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 something heavier. Adrian Sterling's grandfather, Mr. Marvin Sterling, was seriously ill.

A strange knot tightened in my throat.

I imagined him there, standing by the old man's bedside. Still cold. Still controlled. But with something deeper hidden beneath the surface. Because no matter how much ice he carried inside, there was one thing I knew for certain.

He loved that man more than anyone else in the world.

I hung up and sat there for a few seconds, unmoving.

That family had always been complicated. Adrian Sterling was the result of an arranged marriage. His father had never loved his mother. And then there was the illegitimate brother the family had erased like he never existed.

All of it had made Adrian Sterling the perfect heir. The grandfather's favorite.

But never his father's.

I settled onto the couch and turned on the TV without really watching it. I had already gone to two job interviews, and one of them seemed promising. Assistant to the CEO of the most successful cosmetics brand in the country.

A solid job. Demanding.

And most importantly… far away from him.

I had sent most of my savings to help with my sister's recovery. Seeing her improve was the only thing that gave me real peace. I kept just enough to get by for a couple of months.

Everything seemed to be falling into place.

At least, in theory.

After dinner, I ran myself a hot bath. Steam filled the room, and for a moment, I felt like I could breathe again.

But the second I closed my eyes, flashes of that night came back. That moment I had refused to process. My mind did everything it could to bury it.

Every time it tried to surface, I drowned it in distractions. Work. Cleaning. TV. Anything.

Because if I let it come through…

I knew I would fall apart.

I stepped out of the bath, wrapped in a soft robe, warm droplets still sliding down my skin.

That's when I heard it.

A sharp knock on the door.

I froze.

It was ten at night. No one should be looking for me.

My stomach twisted. Fear crept up my spine.

I walked slowly toward the door, each step tighter than the last. I peeked through the peephole…

Nothing.

There was a louder knock this time.

My breath hitched. I covered my mouth to keep from letting out a sound.

"Who is it?" I asked, my voice barely there.

No answer.

"If you don't say who you are… I'm calling the police," I warned, though fear outweighed any strength in my tone.

Then I heard a voice that was impossible to mistake.

"It's Adrian Sterling. Open the door now, Vanessa. Or I'll break it down."

A chill ran through my entire body.

Him? At this hour?

Why?

I opened the door before I could think better of it.

It swung open, and he stepped inside like he owned the space, like the air itself made room for him.

His gaze landed on me immediately. Then dropped, slowly and boldly.

Tracing the thin fabric of my robe, lingering over every curve barely hidden beneath the damp cotton.

That was when it hit me. I was practically naked.

Heat rushed to my cheeks. My heart pounded in my ears.

Adrian Sterling took a breath and stepped back slightly, like he was trying to get a grip on something inside him.

"What… what are you doing here?" I asked, unable to hide the tension in my voice.

He lifted his gaze again.

Dark. Tight. Like he had walked through hell to get here.

"I don't accept your resignation," he said.

It wasn't a request or conversation, but a command.

I didn't even have time to react.

He crossed the distance in a single step, his hands gripping my shoulders firmly. Before I could protest, pull away, or even think…

He kissed me.

It was a kiss I hadn't asked for, but one my body remembered.

It tasted like anger. Like need. Like something raw and unresolved that had been building for weeks.

My fingers clutched his rain-soaked shirt. I felt his uneven breathing, his chest rising and falling hard against mine.

The world narrowed down to that single moment.

To his mouth claiming mine like he had every right.