THE WARNING

Aria Donovan sat at her desk, reviewing files from her first assignment, when the assistant’s voice called softly through the open door.

“Miss Donovan, Mr. Reed wants you in his office. Now.”

Her pulse quickened. Already? She hadn’t even finished her coffee. But there was no hesitation—Aria Donovan never hesitated when it came to standing her ground. She straightened her blazer, adjusted her heels, and walked down the corridor, every step measured and confident.

The office door loomed large, polished wood gleaming under the overhead lights. She knocked once, sharp and deliberate.

“Come in,” came Damon’s low, commanding voice.

Stepping inside, she saw him seated behind the massive mahogany desk, hands steepled, eyes cold and unreadable. His presence filled the room, a living warning that she wasn’t just a lawyer now—she was a player in his world.

“You’re late,” he said, eyes narrowing.

“Traffic,” she replied evenly, refusing to let her heart betray her nerves.

Damon’s lips curved into a slow, dangerous smile. “Excuses bore me, Miss Donovan. You’re here to work. Don’t waste my time.”

She sat, maintaining eye contact. “Understood.”

“Good.” His eyes flicked to the case file in her hands. “You’re assigned to Reed Corporation’s corporate audit. It’s sensitive. High stakes. I don’t tolerate mistakes.”

Aria’s pulse jumped. The same firm she thought she would master today—her first day—had just thrown her into the fire. She held her composure. “I can handle it.”

Damon leaned back, his gaze sharp. “Can you? Or are you just another bright-eyed lawyer thinking she’s untouchable?”

She straightened, meeting his stare without flinching. “I don’t consider myself untouchable. I just consider myself capable.”

A flicker of something—surprise? amusement?—passed over his expression. Most people would have crumbled under his scrutiny. She didn’t. That was…intriguing.

He stood, walking around his desk with deliberate, measured steps, each one radiating dominance. “You’re bold,” he said softly, yet every word carried weight. “I like that. But don’t mistake my interest for approval. You’re playing in dangerous waters.”

“I can swim,” Aria replied, her tone calm, but inside her heart raced. She hated feeling like this—excited, challenged, and…drawn to him all at once.

Damon stopped a few feet away, looming over her. The distance between them was small, tension thick in the air. “I warned you,” he said. “One wrong move, and this case will ruin you. And I don’t just mean professionally.”

Her breath caught. She knew he wasn’t bluffing. Damon Reed didn’t threaten—he delivered consequences. And yet…there was something magnetic, almost intoxicating, about the way he stood there, dominant and in control.

“I don’t scare easily,” she said, meeting his gaze. “If anything, I think you underestimate me.”

His smirk was a dangerous weapon. “We’ll see, Miss Donovan. We’ll see.”

The room seemed charged with electricity, a silent battle being fought with words, stares, and hidden intentions. Aria had never met anyone like him—a man whose control radiated from every movement, every glance, every word.

“You leave me no choice,” he added after a beat, softer this time, almost a whisper. “I’ll be watching. Every step. Every decision. Every mistake.”

Aria didn’t flinch, but her heart thumped. “Then I hope you’re ready to be disappointed.”

Damon’s laugh was low, almost a growl. “Not likely.”

As she left the office, her mind spun. Damon Reed was more than a challenge—he was a storm. And she, Aria Donovan, was about to be swept into it whether she wanted to or not.

But she didn’t fear storms. Not even this one.

Because storms could break you—or make you stronger.

And Aria intended to survive—and thrive.