KISS'S POV
The email came at exactly 9:00 a.m., like a ticking time bomb finally detonating in my inbox.
📩 SUBJECT: INTERVIEW OUTCOME – GOODWILL INTERNATIONAL GROUP
My fingers hovered over the screen. My heart was hammering so violently I could almost hear it echo against the walls of my quiet apartment. I told myself I didn't care. I told myself this was just a formality. That I had options. That I could ignore it if I wanted to.
I lied.
> We are pleased to inform you that you have been selected for the position of Executive Secretary to the CEO.
I froze mid-breath.
Executive Secretary?
That wasn't what I applied for. I didn't expect it. Not this level. Not directly under him.
I swallowed hard, reading the next line.
> Terms and conditions apply. You will report directly to the CEO. Discretion and confidentiality are mandatory. Relocation may be required.
My chest tightened. Straight to him.
I pressed my lips together. My fingers trembled slightly, betraying my calm façade. This was my way out. My shield. My leverage. I couldn't reject it. I wouldn't.
Even if it meant being close to Adrian Goodwill—the man who had haunted my thoughts, my dreams, and my worst fears for weeks now.
"I can handle this," I whispered to myself, more like a prayer than a statement. "I'll keep my head down. Do my job. Leave. Just do the work and leave."
I hesitated a moment longer, staring at the ACCEPT button as if it were a guillotine. My fingers hovered, shaking. My pulse pounded against my temples. And then… I hit it.
Before I could change my mind.
Before I could talk myself out of it.
Before I could run screaming from my own life.
The screen confirmed it. I was officially employed under Adrian Goodwill.
---
ADRIAN'S POV
"She accepted."
Oscar's voice was calm, detached—but I could sense the tension under it. His tablet glowed in the dim light of my office. I didn't flinch. I didn't react. I didn't smile.
"Good," I said evenly. "Have HR fast-track everything. NDA. Security clearance. Access levels—restricted."
Oscar hesitated, eyes narrowing just a fraction. "Adrian… are you sure this isn't too much control too fast?"
I lifted my gaze slowly, letting the corner of my eyes sweep over him. "This city eats women like her alive," I said coldly. "I'm making sure she survives it. That's all."
Oscar swallowed. "And Blackwood?"
"He won't touch her," I replied flatly. "I made that clear."
Oscar left, still hesitating in the doorway.
Moments later, Isaac stepped in without knocking, as if he had a sixth sense for when I was doing something that would make him lose faith in me. His tie was loose, his sleeves rolled up, his face sharper than usual.
"You're crossing a line," he said flatly.
I didn't look up. "Which one?"
"You don't protect people like this unless you're emotionally compromised," he said, and I finally let my eyes meet his.
That got my attention.
I leaned back, steepling my fingers. "Careful, Isaac."
He scoffed, walking closer. "You warned Chris. You pulled strings to get her that position. And now you've placed her directly under you."
"She doesn't know any of that," I said evenly. "And she never will."
"That's the problem," Isaac pressed, voice quiet now. "You're turning her into a chess piece without her consent."
My jaw clenched, teeth grinding slightly. "I'm keeping her alive."
"And what happens," he said softly, "when she realizes the cage is gold?"
Silence stretched between us, heavy, suffocating. I didn't answer. I simply stared out the window, watching the city glow beneath me. For now, she didn't know. She had no idea how close danger already lurked. And that's exactly how it needed to be.
---
CHRIS'S POV
I poured a drink, letting the amber liquid swirl lazily around the ice in my glass.
Adrian Goodwill warned me.
That alone made her interesting.
"Kiss Hilson," I murmured, the words rolling off my tongue like a challenge. The name had a weight to it now, a certain flavor that made me smile. She didn't beg. She didn't cry. She didn't bend. She didn't even know what she was stepping into yet.
Which meant two things.
One—she was fragile enough to be crushed.
Two—she was strong enough to destroy him.
I read the report again: Kissabel Hilson. New Executive Secretary to Adrian Goodwill.
"Oh," I murmured under my breath, savoring the irony. "You brought her closer."
I tapped my glass thoughtfully. That wasn't protection. That was possession. And I had every intention of testing her limits.
I picked up my phone. "Set up a charity gala within a month," I instructed my assistant. "Invite Goodwill International. Make sure she gets the invitation personally."
"Which she?" the assistant asked, raising an eyebrow.
"The one Adrian doesn't want me near," I said simply, a smirk curving my lips.
---
KISS'S POV
By evening, everything was official. New contract. New role. New schedule.
I stared at my reflection in the window of my apartment. My life had shifted direction without asking my permission.
The weight pressed down on me—the invisible chains of responsibility, expectation, and proximity.
Why did it feel like accepting that job had closed more doors than it opened?
My phone buzzed violently. I hesitated, staring at the screen.
đź“© UNKNOWN NUMBER:
Congratulations on your new position, Miss Hilson. Be careful who you trust.
My blood ran cold.
I typed back immediately, fingers trembling:
WHO IS THIS?
No reply.
I locked my phone and hugged myself, shivering.
I had no idea Adrian was already tightening his grip on my world. No idea Chris Blackwood was planning his next move. No idea that Isaac's warning was already coming true.
I had thought I was in control.
I thought I could make this job my shield, my leverage, my escape.
But the truth was… the game had just begun.
The city outside glimmered with a false sense of safety. Skyscrapers loomed like sentinels, neon lights reflecting against glass facades. I could almost hear the whispers of power and danger that lurked in every corner. And somewhere in that maze, I knew Adrian Goodwill was watching, calculating, preparing.
And Chris?
Chris was a storm waiting to crash.
And I… I was caught right in the middle.
I pulled my blanket tighter, feeling both vulnerable and defiant. One day, I promised myself, I would stand tall—whether Adrian, Chris, or anyone else tried to pull me down. But for now… I had to survive.
And survive meant keeping my head down. Keeping my heart contained. Keeping my secrets.
I was Kissabel Hilson. Heiress. Survivor. Fighter.
And no one—not Adrian, not Chris, not my father, not anyone—would make me forget that.
The night stretched long. Quiet. Tense. Dangerous.
And in that darkness, I knew the only thing more lethal than the enemies closing in… was the fire burning inside me.