Chapter 2 – The File That Started It All
Clara set the brown folder on Ethan Blackwood's desk like it was a bomb.
"There you go. File delivered. Mission accomplished. I'll just… see myself out."
"Wait." His voice stopped her in her tracks — calm but sharp, like a blade she hadn't seen coming.
She turned slowly. "Yes, Your Highness?"
Ethan's brow twitched, but he didn't comment. Instead, he opened the folder. His expression darkened.
"Where did you get this?" he asked quietly.
Clara blinked. "Uh… my friend Mia gave it to me. She said it needed to be delivered to your office."
"Mia who?"
"Mia Coleman. She works in—uh—your company's legal department, I think?"
He closed the file and leaned back. "Interesting."
Clara felt a chill crawl up her spine. "Interesting good or interesting 'I'm calling security'?"
He ignored her question. "You didn't open this file, did you?"
"No!" she said quickly, offended. "I may be broke, but I'm not nosy."
Ethan looked up then — and the weight of his gaze made her forget how to breathe. "Everyone's nosy, Miss Evans. They just hide it better."
Her mouth went dry. "Okay, that's mildly terrifying."
He stood, tall and precise, and walked toward the floor-to-ceiling window, his back to her. "Tell Miss Coleman I'll handle this personally."
"Sure thing, boss man," she said, backing toward the door.
"Clara."
She froze. He'd said her name. Smooth, low, dangerous.
"Yes?"
He turned his head slightly. "Don't make a habit of delivering things you don't understand. It could get you hurt."
Her stomach flipped. "Wow. You really know how to end a conversation on a cheerful note."
He didn't smile. "Goodbye, Miss Evans."
As she fled the office, she muttered under her breath, "And they say coffee's bad for your heart. Try a CEO."
—
Outside, she slumped against the elevator wall, clutching her chest. "Okay, Clara, breathe. You just survived a conversation with a human iceberg. Gold star."
Her phone buzzed. A text from Mia:
MIA: Please tell me you didn't open the file.
CLARA: I didn't! But your boss looks like he eats interns for breakfast. What's in it, anyway?
MIA: Just… sensitive info. You did great. I'll explain later. Promise.
"Yeah, sure," Clara muttered. "Because that's not suspicious at all."
She didn't realize until later that she'd stepped into something far deeper than a simple delivery.