The office was never meant to feel like home, but by the end of my third week at Blackwood Enterprises, I knew every hum of the fluorescent lights, every creak of the air conditioner, and every shadow that stretched across the glass walls when the city went dark.

I also knew that working late meant one terrifying thing: he would be there too.

“Miss Collins.”

The sound of my name made me jump. I turned, clutching the stack of papers in my hands like a shield. Ethan Blackwood stood in the doorway of the conference room, tall and impossibly composed, his suit jacket discarded but his tie still perfectly knotted. Even at nine o’clock at night, he looked untouchable.

“Yes, sir?” My voice cracked, betraying my nerves.

His gaze swept over me, sharp and assessing, before landing on the mess of charts scattered across the table. “You’re still here.”

I nodded quickly. “I wanted to fix the presentation for tomorrow. I..I didn’t want to waste your time again.”

Something flickered in his eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it came. “Good. At least you’re learning.”

I bit my lip, trying not to shrink under the weight of his presence. His approval was rare, and even when it came, it was wrapped in thorns.

He stepped inside, his cologne drifting toward me a mix of cedarwood and something darker, sharper. My pulse stumbled.

“Show me,” he said simply, pulling out a chair at the head of the table.

I spread the pages before him, my fingers brushing the paper to keep them from trembling. As I explained the new layout, I could feel his eyes on me, not just listening but watching, as if every word and gesture was being weighed and measured.

When I finally finished, the silence stretched.

“Well?” I asked softly, hating how small my voice sounded.

He leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers beneath his chin. “Better. Cleaner. But you’re still hesitant.”

“I’m not ” I started, but his raised brow silenced me.

“You doubt yourself, Miss Collins. I can hear it in your voice. Confidence sells ideas, not numbers.”

Frustration burned in my chest. “Maybe I wouldn’t doubt myself if you didn’t look at me like I was already failing.”

The words slipped out before I could stop them.

His eyes narrowed, and my heart plummeted. I’d done it. I’d just signed my own resignation letter.

But instead of anger, his lips curved ever so slightly, like the ghost of a smirk. “There she is,” he murmured.

I blinked. “What?”

“The fire. I was wondering when you’d stop trembling long enough to speak like you mean it.”

Heat rushed to my cheeks. “I…I wasn’t ”

“You were,” he said firmly, his voice low, almost dangerous. “And that’s the version of you that might actually survive in this company.”

My breath caught. For one dizzying moment, it felt as though the rest of the world had disappeared, leaving only his piercing gaze and my racing heart.

I forced myself to look away, gathering the papers with shaky hands. “I should… I should let you finish your work, sir.”

When I reached for the door, his voice stopped me again.

“Miss Collins.”

Slowly, I turned.

His expression was unreadable, but his eyes… his eyes held something I couldn’t name. “Don’t work yourself into exhaustion. I need you focused tomorrow.”

For reasons I didn’t understand, those words made my chest tighten. He needed me. Not just the department. Not just the report. Me.

“Yes, sir,” I whispered, and slipped out before my legs gave way.

By the time I made it to my cubicle, Maya was waiting with a bag of chips in hand.

“You’re alive,” she declared, tossing one at me. “I was about to send a rescue team.”

I sank into my chair, staring blankly at the ceiling. “Why is he like that?”

Maya raised a brow. “Like what? Gorgeous? Intimidating? Richer than the entire city combined?”

“All of the above.” I buried my face in my hands. “One minute he’s tearing me apart, the next he’s… I don’t know, almost human.”

Maya grinned knowingly. “Careful, Aria. That’s how it starts.”

“How what starts?” I peeked through my fingers.

“The forbidden office romance trope.” She wagged her brows dramatically. “You, the innocent assistant. Him, the brooding CEO. One late night, one stormy evening, one accidental kiss bam! You’re in his penthouse.”

I groaned. “This isn’t a novel, Maya. It’s my job. And I can’t afford to lose it.”

“Maybe not,” she said with a shrug, “but you can’t control chemistry. And, honey, you two have enough chemistry to set this whole building on fire.”

Her words echoed in my mind long after she left, even as I packed my things and headed toward the elevator.

When the doors slid open, I gasped.

He was inside. Alone.

For a split second, I considered waiting for the next one, but his eyes caught mine and held me in place. Slowly, I stepped in, the air around us thick with silence.

The doors closed.

I kept my gaze fixed on the floor numbers, praying my heart wasn’t loud enough for him to hear. But then I felt it that electric pull, heavy and undeniable.

“Miss Collins,” he said at last, his voice softer than before.

I turned, breath hitching.

His eyes lingered on me, dark and unreadable. “You’ll do well tomorrow. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

The elevator dinged, and just like that, the moment shattered. The doors opened, and he stepped out without another word, leaving me standing there, trembling and breathless.

And I knew, with terrifying certainty, that Maya was right.

This wasn’t just a job anymore.

It was the beginning of something I wasn’t ready for.

Something dangerous.

Something forbidden