2:The Ghost in the Files

The heat of Julian’s touch lingered on Elara’s skin long after he pulled away. He returned to his desk, his movements sharp and predatory.

"The HR department sent your resume up as a ‘special recommendation,’" Julian said, flicking a folder across the mahogany surface. "I didn't realize they were recommending a ghost."

Elara reached for the folder, her fingers trembling slightly. "I have the qualifications, Julian. I’ve spent the last three years working in administrative design. I need this salary."

"Why?" Julian’s eyes narrowed, scanning her modest blazer and the slight shadows under her eyes. "Where did all that 'independent spirit' go, Elara? The girl I knew wouldn't have come crawling back to a Sterling for a paycheck."

"The girl you knew grew up," Elara snapped, her protective mother instincts flaring. "People have responsibilities. Expenses."

"Expenses," Julian repeated, his voice dripping with skepticism. He leaned back in his chair, his gaze never leaving her face. "Fine. You want the job? You’ll have it. But don't think for a second this is a reunion. You are an employee. You will be at my beck and call twenty-four hours a day. If I say jump, you don't ask how high—you just stay in the air until I tell you to come down."

"I understand," Elara whispered, though the thought of being near him every day terrified her.

"Report to the desk outside my office. My previous assistant lasted three days. Let's see if you last until lunch."

Elara spent the next four hours in a whirlwind of chaos. Julian was a tyrant. He demanded files that didn't exist, ordered coffee at temperatures that seemed impossible, and sent her on errands across the building just to see if she would break.

By 2:00 PM, Elara’s phone buzzed in her pocket. Her heart skipped a beat. It was a message from the daycare.

[DAYCARE NOTIF]: Leo has a slight fever. Please pick him up early if possible.

Panic flared in her chest. She looked at the closed doors of Julian’s office. He was in a high-stakes board meeting. This was her chance. She could run to the daycare, drop Leo at her neighbor’s house, and be back before Julian even knew she was gone.

She grabbed her purse and hurried toward the elevator.

She didn't notice the man standing by the executive filing cabinets. Julian’s head of security, Marcus, watched her leave with a suspicious glint in his eye.

Elara made it to the daycare in record time. When she saw Leo sitting on the small colorful rug, looking flushed and tired, her heart melted.

"Mama!" the little boy chirped, reaching up with chubby arms.

"I've got you, baby," she whispered, kissing his forehead. He felt warm, but he was smiling. As she hoisted him onto her hip, she didn't notice the black SUV idling across the street.

She hurried back to her apartment, settled Leo with some juice and a cartoon under the watchful eye of Mrs. Gable, her neighbor, and raced back to the Sterling Tower.

She burst into the office, breathless, just as Julian’s meeting ended. The board members filed out, looking exhausted. Julian walked out last, his tie loosened, looking like a man who had just won a war.

He stopped at her desk, his eyes traveling to her wind-swept hair and the frantic look in her eyes.

"Where were you?" he asked, his voice dangerously low.

"I... I had to step out for a personal emergency. Just twenty minutes."

Julian leaned over her desk, his hands planted firmly on the surface. "I told you. Twenty-four-hour availability. There are no 'personal emergencies' in this office."

He reached out to grab a document from her desk, but his hand brushed against her open purse. A small, plastic object tumbled out and landed on the marble floor with a plastic clatter.

Julian looked down.

It was a small, bright blue toy car. A Ferrari.

Elara’s breath hitched. Her lungs felt like they were filled with lead.

Julian picked up the toy. He turned it over in his large, powerful hand. His brow furrowed. "A toy car, Elara? Since when do you collect miniatures?"

"It’s... a gift. For a friend’s son," she lied, her voice cracking.

Julian’s gaze moved from the toy back to Elara’s face. He stepped closer, his presence overwhelming. He didn't believe her. He could smell the scent of baby powder clinging to her blazer—a scent that didn't belong in a corporate office.

"You’re a terrible liar," Julian whispered, his eyes searching hers for the truth. "You always were."

Before he could push further, his desk phone rang. "Mr. Sterling," Marcus’s voice came through the speaker. "The private investigator you hired to track Ms. Vance’s missing years just sent over a file. There’s a photo you need to see."

Elara felt the world tilt. She lunged for the phone, but Julian’s arm was a wall of iron, blocking her path.

"Stay," he commanded, his eyes fixed on hers as he pressed the speakerphone. "Send it to my tablet, Marcus."

A ping echoed in the silent office. Julian picked up his tablet and swiped the screen.

Elara watched as the color drained from Julian’s face. His hand began to shake—a movement so slight, no one else would have seen it. But she saw it.

On the screen was a grainy photo taken an hour ago. It was Elara, standing in front of the daycare, holding a little boy with dark, messy curls and a stubborn, aristocratic pout.

Julian looked at the photo, then at Elara, then back at the photo. The blue toy car fell from his hand, bouncing off the floor.

"Elara," he said, his voice no longer cold, but vibrating with a terrifying, raw power. "Who is that boy?"