Zane Cross's office was all sharp contrasts and blinding wealth. Dark wood, chrome accents, and a skyline view that whispered power. But this evening, the city beyond the glass was just a blur behind his thoughts. He couldn't stop replaying the image of Maya Alvarez, watching him exchange that envelope. She'd seen him obviously and he couldn't wait to get out of her judgemental gaze. If only she could walk a mile in his shoes.
When his assistant messaged that Maya was on her way up, Zane frowned, tapping his pen against his knee. She'd said she wanted to "discuss a few points." Discuss could mean anything, from an innocuous deck revision to an accusation that could blow up his reputation.
Maya wasn't the type to gossip, but she was the type to follow a thread until it unravelled something. Since she'd seen him with that envelope, she'd bide her time, sharpen her argument, and pick the right moment to strike. She wasn't his lawyer for chrissakes.
The thought of her sanctimonious nosiness irritated him. It also, annoyingly, impressed him.
He swiveled in his chair and tried to guess her age again. Twenty-four? Twenty-six? Too young for her position at Skyeline Media, yet she carried herself like someone who'd fought for and deserved every inch. Beauty and brains were a dangerous almost extinct combination in this city, especially in a woman who didn't flinch under his stare. He'd come to enjoy their banter more than he should. She challenged him in a way boardrooms and sycophants never did.
And, if he was being honest with himself, he'd imagined what she'd look like outside the boardroom. Once or twice. The idea of kissing her had slipped past his defenses like a thief, and he'd shoved it away just as quickly. He didn't mix business and pleasure. Not anymore.
Zane straightened his cufflinks, the mask of the untouchable billionaire sliding back into place even as a flicker of something reckless stirred in his chest. The soft click of her heels grew louder in the hallway.
He drew a breath and braced himself. Maya Alvarez was about to walk through his door and nothing about her ever went according to plan.
The door opened. Maya stepped inside, coat over her arm, her green dress crisp against her skin. She looked collected, but her eyes scanned the room like she was cataloguing his weaknesses. She was breathtaking, and she knew it, though she'd never use it carelessly. That restraint intrigued him more than a blatant flirt ever could.
"Mr. Cross," she said evenly.
"Maya." He gestured to the chair across from him, leaning back in a show of ease he didn't entirely feel. "To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?"
"You asked for a revised strategy and postponed to tomorrow," she replied, placing her laptop on the table. "I wanted to confirm a few sensitive points before tomorrow's meeting."
Sensitive points. His jaw tightened a fraction. Was that her opening move? Or just PR speak?
He watched her outline community engagement sessions, transparency measures, and financial disclosures, the pitch she'd built to salvage Cross Development's reputation after last week's leak. Her voice was smooth, confident. She made his own empire sound almost noble, which was a skill worth more than her retainer fee.
He nodded at the right places, but his mind wasn't on the numbers. It was on her, the way she tapped her nails when she was thinking, the faint dimple when she smirked. She was older than he'd guessed, he was sure now. Because her poise said she'd seen enough of the world to stop believing in fairy tales.
"You look distracted," Maya said, eyebrow arched.
Zane smirked. "Long day."
She tilted her head, as if deciding whether to believe him. "Is there anything else I should be aware of before I finalize tomorrow's talking points?"
"Nothing urgent," he said smoothly. "Unless you've uncovered another scandal I should know about?"
A flash of amusement crossed her face and was gone in an instant. That flicker was the kind of thing he'd replay later, against his better judgment.
She closed her laptop. "So I guess we'd continue pretending we didn't see each other at a certain alley with one of us doing something sketchy? "
As she stood, he found himself reluctant to let her go. "Maya," he said lightly, "What has that got to do with our response and campaign? I'd prefer you just focus on the job at hand, you're good I must say."
She blinked at him, surprised by the compliment. "Thank you," she replied, guarded.
She gave a faint, wry smile, the kind that said she wasn't sure whether to be pleased or wary. "Anyways there isnt any need to beat around the bush or beg the question." she responded as she slipped out her phone and showed him the text casually.
"Have any idea why this has been sent to me? They're threats you know? Against my family as well."
Zane exhaled slowly. From the look of confusion on his face he had enemies but he wasn't sure which one of them was at play here. His jaw tightened and she saw a flash of anger.
"How long has this been going on and why are you just telling me about this now?"
His phone buzzed. Victor Lyle, a board member, was calling again but Zane ignored, staring at her phone. He didn't want her involved any more than she already was. But part of him hoped she'd only come to him and no one else.
"How many people have you told about this?"
" No one else for now and what was that about protecting me in the past before?" she responded.
A look she couldn't expressly read or define, crossed his face very briefly, so brief she wouldn't have caught it, if she wasn't watching him intently.
Poker face back on, he responded, " I really don't know what that means, beginning to sound like a deranged person if you ask me. All good, let's keep this between us,ok?" Before she could respond he continued, " Trust me whoever they are won't be bothering you anymore. I will have my driver escort you home."
He picked up his phone and called for his driver, despite her protest.
"I would be in touch and I think you should pause on the campaign for now till I figure out who is behind this.Your boss would give you the update tomorrow, pretend you're surprised."
Even as he forced himself back to his desk, the echo of her footsteps leaving his office lingered, unsettling and electric. What was it about this woman that made him want to protect her, she was getting under his skin. Dropping her from his firm, seemed the most reasonable thing to do. She could still do the background research, God knows she's good, he thought. But it was wise to stop coming to his office or making pitches herself.
Zane Cross was a man who didn't make mistakes twice. Falling for her would be one, and for the first time in years, he wasn't sure he cared.