Part Three – KnightCorp
The morning at KnightCorp began like any other: a stream of polished shoes across marble floors, the muted hum of assistants juggling calls, executives vanishing into glass-walled offices. Liam Knight hadn't arrived yet, but the building carried his shadow, every staff member sharpened by the knowledge that mistakes were not forgiven.
Then the lobby doors parted and Selena Hart walked in.
Heads turned instantly. She had dressed with precision: a cream blouse that clung like liquid silk, a pencil skirt split just enough to tease, heels clicking like punctuation marks to every sway of her hips. Her perfume, rich and intoxicating, trailed behind her like a claim on the air itself.
The receptionist, a young man named Darren, nearly dropped his pen as she leaned forward, smile a weapon.
"Good morning," she purred, sliding her application across the desk. "I'm here to submit for the secretary position. Preferably executive-level."
Darren blinked, recognizing her face. "You're… Selena Hart, the influencer?"
A small, satisfied tilt of her head. "That's right. But today, I'm simply a professional woman seeking the right… environment." She let her eyes sweep the towering lobby as though already envisioning herself at the top. "And I hear there's no environment quite like KnightCorp."
Whispers rippled across the lobby. A handful of assistants sneaked pictures. Selena allowed it; she knew the power of spectacle.
As Darren fumbled for paperwork, Selena leaned closer, lowering her voice just enough for those nearest to catch it. "Of course, I already know someone here. My… stepsister." A pause, carefully poised. "Alicia Blake."
The reaction was immediate. A couple of secretaries exchanged glances. One woman whispered, "That's Mr. Knight's assistant, isn't it?" Selena caught the whisper and smiled…slow, poisonous.
"Yes, she is," Selena confirmed smoothly, brushing an imaginary speck from her manicured nails. "Funny, isn't it? She was always… ordinary. Quiet. Not exactly KnightCorp material. But then again, family ties can open doors that merit never could."
The words dropped like acid. By the time Darren handed back her papers, the lobby was alive with curiosity, the staff trying to reconcile their polished, diligent Alicia with the glamorous storm standing before them.
Darren asked one of the office assistant to take her to the upper floor. Selena straightened, giving Darren a dazzling smile. "Do make sure my application goes directly to the top. I wouldn't want it to get… lost."
Then she pivoted, her skirt sliding against her thighs, and strode deeper into the building as though she already owned it.
By the time she reached the elevator, staff were buzzing. Some with admiration, others with doubt. But all of them were talking. And that was exactly what Selena wanted.
As the elevator doors closed, Selena caught her reflection in the polished steel. She traced her bottom lip with one finger and mustered to herself, "Step one, complete."
Part Four – Liam's Entrance
The private elevator hummed softly as it rose toward the top floors. Selena adjusted her reflection in the mirrored walls, reapplying her lipstick with the precision of a hunter stringing her bow. Every angle of her face was sculpted, perfected. Since she did face surgery three years ago. She smiled pretentiously to the office assistant and she smiled at her back. Her phone buzzed with likes and notifications from her latest post, but she ignored them. Social media was her battlefield but today, her prey was flesh and blood.
Liam Knight.
The name alone made her pulse quicken. The man was more than a billionaire. He was the ultimate conquest power, money, influence, and that dangerous magnetism that made women whisper his name in boardrooms and bedrooms alike. To claim him would not only be pleasure; it would be triumph.
The elevator doors opened onto the executive floor and the atmosphere shifted. This was not the buzzing, polished chaos of the lower levels. Here, silence reigned, heavy and purposeful. Black glass, marble and the faint scent of expensive leather. Every step Selena took was swallowed by the luxury, amplifying her presence.
She taking to Ms. Delacroix cubicle and the office assistant immediately went back to the reception.
"Miss Hart?" A voice called from the sleek reception desk. Ms. Delacroix, Liam's head assistant, rose smoothly from her seat. Sharp cheekbones, blood-red lips, eyes like ice. She appraised Selena with one glance, and Selena knew instantly: this was a woman who tolerated no foolishness.
"Yes," Selena replied with a winning smile, extending her hand. "I'm here to discuss a position."
Delacroix did not take her hand. Instead, she offered the faintest of smiles, so faint it was almost mockery. "Applications are usually handled on the lower floors."
"Oh, I know," Selena said lightly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "But given my… connections here, I thought it best to come directly. Time is valuable, and I'd hate to waste Mr. Knight's."
At that, Delacroix's eyes narrowed just slightly. "And what connection would that be?"
Selena's lips curved, slow and deliberate. "Alicia Blake. My stepsister. I understand she's currently assisting Mr. Knight personally."
For a fraction of a second, Delacroix's mask cracked only a flicker of something unreadable in her eyes but it was enough. Selena knew she had struck a nerve.
Before Delacroix could respond, the sound of measured footsteps echoed across the glass corridor. The air seemed to thicken.
Liam Knight had arrived.
He walked with the kind of authority that didn't need to be announced, every stride precise, his charcoal suit tailored like a second skin. His presence filled the space before his voice even broke the silence.
"Delacroix." His tone was clipped, commanding. Then his gaze landed on Selena.
The pause was subtle but palpable. Those dark eyes scanned her in a way that was not lust, but assessment like a man dissecting every layer of motive beneath a polished exterior. Selena felt her heart hammer against her ribs.
"Mr. Knight," she purred, stepping forward, offering her hand. "Selena Hart. I've been so eager to meet you."
Liam's gaze dropped briefly to her hand, then returned to her eyes without moving. He didn't take it.
"Eager," he repeated flatly, as though testing the word. "And why is that?"
Selena tilted her head, unfazed. "Because opportunities like this don't wait. And men like you don't either."
A beat of silence stretched, heavy, electric. Delacroix watched with a predator's calm. Selena held Liam's gaze, refusing to blink first.
And then, finally, Liam spoke again…low, smooth, dangerous.
"Curiosity is not a trait I reward easily, Miss Hart. Be careful what you seek."
Selena's smile only widened, though her stomach twisted at the edge in his tone. Dangerous, yes. But irresistible.
And in that moment, she knew: the game had officially begun.