Chapter 2 - The Man Behind the Name

The elevator doors opened with a soft chime.

Lena froze.

The man standing at the end of the private office hallway was the same man she had seen in the lobby that morning.

Tall. Impossibly calm. Dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit.

And now, everyone around her was looking at him with unmistakable respect.

“Good morning, Mr. Alexander.”

“Good morning, sir.”

“Morning, CEO.”

Lena's heart dropped.

CEO?

Her fingers tightened around the folder in her hands.

No.

It couldn't be him.

She quickly looked down at the company ID hanging around his neck.

Alexander Blackwood.

Chief Executive Officer.

Blackwood International.

Her stomach twisted.

The stranger she had accidentally bumped into earlier was the CEO.

And worse—

She had spilled coffee on him.

She had called him arrogant.

And she had told him to buy himself another suit.

Oh, no.

“Miss Carter.”

His deep voice pulled her back to reality.

Lena slowly raised her head.

Alexander was staring directly at her.

“Y-Yes, sir?”

“You're late.”

She blinked.

“I'm sorry?”

“You were supposed to be in the conference room five minutes ago.”

Lena glanced at the clock.

He was right.

“I—I was looking for the conference room.”

A faint lift of his eyebrow was the only reaction she received.

“You've worked here for three months.”

“I know.”

“And you still don't know where the conference room is?”

“I usually work on the third floor.”

Silence.

Alexander stepped closer.

Lena immediately caught the expensive scent of his cologne.

“Excuses don't impress me, Miss Carter.”

Her cheeks heated.

“I wasn't making excuses.”

“Then what were you doing?”

“Explaining.”

For the first time, something almost resembling amusement appeared in his eyes.

Almost.

“Interesting.”

He walked past her.

“Come.”

Lena stared after him.

“Where?”

He stopped.

“Conference room.”

Of course.

She hurried after him.

---

The conference room was already filled with executives.

The moment Alexander entered, everyone became silent.

Lena quietly took a seat near the end of the table.

She tried to make herself invisible.

Unfortunately, Alexander had other plans.

“Miss Carter.”

She looked up.

“Yes?”

“Sit here.”

He pointed to the empty chair directly beside him.

Lena's eyes widened.

“Beside you?”

“Yes.”

Every executive in the room looked at her.

Her face burned.

She slowly stood and moved to the seat.

What was going on?

She was only an assistant.

Why was the CEO suddenly paying attention to her?

The meeting began.

Reports were presented one after another.

Lena listened carefully, taking notes.

Then Alexander suddenly asked a question.

“Who prepared the financial projection?”

A nervous-looking manager raised his hand.

“I did, sir.”

Alexander looked at the report.

“This projection is wrong.”

The manager paled.

“Wrong, sir?”

“You've underestimated the operating costs by twelve percent.”

Lena glanced at the numbers.

She frowned.

There was something strange about them.

Before she could stop herself, she spoke.

“Actually…”

The entire room went silent.

Alexander turned toward her.

“Go on.”

Lena swallowed.

“The operating costs aren't twelve percent higher.”

The manager stared at her.

“What are you talking about?”

Lena pointed at the spreadsheet.

“The transportation expenses were entered twice.”

She quickly calculated the figures.

“If we remove the duplicate entry, the actual difference is only three percent.”

Silence.

Alexander looked at the report again.

Then at Lena.

“You're right.”

The manager's face turned red.

Alexander closed the folder.

“Fix it.”

“Yes, sir.”

The meeting continued.

But Lena could feel Alexander's eyes on her several times.

She tried to ignore it.

She couldn't.

---

After the meeting, Lena gathered her things.

She was almost at the door when Alexander spoke.

“Miss Carter.”

She stopped.

“Yes?”

“Stay.”

Everyone else left.

The large conference room suddenly felt much bigger.

And much quieter.

Alexander leaned back in his chair.

“You studied finance?”

“Business administration.”

“And yet you're working as an assistant.”

Lena lowered her eyes.

“I needed a job.”

“That's not an answer.”

She looked at him.

“My family needed money.”

For a moment, his expression softened.

Only slightly.

Then it disappeared.

“You're more capable than your position suggests.”

Lena didn't know what to say.

“Thank you?”

“That wasn't a compliment.”

She frowned.

“Then what was it?”

“A fact.”

He pushed a document toward her.

“Read this.”

Lena picked it up.

Her eyes widened.

It was a confidential acquisition proposal.

“Why are you showing me this?”

“Because I need someone who can analyze it without being influenced by the executives involved.”

“And you trust me?”

“No.”

She looked at him.

Alexander's expression remained unreadable.

“But I think you can be useful.”

Lena couldn't decide whether to be offended or flattered.

“That's… comforting.”

His lips almost curved into a smile.

Almost.

“You have until tomorrow morning.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Eight o'clock.”

Lena stared at the thick document.

“That isn't enough time.”

“Then don't sleep.”

Her jaw dropped.

“You're serious?”

“Very.”

Alexander stood.

The conversation was clearly over.

Lena gathered the papers and turned toward the door.

Then she stopped.

“Mr. Blackwood?”

He looked at her.

“About this morning…”

“The coffee?”

She nodded awkwardly.

“I'm sorry.”

Alexander stared at her for several seconds.

Then he said quietly,

“Don't worry about it.”

Lena smiled in relief.

Until he added—

“I've already deducted the cost of the suit from your salary.”

Her smile disappeared.

“What?!”

For the first time, Alexander smiled.

A real smile.

And somehow, that made him even more dangerous.

“Good luck, Miss Carter.”

Lena stood there speechless.

As the door closed behind her, Alexander's smile slowly faded.

He looked at the confidential proposal on his desk.

Then at the door through which she had disappeared.

There was something about Lena Carter that didn't make sense.

She was too observant.

Too intelligent.

And far too calm under pressure.

Most importantly—

She didn't know who she really was.

Alexander picked up his phone.

“Find everything you can about Lena Carter.”

A voice answered from the other end.

“Everything?”

Alexander's eyes darkened.

“Everything.”

He ended the call.

Because there was one thing Lena didn't know.

The company wasn't the only thing hiding a secret.

So was she.