The city woke early.
Car horns echoed through the crowded streets as workers rushed toward towering buildings made of glass and steel. The air smelled of coffee, rain, and ambition.
At the center of it all stood Belonia Enterprises.
A company feared almost as much as it was respected.
Inside the tallest office on the twentieth floor stood the man whose name carried the same cold authority as the building itself.
Belonia.
At twenty-eight years old, he had built a reputation that made even his senior executives nervous.
He was tall, composed, and intimidating in a way that made people straighten their posture the moment he walked into a room. His dark eyes held the kind of sharpness that seemed to see through excuses before they were even spoken.
Employees whispered about him often.
"He never smiles."
"He fired someone for being late once."
"I heard he doesn't believe in relationships."
But the truth was something none of them knew.
Belonia simply didn't believe in love.
Not anymore.
He stood by the large window of his office, overlooking the busy streets below.
People looked so small from up there.
So temporary.
His phone buzzed softly on the desk.
"Sir," his secretary's voice came through the intercom. "There are several new applicants for the assistant manager position today."
Belonia didn't turn around.
"Let the HR department handle it."
"Yes, sir… but one of them has very impressive credentials."
Silence filled the room.
Finally, Belonia sighed.
"Send the file."
Moments later, a folder was placed on his desk.
Belonia walked over slowly and opened it without much interest.
But then his eyes paused on the first page.
Name: Elena Rivers
Age: 22
Occupation: Former kindergarten teacher
Education: Completed university at 19
Belonia frowned slightly.
A kindergarten teacher applying for a position in one of the most demanding companies in the city?
It didn't make sense.
He flipped through the pages, scanning her background.
Something about it caught his attention.
Not impressive.
Not extraordinary.
Just… unusual.
For a moment, he stared at the small photo attached to the application.
The girl in the picture had bright eyes and a calm smile — the kind of smile that belonged to someone who had not yet been crushed by the world.
Belonia closed the file.
"Schedule the interview," he said through the intercom.
There was a pause on the other side.
"Yes, sir."
Belonia leaned back in his chair.
He didn't know why he had agreed to it.
Maybe curiosity.
Maybe boredom.
Or maybe fate had quietly started moving pieces on a board he didn't even realize he was playing on.
Because somewhere across the city, Elena Rivers was nervously preparing for the interview that would unknowingly change both of their lives.
And neither of them understood yet…
That sometimes the most broken hearts are the ones that need love the most.