5

For a split second, the air between them vanished.

With every breath Chloe Bishop drew, her senses were filled with the man’s overwhelming, dominant presence.

Xavier Grayson, meanwhile, caught a faint, delicate fragrance drifting off her skin.

It was exquisite and light—no heavy perfume, no cheap artificial sweetness.

For the first time in his entire life, the close proximity of a woman didn't trigger an immediate reaction of disgust.

Why... why did this scent feel so strangely familiar, as if he had breathed it in somewhere before...?

Both of their bodies froze instantly.

Chloe Bishop was the first to snap back to her senses. She scrambled back a full step in panic.

"President Grayson, I am so sorry..."

As she pulled away, that subtle, delicate fragrance vanished into thin air.

The executives still lingering in their seats sucked in a sharp, collective breath at the sight.

Even Ubba stared in disbelief. In all his years working for the boss, he had never seen Xavier Grayson get this close to any woman.

Feeling the air in the vast conference room turn suffocatingly tense, Chloe’s heart leaped straight into her throat.

Is he going to fire me right here, right now?!

Yet Xavier Grayson said nothing. He turned on his heel and strode out of the room.

Chloe stood frozen for a beat before hurrying out behind him. She was finally starting to understand like dancing with the devil.

The moment Xavier Grayson’s figure disappeared down the corridor, a collective sigh of survival echoed through the conference room.

One executive couldn't resist leaning over to whisper, "Assistant Ubba, what's the deal with that woman and President Grayson?"

"She's... just President Grayson's new secretary."

Even as Ubba said the words, his own voice lacked conviction. Under normal circumstances, any secretary who dared to physically bump into the boss would have been fired on the spot.

Chloe followed trailing steps behind Xavier Grayson, treading with absolute caution.

Suddenly, the man came to a dead halt.

Thankfully, Chloe had maintained her strict one-meter distance, or she would have slammed straight into his back a second time.

"You haven't eaten?" he asked without turning around.

Chloe blinked in surprise, then nodded meekly. "Because I was working on those meeting files earlier, I didn't get a chance to..."

"Go to the cafeteria now. Don't come back until you're full."

His words threw her off completely. Chloe lifted her eyes to gaze up at his godlike, sculpted profile.

"President Grayson... are you... caring about me?" she ventured carefully.

Her question made Xavier Grayson’s heart skip a beat. Even he hadn't realized why those words had slipped out of his mouth in the first place...

"You are currently my secretary," he replied, his tone chilling over instantly. "Your actions reflect directly on me."

Chloe instantly understood what he meant.

He was referring to her loud, rumbling stomach during the board meeting—she had embarrassed him in front of his executives.

Of course. How could a man like him actually care about her? She was just a temp who would be out of his hair in two weeks anyway.

"Understood, sir."

Xavier Grayson took a step forward, but noticing the woman wasn't following behind him, he threw a backward glance. "What are you standing there for?"

Chloe froze, confused. "Didn't you just tell me to go eat at the cafeteria...?"

"You're taking the regular elevators?" he asked, his voice flat and unreadable.

Realization dawned on her, and she scurried forward to catch up. Side by side, they stepped into his private executive elevator.

As a landmark skyscraper of Vegas, Grayson Tower towered at a hundred stories. Chloe had overheard earlier that the employee cafeteria occupied the entire 50th floor—right in the middle of the building to make it convenient for staff from all floors to dine.

Rumor had it that the food at Grayson Corporation was so exquisite it easily rivaled five-star hotels. Aside from the lavish lunch spread available during the standard break hours between noon and two, meals were served all day long, albeit with a slightly simpler menu outside peak hours.

Chloe pressed the button for the 50th floor.

Then, out of courtesy, she reached over and pressed the button for the 100th floor for Xavier Grayson.

A second later, the elevator began its descent.

Realizing the lift was heading down first simply because she had pressed the 50th floor before his 100th, Chloe panicked and apologized immediately.

"President Grayson, I am so sorry! I didn't realize—"

"It's fine," the man’s deep voice cut her off smoothly.

Since it was the high-speed private elevator, it arrived at the 50th floor in a matter of seconds.

"I'll take my leave now, sir." Chloe offered a polite nod before stepping out into the bright foyer.

The doors slid shut, and the lift resumed its climb upward.

Chloe turned back to watch the ascending indicator light.

Why does it feel like this guy isn't as completely unreasonable as everyone makes him out to be...?