Arabella stood motionless, rooted to the spot like a statue carved from anxiety. The glass shards of the broken sculpture glittered around her feet like cursed diamonds, sharp and damning. Her fingers gripped the dead vacuum so tightly her knuckles bleached white. Across from her, Xavier Blackwood Knight stood like a wall made of secrets, quiet, unmoving, but entirely, terrifyingly aware his emerald green eyes and sea blue eyes were piercing into hers.

The phone on his desk continued to ring.

He still didn’t move.

Arabella tried to find her voice, but it was as though her throat had turned to stone. The silence between them felt suffocating,thick enough to drown in. Every inch of his frame radiated control, a chilling calm that made the air feel colder. His storm-gray eyes didn’t flicker, didn’t blink. They just held her in place, dissecting her inch by inch, like she was a puzzle he never asked for but had to solve anyway.

The phone rang one last time… and went silent.

Then, he finally spoke.

“Who gave you clearance to enter this office?”

His voice was low. Controlled. Too controlling.

Arabella’s lips parted, but the words tangled in her mouth.

“I—uh—we were told to clean the top floor,” she stammered. “I didn’t mean to—It was an accident, I swear. I didn’t even know the—”

“You didn’t know?” His voice cut clean through hers like a knife through silk. “You work in this building and you didn’t know this office belonged to me?”

Her mouth opened and closed, a useless goldfish floundering in deep waters. She felt every one of Allison’s earlier warnings rush back into her head like a dam breaking.

Xavier took a slow step forward, and though he didn’t raise his voice, something about him screamed danger.

“You’ve been here for what? A day?” he asked, eyes flickering down to the ruined marble remains. “And this is what you accomplish in twenty-four hours?”

Arabella’s cheeks flushed, and her knees felt weak. Her palms were slick with sweat, the handle of the vacuum slipping slightly in her grip.

“I didn’t mean to break it,” she said softly. “It wobbled and I tried to catch it—”

“You failed,” he said simply.

The simplicity of it hurt more than a yell ever could.

She looked down at the marble pieces on the floor, each one whispering: you don’t belong here.

Behind him, Allison was still frozen in the doorway, torn between rushing in and hiding behind the nearest filing cabinet. She had never seen the infamous CEO in person—few had—but now that she was seeing him, she understood the rumors. He wasn’t just handsome; he was unnerving. Beautiful in the way winter was beautiful: crisp, clean, silent, and capable of death.

Arabella drew in a shaky breath. “I’ll pay for it. I’ll work double shifts. I—whatever it costs, I’ll fix it.”

Xavier didn’t laugh, didn’t even blink. His gaze flicked to her face, as if testing her sincerity.

“You think this is about money?”

She stammered again. “No, I just—I want to make it right.”

“You can’t.”

His words hit like a slap.

“That sculpture,” he said, gesturing toward the broken pieces with the mildest tilt of his head, “was one-of-a-kind. Commissioned. It took six months to create and ten seconds for you to destroy.”

Arabella’s chest caved in. She wanted to disappear. Her body felt too big for the room, and yet somehow she was shrinking inside it.

“I’ll go,” she said quickly, her voice shaking. “You can fire me, I understand.”

Xavier’s head tilted slightly. “Fire you?” he echoed. “Is that what you want?”

She looked up sharply, caught off-guard. “No, I just— I don’t want to be a problem.”

His eyes narrowed. “Too late for that.”

He stepped around her slowly, the leather soles of his shoes whispering against the thick rug. He paused at the broken sculpture, nudged a piece with the toe of his shoe, and then faced her again.

“Clean it,” he said coolly. “Then come-.” He was about to finish talking when his mobile phone rang, he frowned and took out the phone from his pocket. His face softened a bit as he saw who was on the caller screen.

“Hello mama.”he said while walking out he then catches gaze with Allison, who was inbetween disappearing or being flirty then he turned towards Arabella then to Allison.

“Clean up and disappear before I come back “ he said coldly

And then, without another word, he turned and walked out, leaving the weight of his presence lingering like smoke.

The second the door clicked shut, Arabella slumped forward, hands on her knees, sucking in oxygen like she’d been underwater.

“Oh my God,” Allison whispered, rushing in. “What the hell was that?!”

“I don’t know,” Arabella croaked. “Is he always like that?”

“Girl, I’ve never even seen him until today. That was some Mafia boss slash billionaire dictator combo.”

Arabella looked at the broken sculpture. “I’m dead, Allie. I just died inside.”

Allison knelt to help gather the rest of the pieces. “He looked so mad, and sexy as fuck, see those hot eyes, rumor has it that he wears contacts, they said his real eye colors are two different shades”She said staring at a confused Arabella. Who then replied,

“I dont care if his a Greek God or something, let’s just get this cleaning over with and leave here before he comes back in.”Arabella said scrubbing the table furiously.

