Alicia Pov
Today is my first day at work as Liam Knight personal executive assistant secretary.
The elevator was silent.... eerily silent, like the kind of quiet that made your heart race louder just to fill the void. Nobody is in there aside me, no elevator music, no subtle hum of machinery. Just the sound of my breathing and the faint creak from my blazer as I adjusted it for the fourth time. My hands and body was trembling like a child that stole something and was caught in the act.
"Relax," I whispered under my breath, smoothing my palm over the clipboard clutched to my chest. "It's just a job."
But that was a lie.
KnightCorp wasn't just a job. It was him.
Liam Knight.
The man with a reputation so sharp, it could cut glass. CEO, billionaire, enigma. And now… my boss and crush.
The elevator dinged softly and the doors slid open to reveal a world I never thought I'd step into.
The penthouse floor.
It wasn't just a floor. It was a statement. A silent declaration of power, wealth, and untouchable authority. Black marble stretched from wall to wall, polished to a mirrored shine. The air smelled expensive—like amber, leather, and something dark that lingered in your throat. Floor-to-ceiling glass windows framed the New York skyline like a painting, casting golden light across the obsidian like decor. And there he was, standing and looking at the city through the floor-to-ceiling glass.
Liam Knight.
While standing near the glass, one hand tucked into the pocket of his tailored charcoal suit, the other holding a glass of something dark probably whiskey. The city glittered behind him, a kingdom beneath his feet.
He turned slowly, like he already knew I was watching.
Dark eyes, Cold and Calculating. Beautiful in a way that hurt to look at.
I stood frozen for a second too long, i'd forget i was standing there looking at him. Then he called me.
"Miss Blake," he said, his voice like whiskey poured over ice. Smooth, deep, sexy and intoxicating.
I swallowed. "Yes, sir."
"I don't tolerate tardiness," he began, walking toward me with measured steps. "I don't tolerate disloyalty. And I don't tolerate lies."
Each word struck like a hammer wrapped in velvet hitting me hard. Like the way he fucked me hard seven years ago.
My back straightened instinctively. "Understood, Mr. Knight." I replied.
He stopped just in front of me, close enough that I could smell the subtle spice of his cologne, clean, masculine, dangerously distracting. His gaze dropped to my clipboard. Then slowly lifted back to my eyes.
I hoped he couldn't hear the way my heartbeat was stuttering and banging hard against my chest.
"First rule," he said, his tone quieter now but no less commanding. "Never enter the penthouse uninvited."
I nodded. "Understood." Scribbling it down on my clipboard, waiting patiently for the next rule, which never came, then he said…..
"Good, HR will brief you on your responsibilities. You'll be shadowing Ms. Delacroix for the first week. And Blake…" His gaze dipped to my lips for a fraction of a second before returning to my eyes, unreadable. "Don't try to impress me and Just don't disappoint me also."
I nodded my head like thrice like a male lizard trying to impress a female lizard.
With that, he turned and disappeared into a corridor behind black glass doors that shut automatically behind him.
I breathe out slowly the breath i didn't know have been holding.
So that was Liam Knight.
Welcome to hell, Alicia. A hell in a three-piece suit.
The rest of the morning blurred into a routine of handshakes, security briefings, and whispered warnings from senior assistants who looked like models but moved like soldiers going yo war.
KnightCorp was a fortress, sleek and lethal, that's my own conclusion from what have heard from the senior assistants.
The number one key words that i learnt is that Liam Knight wasn't the kind of CEO who barked orders. He didn't need to. His silence was sharper than most men's fury. He didn't yell. He dismissed with a single glance.
Around lunchtime, I was handed a tablet and a thick stack of folders that smelled faintly of lavender and danger. Ms. Delacroix his head assistant was elegance in heels. French accent, blood-red lips, and a stare that made my spine tighten.
"You organize these," she said crisply. "Then bring the signed documents to his desk. You do not read anything else."
"Of course," I said politely.
But by saying "don't read" make my curiosity piqued! It was already screaming read!
The folders were contracts, invoices, legal letters. But one manila folder slipped into the pile caught my attention.
It wasn't labeled.
I opened it.
Inside were black-and-white photographs. Grainy surveillance footage, location and name. One of the images showed Liam shirtless, bruised, blood dripping from his knuckles dragging a man into a room.
I slammed the folder shut just as footsteps approached. My heart was racing like a race car.
Ms. Delacroix's heel tapped near my desk.
"You're quick," she said coolly. But her eyes narrowed just slightly at the folder in my hand.
"I… I wasn't sure where this one belonged," I lied. Praying my shaking hands should not betray me.
She took it with a claw-like hand and leaned in. "Be careful, Miss Blake. Curiosity is not a survival trait here."
I didn't reply, I couldn't, because she was damn right, am so curious.
Because behind her, the private elevator chimed open.
A woman stepped out tall, red-haired, her lipstick smudged at the corner of her mouth. She looked disoriented and Flushed.
Her blouse slightly unbuttoned.
I didn't need a report to know what had just happened.
The woman caught my eye and smiled vaguely, then brushed past me with the scent of jasmine and sin.
Ms. Delacroix said nothing.
She didn't need to.
By the time the clock hit six, my nerves were frayed thin. I hadn't eaten. I hadn't peed. My heels were murder. But I survived Day One. Barely.
The other assistants gathered their things and vanished like ghosts. The office dimmed, lights shifting from sterile white to soft amber. I was gathering my own things when I noticed something blinking on the screen of my tablet.
[PENTHOUSE: UNREAD MESSAGE]
My stomach twisted. I tapped it open and read it….
"Bring the red folder, come alone through the private elevator."
—L.K.
I hesitated.
Rule One: Never enter the penthouse uninvited.
But this was an invitation, wasn't it?
Heart in my throat, I grabbed the red folder the one I wasn't supposed to open, but had anyway and walked slowly toward the private elevator.
The ride up was shorter than I expected.
The doors opened with a quiet hiss, revealing the penthouse, now lit with low golden lights and soft shadows. Jazz music played faintly from somewhere unseen.
Liam Knight stood at the bar, pouring a drink.
He didn't look at me. "You read the folder," he said simply. It wasn't a question.
"I…" My voice cracked. I swallowed hard and then replied "Yes."
He finally turned, glass in hand. "Good, I hate liars. But I admire honesty."
He walked toward me slowly, like a lion walking to is prey. I stood rooted to the spot.
"Most people break by lunchtime", he said, sipping his whiskey. "But you? You waited until after six. That's impressive."
"I wasn't trying to impress you," I replied.
"Liar," he said, smiling faintly. I just stood and didn't know what to say.
He stepped closer, setting his glass down on the marble table beside me.
"Here's the second rule," he said, voice dripping like an octave. "If I invite you in… you don't walk away."
And then, he touched my chin. Just a brush and just so enough of his touch after seven years.
"I'm not afraid of you," I whispered, breathless.
He leaned in, his lips near my ear, i closed my eyes trying not to do anything stupid. Then he said….
"No," he murmured. "You're afraid of what you'll become… once you stop pretending you don't want this."
My pulse thundered! Fuck this guy knows me already.
He stepped back, calm as a storm waiting to break.
"You are to resume by seven a.m sharp tomorrow," he said. "You are Dismissed."
I turned on my trembling legs and walked back to the elevator.
But I knew I wasn't walking away.
I would come back.
Because deep down… I wanted to know every secret Liam Knight was hiding.
Even if it will ruined me or even if it will destroy him.