She couldn't feel her fingers.
Partly from the cold.
Partly from shock.
Mara sat stiffly on the plush gray chair just outside the CEO's office, blinking at the wall like it might explain what just happened.
"You're hired."
Two words. No explanation. No paperwork. Just a command.
Like it didn't matter that she was late. Like he hadn't just spent the last five minutes watching her like a chess piece he already knew how to win with.
Who was this man?
Scratch that; she knew who he was. Everyone knew who Zayn Malik was. Billionaire. Genius. Rumored to be heartless. Definitely allergic to smiles.
But what she hadn't expected was the way his voice made her feel.
Calm and chaos, all at once.
"Miss Daniels?"
She jumped.
The assistant: perfect brows, perfect nails, perfect aura of someone who definitely judged; handed her a clipboard.
"HR will send you your official contract by noon. You start tomorrow. Eight a.m. sharp."
Mara took the clipboard, muttering a thank you, trying to keep her hands from trembling.
As she stepped out of the building and back into the rain, something inside her cracked open.
She did it.
No connections. No fake smiles. No lies.
She just… stood there. And told the truth. And he still picked her.
But as the wind cut across her face, reality sank back in.
Zayn Malik wasn't stupid.
He didn't hire her out of kindness.
No. He saw something. Maybe something useful. Maybe something he could control. Maybe something he wanted
And people like that?
They always collect.