The moment the glass doors closed behind Selena Hart, the scent of her perfume lingered faintly in the air, sweet, expensive, deliberately placed. Liam remained still by his table, watching the reflection of her retreating figure through the tinted surface of his office window. Delacroix, always precise, stood waiting beside the desk, tablet in hand, eyes flicking between his employer and the door.
Liam finally turned his chair, his expression unreadable. "She is an interesting one," he said quietly.
Delacroix adjusted her glasses. "Ambitious, sir. Too polished to be desperate. But she carries a rehearsed confidence. It makes me wonder what she is truly after."
Liam's jaw flexed slightly, the light from the city below catching the sharp line of his cheek. "Everyone in this building is after something," he replied. "Some crave the salary. Some the prestige. Others…" His gaze drifted toward the city skyline, "…crave access."
Delacroix nodded. "Should I proceed with the interview?"
"Yes," Liam said. "Evaluate her credentials. Test her composure. Push her a little. I want to see how she reacts when she is cornered."
"Understood, Mr Knight."
When Delacroix left, silence returned to the office. The kind of silence that sharpened every thought. Liam leaned back in his chair, eyes still on the city, though his mind was no longer there. It was back at the penthouse, where he knew Alicia would be barefoot on the marble floor, sunlight touching her skin, her quiet presence filling the space even when she said nothing.
Alicia had changed everything. His rules. His calm. His patience. She was both his control and his undoing.
He inhaled deeply and forced his focus back to the moment. Selena Hart. Social influencer. Two hundred thousand followers. Well connected with certain circles that flirted dangerously close to his business competitors. She had poise, yes. But behind it, there had been something sharper, something that tried to read him, measure him, challenge him.
That, more than anything, intrigued him.
He touched the side of his desk and the digital screen came alive with her preliminary background check. Age twenty three. Graduated from a private academy. Self built image consultant. No criminal record, but her name had surfaced in gossip columns more than once. She had dated a few wealthy heirs, made appearances at elite galas, but somehow remained untarnished. Calculated.
"Calculated," Liam murmured, eyes narrowing slightly.
He thought back to her eyes bright, sharp, assessing. When she had extended her hand, she had not looked at him with admiration. She had looked at him like prey she wanted to understand before she devoured.
That made him smile faintly.
She reminded him of every woman who wanted to play at power but did not understand its cost. Yet there was something in her tone, the confident drawl of her words, that made him suspect she already knew the game and simply wanted to see how close she could walk to the fire.
He opened her portfolio again. Image consultancy, fashion marketing, media relations. But there were gaps. Months unaccounted for. A project listed but no employer name. He made a mental note to have that examined later.
The phone on his desk buzzed once. Delacroix's voice came through, even and crisp.
"She passed the preliminary stage, sir. Composed. Quick thinking. Would you like to meet her again for the second interview?"
Liam paused. Then, quietly, "No. I have seen enough. Proceed to verify her documents and send me the report."
"Yes, Mr Knight."
The line disconnected. Liam's fingers tapped once on the desk, then stilled. The office was quiet again, the hum of the city distant beneath the glass. He leaned back, loosening the tension in his shoulders, but his mind was still restless.
Selena Hart was a distraction and distractions were dangerous. Yet he could not shake the faint sense of recognition in her expression….like she had known of him long before today, perhaps through one of his competitors.
And yet, he could not stop wondering what would happen if Selena's curiosity led her too close.
A low chuckle escaped him, humorless. "She would burn," he murmured.
He stood and walked to the window, the city lights sprawling beneath him like veins of molten gold. The reflection of his own face stared back at him controlled, powerful, and yet shadowed by something he refused to name. His gaze softened for just a moment as he thought of Alicia again, her lips parted slightly in sleep, the way her breath always hitched when he touched her shoulder. She was supposed to be his calm, his silence. Yet lately, she had become the storm inside his control.
He needed to return to her.
Liam slipped on his coat. He did not glance again at Selena's file. He did not need to. His instincts had already decided what his logic had yet to justify, Selena Hart was dangerous in a way that did not threaten him, but could threaten Alicia. The woman radiated ambition, the kind that sought proximity to power and Liam knew exactly what kind of man such women wanted to charm.
But Alicia was not that kind of woman.
Alicia was raw, honest, too pure for the games people like Selena played. Which was why he could not allow her to be near that world again until he was certain she understood the dangers that came with being close to him.
He reached the elevator, the private one that led to the penthouse. His reflection in the mirrored surface was calm again, collected, as though the storm of thoughts had folded neatly behind his eyes.
As the doors closed, his phone vibrated once more. A message from Delacroix.
Selena Hart emailed her credentials. Smooth, confident tone. No sign of nervousness.
Liam typed one line in reply.
Good. Keep her close enough to observe, far enough not to touch.
He slid the phone back into his pocket.
The elevator ascended silently, fast and smooth. He watched the lights blur past, then closed his eyes, letting the image of Alicia rise in his mind. The warmth of her skin. The quiet tremor of her breath. The way she always looked at him as though torn between fear and desire. That look sustained him in ways he could never admit aloud.
When he reached the last floor, which is the penthouse, the elevator chimed and open into his living room passage.
"Home."
Liam stared at the glowing light in his living room passage. His mind drifted back to Selena for a brief moment, her smirk, her eyes, the way she had said, Men like you don't wait.
He smiled faintly again, this time darker. "You are right about that," he whispered to himself.
The moment he entered, the world outside felt distant, sealed away. By the time he opened the door, his composure was complete once more.
The lights of the penthouse glowed soft and golden. Somewhere beyond the marble hall, he heard faint movement….Alicia's quiet footsteps, perhaps or the sound of a page turning. His heartbeat slowed, his muscles eased. He removed his coat and laid it aside.
For a long moment, he stood there, still as a statue, absorbing the silence.
Whatever Selena Hart thought she was chasing, whatever curiosity burned behind her eyes, it would end long before it reached here.
Here was his kingdom.
And Alicia was his crown.
He began to walk down the long hall, his voice low, smooth as a secret.
"Sweetheart," he called, the faintest smile touching his lips. "I am home."