Jade stumbled backward, clutching her elbow as she looked up straight into a pair of intense amber eyes.
Her heart skipped.
*Daniel Ooman?!*
In her shock, her folder slipped from her hands, scattering her CV and papers all over the floor.
The security guards behind him immediately stepped forward.
"Sir, should we….."
Daniel raised a hand, stopping them cold.
His eyes didn't leave her. A flicker of recognition flashed in them.
"You," he said, his voice calm but deep. "The bold server."
Jade blinked, flustered but trying to stay composed. "You're stalking me now? That's new. Rich guys usually send assistants."
A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
She crouched to pick up her papers, but to her shock, he crouched with her and started helping.
Jade froze. "Wow. A billionaire CEO picking up someone's papers? That's gotta be in tomorrow's headlines."
Daniel didn't even look up. "I'm full of surprises."
Jade picked up the last paper. She stood up abruptly and stared at him, one brow raised.
"Let me guess…you own this building too?" she said sarcastically.
Daniel stood as well, casually adjusting his suit jacket, that small smirk still tugging at his lips.
"Not this one," he replied. "Yet."
Jade rolled her eyes. "Of course."
He looked at her for a moment longer, that silent intensity making her feel like he could see right through her. Then his eyes glanced down at the crumpled CV in his hand.
"Jade Lee," he read aloud. "Applying for an event assistant position at Butterfly Agency?"
She quickly snatched the CV from his hands. "You read fast. Maybe too fast."
"Useful skill in my field," he said.
Then, after a short pause: "Why that position?"
Jade folded her arms. "Because I like to plan things. And because apparently, 'surviving on a tight budget' doesn't count as a real qualification."
A small laugh escaped Daniel not sarcastic this time, but real, almost surprised.
"Interesting answer," he said simply.
She shrugged. "I'm not here to impress rich people."
"Good. Most of them are boring anyway." He cast her one last look before turning to walk away.
Jade watched him go, a question pressing against her lips.
"Hey!" she called out.
Daniel paused mid-step.
"Do you always leave before midnight, or was that gala just special?"
He turned his head slightly, no smirk this time, just a calm, unreadable expression.
Jade felt her confidence falter for a second. *Maybe I went too far...* she thought.
But then, unexpectedly, he turned to face her fully, a faint grin curling on his lips.
"You're the first person who's ever dared to ask me that directly," he said. "Most just whisper and call it a rumor."
"So… are the rumors true?" she asked, curiosity lighting her eyes.
He tilted his head slightly, eyes glinting with amusement. "What do you think?"
Before she could respond, one of his bodyguards tall, with a tanned complexion and sharp features stepped forward and muttered something in Portuguese.
"Senhor, você já está atrasado para sua reunião na Butterfly Agency."
Daniel glanced at his watch, then back at Jade. "Duty calls," he said simply.
But just before he turned to leave, she called out again, "Hey!"
Without thinking driven by a strange impulse Jade leaned in and kissed him lightly on the cheek.
Daniel blinked, clearly surprised.
"Thank you," she said with a sarcastic edge, holding up her documents. "It's not every day a billionaire helps someone pick up their papers."
Without giving him a chance to respond, she turned and walked away, her head held high.
Daniel stood there for a moment, watching her retreating figure. Then a faint smirk curved his lips.
"She's really something…" he murmured.
.
.
.
Jade slammed the door behind her and dropped her bag on the floor with a heavy sigh. The anger she'd buried deep during the interview was now rising to the surface like lava threatening to spill. Normally, words like that didn't affect her not after everything she had endured growing up. But today? Today it hurt.
Maybe because the woman's tone was so condescending. So cold. So dismissive, like she was nothing.
She was glad her mother wasn't home. Seeing her like this would've broken her heart.
Not long after, Gabriel showed up. He didn't even knock ,
just barged in like he owned the place, concern written all over his face.
"How did it go?" he asked.
Jade didn't answer right away. She sat down on the worn-out couch, head tilted back, staring at the ceiling as if it held the answers to her entire life.
"She said I wasn't good enough," she finally muttered. "That I'm just a high school graduate. That I don't belong there. That I'm only fit to clean their floors."
Gabriel's jaw tightened. "What the hell? Are you serious?"
Jade nodded slowly. "I try to be strong, Gaby. I really do. But sometimes... it's just too much."
Gabriel sat beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, his usual playful self gone. "You are not what she said. You're more than enough, Jade. They just can't see it yet."
But deep inside, he was confused too. *Why didn't Camilla keep her promise?* He had spoken to her personally she had said she would take care of it.
He clenched his fists silently.
.
.
.
That same day, Daniel was at home in his stunning penthouse. He was on the phone with his mother, who called him every night at exactly 11 PM. Since they lived in different cities, it was their daily ritual to catch up before midnight.
He often found himself wondering why she always called right before the clock struck twelve. No one knew the secret he carried, the shadow that followed him, the weight only he could feel.
Later, he climbed into his spacious, luxurious bedroom. He undressed and slipped into his pajamas. The clock showed exactly 11:30 PM.
Before lying down, he carefully wrote something a note longer than usual and left it open on his bedside table.
The next morning, Daniel woke and immediately checked the time as if it held the key to everything. He froze for a moment, caught off guard by the sight.
He whispered to himself, almost as if speaking to a part of him no one else could hear,
"Something... is different today."