Novels by Merra Gischan

Next Morning, Executive Floor LobbySADIE’S POVThe elevator doors slid open with a quiet hiss, but the sound still made me flinch.I hadn’t slept. Not really.The ache in my palm was dulled by a few bandages and a painkiller I found at the bottom of an old drawer. But the ache in my chest—that felt permanent.I crossed the marble floor like a ghost in flats.Quiet, invisible, barely breathing. My tote bag dug into my shoulder, heavier than it should’ve been.Maybe it was the weight of giving up my savings. Or the image of Angelica’s heel pressing into my hand.Or maybe it was just the quiet knowledge that no one had said sorry.Not once.Not for the bruises. Not for the blood. Not even for the silence after.But I was here. Because I always showed up.Even when it felt like every part of me wanted to vanish.I adjusted my badge with trembling fingers. Personal Assistant – Temporary Assignment: CEO Floor.The laminated card looked far more confident than I felt.The receptionist gave

SADIE’S POV – 10th Floor Office, Late MorningThe office was humming with whispers by noon.Not emails. Not meetings. Whispers.I heard my name first in passing, followed by Angelica’s—never a good combination. I barely had time to turn my head when Casey leaned over the low divider between our desks, eyes wide like she was sitting on live gossip.“Did you hear?” she whispered. “Angelica’s out. Fired. CEO did it himself. In person.”I blinked. “What? When?”“This morning. Apparently she tried flirting again instead of filing those schedules table. Real subtle too. Lip gloss, high heels, and a neckline that screamed promotional offer.” Casey wrinkled her nose. “Word is, he didn’t even blink. Just said, ‘You’re dismissed.’ And walked away.”It was hard to imagine anyone being that cold. Then again… I had seen him last night.My stomach twisted. He’d looked straight through me like I was glass. But now, suddenly, he was cleaning house?“I thought she was untouchable,” I said under my bre

DAMON’S POV – MORNING | EN ROUTE TO PRINCE TOWERI had convinced myself the storm had passed.That whatever strange pull I’d felt last night—whatever flicker she lit in me—was just a lapse in judgment.A momentary glitch. I had buried it somewhere between the drive home and the first shot of espresso this morning. Buried it under reports, deadlines, control.But fate, apparently, had a sick sense of humor.My car slowed at a red light just a block from the tower, and there she was.Sadie Summer.Standing on the corner with a brown paper bag in hand, fidgeting with her scarf like she was late, nervous, maybe both. Same dark brown hair—wavy and careless, a little frizzy from the cold. Her coat tugged tighter around her middle, hugging curves she probably wished people didn’t notice.But I noticed.Yes, I noticed everything.She shifted her weight from foot to foot, then paused—eyes catching on a man slumped against the wall just outside the bakery.Old. Filthy. Forgotten by most.Sadie

DAMON’S POVI decided to leave her just then—because even with a desk, a dozen steps, and the weight of my restraint between us, she still felt too close.I didn’t look at her. Not really. But I felt her eyes on me, clinging to the back of my neck like heat.She breathed differently when I was near—tight, careful, like she didn’t want me to hear the way I affected her.This girl.Wrong type. Too soft, too sweet. The kind of woman who brought muffins to the office and smiled like the world hadn’t tried to eat her alive. But her eyes—those sharp, curious eyes—made it impossible to ignore her.I shouldn’t have noticed the way her sweater clung to the dip of her waist. Or how she chewed on her lip when she was nervous, like her mouth didn’t know it was driving me insane.I shouldn’t have let my eyes flick to her thighs when she crossed her legs, or how the hem of her skirt lifted just enough to tempt.But I did.And the worst part?She looked at me like she felt it too. Like something pas

SADIE’S POVI didn’t know what to say after that. “Not forgettable”? That wasn’t exactly a compliment. It felt more like a threat wrapped in velvet.He just stood there, arms crossed now, watching me like he was trying to decide whether to erase me from the building… or promote me out of sheer spite.“I should fire you,” he said.The air in the room dropped ten degrees.I didn’t respond.“I should fire you for misconduct. For insubordination. For attempted assault with a four-inch block heel.” His brow lifted slightly, like he was daring me to argue.I swallowed, head down. “You could.”He stepped closer—just one step, but it felt intimate and dangerous. “But I won’t,” he said. “Not today.”My breath caught. I wasn’t sure if this ‘one chance’ was good news or a ticking time bomb.“This,” he continued, gesturing vaguely at the awkward, muddy memory of tonight, “won’t go in a report. It won’t reach HR. There won’t be any official consequence.”Relief bubbled up in me—but only for a seco

SADIE’S POVI followed him.More like… trailed behind him, trying to keep my nerves from spiraling.The hallway felt darker than before. Or maybe that was just me, finally realizing I was walking toward the lion’s den.Each step I took was met with the coldness of the floor and silent steps from my bare foot.I should’ve just wear my flat shoes instead of following him right away instead of clutching my half-pair heel like a ridiculous trophy in my hand.He didn’t speak.Didn’t look back.Just walked with a calm, unhurried authority that made my skin crawl. Like he knew I would follow. Like he didn’t need to ask—he expected it. Expected obedience. Deference.At the end of the corridor, he pushed open a black door, sleek and expensive, with a silver plate that gleamed under the dim overhead light: Damon Prince – CEOHe held it open just enough, but didn’t wait for me to pass. He simply stepped inside and left me to follow. As if I was invisible.I swallowed hard and entered.The office