Chapter 2: The Devil’s Office

I stood frozen in Lucas Black’s office while he sat back in his chair, his eyes looking into me like knives I refused to flinch from.

“Sit down,” he said, pointing at the chair across from his desk, his tone cold enough to make anyone else tremble instantly.

I pulled the chair back and sat, crossing my legs slowly, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing me nervous or small.

“You think you’re ready to work for me?” he asked, leaning forward slightly, his elbows resting on the polished desk surface.

“Yes,” I said firmly, meeting his eyes without looking away once, because showing weakness now would destroy everything before it began.

He tilted his head. “Then let’s start now. You’ll handle every call, every message, and every schedule change I throw at you today.”

“Fine,” I replied, pulling out the notepad I brought with me, ready to prove I wasn’t just another spoiled useless heiress.

His lips twitched, almost like he found me amusing, but then he leaned back again, pulling out his phone and dialing fast.

Within seconds, my phone buzzed with an email notification, another, then three more, each one carrying a different set of instructions.

“Confirm those meetings, reschedule the conference call with the investors, and send the revised proposal draft to my legal department immediately,” he said.

“I don’t have your email access,” I said calmly, holding my phone, knowing he expected me to either panic or complain immediately.

“You’ll figure it out,” he said, his tone dismissive, his eyes returning to the laptop screen as if I was already boring him completely.

I stood, walked to his secretary outside, got the details I needed in less than three minutes, and returned immediately.

He looked up when I walked back in. “That fast?” he asked, clearly expecting me to still be lost somewhere between offices.

“Everything’s scheduled, confirmed, and sent,” I said, handing him the updated timetable I forced his secretary to print for me instantly.

He scanned it once, his eyes narrowing. “You didn’t just send the draft. You corrected the errors in the legal terms too.”

“Yes,” I said simply. “The clauses were outdated. They would’ve caused delays. I fixed them. I assumed you don’t like delays.”

For the first time, his lips curved into the faintest smile, not warm, but sharp, like he found something unexpectedly interesting about me.

“You noticed details most people don’t even see,” he said, putting the papers down slowly, his gaze locking on mine again hard.

“I notice everything,” I replied, keeping my voice steady, though my heart was hammering from the way he kept testing me nonstop.

His phone rang, and he answered. I stayed quiet, but listened as he spoke to someone about an urgent supplier negotiation deal.

He cut the call and looked at me. “Draft a contract proposal for a twenty percent cost reduction. You have fifteen minutes.”

“Do you want it typed or handwritten?” I asked, already pulling my laptop from my bag, my fingers ready to start working fast.

“Typed. Professional. If it’s sloppy, you’ll be gone before lunch,” he said, his tone low, daring me to argue or fail.

I opened a blank document and started typing quickly, my mind racing with every detail I remembered from my business classes before.

When I finished, I saved it, printed it outside, and placed the document on his desk, exactly fourteen minutes later without a second wasted.

He picked it up, read through the pages carefully, and then looked up at me with a piercing expression I couldn’t quite read instantly.

“Where did you learn this?” he asked, his voice quieter this time, almost like he couldn’t understand how I knew so much already.

“I pay attention,” I said, my lips curving slightly. “And I don’t forget anything that might come in handy later when it matters.”

His phone buzzed again. He answered, gave a few curt instructions, then hung up, his gaze never leaving me even once.

“Pick up lunch from downstairs,” he said suddenly, tossing his card at me without looking up, his tone blunt like he was dismissing me.

I caught the card mid-air and stood. “What do you want exactly?” I asked, refusing to waste time guessing when he could answer fast.

“Steak sandwich, black coffee, no sugar. Don’t keep me waiting,” he said, already turning back to his computer screen without hesitation.

I went downstairs, grabbed the order quickly, and returned in less than ten minutes, setting the food neatly in front of him immediately.

He looked at me with narrowed eyes. “You didn’t taste it? You’re supposed to check if I’ve been poisoned, Eva. First rule here.”

“I already did,” I said flatly, pulling the second coffee cup from the bag. “I ordered two, both identical. I drank one myself.”

For the first time, his expression cracked completely into a low laugh that made the room vibrate, sharp and unsettling at the same time.

“You think fast,” he said, taking the cup and sipping. “Most people just panic when I say that. You actually covered yourself already.”

“I don’t panic,” I said softly, my lips curling slightly. “Not anymore. I already know what happens when you let fear win anything.”

He studied me for a long time, then leaned back again, folding his arms. “You’re not what I expected when you called me yesterday.”

“I told you I’m not here to be a pretty decoration or an easy assistant,” I said. “I came here to work and win everything.”

His phone buzzed again. He ignored it this time and leaned forward. “Julian Hayes called me earlier today. He said you’re unstable.”

My jaw tightened instantly. “Julian is a liar,” I said, knowing he must have overheard me talking to Lucas yesterday... that’s probably why he called Lucas today. That bastard. I cursed inwardly. “He’s just angry because I refused to marry him anymore.”

Lucas tilted his head, his smirk slow. “So the rumors are true. You broke the engagement before the families finalized the agreement officially.”

“Yes,” I said without hesitation. “And I’ll do it again. I don’t want him. I don’t want his lies. I don’t want his name.”

His gaze lingered on me, almost like he was deciding whether I was a problem or an opportunity waiting to be used carefully.

“You’ll cause trouble,” he said finally, his tone low. “But trouble isn’t always bad when it’s handled by the right person smartly.”

I leaned forward, my hands flat on his desk. “I’m not afraid of trouble, Mr. Black. I’m afraid of wasting my second chance now.”

He didn’t speak for a while, just stared, then finally said, “Go back to your desk outside. You’ll start full-time immediately, no excuses.”

I nodded once and stood, walking out of his office, my chest tight but steady, refusing to let myself breathe too fast from nerves.

---

The rest of the day went by in a rush, with nonstop tasks, endless calls, and piles of contracts he dumped on my desk constantly.

Every time I thought he was done testing me, he found something harder, something meant to break me, but I refused to bend once.

By the time the clock hit six, my phone was buzzing nonstop with Julian’s name flashing across the screen over and over again.

I silenced it, shoved it in my bag, and gathered my things. I wasn’t giving him a single second of my time anymore.

When I reached the parking lot, I stopped instantly. A bouquet of roses sat on the hood of my car, wrapped neatly in red paper.

I froze, then stepped closer, my chest tight, pulling the small white card tucked between the flowers, the handwriting painfully familiar.

You can’t escape me, Eva.

I crushed the note in my hand and tossed it in the trash, refusing to let him see me scared even for one second.

"Julian is definitely going crazy, and I can’t help but love it."

But as I unlocked the car and slid inside, I caught something from the corner of my eye, a figure lingering near the streetlight.

I turned sharply, but the figure was gone in an instant, leaving the air heavy and my pulse running wild in my throat suddenly.

I gripped the steering wheel tighter, whispering under my breath, “You can try, Julian. But you won’t win this time, not ever again.”