Alice's POV
Monday morning came too fast, and I stood outside Hale Global Enterprises, staring up at the building and trying to calm my nerves. This was my first official day as Bryan Hale's executive assistant, and I still hadn't given him an answer about the marriage proposal.
Forty-eight hours, he'd said, but it had only been three days, and he hadn't called or texted to ask. Maybe he'd changed his mind, or he'd realized how insane the whole idea was—that's what I was thinking the whole time.
I walked through the lobby, and the receptionist smiled at me.
"Good morning, Mrs... I mean, Miss Reynolds. Mr. Hale is expecting you on the top floor."
I nodded and headed to the elevator, my hands gripping my bag tightly. When the doors opened on the executive floor, a woman in her fifties was waiting for me.
"Miss Reynolds," she said, extending her hand. "I'm Margaret, Mr. Hale's secretary. Well, his main secretary. You'll be working directly with him on special projects."
"Nice to meet you," I said as I shook her hand.
She led me down a hallway and stopped at a door right next to Bryan's office.
"This is yours." She said as she opened it, and I stepped inside, my mouth falling open slightly.
The office was really huge and beautiful. It's a massive desk made of dark wood, leather chairs, and even a small sitting area with a couch.
"This is mine?" I asked, turning to Margaret.
She smiled.
"Mr. Hale insisted you have the best. He said you'd be working very closely with him, so he wanted you nearby."
The way she said "closely" made my stomach twist, like she thought there was something more going on between us.
"Thank you."
"Mr. Hale will be in shortly," Margaret said as she handed me a folder.
"This is your orientation packet. If you need anything, my desk is just down the hall."
She left, and I sat down at my desk, opening the folder. Inside was my employment contract, benefits information, and a list of my responsibilities. I was reading through it when the door opened.
I looked up and saw a man standing there; he was tall with dark blond hair and blue eyes, and I could say that he was handsome but in a softer way than Bryan, also with a warm smile that made him seem more approachable.
"You must be Alice," he said as he walked in and extended his hand.
"I'm Antonio Knight, Bryan's lawyer and best friend."
I stood up quickly and shook his hand. "Nice to meet you."
"Welcome to Hale Global," he said as he sat down on one of the chairs across from my desk without waiting for an invitation.
"How are you settling in?" he asked.
"Fine," I said as I sat back down. "Everyone's been very helpful."
He studied me for a moment and then said,
"I heard about what happened with Sterling & Cross, and I'm sorry. They're ruthless."
I tensed. "How much do you know?"
"Enough," he said. "Bryan told me you were framed, that you discovered something you shouldn't have. He also told me about his... proposition."
My face went hot. "He told you about that?"
"Bryan and I don't keep secrets," Antonio said as he leaned back in his chair.
"Well, most of the time. Look, I just want you to know that if you need anything, anything at all, you can call me. Not just for legal stuff. For anything."
"Thank you, I appreciate that," I said, smiling.
"I mean it," he said as he pulled out his phone. "Here, put your number in. I'll text you mine."
I took his phone and typed in my number, then handed it back. He sent me a quick text, and my phone buzzed in my bag.
"There," he said as he stood up.
"Now you have a direct line to me. Bryan can be... complicated. If he gives you any trouble, let me know."
"Complicated how?"
Antonio smiled slightly but didn't say anything, and before I could even persist, the door opened again, and Bryan walked in, his eyes moving from me to Antonio and back again.
"Antonio, don't you have work to do?" He asked with his eyes going all over us.
"I was welcoming Alice to the team," Antonio said cheerfully, but I noticed how his jaw tightened slightly.
"Being friendly—you should try it sometime."
"Out," Bryan said, with his voice flat.
Antonio winked at me before he left, closing the door behind him, and Bryan stood there for a moment, staring at the closed door before turning to me.
"How's your first morning?" he asked.
"Good," I said. "The office is nice."
"Good," he said as he moved to sit in the chair Antonio had just vacated. "We need to go over your responsibilities."
He spent the next hour explaining what he expected from me, the projects I'd be working on, and the meetings I'd need to attend, too. He wasn't sharing anything about what he had talked about earlier.
Finally, I couldn't take it anymore.
"Are we going to talk about your proposition?"
He looked at me, and his expression was quite unreadable.
"Have you made a decision?"
"No," I said. "I'm still thinking."
"Then there's nothing to talk about yet," he said as he stood up. "When you decide, let me know. Until then, we work."
He walked to the door but stopped before leaving. "Oh, and Alice? People are going to talk. About why I hired you and about why you're in this office. Ignore them."
"What should I tell them?" I asked.
"Nothing," he said. "Let them wonder."
He left, and I sat there, my mind racing. What had I gotten myself into?
The rest of the day was me doing a lot for my first day, and by five o'clock, I was exhausted. I was packing up my bag when my phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number.
"Hey, it's Antonio. Want to grab coffee? I know a great place near the office."
I stared at the message, debating. Bryan had said I should keep my distance from people, but Antonio seemed genuinely nice, and I could use a friend right now.
"Sure," I typed back. "Give me ten minutes."
We met in the lobby and walked two blocks to a small cafe that was nearly empty. Antonio ordered for both of us, and we sat by the window.
"So," he said as he handed me my latte. "How was your first day, really?"
"Overwhelming," I admitted. "Everyone keeps staring at me."
"They're curious," he said. "Bryan never hires someone this quickly and never puts them in that office. People are going to make assumptions."
"What kind of assumptions?"
He shrugged.
"That you're sleeping with him, that you have some kind of leverage over him, that you're related to someone important. Take your pick."
I felt my face heat up. "We're not... there's nothing between us."
"I didn't say there was," Antonio said, but something in his eyes told me he didn't quite believe me. "I'm just warning you. Office gossip can be brutal."
We talked for another hour about nothing important, just getting to know each other. Antonio was easy to talk to and funny, and when he laughed, his whole face lit up, and I found myself relaxing for the first time all day.
"I should get home," I finally said as I looked at my phone. "It's getting late."
"I'll walk you to your bus stop," he said as we stood up.
"You don't have to do that."
"I want to," he said.
We walked slowly back toward the office, and when we reached the corner where we'd have to part ways, Antonio stopped.
"Alice," he said, his voice suddenly serious. "Be careful with Bryan. He's my best friend, and I love him like a brother, but he's not always... he doesn't always think about how his actions affect other people."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Just," he paused, choosing his words carefully. "Don't let him use you. You're worth more than whatever deal he's offering."
Before I could respond, my phone rang. It was an unknown number. I answered cautiously. "Hello?"
"We know where you work now, Alice. We know who you're with. Give us what you took, or we'll make you regret it." The person said from the other end.
The line went dead, and I stood there frozen, my hand shaking so badly I almost dropped the phone.
"Alice?" Antonio said, his hand on my arm. "What's wrong? Who was that?" He asked, but I was just too frightened to say anything.