The Elevator doors slid open with a soft chime, and Elena Rivera Hart stepped into the glass-and-steel world of cole investigations. Her heart beat faster as she clutched the folder containing her resume, credentials and the letter of recommendation she'd nearly sold her soul to get
The lobby sparkled polished marble floors; a reception desk that gleamed like it belonged
in a five-star hotel, and employees moving with brisk purpose, their badges catching the
overhead light. She smoothed down her navy skirt, squared her shoulders, and reminded
herself that she belonged here.
Her father would have been proud.
This wasn't just a job. It was survival. It was dignity. It was the chance to make
something of hers after years of scraping by.
But she hadn't expected him.
The moment Alexander Cole entered the lobby, every head turned. The atmosphere
shifted, as though invisible strings pulled people into his orbit. The CEO of the company wasn't just powerful, he looked it. Tall, broad-shouldered, with a tailored black suit that probably cost more than her monthly rent, and eyes the color of storm clouds.
The receptionist's voice dropped to a reverent hush. Two assistants scrambled to adjust their folders. Even the security guard straightened his stance.
Elena? She rolled her eyes.
Of course. This was exactly the type of man her mother had abandoned her father for
rich, intimidating, self-assured. The kind who thought the world bent at his command.
She hated men like him.
And yet, when his gaze swept briefly across the lobby, pausing for the briefest second on
her, something in her chest faltered. Heat rushed up her neck.
No. Absolutely not. She tightened her grip on her folder and forced herself to look away.
He was arrogant, untouchable, and dangerous. And if she wanted this job, she'd need to remember exactly that.
"Her mind flashed to the rule etched into the handbook: the company policy strictly
forbade workplace relationships."