Chapter 1

"Everyone, come take a look! Stop whatever you're doing and come see this!"

The man dragged me all the way from the elevator to the main office floor, pitching his voice loud on purpose.

"This new hire just started today, and he's already trying to claw his way up by trading on his looks! In the elevator just now, right in front of me, he had the nerve to press himself against my wife!"

Over a hundred employees stopped what they were doing and craned their necks to look.

The man's wife stood beside him, her face drained of color, stammering out a defense. "Honey, it really wasn't like that. He was only helping me..."

"Shut your mouth!" The man shoved her hard. She stumbled back into a desk and didn't dare say another word.

The coworkers around us started pointing and whispering, their eyes full of contempt and the eager anticipation of watching a scene unfold.

"Isn't that Brett Sandler? The new guy picked the wrong guy to mess with."

"Exactly. Everyone knows Brett runs this place like he owns it. Look at this new one, though, he's got the kind of face that gets him into trouble. Bet he really did do something shameless."

"Getting that close to Melanie Forrest? That's just asking to get caught red handed."

The ugly comments kept crawling into my ears.

So this was the infamous Brett Sandler.

I took a deep breath and fixed him with a sharp stare. "Are you done making a scene? Let go of me."

"Let go? Scum like you doesn't get to stay in this company. If I don't teach you a lesson myself today, you'll learn it the hard way out there in the real world."

Brett clenched his fist and swung it toward my face.

Just as I was about to fight back, a sharp female voice cut through the office from the far end.

"What's all this noise during work hours? Has everyone forgotten they have jobs to do?"

The crowd parted. A middle-aged woman in an expensive suit and heavy makeup came clicking across the floor in high heels.

The moment Brett saw her, he let go of my collar and rushed over with a fawning smile.

"Ms. Barrymore, you're finally here!" He jabbed a finger at me. "This one just started today, and he's already looking for a shortcut.

"Caught him red-handed hitting on my wife in the elevator. A shameless gigolo like this, corrupting the whole office, needs to be fired right now."

Ms. Barrymore narrowed her eyes and looked me over, her gaze crawling from my face down to my waist with an open, lecherous hunger she made no effort to hide.

"Sturdy build, decent face," she said with a scornful snort. "Shame you're putting it to the wrong use.

"Kid, if you wanted to sleep your way up, you picked the wrong branch. We don't take your kind here."

That actually made me laugh.

I straightened my rumpled tie, drew myself up to my full height, and looked at her coldly.

"You're Victoria Barrymore, the branch's vice president? As a company executive, you might want to watch your mouth before you insult an employee for no reason at all."

Ms. Barrymore blinked, apparently unused to a new hire pushing back like this.

Brett, thinking he'd found new ammunition, snapped, "Ms. Barrymore, look at him, not even flinching. That's the look of a repeat offender.

"He's probably been getting by on this exact trick his whole career. And today of all days, the new president is supposed to be starting, and I heard he doesn't tolerate this kind of garbage. We can't let him see this filth walking around the office."

That was all it took. Ms. Barrymore's face went cold, and she gave me an order. "Enough talk. You're fired."

I kept my voice even. "Ms. Barrymore, firing an employee requires due process. This is my first day, and I haven't broken a single rule. What grounds do you have to let me go?"

"Grounds?" She laughed coldly. "Seducing a coworker, wrecking someone's marriage, a serious violation of section three of the employee handbook, creating a hostile work environment. Is that reason enough for you?

"Kid, I don't think you understand how the real world works. In this company, I decide who stays and who goes. I just told you you're out. Get moving."

I held her gaze and said each word slowly and clearly. "Is that right? Because I'm not someone you get to fire on a whim.

"I'm the new president headquarters sent to take over this branch. My name is Timothy Griffin."