They worked quickly, vacuuming the dust, carefully placing the larger fragments into a velvet-lined supply box Allison somehow found at the bottom of the cart. Arabella scrubbed the rug with a bristle brush while Allison texted someone on her phone.

“I messaged Harley and told her Mr. Black said not to disturb the boardroom until after lunch,” she said.

“Gives us time to clean up and escape with what’s left of our dignity.” She added

“Thanks,” Arabella whispered.

When they finally rode the elevator back down, Arabella leaned against the metal wall and let out a long, slow breath.

“So… now what?” she asked.

“Now,” Allison said, “we pretend none of this ever happened, and you show up tomorrow morning like a boss.”

“Like a boss?”

“Okay, like a terrified, mildly traumatized employee who’s clinging to hope, but still. You show up.”

Arabella laughed weakly.

They stepped off the elevator and hurried back to the supply store, where Arabella changed into her clothes with shaking hands. She stared at herself in the mirror, unsure who was looking back. Her face looked pale, her curls were frizzed with stress, and there was a small smudge of marble dust on her cheek.

“I look like I wrestled with a statue and lost,” she mumbled.

Allison peered over her shoulder. “You kinda did. But hey, at least it wasn’t the CEO.”

Arabella gave her a flat look.

“Too soon?” Allison grinned.

They walked out of the building together, and Arabella squinted into the gray, overcast sky.

It had started drizzling.

Perfect.

She didn’t speak until they were halfway down the block, walking toward the bus stop.

“Did you see he looks at us ?” she asked suddenly.

Allison nodded.

“Exactly,” Arabella said. “And when he looked at me—Allie, it was like he could see everything I was afraid of. Like he already knew who I was.”

“That’s what rich people do,” Allison said. “They look at you like they invented the ground you walk on.”

Arabella tucked her hands in her pockets. “Do you think he’ll really fire me?”

Allison was quiet for a second, then shook her head. “No.”

“No?”

“I don’t know why… but no. He doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy who fires you. He strikes me as the kind of guy who keeps you close just to watch you squirm.”

Arabella’s stomach turned. “Great.”

The bus pulled up. They got on, found a seat, and sat in silence as the city rolled by outside the rain-speckled window. Arabella leaned her forehead against the cool glass, heart still pounding with the aftershocks of the day.

Arabella stood motionless, rooted to the spot like a statue carved from anxiety. The glass shards of the broken sculpture glittered around her feet like cursed diamonds, sharp and damning. Her fingers gripped the dead vacuum so tightly her knuckles bleached white. Across from her, Xavier Blackwood Knight stood like a wall made of secrets, quiet, unmoving, but entirely, terrifyingly aware his emerald green eyes and sea blue eyes were piercing into hers.

The phone on his desk continued to ring.

He still didn’t move.

Arabella tried to find her voice, but it was as though her throat had turned to stone. The silence between them felt suffocating,thick enough to drown in. Every inch of his frame radiated control, a chilling calm that made the air feel colder. His storm-gray eyes didn’t flicker, didn’t blink. They just held her in place, dissecting her inch by inch, like she was a puzzle he never asked for but had to solve anyway.

The phone rang one last time… and went silent.

Then, he finally spoke.

“Who gave you clearance to enter this office?”

His voice was low. Controlled. Too controlling.

Arabella’s lips parted, but the words tangled in her mouth.

“I—uh—we were told to clean the top floor,” she stammered. “I didn’t mean to—It was an accident, I swear. I didn’t even know the—”

“You didn’t know?” His voice cut clean through hers like a knife through silk. “You work in this building and you didn’t know this office belonged to me?”

Her mouth opened and closed, a useless goldfish floundering in deep waters. She felt every one of Allison’s earlier warnings rush back into her head like a dam breaking.

Xavier took a slow step forward, and though he didn’t raise his voice, something about him screamed danger.

“You’ve been here for what? A day?” he asked, eyes flickering down to the ruined marble remains. “And this is what you accomplish in twenty-four hours?”

Arabella’s cheeks flushed, and her knees felt weak. Her palms were slick with sweat, the handle of the vacuum slipping slightly in her grip.

“I didn’t mean to break it,” she said softly. “It wobbled and I tried to catch it—”

“You failed,” he said simply.

The simplicity of it hurt more than a yell ever could.

She looked down at the marble pieces on the floor, each one whispering: you don’t belong here.

Behind him, Allison was still frozen in the doorway, torn between rushing in and hiding behind the nearest filing cabinet. She had never seen the infamous CEO in person—few had—but now that she was seeing him, she understood the rumors. He wasn’t just handsome; he was unnerving. Beautiful in the way winter was beautiful: crisp, clean, silent, and capable of death.

