing it I promise—"
I grabbed a tissue, but only smeared the ink. "This is not how I wanted to start, believe me."
"Enough."
He stood and took the tissue from my hand. Our fingers brushed, and a sharp electric spark shot up my arm. I jerked back. His jaw tightened like he felt it too but hated it.
"Sit down now, Ava Monroe," he said coldly. "And do not touch anything else if you want any chance at this job."
I sank into the leather chair, heart pounding. He picked up my resume, shaking off coffee with visible disgust.
"You have been rejected from nineteen jobs. Explain why I should waste my time."
I swallowed and sat straighter. "Because I am desperate and honest and I work really hard. Once I stop dropping things I am great with organizing and people like me even when I mess up. I never give up even when life kicks me down every single day for the last five years."
One eyebrow lifted. "Life kicks you down. Interesting. Type this letter exactly as I dictate."
He spoke fast about contracts and mergers. My fingers flew, but his deep voice felt familiar, like an echo from a dream. I typed merger as murder and contract as contact.
"Stop."
He came around the desk, standing close behind me. His cologne—clean, expensive, smoky—made my stomach flip.
"Are you listening or always this confused?"
"I am listening," I said quickly. "Your voice just sounds like someone I met once a long time ago but that is crazy because this is an interview not a reunion right?"
I laughed, but it cracked. Tears burned my eyes from stress and hunger. I hadn't eaten since yesterday morning.
Damian
She was a walking catastrophe, yet I couldn't look away. Her laughter hit something buried deep. Her wide, dramatic eyes reminded me of that soaked stranger in a bar five years ago who made me feel alive.
I hated how my pulse jumped when we touched. I hated the curiosity burning in my chest and the jealousy flaring when she mentioned meeting someone else. She disrupted my control, and I never allowed that.
Yet I wanted to keep her here just to understand why she felt like trouble I couldn't walk away from.
Ava
He said nothing about my mistake. We continued with more tests.
I answered practice calls but accidentally told a fake client a funny story about my kids. I organized files, dropped half of them, and crawled on the floor picking them up while he watched, irritated and terrifyingly handsome.
Every time I messed up, I joked. "See I am turning your office into a comedy show free of charge."
His lips twitched once.
Finally, he dropped a contract in front of me. "You are hired starting now. Do not make me regret it."
I jumped up, clapped, then froze. "Thank you Mr. Blackwood I promise I will be the best secretary ever even if I spill a few more things."
My phone buzzed. The school number.
"Hello, is everything okay with the twins?"
The teacher sounded urgent. "Your son got into a fight after kids teased him again about having no dad. We need you here now."
My heart dropped. I turned back to Damian, who was already standing, arms crossed.
"I am so sorry. I have to go. It is an emergency with my kids."
He blocked the door. "Your first day and you are running out?"
Tears spilled. "Please. I cannot lose this job but I cannot lose them either."
I ducked around him and ran.
The elevator doors opened. I jumped inside, hitting the button over and over.
Just before the doors closed, Damian's furious voice echoed down the hall.
"Ava, stop right there!"
The doors shut. The elevator descended, my body shaking, unsure if I still had a job—or if the man haunting my dreams had just made my life far more complicated.