6

The alarm clock didn’t go off.

When Hanna opened her eyes, the room was still wrapped in an unsettling silence. For a second, everything seemed normal… until she turned her head and saw the clock.

— No… — her heart raced.

She sat up with a start, throwing the covers aside. Her first day with the new CEO. Her first day without Henry. The first day when everything could change.

Hanna rushed across the room, opening her closet with trembling hands. She took a deep breath.

Calm down. Just… calm down.

She chose her outfit carefully. Nothing too flashy. Nothing too plain. An elegant, discreet dress, perfectly suited to the corporate environment. She paid more attention than usual to fixing her hair and applied light makeup—just enough to make her look confident and professional.

She stared at herself in the mirror for a few extra seconds.

— You can do this. — she murmured to herself.

She picked up her phone and, almost on impulse, typed a message.

“You’d be proud of how I dressed today, cousin.”

She sent it.

She waited.

Nothing.

Hanna swallowed the discomfort that always came whenever silence came from the other side. She slipped her phone into her purse and hurried out of the house.

Traffic seemed determined to work against her.

Cars were barely moving. Horns blared. The clock kept moving far too quickly. Every red light made her stomach twist even more. When she finally managed to park, she already knew: she was late.

She entered the company building almost running, the sound of her heels echoing across the immaculate floor. As soon as she passed the reception desk, she found Paula.

— Hanna! — Paula’s eyes widened. — Where have you been?

— I overslept… — she replied, breathless. — Has he arrived yet?

Paula made a nervous gesture with her hand.

— He has. And it gets worse…

— Worse? — Hanna felt the blood drain from her face.

— He’s in a meeting right now. With all the senior employees. — Paula lowered her voice. — He wants to meet everyone personally. And he’s going over the new rules.

Hanna felt the ground disappear beneath her feet for a moment.

— Run. — Paula whispered. — You can still make it if you don’t stop.

Hanna nodded and hurried down the hallway, her heart pounding, her mind in chaos.

The conference room door was slightly open.

Inside, low, tense voices. Restrained laughter. Anticipation.

She took another deep breath, straightened her posture, and gripped her purse tightly. Hanna had no idea yet that being late would be the first thing Nathan Albuquerque noticed about her.

Hanna carefully pushed the door open.

The sound was barely noticeable, but it was enough.

Every conversation stopped at once.

The conference room was filled with attentive faces, neatly arranged chairs, and untouched glasses of water on the glass table. Standing in the center was him.

Nathan Albuquerque.

Hanna felt the air leave her lungs.

He looked nothing like the pictures she had seen in the newspapers. In person, he was more imposing. Tall, with a firm posture and a perfectly tailored suit. His eyes… hard. Cold. Assessing.

Nathan was speaking when he saw her.

He stopped.

His eyes slowly lifted until they met hers.

The world seemed to shrink around them.

For a second, neither of them moved.

Hanna felt her face grow warm, her heart beating so hard it seemed to echo throughout the room. She took a step forward, ready to apologize, but it wasn’t necessary.

— Interesting. — Nathan’s voice cut through the silence, firm and low. — The meeting starts at eight sharp.

Every pair of eyes turned toward Hanna.

She swallowed hard.

— I’m sorry, Mr. Albuquerque. There was an unexpected delay in traffic. — she said, keeping her voice as steady as possible.

Nathan looked her up and down, slowly. There was no obvious anger in his expression—only absolute control.

— Here, Miss… — he paused briefly. — Roshe, correct?

— Yes, sir.

— Here, unforeseen circumstances do not justify being late. — he stated. — I hope you understand that on your very first day.

— I understand. — she replied, feeling the embarrassment spread throughout the room.

— Sit down. — he ordered.

Hanna obeyed, quickly taking one of the chairs closest to the door. Her hands trembled slightly in her lap.

Nathan turned back to the others, taking control of the meeting again as if nothing had happened.

— Starting today, this company is entering a new phase. — he began. — Some things will change. Others will no longer be tolerated.

He slowly walked around the table, every step deliberate.