Arabella drew in a shaky breath. “I’ll pay for it. I’ll work double shifts. I—whatever it costs, I’ll fix it.”

Xavier didn’t laugh, didn’t even blink. His gaze flicked to her face, as if testing her sincerity.

“You think this is about money?”

She stammered again. “No, I just—I want to make it right.”

“You can’t.”

His words hit like a slap.

“That sculpture,” he said, gesturing toward the broken pieces with the mildest tilt of his head, “was one-of-a-kind. Commissioned. It took six months to create and ten seconds for you to destroy.”

Arabella’s chest caved in. She wanted to disappear. Her body felt too big for the room, and yet somehow she was shrinking inside it.

“I’ll go,” she said quickly, her voice shaking. “You can fire me, I understand.”

Xavier’s head tilted slightly. “Fire you?” he echoed. “Is that what you want?”

She looked up sharply, caught off-guard. “No, I just— I don’t want to be a problem.”

His eyes narrowed. “Too late for that.”

He stepped around her slowly, the leather soles of his shoes whispering against the thick rug. He paused at the broken sculpture, nudged a piece with the toe of his shoe, and then faced her again.

“Clean it,” he said coolly. “Then come-.” He was about to finish talking when his mobile phone rang, he frowned and took out the phone from his pocket. His face softened a bit as he saw who was on the caller screen.

“Hello mama.”he said while walking out he then catches gaze with Allison, who was inbetween disappearing or being flirty then he turned towards Arabella then to Allison.

“Clean up and disappear before I come back “ he said coldly

And then, without another word, he turned and walked out, leaving the weight of his presence lingering like smoke.

The second the door clicked shut, Arabella slumped forward, hands on her knees, sucking in oxygen like she’d been underwater.

“Oh my God,” Allison whispered, rushing in. “What the hell was that?!”

“I don’t know,” Arabella croaked. “Is he always like that?”

“Girl, I’ve never even seen him until today. That was some Mafia boss slash billionaire dictator combo.”

Arabella looked at the broken sculpture. “I’m dead, Allie. I just died inside.”

Allison knelt to help gather the rest of the pieces. “He looked so mad, and sexy as fuck, see those hot eyes, rumor has it that he wears contacts, they said his real eye colors are two different shades”She said staring at a confused Arabella. Who then replied,

“I dont care if his a Greek God or something, let’s just get this cleaning over with and leave here before he comes back in.”Arabella said scrubbing the table furiously.

They worked quickly, vacuuming the dust, carefully placing the larger fragments into a velvet-lined supply box Allison somehow found at the bottom of the cart. Arabella scrubbed the rug with a bristle brush while Allison texted someone on her phone.

“I messaged Harley and told her Mr. Black said not to disturb the boardroom until after lunch,” she said.

“Gives us time to clean up and escape with what’s left of our dignity.” She added

“Thanks,” Arabella whispered.

When they finally rode the elevator back down, Arabella leaned against the metal wall and let out a long, slow breath.

“So… now what?” she asked.

“Now,” Allison said, “we pretend none of this ever happened, and you show up tomorrow morning like a boss.”

“Like a boss?”

“Okay, like a terrified, mildly traumatized employee who’s clinging to hope, but still. You show up.”

Arabella laughed weakly.

They stepped off the elevator and hurried back to the supply store, where Arabella changed into her clothes with shaking hands. She stared at herself in the mirror, unsure who was looking back. Her face looked pale, her curls were frizzed with stress, and there was a small smudge of marble dust on her cheek.

“I look like I wrestled with a statue and lost,” she mumbled.

Allison peered over her shoulder. “You kinda did. But hey, at least it wasn’t the CEO.”

Arabella gave her a flat look.

“Too soon?” Allison grinned.

They walked out of the building together, and Arabella squinted into the gray, overcast sky.

It had started drizzling.

Perfect.

She didn’t speak until they were halfway down the block, walking toward the bus stop.

“Did you see he looks at us ?” she asked suddenly.

Allison nodded.

“Exactly,” Arabella said. “And when he looked at me—Allie, it was like he could see everything I was afraid of. Like he already knew who I was.”

“That’s what rich people do,” Allison said. “They look at you like they invented the ground you walk on.”

Arabella tucked her hands in her pockets. “Do you think he’ll really fire me?”

Allison was quiet for a second, then shook her head. “No.”

“No?”

“I don’t know why… but no. He doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy who fires you. He strikes me as the kind of guy who keeps you close just to watch you squirm.”

Arabella’s stomach turned. “Great.”

The bus pulled up. They got on, found a seat, and sat in silence as the city rolled by outside the rain-speckled window. Arabella leaned her forehead against the cool glass, heart still pounding with the aftershocks of the day.