ログインROSALIE The rain outside was tapping softly against the glass windows of the expensive Italian restaurant. I sat across the white linen table, wearing my favorite dark blue dress, holding my thick leather notebook very tightly in my lap. My heart was beating like a wild bird inside my cage.Elliot had told me to meet him here at seven o'clock after work. When he asked me earlier today in his office if I had plans, my mind had immediately jumped to business. I thought he wanted to review the new property schedules, or check the budget numbers for next week's board meeting, or talk about the European division replacement files. That was just how our life always worked. We were boss and assistant. We worked all day, and even when we weren't working, we talked about work.So, naturally, the very first thing I did when I sat down at this fancy candlelit table was open my notebook, click my silver pen, and look right up at him with a serious, professional expression."Okay, Elliot," I said
ROSALIE Walking back through the glass doors of Sterling Hospitality Group’s main Chicago headquarters felt like stepping out of a dark, stormy ocean and back onto warm, solid ground. The familiar hum of the ninth-floor executive office wrapped around me like an old, comforting sweater. My smooth wooden desk was right back where it belonged, sitting just outside Elliot’s grand glass doors.Yet, as I sat down in my plush desk chair on my very first morning back, I knew everything had changed. I was back to being Elliot Sterling’s personal assistant, but I wasn't the same girl who had packed her bags for London weeks ago.A quiet, burning determination settled deep inside my chest. I refused to let my return make anyone in this office think I was weak, incapable, or running away from a challenge. I threw myself into my work with a fierce, unwavering focus. I organized the multi-property investment schedules, double-checked every single vendor contract, and answered phone calls with abs
ROSALIE"Rosalie? Rosalie, talk to me!" Elliot’s voice through the small speaker of my phone did not sound like the calm, collected billionaire CEO of Sterling Hospitality Group anymore. It sounded rough, frantic, and filled with a raw, terrifying panic that pierced straight through my chest. "What happened? Where are you right now? Did someone hurt you?"I sat huddled against the cold wooden floor of my apartment front door, pulling my knees up tightly to my chin, my whole body shaking so violently that I could barely hold the device steady. I tried to speak, but my throat was completely choked with thick, heavy sobs."I... I'm at my apartment," I managed to cry out, my voice breaking apart into ragged pieces as the terrifying memory of Dr. Harrison locking that office door flashed across my mind. "Elliot... he... he locked the door. He wouldn't let me leave.""Who, Rosalie?" Elliot demanded, his voice dropping into a low, dangerous growl that vibrated with absolute fury. "Who locked
ROSALIEThe heavy click of the office door locking behind Dr. Arthur Harrison echoed inside my head like a terrifying alarm bell. My heart hammered against my ribs so violently that I thought it might burst right out of my chest. Every single nerve ending in my body screamed with cold, jagged panic. I knew instantly, with absolute clarity, that his behavior had crossed a dark and dangerous line from which there was no turning back.I scrambled backward, my legs hitting hard against the edge of my desk chair, putting as much physical space between us as the tiny room allowed."Step back, Dr. Harrison," I demanded, my voice shaking uncontrollably, yet ringing with a fierce, desperate edge of fury. "Do not come any closer to me."Dr. Harrison stopped for a fraction of a second, his dark eyes narrowing like a cat cornering a trapped mouse. A cold, ugly smile touched the corners of his mouth."You are making this so much harder than it needs to be, Rosalie," he murmured smoothly, taking an
ROSALIE The heavy silence of the London headquarters felt entirely different at night. During the day, the eighth-floor office was loud, busy, and full of moving people. But as the clock ticked past seven in the evening, the bright hallways grew dark, empty, and terrifyingly quiet.For the past several days, I had been living in a constant state of nervous tension. I tried my absolute best to remain professional, keeping my distance and refusing to encourage Dr. Arthur Harrison in any way. I hoped that if I kept my head down and focused only on my work, he would eventually understand that I was not interested in playing his games.Instead, his attitude had grown colder and more demanding every single time we were alone. In front of the other employees, he was still the polite, smiling regional director. But the second the office doors closed, his tone shifted. He would make subtle, frustrating comments suggesting that I somehow owed him my loyalty, my time, and my compliance because
ROSALIE The cold, grey morning light filtered through the tall glass windows of the London international headquarters, casting long shadows across my smooth mahogany desk. For the past several days, I had been walking on a tightrope of pure stress and careful strategy. Ever since Dr. Arthur Harrison made that threatening remark about my probation, I knew I had to be extremely smart about every single step I took in this building.I refused to let him force me out, but I also refused to let him trap me alone.Whenever he called me into his office, I made sure to leave my door wide open, or I politely asked another junior associate to walk inside with me under the excuse of delivering a file. I kept every single conversation rigidly focused on budgets, zoning laws, and municipal permits. I gave him zero openings, zero smiles, and zero personal details.Yet, Dr. Harrison seemed entirely determined to break down my walls."Rosalie," his smooth, confident voice echoed through the intercom







