CHAPTER FOUR:The CEO

Anna’s POV

I barely sleep.

Every time I close my eyes, I see red.

The dress. The sheets. Madison’s smile.

By morning, my eyes are swollen, but I still go to work.

Because staying home would mean thinking.

And thinking hurts.

The office feels different when I walk in.

Buzzing. Whispering.

“Have you heard?”

“He’s already here.”

“They say he fired an entire department at his last company.”

I keep my head down and head toward my desk.

New CEO.

Right.

I forgot that today was his first day.

Perfect timing.

HR calls me before I can even sit down.

“Anna, there’s been a reassignment.”

My stomach tightens.

“Reassignment?”

“You’ll now be assisting the CEO directly.”

I blink.

“Me?”

“Yes. You’re organised. Reliable. He requested someone competent.”

Requested?

How would he know me?

My heart beats faster for reasons I don’t understand.

Or maybe I do.

I smooth my blouse — loose, safe, hiding.

The same way I’ve always dressed.

The same way I’ve always made myself… less noticeable.

Then I take the elevator to the executive floor.

Each level feels heavier.

Like I’m being pulled into something I don’t fully understand.

When the doors open, everything is quieter up here.

More expensive. More controlled.

Like even the air knows it has to behave.

I walk slowly down the hallway, my heels softer against the polished floor.

I stop in front of the office door.

My reflection stares back at me from the glass panel.

Tired eyes.

Carefully neutral expression.

Someone trying very hard to hold it together.

I knock.

“Come in.”

That voice.

Low. Calm. Unmistakable.

I freeze.

For a second, I consider turning around.

Pretending I got the wrong office.

Pretending none of this is real.

But I don’t.

Slowly, I open the door.

And there he is.

The man from the black car.

Perfect suit.

Cold expression.

Seated behind the largest desk I’ve ever seen like he owns not just the room—but everything beyond it.

He looks up at me.

No surprise.

No recognition.

Like we have never met.

“…You,” I whisper before I can stop myself.

His brow lifts slightly.

“Is there a problem, Miss—”

He pauses.

I straighten immediately.

“Santos. Anna Santos, sir.”

Professional. Controlled. Like last night never happened.

Like I didn’t collapse into his car, soaked and broken.

He nods once.

“Miss Santos.”

That’s it.

No mention of the rain.

No mention of me collapsing in his car.

No mention of hijacking.

Just CEO.

He gestures to the chair in front of him.

“Sit.”

I obey.

Because he makes it sound less like a request and more like gravity.

I sit carefully, keeping my hands still in my lap, afraid even the smallest movement might give me away.

He slides a folder toward me.

“You’ll handle my schedule. Meetings, communications, travel coordination. I don’t tolerate inefficiency.”

His tone is calm.

Not loud.

Not aggressive.

But absolute.

“Yes, sir.”

He studies me for a second too long.

Like he’s seeing more than I want him to see.

Then he says coolly:

“Try not to enter my office the way you entered my car.”

My breath catches.

So he does remember.

Heat rushes to my face.

“I won’t,” I whisper.

A small flicker — almost amusement — crosses his eyes.

Then it’s gone.

“Good.”

I nod, forcing myself to stay composed, even as my heart refuses to slow down.

Because somehow—

In less than twenty-four hours—

I’ve gone from being betrayed, humiliated, and lost…

To sitting in front of the most powerful man in the building.

And something tells me—

This isn’t coincidence.

And just like that, my life shifts again.