"Are you kidding me?" August asked, narrowing his green eyes in pure suspicion.

Eloise crossed her legs, her posture flawless. Her dress brushed lightly against the bare skin of her thighs, and she knew he noticed, even if he pretended to be made of stone.

"Not at all," she replied. "I've read everything about your company. I know your meeting schedule. I know you fired your last secretary because she served your coffee with sugar instead of sweetener. And I'm still here. That's not a joke. That's courage."

August rose from his chair.

He was imposing with 6'4" of pure masculine tension. His tailored black suit hugged his strong frame, and his piercing gaze studied Eloise as if he could strip away not just her clothes, but her defenses.

"Courage can easily be mistaken for insolence," he said, walking around the desk until he stopped just a step away from her.

Eloise stood as well. Although she was smaller than him, she didn't look away. She never did.

"Insolence is just what you call humanity. I'm simply honest, Mr. Montgomery. You should try it sometime."

There was silence once more.

A cynical smile curved his lips.

"You've gone too far. You're hired."

"What?"

"Since you want to prove you're different… here's your chance. Be here tomorrow at eight a.m. And don't be late."

"I'm never late," she replied with a bold little smile.

August walked to the window, turning his back to her, yet somehow still dominating the entire room.

"And one more thing, Miss Beaumont… I don't get involved with employees."

She raised one eyebrow.

"Well, lucky for you. I don't get involved with men like you."

August turned sharply.

But before he could say a word, Eloise had already walked out of the room.

The sound of her heels echoed down the hallway.

The moment she passed through the lobby doors and felt the wind against her face, the air of defiance she had worn inside began to dissolve.

She kept walking with confidence, but inside her stomach churned.

'Maybe I pushed too far,' she thought, biting the corner of her lip. 'But I needed to be noticed.'

She had sent out résumés everywhere. Taken temporary jobs. Turned down indecent offers. Done whatever she could to survive. But now… her father was getting worse. The medications were expensive, the rent was overdue, and the weight of keeping everything afloat rested entirely on her shoulders.

She wasn't going to beg for a position.

She had never been the type to flatter people just to get something.

If anything, she preferred to provoke. To unsettle. To demand attention for who she really was—intense, honest, fearless.

And if she had to face August Montgomery to save what was left of her shattered life… then so be it.

But deep down, something inside her trembled.

Maybe it wasn't fear of the job.

Maybe…

It was him.

-

Up on the top floor, August watched the city glowing below.

The glass reflected the silhouette of a man who had everything: money, power, fame. An empire built with cold blood, discipline, and absolutely no room for feelings.

But there was something the reflection didn't show.

A void.

A name he refused to say.

A face he refused to remember.

A taste that, even after years, still burned in his memory.

'I swore I'd never let anyone deceive me again.'

The scar still stung.

And the arrival of that bold woman, with her defiant eyes and untamed soul, stirred something he believed he had buried.

"Damn luck," he muttered, closing his eyes for a moment. "Or maybe it's a curse…"

Eloise Beaumont had just stepped into his world.

And he had the feeling she wouldn't walk away unscathed.

Neither would he.