CHAPTER THREE

NORA POV

The question steals every thought from my head.

For a brief moment, I can’t speak.

I force myself to swallow before answering.

“I don’t believe we have, sir.”

Silence.

For one unsettling moment, I wonder if the call has dropped.

“I see,” he says evenly.

Another brief pause follows.

“Be here by eight.”

“Yes, sir.”

The line goes dead.

I lower the phone and stare at the dark screen.

His question stays with me long after the call ends.

Have we met before?

I tell myself he was only asking.

That he doesn’t remember.

That I’m reading too much into it.

By the time morning comes, I’ve repeated the same promise to myself more times than I can count.

Act normal.

Get through the day.

Don’t give him a reason to look at me twice.

Rowan & Co. feels even bigger this morning.

Or maybe I’m just noticing everything more than I did yesterday.

The polished floors.

The quiet conversations.

The steady sound of footsteps echoing through the lobby.

Every step I take into the building feels like I’m walking deeper into something I can’t escape.

By the time orientation begins, I’ve managed to calm myself.

At least on the outside.

Five new employees sit around the room, listening as the HR manager explains company policies and procedures.

I try to focus.

I really do.

But my thoughts keep drifting back to one person.

Davis Rowan.

Not the CEO.

Not my boss.

The man I can’t afford to think about for too long.

By the time the session ends, I feel as though I’ve been holding my breath for an hour.

“That’s all for today,” the HR manager says. “Your department supervisors will meet you shortly.”

People begin to stand.

Chairs scrape against the floor.

Conversations slowly fill the room.

I let out a quiet breath.

Maybe today won’t be so bad after all.

“Ms. Edward.”

My name cuts through the noise.

I freeze.

Slowly, I turn.

A woman in a fitted black suit stands near the door.

“I’m Clara, Mr. Rowan’s executive assistant.”

There’s a quiet confidence about her. She doesn’t raise her voice or demand attention, yet everyone seems to notice when she walk into the room. 

“I need you.”

No smile.

No explanation.

Just a simple instruction.

A knot forms in my stomach.

“Now?”

“Yes.”

I tighten my grip on my file and follow her before my imagination can convince me that something is wrong.

Every step down the hallway feels heavier than the last.

Not because I don’t know where we’re going.

Because I do.

Straight to Davis Rowan’s office.

The closer we get, the tighter my chest feels. 

We stop outside his office.

Clara knocks once.

“Come in.”

His voice reaches me through the closed door.

Calm.

Controlled.

The same voice I’ve been hearing in my mind since last night.

A knot forms in my stomach. 

Clara opens the door.

“Ms. Edward is here.”

Davis looks up from the file on his desk.

This time, nothing changes in his expression.

No hesitation.

No sign of recognition.

Just a CEO looking at one of his employees.

“Thank you, Clara.”

She gives me a brief nod before stepping outside.

The door closes behind her, leaving the two of us alone.

“Sit.”

I do.

He opens the file again, reading through it as though I’m nothing more than another employee joining the company.

Another application.

Another name.

“You’re punctual.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good.”

He turns another page.

“I’m assigning you to a project under executive management.”

My fingers tighten around the arm of the chair.

“Okay.”

His eyes remain on the file.

“You’ll be working directly under me for the duration of this project.”

The words settle heavily in my chest.

Directly under him.

Every day.

I keep my expression neutral.

“Understood, sir.”

For the first time since I walked in, he looks directly at me.

Not searching.

Not questioning.

Just watching.

As if he’s quietly measuring the person sitting across from him.

“I expect two things from everyone on my team,” he says.

I wait.

“Competence.”

A brief pause.

“And honesty.”

My heartbeat falters has his words settle over the room. 

“If something affects your work, I expect you to tell me.”

His voice remains calm.

“I don’t tolerate excuses.”

For one terrifying second, I forget how to breathe.

Does he know?

No.

He can’t.

There’s no way he could.

I force myself to nod.

“Understood, sir.”

His gaze stays on me for another moment before he closes the file.

“Clara will handle the rest of your onboarding.”

“Yes, sir.”

Another brief silence passes.

“You may go.”

I rise from my chair.

“Thank you, sir.”

I turn toward the door.

“Ms. Edward.”

My hand stops on the handle.

“Yes?”

He doesn’t answer immediately.

The pause is just long enough for my pulse to climb again.

Then he speaks.

“Be ready. This project will require your full attention.”

“It won’t be a problem.”

His expression doesn’t change.

“I hope not.”

I give a single nod before opening the door.

The moment it closes behind me, I finally let myself breathe.

Only then do I realize how tense my body has been the entire time.

Clara is waiting when I step out of the office.

“How did it go?” she asks.

I steady my breathing before answering.

“I’ll be working directly under Mr. Rowan.”

For the first time since we met, something shifts in her expression.

Not surprise.

Something closer to concern.

“That’s… unusual.”

I frown.

“Why?”

She glances at the closed office door before looking back at me.

“I’ve worked here for six years.”

Her voice drops.

“I’ve never seen Mr. Rowan personally assign a new employee to an executive project on their first day.”

My thoughts begin to race.

“Then why me?”

She hesitates.

“I honestly don’t know.”

For a moment, she says nothing else.

Then she adds quietly,

“But if Mr. Rowan made the decision himself…”

She lets the sentence trail off.

She doesn’t have to finish it.

The silence says enough.

We step into the elevator together.

The doors slide shut.

My reflection stares back at me.

Calm face.

Steady breathing.

A woman who looks as though she has everything under control.

Inside, it’s a different story.

One question keeps circling through my mind.

Why me?

Not just the project.

Me.

By the time I get home, it’s later than usual.

The apartment feels warm.

Familiar.

Safe.

“Mommy!”

Mai runs straight into my arms.

I catch her, holding her a little tighter than I normally do.

She giggles.

“Mummy, you’re squeezing me.”

A small laugh slips out.

“Sorry.”

Even then, I don’t let go right away.

For a moment, I simply hold her.

Holding her reminds me why I’m doing all of this.

Why I need this job.

Why walking away has never really been an option.

Later that night, after Mai falls asleep, I stand beside her bed for a long moment.

She looks so peaceful.

Completely unaware of the storm slowly gathering around us.

I brush a strand of hair away from her face.

No matter what happens…

I have to protect her.

Even if it means keeping the truth buried a little longer.

The apartment is quiet.

For the first time all day, I let myself breathe.

Then my phone vibrates.

An email from Rowan & Co.

I frown.

At this hour?

I open it.

Executive Operations Department.

Executive Project Assignments — Orion.

My eyes move quickly down the page.

Then they stop.

Reporting Schedule: Daily.

Executive Briefing: 7:30 a.m.

Attendance is mandatory.

My heart sinks.

I keep reading.

Access Level Updated: Executive Coordination.

That wasn’t mentioned earlier.

Neither was the next line.

All project matters are to be reported directly to CEO Davis Rowan.

No department supervisor.

No team leader.

Just him.

I stare at the screen.

Tomorrow already feels too close.

And for the first time since I accepted this job…

I realize there is nowhere left to hide.