The elevator dinged softly as Karen stepped out, her heels clicking nervously against the marble tiles.
"10th floor, Marketing Department," she mumbled, squinting at the paper in her hand. But somehow, she'd ended up...
On the top floor.
A floor that screamed silence, money, and you don't belong here.
She bit her lip and walked forward anyway, heart thudding.
The door at the end of the hallway looked important — frosted glass, silver handles, no name.
She pushed it open.
And walked straight into a wall of muscle.
Well — not a wall. A man.
Her forehead slammed into his chest so hard that her bag slipped from her shoulder and hit the floor with a pathetic thud.
"Oof!"
She looked up, stunned, her hand on her head.
He looked down.
Eyes like ice. Jaw carved in stone. A face too perfect to be kind.
And not a single hint of patience in his expression.
"Are you blind?"
His voice was sharp, clipped — like he didn't have time to breathe, let alone deal with her.
Before she could speak, he shoved her aside like she was nothing more than spilled coffee on his floor.
"Get. Out."
His tone didn't rise — it didn't need to. It was the kind of command that wrapped around your throat and squeezed.
Karen stumbled back, stunned. Her pride bruised harder than her head.
She grabbed her bag, heart racing. "I—I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—"
"You don't belong here," he cut in coldly. "Who let you up?"
No one had to, she thought. The elevator was open, but she said nothing.
She ran.
---- (Alex's pov)
He was born into nothing.
A leaking roof, empty plates, a father who gambled away what little they had.
A mother who smiled through bruises and lied through blood.
At eight years old, Alex learned to lie too.
To survive.
To stay silent.
To never, ever cry.
When his father left and his mother died, not in her sleep, but because of a debt she couldn't pay
Alex was sixteen
Alone,angry and broken
He promised himself one thing that night:
"I will never be powerless again."
He clawed his way up through the streets, the gangs, the blood, the illegal deals.
Then into cold boardrooms and colder betrayals.
He built his empire not with trust, but with threat.
Not with warmth, but calculated cruelty.
Now, Alex Knight is a billionaire.
Feared, Respected,
But never loved.
And never ever vulnerable.
---- (Karen's pov)
Karen's cheeks burned as she rushed back into the elevator, jabbing the "10th Floor" button like her life depended on it. Her hands trembled. Her pride stung more than the lump forming on her forehead.
"What a jerk…"
She whispered under her breath, fighting the urge to cry. First day on the job, and she'd just been manhandled by the man she didn't even realize was him.
The CEO.
Alex Knight.
---
The doors slid open on the 10th floor, revealing a chaotic office space filled with ringing phones, rushing interns, and printers spitting out papers like angry machines.
She slipped inside quietly, praying no one noticed her flushed face or the shake in her step.
"You must be the new assistant," a friendly voice said.
Karen looked up. A girl around her age so stylish, confident, holding a coffee cup and a thousand-dollar smile waved her over.
"I'm Dani. Executive Assistant to the VP. Welcome to Knight Media Group, chaos central. Come on, I'll show you around before the lions bite."
Karen forced a smile. Lions? She already met the biggest one.
Elsewhere... (Alex's POV)
Alex stood in his office, jaw clenched, staring at the door she'd slammed shut behind her.
He should've forgotten her the moment she left.
Should've gone back to reviewing contracts, destroying competition, ruling his empire.
But he didn't.
Soft. Small. Terrified. But she didn't scream. Didn't beg.
She looked at me like she was human and I wasn't.
His fingers twitched.
"Why did she smell like vanilla and rain?" he muttered, annoyed with himself.
By lunchtime, Karen had her desk, her ID badge, and a rough idea of what her job involved.
She'd also learned three critical facts:
1. Never go to the top floor.
2. The CEO was rich, ruthless, and untouchable.
3. His name was Alex Knight — and he never apologized.
Of course. Of freaking course.
The man who pushed her like she was garbage was her ultimate boss.
And worse?
She was scheduled to deliver a file to his office every Friday morning.
"I'M DOOMED!!!!!"