Chapter 14

‎She looked directly at him, her face calm and unreadable. “It matches my skills and career goals,” she replied smoothly, lying with precision. There was no flicker of guilt in her expression, just practiced poise.

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‎But Edward wasn't easily fooled.

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‎He watched her for a second longer than necessary, and then a sly smile curved at the corner of his mouth. He leaned back, the edge in his demeanor fading into something more playful, more mischievous.

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‎“Your office is the one adjacent to mine,” he said casually, retrieving his phone from the table and handing it to her. “Give me your number so I can reach you whenever I need you.”

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‎“Yes, sir,” she replied, taking the phone without question. Her fingers tapped swiftly, entering her number before handing it back.

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‎He glanced at the screen briefly, then nodded with satisfaction.

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‎“You’ll start working today,” he said while booting up his computer. “But first, make a coffee for me before you head to your office.”

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‎“Yes, sir,” she said again, her voice calm and composed. She stood straighter, already shifting into work mode. “Where should I prepare the coffee?”

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‎He pointed toward a door on the left side of the room. “Open that door. There’s a small kitchen inside, you’ll find everything you need there.”

‎"How do you like your coffee?" she asked, her voice wavering slightly as she stood at the edge of the doorway. Her fingers fidgeted with the hem of her apron, and she avoided his eyes, as if the weight of the question carried more than just a preference.

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‎"I don't want sugar," he said after a pause, his gaze fixed on her face, noting the flicker of nerves she was trying to hide. "And not too much milk." A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips as he watched her eyes dart up to meet his, startled by the precision of his attention. He leaned back in the chair with an air of quiet amusement, as if her unease intrigued him more than the coffee ever could.

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‎Without another word, she moved toward the door, her footsteps silent but assured. As she reached for the handle, she felt his eyes still on her, not assessing anymore, but intrigued.

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‎At the twenty-third floor of Luminous Corporation, inside the sleek glass-paneled office of the CEO…

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‎Ryan sat behind his mahogany desk, the city skyline stretching behind him like a painting. The day had been long, full of meetings and numbers, but his attention had long drifted elsewhere, to Cleo.

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‎She sat at the smaller desk near the window, fingers flying over her keyboard, her brow furrowed in focus. She had been his assistant for months now, sharp, reliable, completely unfazed by the pressures of working directly under him.

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‎But what kept pulling him in was her presence, the quiet confidence, the spark in her eyes when she challenged him on ideas, the subtle sway in her walk when she left the room. She wasn’t trying to be seductive, and somehow, that only made her more so.

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‎His gaze lingered a little too long.

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‎Cleo looked up, as if sensing the heat in the room had shifted. Their eyes met. Something unspoken flickered between them.

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‎She stood slowly, walking toward him. Her heels tapped lightly on the polished floor, each step deliberate, her gaze locked on his.

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‎"You're staring again," she said, her voice low, teasing.

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‎Ryan leaned back in his chair, unapologetic. "Hard not to. You're kind of... distracting."

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‎She stopped in front of his desk, a playful smile tugging at her lips. "Maybe you're the one who's distracted."

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‎He stood, slowly, not as the CEO now, not the boss, just a man unable to resist the magnetic pull between them.

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‎"You know this isn't just in my head," he said softly, stepping closer. "There’s something here. I feel it. Don’t you?"

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‎Cleo tilted her head, her eyes sparkling. "I’ve been trying to ignore it. We both know the risks."

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‎"And yet... you’re still standing here," he said, his voice growing husky.

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‎"I guess I stopped trying to fight it," she whispered, her hands sliding up to rest lightly on his chest. “I’ve wanted to do this for weeks.”

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