All Chapters of HIRED BY THE RUTHLESS CEO : Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

AriaI pull up every article I can find about the accident. My laptop screen glows in the dark living room, and each headline feels like a punch to the chest.Tech Entrepreneur's Negligence Kills Teenager in Factory FireCross Family Loses Daughter, Business in Devastating AccidentDavid Holt Sentenced to Three Years for Corporate ManslaughterEmily Cross smiles at me from a photo, sixteen and full of life she'll never get to live. Dark hair like her brother's. The same sharp jawline.She died because my father cut corners on electrical wiring to save money. The fire spread through the Cross family's manufacturing facility in minutes. Emily had been there for a tour, excited about following in her father's footsteps.She burned.I can still remember the news footage - black smoke billowing, firefighters shouting, someone screaming for Emily. I was sixteen years old, eating cereal in our kitchen when my mother’s face went white at the television. That scream still wakes me up sometimes

Aria povHis office is a monument to power. Glass walls on two sides frame the city below like a possession. The desk is massive, black and minimalist. Everything here is designed to intimidate and It's working."Please, sit." Damien gestures to a chair across from his desk.I sit, keeping my spine straight, my hands folded in my lap. He doesn't sit immediately. Instead, he walks to the windows, hands in his pockets, studying the view.Studying me through the reflection."Your resume is impressive." He turns, leaning against the window frame. Light haloes him from behind, making it hard to read his expression. "Top of your class at UCLA. Dual degree in business and marketing. Wonderful recommendations from professors.""Thank you." I keep my voice neutral."But you've been working at a mid-tier marketing firm for two years." He tilts his head, watching me like I'm a puzzle to solve. "Below your qualifications. Why?"Because no one else would hire me. Because your name closes doors bef

Aria's POVI arrive at 7:00 AM. The tower is already buzzing with activity, executives striding through the lobby clutching their coffee and purpose like armor. I'm wearing my best suit—navy blue, two years old, pressed until the creases are sharp enough to cut through doubts. Still, it’s not enough. I can tell by the way the receptionist’s eyes flicker over me, assessing, cataloging, quickly deciding I don’t belong."Aria Holt." I hand her my new employee badge. "First day.""Twenty-second floor." She doesn't smile. “HR will meet you at the elevator”The ride up feels longer than it did on Friday. My reflection stares back at me from the polished doors - pale face, dark eyes too wide, touching my father's watch for courage I don't feel but desperately need.The doors open to the open-plan office. Rows of cubicles stretch endlessly, inhabited by people who seem untouchable—confident,polished,expensive.Floor-to-ceiling windows line the far wall, but instead of freedom, they make the sp

Damien’s POV I watch her break down in the parking garage through the security feed on my phone. The cameras don't catch audio, but I don't need it. I can see her shoulders shaking, see her hands gripping the steering wheel like it's the only thing keeping her together.It should satisfy me. This is what I planned. What I orchestrated for months - finding her, arranging her termination from that pathetic marketing firm, having HR contact her at her most vulnerable moment.But satisfaction isn't what tightens in my chest as I watch her cry. I close the app and set my phone face-down on my desk. "Analyzing the footage again?"I don't turn at Henry Walsh's voice. My head of security has a habit of appearing without announcement, a skill he perfected in the Marines."Routine security review." I keep my tone neutral. "Making sure all employees leave safely.""Right." Henry moves into my office uninvited, his six-foot frame relaxed but his eyes sharp. "That's why you've pulled up camera tw