— Punctuality is non-negotiable.

— Results are not optional.

— And professionalism will be required at every level.

Hanna kept her eyes fixed on the table, but she could feel the weight of his presence as though she were being watched the entire time.

Nathan stopped.

— And now, one rule that will not be up for discussion.

He placed his hands on the table, looking directly at everyone.

— Any kind of romantic relationship or personal involvement between employees of this company is strictly prohibited.

A low murmur went through the room.

Hanna instinctively looked up.

Nathan was looking at her.

— This includes secretaries, interns, directors, and shareholders. — he continued. — There will be no exceptions. Anyone who violates this rule will be terminated immediately.

His gaze remained on her for one second longer than necessary.

Hanna felt a shiver run down her spine without understanding why.

She didn’t know it yet.

But that first look had not been purely professional. Nathan would not admit it so easily.

Nathan watched Hanna walk down the glass hallway through the transparent walls of his office. There was something about her that had bothered him since the meeting. It wasn’t her lateness. It wasn’t her appearance.

It was the fact that she didn’t seem intimidated enough.

— Miss Roshe. — he called when she passed the door.

Hanna stopped immediately.

— Yes, sir?

— Come in.

She took a deep breath before obeying.

The office still smelled new. It had once been his father’s office, but now Nathan’s presence had changed it: fewer personal belongings, straight lines, calculated coldness. He remained standing near the window, his back to her.

— I want to go over a few points on this week’s schedule. — he said without looking at her.

Hanna approached the desk, opened the folder, and began explaining the appointments, pending contracts, and meetings inherited from the previous administration. Nathan listened in silence, only nodding from time to time.

— Mr. Harry always made it a point to prioritize public projects at the beginning of the quarter. — she commented absentmindedly. — He used to say it gave the engineering division more stability in its cash flow.

Nathan slowly turned around.

— What did you say?

Hanna felt the change in his tone.

— I just… — she hesitated. — I was commenting on how your father ran the company. It worked well.

Nathan’s jaw tightened.

— You talk about my father as if you were involved in strategic decisions. — he said, moving closer. — Or as if you were close enough to him to have an opinion.

— That’s not what I meant. — she replied, maintaining her composure. — I’ve worked here for four years. I learned by observing.

— Observing… or getting involved? — The question came sharply.

Hanna looked up, surprised.

— Excuse me?

Nathan took another step forward.

— My father had a terrible habit of blurring professional boundaries. — he said, his voice lower now, heavy with meaning. — And you were always around.

— That’s unfair. — Hanna shot back. — I never—

— Never what? — he interrupted, now standing very close to her. — Never used your position? Never took advantage?

Hanna took a step back, only to find the wall behind her.

Nathan placed one hand beside her head, blocking her way out.

The air between them grew heavy.

— You show up late on your first day, talk about my father as if you were part of the family, walk around this company with that attitude… — he studied her, his green eyes fixed on her. — And you expect me to believe you’re just another dedicated secretary?

— You’re crossing a line, Mr. Albuquerque. — she said firmly, even though her heart was racing.

Nathan leaned toward her slightly.

For one dangerous second, his face was far too close to hers.

— Or maybe you’re used to powerful men crossing boundaries. — he murmured. — Women like you know exactly what they’re doing.

Hanna’s blood boiled.

— Don’t you ever compare me to that. — she replied without looking away. — If you have problems with your father’s past, I’m not the one who should have to pay for them.

Silence fell like a shock.

Nathan blinked, as if suddenly waking from something.

He stepped away abruptly.

— Leave. — he said coldly. — Before I say something I’ll truly regret.

Hanna straightened, holding on to her dignity with everything she had.

— I am a professional, Mr. Albuquerque. — she stated. — And I will not accept being treated as anything less.

She walked past him without looking back.

When the door closed, Nathan placed both hands on the desk and took a deep breath.

Anger. Guilt. Confusion.

And something even more dangerous: attraction.

He hated admitting it, but he knew.

Hanna Roshe wasn’t just another reminder of his father’s past.

She was a problem he didn’t know how to control.