The morning after "Operation Team Lunch," Lily walked into Knight Enterprises with her chin high and her stomach full of cheap instant coffee courage.
"Okay," she muttered to herself as the elevator doors slid open. "Yesterday was a win. Investors impressed. Employees smiling. Alex didn't murder me. I'm basically thriving."
She strutted down the hall, heels clicking like a woman who totally had her life together.
Except… the second she passed Accounting, the whispers started.
"She smiled at him."
"I swear he looked right at her during the investor's speech."
"My cousin in HR says she's lasted longer than his last three assistants combined."
Lily's brow furrowed. Huh?
She shook it off and kept walking, but by the time she hit the marketing department, the whispers had spread like wildfire.
"Did you see him with her at lunch?"
"He let her… joke. At him."
"Maybe she's… you know. Special."
Lily nearly tripped over her own foot. "Special?!" she whispered under her breath.
By the time she reached her desk, she was convinced she was either a celebrity or about to be sacrificed in a corporate ritual.
Melissa appeared at her side, sipping iced coffee like the bringer of doom. "Morning, rookie."
"Melissa." Lily leaned across her desk, whispering frantically. "Why is everyone looking at me like I'm either pregnant with the CEO's baby or about to get promoted to Queen of England?"
Melissa smirked. "Oh, you haven't heard? You're the talk of the building."
"What? Why?!"
"Because," Melissa said sweetly, "people think you're… special to Knight."
Lily choked on her own spit. "WHAT?!"
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"No, no, no, no," Lily said, waving her arms wildly. "That's insane. Crazy. Absolutely not true."
Melissa leaned against the desk like she was enjoying free entertainment. "Mhm. Sure. Totally insane. Except… he didn't fire you yesterday. He actually backed you up. In front of investors."
Lily blinked. "So? That doesn't mean anything!"
Melissa sipped her coffee. "In Knight Enterprises terms, that's basically a marriage proposal."
Lily gaped. "Melissa. No. Stop. Shut up. Shut your iced-coffee-drinking mouth."
Melissa smirked. "You're blushing."
"I AM NOT—!" Lily's voice cracked, drawing several heads in their direction.
She slapped a file over her face. "Oh my God. I'm going to die. This is how I die. Death by office gossip."
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Later that morning, Lily attempted to blend into her desk chair like a chameleon. Unfortunately, subtlety was not her gift.
She could hear them whispering.
"She lasted through the blackout."
"And the investor dinner."
"And yesterday's chaos. He didn't even yell."
"Maybe she's the one."
That did it. Lily shot out of her chair, hands on her hips.
"Okay, listen up!" she blurted, startling half the office. "I am not sleeping with my boss! I am not 'special' to him! I am his assistant. As in, coffee-fetcher, schedule-wrangler, occasional human punching bag. That's it. End of story. No scandal. No soap opera. So everyone please stop acting like I'm the star of The Bold and the Beautiful: CEO Edition!"
Silence.
Dozens of wide-eyed employees stared at her.
A throat cleared behind her.
Lily froze. Slowly—painfully slowly—she turned around.
Alexander Knight stood there, expression glacial, eyes like ice shards.
"Miss Carter," he said evenly. "My office."
Her stomach plummeted.
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Inside his office, Lily wrung her hands, babbling before he could even sit down.
"I didn't mean it like that! I wasn't trying to start a scene. It's just, people were whispering, and I panicked, and my mouth ran faster than my brain—"
"Clearly," Alex said flatly, settling behind his desk.
"I just didn't want anyone thinking we were—" She stopped, cheeks burning. "Not that there's anything wrong with you. I mean, you're… obviously… attractive in a scary, soul-crushing way. But I'm not—! We're not—! Ugh, you know what I mean!"
For a moment, silence stretched. His expression was unreadable.
Then, very faintly, the corner of his mouth twitched. Almost a smirk.
"Miss Carter," he said, his tone smooth but dangerous, "do me a favor. Next time, try silence."
She groaned, covering her face. "Yes, Mr. Knight."
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By lunchtime, Lily wanted to crawl into a hole and live there forever. She shuffled toward the lobby for some air, only to nearly collide with Sebastian Brooks.
"Miss Carter," he said warmly, catching her elbow. "What a pleasant surprise."
"Oh! Hi, Mr. Brooks," she stammered.
"Sebastian," he corrected smoothly, his smile practiced. "I couldn't help but notice how… lively things have been around Knight Enterprises since you arrived. Refreshing, really."
Lily blinked. "Uh… thanks?"
"Tell me," he said, lowering his voice conspiratorially, "would you care to join me for a coffee? Just as friends, of course. I'd love to hear your perspective. You seem far more… approachable than your boss."
Her heart skipped. Coffee with Sebastian? He was charming. Easy to talk to. And maybe—just maybe—it would prove she wasn't chained to Alex Knight like gossip suggested.
She opened her mouth. "I—"
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"Miss Carter."
The voice was like a blade cutting through silk.
Lily froze. Sebastian's smile tightened as Alex appeared at her side, his presence towering, his gaze sharp as ice.
"Your lunch hour is over," Alex said coolly. "We have a meeting."
Lily sputtered. "Wha—but—I don't—"
"Now," Alex said, his eyes flicking to Sebastian with undisguised disdain.
Sebastian's smile never wavered, but his eyes glittered with challenge. "Protective, aren't we, Knight?"
Alex didn't blink. "Possessive," he corrected, voice low enough for only them to hear. "Of my time. My employees. And my company."
Lily's heart nearly stopped.
Sebastian chuckled softly, releasing her elbow. "Of course. Wouldn't dream of interfering."
As Alex steered Lily away, she squeaked, "I didn't say yes!"
Alex didn't look at her. "You didn't need to."
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Back at her desk, Lily buried her face in her hands. "Oh my God. I can't take this. Gossip. Coffee traps. CEO glarathons. I'm going to have an ulcer by twenty-six."
Melissa plopped a donut onto her desk. "You're living in a soap opera, rookie. And honestly? It's the best free entertainment I've had in years."
Lily groaned. "Kill me."
Meanwhile, behind closed doors, Alex stared out his office window, jaw tight.
Sebastian Brooks was playing a dangerous game.
And Lily Carter—chaotic, reckless, infuriating Lily—was now squarely in the middle of it.