Emily's heart had been thumping hard on her way to this office but the sight of the man behind the desk made it stop altogether. Her breath now coming in quick suppressed gasps as though the very air around him denied her ease.
Despite the turmoil waging in her heart, Lucian never bothered to glance at her. He remained bent over the document in his hand, his posture sharp, his presence commanding.
Emily froze where she stood, clutching the box in her arms, unsure of what to do.
Several questions coursed through her mind in quick succession:
"Should I announce my arrival?"
"How do I do that?"
"Why do I feel that he is ignoring me on purpose?"
"Wait… do I call this ignoring, or outright snubbing?"
"But he was the one who let me in. What now?"
With the silence stretching longer than she expected, she began to wonder if that was the way other employees were being treated or was it just her ill-luck today in play?
Just when Emily's hand began to ache from holding the box, Lucian slowly raised his gaze from the document before him, his brow furrowed.
"You are?" he asked.
Emily blinked, startled then her brows furrowed. She swore she caught a fleeting glint of mischief in his eyes, as if he recognized her.
But it vanished almost instantly, replaced by cold detachment, an intimidating chill that reminded her of exactly who he was: the domineering boss of Sterling Groups.
The sharpness of his eyes, the way he sat with effortless authority, his cold face and set jaw sent a shiver down her spine.
"Emi…ly, Em…ily Winter," she stammered, her voice betraying her attempt at composure.
Lucian's gaze bore into her, fierce and unrelentingly cold. Emily quickly dropped hers, swallowing hard as though her heartbeat might tear its way out of her ribcage.
She scolded herself inwardly—Get a grip, Emily. Stop pretending. If you don't hold it together for real, you'll unravel.
If he kept looking at her that way, like she had committed some unspeakable offense, her first day in this office might also be her last.
She exhaled sharply, forcing her body to obey, loosening the tension in her shoulders even if the unease remained lodged inside her chest.
But Lucian didn't look away. His stare lingered on her… probing, assessing. At some point, Emily grew so uncomfortable she almost considered snapping at him, giving him a piece of her mind.
Almost.
But she wasn't foolish enough to risk losing her job on day one. Bitter as it was, she swallowed it down.
While Emily battled with Lucian's stare which was beginning to prick her skin, she never knew that Lucian was fighting a battle of his own.
Beneath his practiced coldness, shock gripped him. Of all people, he had never expected her "Timeless" to walk into Sterling Group.
He couldn't bring himself to believe in such a coincidence.
For five years, she had been his unseen confidante, his only online friend. She had shared fragments of her world with him, stories and small joys, while he, too, had found rare moments of peace in their exchanges.
He had recognized her features from the few pictures on her profile, but he had never imagined she would suddenly stand before him in person.
It was ridiculous she was the only online friend he had but more ridiculous was the circumstance surrounding their meeting online was also by mistake. A mistaken identity.
It had been an accident. And yet, even after the truth had been sorted out, he had chosen to keep her close, a deliberate choice he made out of necessity.
With her, he could breathe. She asked for nothing, expected nothing, never flattered or fawned over him.
It was much more simple to say that having her online was the only place he could be his true self other than the young prince of the Sterling Groups.
Chatting with her had always given him the life he secretly longed for…a simple life, a life away from the complexities of a rich heir, a life without burden, life without constant expectations and responsibility and most importantly…life without the heavy crown of the Sterling name.
Recalling the twist of that night, he couldn't help shaking his head at its absurdity.
He had been mocked by his circle of friends about not having any personal social media account other than the Sterling Group's social media accounts actively manned by public relations.
Out of spite, he had created one on a whim but who would have thought that immediately her messages would appear, flooding his empty inbox.
And since then she had been the first and only contact he had on this account.
More baffling was the fact, she had regarded him as a female and had assumed she was chatting up her friend.
When he asked further, she mentioned having bought a new phone and decided to register a new social media account. A similar case with him.
He had felt it was ridiculous—two people registering accounts at the same time and yet mistaking the identities of their supposed friends.
He couldn't help but wonder if her fate with his had been destined to remain a path of mistakes.
He wanted to call Bryan in for further clarification, maybe there was something else, but recalling the situation he paused.
Noticing he had stared too long, he coughed lightly to mask the embarrassment while muttering the name under his breath.
"Emily Winters? Are you my new personal assistant?" he asked, his tone strictly professional.
"Yes Sir." she chimed while her eyes continued to skim through the meticulous arrangement of the office.
"Miss Winters?" he called again, snapping Emily out of her daze. "Make me a cup of coffee," he said with a light glance at her.
Emily's hand tightened over the small box in her hand, "Shouldn't he first assign me to an office?" she mused.
Suppressing her dissatisfaction, she nodded. "Yes Sir, but being my first time to make yours, I would prefer you say your coffee preferences," she asked casually.
Making coffee or not, Emily had already made her decision, she would live out her days in this office and not quit before she ever began.
"Black, no sugar," he clipped quickly, reverting his gaze to the document before him.
Emily nodded resignedly while committing the details to memory. Certainly, this wouldn't be the last time she would make his coffee, rather the first of many cups she would prepare.
With a sharp exhale, she spurned on her heels, exiting the office, her steps measured but hurried.
As she approached the receptionist's table, she set down the box and flexed her aching arms. "He asked for coffee, can I leave this here?"
The young man nodded and pointed toward a small pantry nearby. Emily followed the direction and, once inside the tiny room, finally released the breath she had been holding.
Yet, her frustration bubbled beneath the surface, she would have screamed so loud to ease tension, but then this was the last floor of Sterling Group—far too dangerous a place for outbursts unless on condition.
Lose her job.
"This is insane." she muttered under her breath.
She couldn't help but shiver at the thought of what the news headline would look like if word got out about Lucian having a female assistant.
Her imagination betrayed her, spinning up lurid lines of gossip she could already see in bold print:
"First time female personal assistant of a cold CEO of the Sterling Group."
"Sterling Group's Prince bags a female fatale, will he survive her scheme?"
"Finally, a female assistant graces Lucian Sterling's life, is the business world about to collapse?"
"Brilliant title for a news headline." she mocked, shaking her head resignedly at the dread gnawing her heart.
No, she couldn't allow such attention. She would keep her identity low-key, avoid appearing at his side in public, and survive this job with as little notice as possible.
Yet, the next moment, her thoughts conflicted again, recalling she only had to obey the last order.
"My poor life, will I be able to survive this office?" she mused.