CHAPTER 4

Amelia didn't touch the contract.

She stared at the papers sitting between them like they were something dangerous.

Because they were.

Not because of what was written on the pages.

Because of who had placed them there.

Alexander Kingston.

A man she knew nothing about.

A man who had watched her in a parking garage and then summoned somehow knew everything about her.

A man who had watched her in a parking garage and then summoned her to his office the next day.

Nothing about this situation felt normal.

"I think there has been a misunderstanding," Amelia said carefully.

Alexander leaned back in his chair.

"Explain."

"I applied for a job."

"You are being offered one."

"No."

Her voice became firmer.

"I mean a normal job."

For the first time, a slight change appeared in his expression.

Not anger.

More like curiosity.

"What makes you think this isn't normal?"

Amelia looked around his office.

The expensive furniture.

The city view.

The silent employees outside the glass walls.

Then she looked back at him.

"Because companies don't usually send luxury cars for applicants."

A pause.

"They also don't usually know where someone was the night before."

Alexander said nothing.

And that silence confirmed everything.

Amelia folded her arms.

"Why me?"

Alexander's eyes moved toward the contract.

"Because you are qualified."

She almost laughed.

"Qualified?"

"Yes."

"I worked at a café."

"You also worked as a bookkeeper for three years."

"Part-time."

"You managed financial records for a small business."

"That was my uncle's shop."

"You handled suppliers, inventory, payroll, and taxes."

Amelia stopped.

How did he know that?

Alexander continued.

"You have experience dealing with confidential information."

She stared at him.

"You investigated me."

It wasn't a question.

Alexander didn't deny it.

"I needed to know who I was bringing into my company."

"Bringing into your company?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

His answer came immediately.

"Because I need an assistant."

Amelia looked at him suspiciously.

"There are thousands of people who want this position."

"None of them were there that night."

There it was.

The real reason.

The parking garage.

Amelia's stomach tightened.

"So this isn't about my skills."

"It is partly about your skills."

"And the other part?"

Alexander stood and walked toward the window.

For a moment, he looked less like a powerful businessman and more like someone carrying a burden.

"The person you saw in that garage was involved in something dangerous."

Amelia remained silent.

"I need to know what you remember."

Her eyes narrowed.

"You want information."

"I want the truth."

"Then ask me."

"I did."

"No."

She shook her head.

"You offered me a job first."

Alexander looked back at her.

"You think I'm trying to buy your silence."

"Are you?"

The room became still.

Most people probably would have apologized.

Most people would have lowered their eyes.

But Amelia didn't.

That caught Alexander's attention.

She was afraid.

He could see it.

Her heartbeat.

The slight tension in her shoulders.

But she still challenged him.

Interesting.

"No," he finally said.

"Then what is this?"

"A precaution."

"For you?"

"For both of us."

Amelia frowned.

"What does that mean?"

Alexander walked back to the desk.

"The moment you saw what happened, you became involved."

"I didn't do anything."

"That doesn't matter."

His voice became colder.

"There are people who won't care whether you were involved or not."

A chill moved through her.

"Are you threatening me?"

"No."

His answer was immediate.

"I'm warning you."

___________________________________________________________________________________

Amelia looked down at the contract again.

The salary number caught her attention.

It was impossible.

More money than she had ever made.

More money than she could save in years.

Enough for her mother's surgery.

Enough to pay the hospital.

Enough to give Noah the chance to focus on school.

It was exactly what she needed.

And that scared her.

Because nothing this good came without a price.

"What are the conditions?"

Alexander's expression changed slightly.

"You read contracts carefully."

"I have to."

"Most people only look at the salary."

"Most people don't have a family depending on them."

The words came out before she could stop them.

Alexander studied her.

"You take care of everyone."

Amelia looked away.

"Someone has to."

"That is not always a good thing."

She frowned.

"Are you giving me life advice now?"

"No."

"Good."

"I am telling you that people who carry everything alone eventually break."

The comment surprised her.

Because it didn't sound like something a ruthless billionaire would say.

It sounded personal.

But before she could ask, Alexander returned to the contract.

"The conditions are simple."

"Simple usually means complicated."

A faint movement appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Almost a smile.

Almost.

"You will work as my executive assistant for six months."

"Six months?"

"Yes."

"Why six?"

"Because I need someone reliable."

"Only six?"

"If the arrangement works, it can become permanent."

Amelia looked through the pages.

The responsibilities were normal.

Schedule management.

Business meetings.

Travel arrangements.

Organizing documents.

Nothing strange.

Until she reached one section.

Confidentiality Agreement.

Her eyes moved across the words.

She understood why it existed.

Kingston Holdings was a major company.

Secrets mattered.

But the wording was unusually strict.

"You want me to sign this?"

"Yes."

"What happens if I refuse?"

"Nothing."

That answer surprised her.

"Nothing?"

"You are free to leave."

Amelia studied him.

"Then why do I feel like you expect me to say yes?"

Alexander looked directly at her.

"Because I believe you will."

Her eyebrows lifted.

"You are very confident."

"No."

He glanced at the contract.

"I know what desperation looks like."

The words stung.

Not because they were cruel.

Because they were true.

Amelia looked away.

She hated that he could see it.

She hated that a stranger could understand her situation so easily.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Her phone suddenly vibrated.

She looked down.

A message from the hospital.

Payment Reminder: 6 Days Remaining.

Her chest tightened.

Alexander noticed.

"What happened?"

"Nothing."

"Your expression says otherwise."

Amelia put the phone away.

"It's personal."

"I understand."

The fact that he didn't push surprised her.

For some reason, she expected him to demand answers.

Instead, he simply returned to his chair.

"You can take the contract home."

Amelia looked at him.

"I thought you needed an answer."

"I do."

"When?"

"Tomorrow morning."

She stood.

"Why give me time?"

Alexander looked at her.

"Because I want you to choose."

Those words caught her off guard.

Choose.

Not accept.

Not obey.

Choose.

"Why?"

"Because I don't want someone working for me who feels trapped."

Amelia studied him carefully.

For a man with such a terrifying reputation, he was surprisingly difficult to understand.

"Thank you."

She picked up the contract.

At the door, she stopped.

"Mr. Kingston?"

"Yes?"

"If I accept this job..."

"Yes?"

"I won't become part of whatever happened that night."

Alexander's eyes darkened.

"I hope not."

The answer made her pause.

"Hope?"

But he didn't explain.

___________________________________________________________________________________

When Amelia left Kingston Tower, she felt like she had stepped into another world.

The contract was in her bag.

The opportunity was in her hands.

But something bothered her.

Alexander Kingston had offered her everything she needed.

And good salary.

A stable job.

A chance to save her family.

Yet instead of feeling relieved...

She felt like she was standing at the edge of a cliff.

One wrong step.

And everything could fall apart.

Across the street, inside another vehicle, a man watched her leave the building.

He picked up his phone.

"The girl met with Kingston."

A voice answered.

"And?"

"He's hiring her."

Silence.

Then:

"That can't happen."

The man looked toward Kingston Tower.

"What do you want me to do?"

The answer came coldly.

"Find out what she knows."

"And if she knows too much?"

Another pause.

Then the voice replied:

"Make sure she forgets."

Amelia had no idea that accepting a job could make her a target.

She thought she was choosing a way to save her family.

She didn't know she was walking directly into a war between powerful people.

And she definitely didn't know that the billionaire she feared...

Would become the only person standing between her and danger.