CHAPTER FOUR: FIRST DAY COLLISION

RAELYNN

I woke earlier than I wanted, my stomach twisting the second my eyes fluttered open. Today was the day I’d step into Lucio Ashford’s world, fully aware that every step might make me a headline or worse, a punchline. I stared at the ceiling for a long moment, wishing I could vanish back under the warm cocoon of my blankets. But I couldn’t. Bills waited. Mom’s prescriptions waited. And somehow, I was stuck between fear and determination.

I dressed slowly, choosing a crisp white blouse tucked into a navy pencil skirt. Not flashy. I didn’t want to look like I was begging for attention. I wanted to look professional, invisible, but capable. I pulled my hair into a neat ponytail and lingered a second too long in the mirror. You can do this, Rae. It’s just a job. But the thought of seeing him again, the man who had turned my life into a headline, made my chest tighten.

The city was alive with its usual chaos, but I felt invisible. People hurried past me, coffee in hand, earbuds in, phones glued to faces and the noise of car alarms, motorcycles, and chatter blurred together. Somehow, it didn’t reach me.

The building loomed ahead, all glass and steel, polished floors reflecting the sunlight in sharp, blinding lines. I paused for a second, taking a shaky breath, and tried to remind myself: It’s just a job. You can do this.

Stepping inside, the air changed immediately. It was cooler, cleaner, sharper than anything I’d ever felt. People moved with purpose, heels tapping across marble floors, phones pressed to ears, eyes fixed on screens. I felt like I didn’t belong here, like a kid who had wandered into a corporate jungle and wasn’t supposed to be there.

The receptionist looked up and smiled politely. “Miss Brooks, welcome.”

“Thank you,” I muttered, offering a tight-lipped smile, hoping I didn’t look nervous. I took the clipboard she handed me and tried to focus on the words instead of the buzz of whispers brushing past me.

Orientation was a blur of paperwork, introductions, and corporate jargon I pretended to understand. But the whispers didn’t stop. A subtle tilt of heads, a small glance here and there. It was obvious the office already knew. ‘Lucio’s new assistant’, they murmured behind polite smiles. The scandal girl. My face warmed, and I clutched my bag strap like a lifeline.

Then he arrived.

Lucio Ashford didn’t announce himself. He didn’t need to. The moment he stepped through the glass doors, the room shifted. People straightened, murmurs died. And there he was, tall, impossibly composed, his black suit looked flawless, just then his green eyes caught me. My heart tripped, my pulse was spiking with heat I tried to deny.

He looked so much better than the last time I saw him.

He didn’t smile. He didn’t scowl. He just simply looked, and that look felt measured, calculating, and unreadable, it made me want to shrink into the floor. My fingers tightened around my pen. I hated how aware I was of him, the way he glanced at me sent shivers up my spine.

“Miss Brooks,” he said, voice low but clear. “You’ll be shadowing me today. Follow my instructions carefully and try to keep up.”

I lifted my chin before I could stop myself. “I usually do.”

Ohh my goodness. Why did I just say that.

His brow twitched just slightly. “Good. I don’t like repeating myself.”

My first task was simple, organize a set of client reports for his morning meeting. Simple, yes. But when it was executed under his gaze, it became a test of every ounce of my composure. I moved quickly, quietly, carefully stacking papers, double checking names and figures, resisting the urge to fidget.

“You missed a column,” he said suddenly.

I glanced down, then back up. “No, I didn’t.”

His eyes flicked to the page then a pause.

“Hmm.”

“Would you like me to pretend I did?” I asked lightly, turning back to look at him with a sickening smile.

He leaned back against his chair, arms crossed, silently watching me with a glare.

“You’re bold,” he said.

“I’m accurate,” I replied back, not caring if he was my boss.

Another beat of silence. Then, he quietly replied, “You’ll do.”

The words should have stung, but instead, they sparked something I didn’t want to feel, which was the need to prove him wrong, to show I wasn’t just a pawn.

Lunch didn’t help. While eating at the break room, I overheard whispers someone commenting on the scandal, someone else smirking as I passed by. Anger and embarrassment twisted inside me, but I refused to let it show. I kept my head down, ate quickly.

“She’s Lucio’s assistant?” one voice murmured as I passed the break room. “That… girl from the scandal?”. Another added, “Bet she slept her way in.”

My teeth clenched. The hot, suffocating mix of anger and embarrassment surged inside me. I refused to cry. Instead, I held my head high and walked out.

The day stretched long, each task felt like I was fighting a battle. I filed reports, answered calls, and resisted the urge to explode every time someone whispered too loudly.

By the time I closed my laptop at the end of the day, shoulders heavy and chest tight, I allowed myself a small, private smile. I’d survived. Not perfectly. Not gracefully. But I’d survived. I hoped he finally saw me as someone who seemed dedicated to the work and not just a cover up for the scandal.

Walking to the elevator, I felt the weight of the day lift slightly. And yet I couldn’t shake the awareness that the collision course with Lucio Ashford had only just begun.

As the elevator doors slid closed, I whispered to myself, my breath shaky but steadying, “I can survive this. I will prove them wrong. And I’m not a pawn.”

But a small, undeniable part of my heart whispered the truth I refused to speak out loud, which was that I can’t ignore him either.