Chapter 20

He wasn't a man who struggled to find words. He negotiated with ruthless businessmen, threatened powerful rivals, and commanded the attention of entire boardrooms without breaking a sweat.

Yet, with a woman who worked for him, he suddenly found himself searching for a reason to say more.

He settled on the most practical option.

"Have you had dinner?" He stared at the message after sending it.

A perfectly ordinary question.

An employer could ask whether his secretary had eaten, couldn't he?

Across the table, one of his business partners was discussing the proposed terms of their agreement.

Victor lifted his eyes. "Continue," he said.

The man immediately resumed his explanation.

Victor listened, asked two incisive questions, and pointed out a flaw in the proposal that had escaped the entire team.

His attention never wavered. Not outwardly, at least.

Then his phone vibrated beneath the table.

Victor glanced down.

"Yes, Sir. I had dinner before leaving the office. Thank you for asking. I hope your meeting is going well."

He read the message with a faint smile.

She had answered him politely, just as any competent secretary would.

And then she'd wished him well before ending the conversation.

Victor stared at the screen. That's it?

He almost laughed at himself.

What had he expected? A lengthy conversation? A personal question in return? Perhaps an invitation to call her?

He locked his phone and returned it to the table.

This was becoming absurd.

He had a business to run, a contract to secure, and a room full of men waiting for his decision.

He had absolutely no business being disappointed because his secretary had answered a simple question and returned to her evening.

And yet, when the dinner ended, Victor found himself checking his phone one last time.

There were no new messages.

For some reason, that bothered him more than it should have.

***

The second day of Victor's trip proved even more irritating.

The negotiations had progressed well, but the opposing party was proving stubborn. Victor spent most of the morning dissecting their terms and forcing them to reconsider several unreasonable demands.

By noon, he had secured a better offer.

By two, he had nearly lost his patience with a man who seemed incapable of understanding the meaning of a final decision.

By three, he was thinking about Sevra again.

He had just ended a conference call when Michael sent him an update.

"Ms. Monace has finished arranging next week's schedule. She also helped the finance department resolve a discrepancy in the documents you requested."

Victor read the message. "Why was she helping the finance department?"

"They needed a second review of the figures, Sir. Ms. Monace noticed the discrepancy while organizing your files."

Victor leaned back in his chair. Of course she had.

Sevra was observant. He had noticed that much about her during their first meeting. She possessed the kind of quiet intelligence that didn't demand attention but was difficult to overlook once discovered.

It was one of the things he liked about her.

Liked? 

Victor's expression tightened.

He was not going to spend the afternoon analyzing his feelings like some lovesick schoolboy.

He had work to do. Still, he typed another question.

"Has anyone been giving her trouble?"

Michael's reply came a few moments later.

"Nothing serious, Sir. There was a minor disagreement with Ms. Anne earlier this week, but Ms. Monace handled it professionally."

Victor's eyes narrowed.

Anne.

He remembered the HR manager. Competent enough at her job, perhaps, but far too fond of allowing personal feelings to interfere with professional judgment.

"What sort of disagreement?" he muttered.

Before he could send another message, Michael continued.

"As far as I know, it was resolved. Ms. Monace didn't file a complaint."

Victor set his phone down.

He trusted Sevra to handle herself. He had seen enough of her composure to know she wasn't easily intimidated.

But that didn't mean he appreciated the idea of anyone making her working environment unpleasant.

He would speak to Anne when he returned.

Not because he was personally concerned about Sevra, of course.

He simply expected his employees to behave professionally.

That was all.

At least, that was what he told himself.

***

That afternoon, Victor received a call from an unfamiliar number while reviewing the final contract.

He answered without looking away from the documents.

"Victor Haulette."

"Mr. Haulette? This is Daniel from the legal department. I'm sorry to disturb you, but I wanted to confirm the arrangements for tomorrow's presentation."

Victor listened as the man explained the details.

Everything seemed straightforward until Daniel casually mentioned that he had already discussed the matter with Sevra.

"Ms. Monace was very helpful," Daniel added. "She even offered to stay late if we needed assistance with the final documents."

Victor's pen stopped moving. "She offered to stay late?"

"Yes, Sir. Though I told her it probably wouldn't be necessary."

Victor said nothing for a moment.

He imagined Sevra sitting at her desk long after most of the office had emptied, checking figures and organizing documents for a presentation that wasn't even part of her immediate responsibilities.

The image irritated him.

Not because she was doing anything wrong.

Quite the opposite. She was doing too much.

"Make sure she doesn't stay beyond her working hours unless it's absolutely necessary," Victor instructed.

"Of course, Sir."

"And if you need additional help, speak to Michael. Don't put the burden on her simply because she's willing to assist."

"Understood." Daniel replied.

Victor ended the call.

He stared at the contract in front of him, but the words seemed to blur together.

Sevra had only been working for him for a week.

Already, she was making herself useful to everyone around her.

He should have been pleased. A capable secretary who could work well with other departments was an asset to the company.

Instead, he found himself wondering how many other people had discovered her competence, how many had begun relying on her, and how many would soon find reasons to seek her attention.

The thought was unwelcome.

Very unwelcome.

He didn't own her time beyond what her job required.

He knew that.

But the idea of other men finding excuses to keep her around after work was somehow more irritating than it had any right to be.

Victor closed the folder.

He needed to get a grip on himself.

This was precisely why he disliked distractions.

And Sevra Monace was becoming the most persistent one he'd encountered in years.