I hated my boss. He was so grumpy that sometimes I wished he would just disappear from my life one day. And yet, for many women, working close to him was the ultimate prize. He was the most irresistible man they had ever seen. Tall, broad-shouldered, with a commanding, magnetic presence, his dark eyes seemed to pull everyone in. His tanned skin and that sinful mouth of his made him the very definition of masculinity. But what was the point of any of that? He could have been perfect, but his awful personality ruined everything. He was always yelling at me, always serious. One look from him was enough to make me tremble. Not the kind that weakened your knees with desire, but the kind that made you brace for a scolding. My job as his personal assistant didn't just mean sitting in on meetings or speaking with his partners. It also meant keeping his many girlfriends in check. He was a president so dangerously sexy that thousands of women threw themselves at him. Every six mont

I felt my breathing pick up before I could control it. He had taken a small step toward me in the elevator. Just enough to invade my space. Just enough for his presence to hit my skin like a wave of heat. The soft scent of his cologne—something woody, mixed with something darker—wrapped around me. I swallowed hard without meaning to. What the hell was wrong with me? Yes, my boss was good-looking. No… not just good-looking. Beautiful. Dangerous. Sculpted with an almost unnatural perfection, like he had been created for one purpose only—to seduce. But not me. Never me. He was a world I would never belong to. A galaxy too far away, too cold, too expensive. The elevator doors opened with a soft ding, and he stepped away like nothing had happened. Like he hadn't just pinned me in place with his mere presence. Like he hadn't stolen the air from my lungs. Not a glance. Not a pause. Adrian Sterling always did that. He knocked you off balance, then acted like it meant nothing. W

"Leave me alone!" I screamed, desperation tearing through my voice. The men laughed. Cruel, mocking laughter that echoed in my ears like something out of a nightmare. Tears blurred my vision as panic swallowed me whole. I had never felt so small. So helpless. The situation crushed me, and for one split second, the only thing that came to mind was him. My boss. But how could I even reach him? They dragged me into a dark, freezing room, lit only by a dim neon glow that made everything feel twisted and unreal. They threw me to the ground with brutal force, the impact knocking the air out of my lungs. Through the chaos, I heard Alexander Merchant shout, "I'm first!" His voice was thick with sick excitement, like this was some kind of game to him. The others laughed louder, deafening, while my heart slammed against my ribs like it was trying to escape. The vulnerability was suffocating. Every laugh felt like it was tearing me apart. One of them grabbed my arms, his

A month had passed since I quit, though sometimes it felt like it had only been yesterday. The silence in my apartment was comforting… but it was also a constant reminder that I had escaped. I tried to convince myself I had done it for my mental health, for my dignity… and yet, every corner seemed to whisper the name I was trying to forget. Adrian Sterling. Matthew was the only bridge I had left to that world. Every now and then, he'd text me, like he just wanted to make sure I was still alive. He was the one who first told me about Claudia, my boss's newest woman. According to him, she had already caused three major crises at the company. "She's a nightmare, Vanessa. You have no idea the chaos she's causing," he told me. I just smiled, caught somewhere between relief and pity. For a second, I wondered if Adrian Sterling missed me as his assistant. Then I corrected myself immediately. He didn't miss anyone. A few days later, Matthew reached out again, this time with s

I felt my own voice drift away from me as I spoke, like the words weren't coming from my mouth but from some distant corner of my mind. "I appreciate the offer… but I can't accept it." Even to my own ears, I sounded detached. Blurred. Like I was watching myself from outside my body. But nothing softened Adrian Sterling's reaction. He looked at me like I had just committed an unforgivable betrayal. His expression turned to stone, hard as a mountain worn down by centuries of storms. His gaze—that impossible mix of fire and ice—locked onto mine with such crushing weight that it made it hard to breathe. And I couldn't tell what I saw in him. Disappointment? Anger? Both… or something worse? Something barely contained, like it was being held back by sheer force. "Why not?" he asked, his deep voice tightening around the words. "Do you want more money?" I shook my head too quickly, like the motion itself might protect me. Or like I was afraid of triggering something wor