Chapter 1

Prologue

The boardroom was too silent. Ethan Richard, the notorious CEO of Richard’s Tech Enterprises, sat at the head of the table, his eyes slicing through the executives like glass. But for once, his mind wasn’t on profit margins or reports.

It was on him.

Daniel Reyes. The new assistant who had walked into his life only two weeks ago—confident and irritatingly impossible to ignore. Ethan didn’t believe in distractions, but Daniel was becoming one.

And that was dangerous.

Because the higher the stakes, the bigger the fall.

Ethan had built his empire with iron discipline. No scandals. No weaknesses. No one ever got close. But the moment Daniel walked into his office that morning, their eyes locking for just a second too long, Ethan realized something terrifying—

He wanted him.

But wanting Daniel could mean the end of everything he had worked for. Rivals would pounce. The press would feast. His board would devour him alive.

Still, Ethan couldn’t shake the thought that maybe, just maybe, Daniel wasn’t the innocent assistant he pretended to be. The way he moved. The things he knew. The way his eyes lingered on Ethan like he was reading him, dissecting him, searching for something…

A dangerous truth whispered at the back of Ethan’s mind:

Daniel has secrets too.

And secrets in Ethan’s world could destroy them both.

The phone on the table buzzed, snapping him back. Daniel’s name flashed across the screen. A single text.

“We need to talk.”

Ethan’s grip on the phone tightened. His empire, his heart, and his carefully guarded life had just begun to unravel.

And Daniel Reyes was the spark that would set it all on fire.

Chapter One

Ethan Richard didn’t tolerate mistakes. Not in business. Not in life. And definitely not in his company.

“Where are the numbers?” His voice sliced through the silence of the boardroom.

The finance director stammered. “W-We had a tech crash—”

“Unacceptable,” Ethan snapped. His icy stare made grown men sweat. The massive screen behind him blinked, then went completely black. In front of top shareholders, billion-dollar projections had disappeared.

The boardroom filled with murmurs. A whisper of opportunity for his rivals. Ethan’s grip tightened around his pen. “Someone fix this. Now.”

That was when the voice came. Too calm for someone addressing him.

“I... I can fix it.”

Ethan turned. A man stood at the back, in an ill-fitting suit, holding a laptop. His new assistant; The one HR had pushed on him yesterday. Daniel Reyes.

“You?” Ethan’s tone dripped with disbelief.

Daniel stepped forward anyway, plugging in his laptop with steady hands. “Yes. Just give me a minute.”

“You don’t get a minute.” Ethan’s jaw clenched. “You get thirty seconds.”

The board members smirked. Ethan didn’t make allowances. He didn’t give chances.

But Daniel only smiled. “That’s all I need.”

Click. Tap. The black screen blinked to life, numbers reappearing, charts flowing. The room gasped. Ethan’s flawless presentation was back—better than before.

Daniel closed the laptop as if it were nothing. “System error. Won’t happen again.”

The audacity. Ethan almost laughed, except no one laughed at him.

“You’re new here,” Ethan said, “and yet you walked into my boardroom, interrupted my meeting, and touched my files without permission!”

Daniel met his gaze. “Would you rather your shareholders walked out?”

Gasps rippled across the room. No one talked to Ethan Richard like that.

Ethan’s lips twitched, a shadow of something dangerously close to amusement.

But the moment passed. He turned back to the shareholders. “Continue.” He muttered.

When the meeting ended, Ethan motioned. “You. My office. Now.”

Daniel followed without a word. The moment the door shut, Ethan spun.

“Who the hell do you think you are?”

“Your assistant,” Daniel said, dropping into a chair. “Or so HR tells me.”

“HR tells you? I run this company.” Ethan leaned forward. “And I don’t tolerate insolence.”

“You also don’t tolerate failure,” Daniel countered, resting his elbows on the armrest. “Today, I kept you from failing.”

The silence something different, Ethan wasn’t used to this. Not defiance. Not confidence wrapped in a cheap tie.

“What’s your game?” Ethan demanded.

“No game,” Daniel said. “I just don’t like watching someone drown when I can throw a rope.”

Ethan’s eyes narrowed. “You think I’m drowning?”

“Even sharks can bleed, Mr. Richard.” Daniel shrugged.

The words hit harder than they should have. Ethan’s carefully built armor just enough for him to feel it.

He hated that.

“Get out!” Ethan commanded. “Before I change my mind about hiring you.”

Daniel stood. “I’ll be at my desk. Call if you need me.”

The door shut. Ethan sat back, his pulse hit.

For the first time, someone had left him speechless.

That night, Ethan stayed late, as always. Numbers and contracts blurred across his desk. He didn’t notice the time until a knock came.

Daniel stepped in. “You’re still here.”

“So are you.”

Daniel carried two coffees. He set one down. “You look like you need it.”

Ethan stared at him. No one brought him coffee. No one dared.

“You’re crossing the lines again,” Daniel.

“Or maybe I’m keeping you alive,” Daniel replied. “You’ve been staring at the same page for an hour.”

Ethan almost denied it. Almost. But Daniel was right.

“Why are you really here?” Ethan asked.

Daniel’s expression serious now. “Because I don’t plan to fail at this job. And if I’m going to work for you, I need to understand you.”

“No one understands me,” Ethan cut him off.

“Maybe that’s why you look so damn lonely,” Daniel shot back.

The words froze Ethan. No one—no one—talked about his personal life. Not his board. Not even his so-called friends.

His first instinct was to throw Daniel out. But something in his chest twisted.

“Careful, Reyes, you’re playing with fire.” Ethan said.

“Maybe,” Daniel said leaning closer. “But sometimes fire’s the only way to see in the dark.”

Their eyes locked. The room seemed smaller. The air heavier.

For one reckless second, Ethan almost closed the distance between them.

But then—his phone buzzed.

He glanced down. A text, unknown number. Just one line.

“Your new assistant isn’t who you think he is.”

Ethan froze.

Daniel tilted his head. “Something wrong?”

Ethan slid the phone into his pocket, his mask snapping back in place. “Nothing I can’t handle.”

But his mind spun. Who had sent that? And what did they know?

Daniel’s gaze lingered, searching. Ethan forced a smirk. “Get out, Reyes. Before you start thinking I actually need you.”

Daniel smirked back. “Too late.”

The door shut behind him.

Ethan leaned back, staring at the phone.

The text glowed in his mind.

Your new assistant isn’t who you think he is.