I couldn't believe it. My boss cut me off. I cut myself off! It was only one damn decision! How could not bringing the documents personally result in blocking my access to the CEO's office?! I failed. I screwed up everything. I would never get any information from Agnes, Louise, or Michelle, and without any chance to get near my boss, this mission had zero chance of succeeding!I couldn't breathe. I leaned my back against the wall and sank to the floor. As my buttocks hit the ground, I thanked God that the top-floor corridor was empty. The constant high-pitched tune played in my ears, forming a pressure that felt like it could make my head explode. I raised my chin and kept biting small, insufficient chunks of air. My heart pounded at a frantic pace while I struggled to stop my attack from escalating. I splayed my hands on the floor, needing to know that it wasn't moving. I had to calm myself down fast. I couldn't let anyone see—"Hey! Are you OK?" I heard a man's voice, and I swear I

Five minutes later, I was sitting in the backseat of a car worth more than my apartment. No. Scratch that. That car was probably worth more than the whole building where Emily and I were living. Aiden was sitting next to me. He was wearing a navy three-piece suit with a white shirt and a loosened blue tie. His hair was slightly ruffled, but he was just as freaking elegant and presentable as ever, and—God help me—I was doing my best not to look at him. The whole car was filled with the scent of his perfume, or perhaps what I felt were his pheromones… Either way, the scent was triggering all kinds of dangerous chemical reactions in my system, turning me into a ticking bomb. "The neighborhood where you live..." he started, and my whole body tensed. "It's not the safest area to live in." Sucking a deep breath, I faced him. "It was affordable." Something close to curiosity filled his stare. "I don't mean to be rude, but I thought that all Yale graduates land decent jobs rather quickly."

Three pairs of eyes stared at me in silence. All three pairs were wide open and filled with terror and disbelief. Caesar Hart and Mr. Stone had left minutes ago, leaving the four of us in absolute stillness and silence. "Are you out of your mind?!" Michelle finally roared, glaring at me. "Do you have any idea what this guy is capable of?!" "Michelle!" Agnes frowned at her. I narrowed my eyes. "What is he capable of?" Agnes cleared her throat. "She only meant that Caesar Hart owns a big part of this company. It's not wise to antagonize him." "That doesn't mean that he can do whatever he wants," I convinced. "As far as I know, I don't work for him, and neither do you." Michelle sighed. "Let's just… forget about it and get to work, OK?" I didn't miss the way her eyes swept over the security cameras in two corners of our workspace. I nodded and gave her a nervous smile. "Yes. Let's focus on work." We had quickly chosen our tasks and then merely spoke to one another for a few hours.

"I'm not trying to seduce my boss," I told Logan on the way up to the top floor. My voice was laced with hysteric laughter, and I doubted that I could be less convincing even if I stuck a huge "liar" sign to my forehead.The only comforting thing about our ride together was that we were alone in the elevator car, and no one else could see my growing embarrassment.Logan smirked. "If you don't want to seduce your boss, you can always seduce me. I won't mind at all."I groaned. "Could you please stop?" I felt the heat flooding my cheeks, wave after wave.Suddenly, he leaned back and raised his hands in surrender. "I hope that you don't take my dumb words as harassment at work. I'm not trying to insinuate anything improper either."I raised my eyebrows. "Oh, really? And do you know any kind of not improper seduction?"He gave me a crooked smile. "You make it sound so dirty."I huffed a chuckle. "I make it sound dirty?"He grinned. "Yes… and I love it."I rolled my eyes. "You're impossibl

My Fairy Godmothers—and Fairy Godfathers—left a few minutes before eight. I tried to steady my breath while my heart hammered against my poor ribcage. I slowly walked down the stairs, hopelessly pretending to be composed as my legs wobbled in the pair of Louboutins. Surprisingly, the shoes didn't hurt my feet, which made me hope that I would survive this night without having a strong desire to walk barefoot.The black Bentley was already waiting for me as I exited the building. Philip stood by the car wearing an impeccable suit uniform and a chauffeur's hat. He gave me a little bow as soon as he saw me. I nodded toward him, tightened the grip on my purse, and forced myself to breathe out the stress. I took a few cautious steps but instantly halted as the backseat door opened. Aiden got out of the car and smoothed his jacket. He wore a black suit, a white shirt, and a black tie, and he made it look like a few million dollars at least. He oozed power and authority and surely could have