Manhattan never slept — but Aidan Stone did, and when he did, the world waited.
At thirty-five, he was the type of man people whispered about in gold-lined elevators and glass-walled boardrooms. Ruthless. Calculated. Untouchable. With a jaw that looked carved from stone and eyes like a winter storm, Aidan didn't walk — he owned every floor he stepped on.
The CEO of Stone Enterprises didn't believe in love. His relationships lasted hours, not days. Women came and went — all glamorous, high-profile, magazine-perfect. None of them stayed. And he preferred it that way.
Because Aidan Stone never repeated women.
He didn't do emotional attachments.
He didn't do softness.
Until her.
That morning started like any other. Aidan's driver pulled up to the entrance of Stone Tower at 7:01 AM sharp. Security parted the crowd like water splitting for royalty. His assistant trailed behind him, listing the day's meetings, but Aidan wasn't listening.
Because at the far end of the lobby, just beside the coffee kiosk, stood someone he had never seen before.
She didn't belong. Her hair was messy — not styled. Her dress was plain. No heels, no designer purse, no thick perfume choking the air around her. She stood there nervously biting her lower lip, fumbling through a paper folder.
He should've walked past her. Should've never turned his head.
But he did.
And when she glanced up, eyes locking with his for less than two seconds, something shifted. Something cracked inside the Ice King of Manhattan.
She didn't smile. She looked away quickly, almost scared.
Aidan kept walking, but something about that girl stuck like a splinter under his skin. It pissed him off.
"Who's she?" he asked.
His assistant blinked. "Sir?"
"The girl by the kiosk."
His assistant followed his gaze. "Oh, I think she's here to submit an intern application. HR told her to wait downstairs."
Intern?
Aidan's lips curled into something dangerous. That face. That innocence. That sweet little blush when she saw him look.
She didn't fit in his world. Which meant she had no idea who he was — and for some reason, that made him feel... awake. For the first time in years.
He turned to his assistant.
"Send her up. Tell HR she works directly under me now."