*****Aria*****
Aria adjusted her blazer for the fifth time as she stepped through the towering glass doors of Virelli Industries. The building was sleek, modern, and intimidating as hell. It felt like walking into the future—polished marble, minimalist design, and a reception desk so pristine it looked like no one dared to breathe on it.
She approached with practiced confidence. Sort of.
"Hi, I'm Aria Hart. I'm here for the administrative assistant interview at ten-thirty."
The receptionist, a woman in an immaculate black suit, offered a polite smile and tapped something into her screen.
"Of course. You're early—Mr. Virelli appreciates punctuality. Take the elevator to the thirty-seventh floor. Someone will escort you from there."
Aria gave a grateful nod, her heart thudding faster than she'd like. This was just another interview. She'd done three this week. She could handle this.
But the moment she stepped into the elevator, a shiver slid down her spine.
A sense of... familiarity.
And when the doors opened, it hit her like a quiet wave. The air was different here—cooler, heavier. The floor was quiet, hushed like a library. Everything gleamed.
A woman with sharp heels and a tighter bun than Aria thought physically possible greeted her. "Ms. Hart?"
"Yes."
"Right this way."
They walked down a corridor that curved like a blade—glass walls revealing boardrooms and shadowy figures in tailored suits. Aria tried not to fidget. She barely had time to process her nerves when the woman opened a door at the end of the hall.
"You'll be speaking directly with Mr. Virelli."
Aria blinked. "The CEO?"
"Yes."
"Oh. Wow."
The woman gave a faint smile, the kind that said good luck and don't embarrass yourself at the same time.
Then she was gone.
Aria took a deep breath and stepped inside.
And froze.
He was there.
Kael.
Standing by the window, just like the last time she'd seen him—in the rain. But now in a crisp black suit that somehow made him look even more untouchable.
He turned slowly. His expression didn't change, but his eyes flickered with recognition. And something else.
Shock?
For a moment, neither of them said a word.
Then Aria broke the silence. "So... not a florist."
A beat.
Then—the faintest smile. "No."
"You're the CEO?"
"Apparently."
Her heart was pounding. This wasn't just weird—it was bizarre. The man she bumped into during a rainstorm just happened to be the head of the company she was interviewing with?
Kael motioned toward the chair across from his desk, his face already shuttered and unreadable. "Sit."
She did, trying to keep her thoughts from spinning out. Maybe this was fate. Maybe it was—
He interrupted her thoughts.
"I wasn't expecting you," he said simply, as if it explained everything.
"Well... neither was I," she replied with a nervous laugh. "But here we are."
Kael leaned forward slightly, his gaze locked on hers.
Something about the way he looked at her made her feel both exposed and protected. Like he was seeing too much—and not enough—all at once.
"What exactly are you looking for, Ms. Hart?"
"A chance," she said honestly. "To prove I'm more than just my résumé."
He was silent for a long moment. Then: "You're hired."
Aria blinked. "Wait, seriously?"
"You'll start tomorrow. HR will contact you by this afternoon."
"But... you barely asked me anything."
"I don't need to," he said, already standing. "I'll see you at eight."
Dismissed, just like that.
But as she walked out of his office, she could feel his eyes still on her.
And Kael, standing alone in the silence, cursed under his breath.
He should have told her to leave.
Instead, he'd opened a door neither of them could now close.