Of course! Here's *Chapter 9* of *
The platform was busy, alive with the usual sounds of the city—train wheels screeching on rails, the buzz of people on evening commutes, distant chatter, and vendors calling out for last-minute sales. Elena stood quietly at the corner of the station, her earbuds in, arms folded as she waited.
But her mind wasn't on the noise or the crowd.
Her thoughts were still at Lancaster Estate.
Or rather... on *him*.
She replayed the moment again: the elevator doors, the bump, his voice—calm, low, teasing. The brief contact of his hand brushing hers when he helped her pick up her things. The way he said her name like he'd been storing it somewhere in the back of his mind.
*"You're Elena Morrison. We hired you last week. Of course I know."*
She exhaled sharply and shook her head. "Stop it," she muttered to herself. "It was just a moment. A *coincidence*."
The train pulled up with a soft rumble, and she joined the flow of people boarding, grabbing a spot by the window. She leaned her head against the cool glass, watching the buildings blur past. But no matter how much she tried to think about something else, the corners of her lips betrayed her with a smile.
*He remembered her.*
*But that doesn't mean anything*, she reminded herself. He's her boss. Probably knows the names of everyone in the company. And even if he didn't—this was her first day. First impressions and all that.
Still...
That smile. That voice.
*Elena, stop.*
She reached her stop, walked briskly down the familiar road to her house, and let herself in. The lights were off in the living room. Her mom was probably on the night shift again. She dropped her bag gently and kicked off her shoes, finally letting out a long sigh.
Today had been *a day*.
Without wasting much time, she headed to her room, pulling off her work blouse and trousers and slipping into a soft oversized tee and shorts. She tied her long black hair into a bun and flopped into her chair. Her system was already on sleep mode. She tapped the keyboard and the screen lit up with her class schedule.
One hour of digital marketing strategies.
She plugged in her headset and joined the Zoom meeting. Her professor's voice, smooth and deliberate, filled her ears as the PowerPoint slides rolled through SEO optimization and user analytics. Elena took notes, asked one or two questions, even participated in a mini poll.
But somewhere around the 45-minute mark, she found herself yawning.
Not from boredom, but from *life*.
Her brain was still processing the new tasks she'd learned at the front desk. The new faces. The corporate tension. The walkie-talkies. The stiff HR guy who only smiled with his eyebrows. And of course… that second collision.
When class ended just after 8 PM, Elena logged out and shut her laptop with a tired sigh. She let her head fall backward, closing her eyes for a moment.
Then reached for her phone.
She dialed Aiden.
He picked up before the second ring.
"Well, well, well," he said dramatically, "if it isn't the queen of awkward encounters."
Elena burst out laughing. "I deserve that."
"You absolutely do," he teased. "So… how was day one at the royal castle?"
She grinned. "Eventful. Productive. My feet hurt. My brain's tired. But overall... not bad."
Aiden's voice softened. "That's good. I was going to check on you if you hadn't called. I had a feeling you'd pass out face-first on your keyboard."
She flopped sideways onto her bed. "Close. But I made it through class too."
"Impressive. Now tell me about Mr. CEO part two."
She groaned. "Aiden…"
"I'm not letting it go."
She sighed, then gave in. "Okay, so… I ran into him again. Literally."
"Nooo," Aiden laughed. "You're joking."
"I wish I was. It was at the end of the day. I was in a rush to get home for my class, and boom. Right into him. Again."
"I swear," Aiden said, still laughing. "You have this gift of turning casual encounters into full drama."
"Oh, and he recognized me."
"Wait, like actually?"
"Yeah. Called me by name. Said he knew I'd been hired. I mean—how many CEOs know new hires on day one?"
There was a pause.
"Well," Aiden said, "I *could* say it's because you're brilliant and your CV slapped. But more likely… he's paying attention."
She rolled her eyes. "Stop."
"I'm serious, Lena. Rich, broody CEO guy with soft eyes remembers you? Helps you pick up your stuff? Sounds a little Cinderella-meets-corporate to me."
She laughed. "It was nothing like that."
"Was he nice?"
Elena paused. "Actually... yeah. He wasn't cold. A little sarcastic. But… he joked. Helped. He didn't make me feel small."
Aiden's voice dropped an octave. "Just be careful."
"I know."
"I mean it," he said. "It's easy to get swept into the charm of someone powerful. Especially someone like him. But you're Elena Morrison. You don't need anyone to define you."
She smiled faintly. "You've always been good at this—being my anchor."
"Someone's gotta be. Besides, if he breaks your heart, I get to write a diss track."
She snorted. "Please. I'm the one who'll ghost him first."
"That's my girl."
There was a warm silence between them again. Elena stared up at the ceiling fan, feeling oddly full even after such a long day.
"You know what the best part is?" she said softly.
"What?"
"I felt… capable today. Not just like a girl trying to survive, but like I was building something. Like I was becoming *me.*"
Aiden smiled on the other end. "You are. One receptionist shift at a time."
They both chuckled.
"I should sleep," she said.
"Alright. Just promise you won't knock over any other CEOs tomorrow."
"I'll do my best."
"Night, Morrison."
"Night, Clarke."
She ended the call, smiling.
Elena turned off her light and crawled under the covers, her heart lighter than it had been in weeks.
But just as sleep began to wrap its gentle arms around her—
*DING*
Her phone buzzed.
She frowned, reached for it, and checked the screen.
It was an email.
From: Sebastian Lancaster
Subject: *Meeting Request*
Time: *9:00 AM sharp — CEO's Office*
Elena's heart skipped.
Her stomach flipped.
She sat up slowly, staring at the screen, mind racing.
What could the CEO want with her?