The coffee hit him like an explosion.
Ella froze as the brown liquid splashed across his shirt—white, crisp, expensive.Very expensive.
Oh no.Oh God, no.
She looked up.And up.
The man was tall—dark hair, sharp jaw, eyes like shards of ice.And those eyes were locked on her now.
"I'm so sorry—" Ella started.
"Sorry?" His voice was cold. Deep. Dangerous. "Do you have any idea who I am?"
The entire lobby went still. Conversations stopped. Heads turned.
Her heart slammed against her ribs.Of course she knew who he was.
Alexander Blackwood.The Alexander Blackwood.Youngest billionaire CEO in the country. His face was everywhere—magazines, interviews, news articles.
And she'd just dumped coffee on him.
"I was running late, I didn't see—"
"Obviously." He stepped closer, the faint scent of expensive cologne wrapping around her. Everything about him screamed money and control. "What's your name?"
"Ella. Ella Montgomery."
His gaze dropped to her chest—to the visitor badge pinned there.
SECRETARY INTERVIEW – 9:00 AM.
His lips curved—not a smile. Something darker.
"You're here for the interview."It wasn't a question.
Ella's stomach sank. She was already seventeen minutes late.Now this.
"I was," she whispered. "I don't think I am anymore."
"Smart girl." He pulled out his phone, tapped once. "Security. Remove Miss Montgomery from the building."
Panic shot through her. "Wait! Please, I need this job—"
"You should've thought of that before assaulting me with caffeine."
"It was an accident!" Her voice trembled, rising in the silence. People were watching. Phones were recording. This would be everywhere by noon. "You walked into me!"
His brow lifted. "I walked into you?"
"Yes! You weren't watching where you were going either!"
The crowd gasped.No one spoke to Alexander Blackwood like that.
He studied her—eyes sweeping over her face, her cheap suit, her scuffed shoes.
"Interesting," he murmured. "Most people apologize. Beg. Cry."
"I did apologize."
"And then you blamed me."
"Because it wasn't entirely my fault!"
Silence.Heavy. Stifling.
Then—he laughed. Short. Sharp. Cruel.
"Patricia," he said into his phone. "Cancel the other interviews."
"Sir?" a woman's voice answered.
"Cancel them. I've found my secretary."
Ella blinked. "What?"
"You start Monday. Eight a.m. Don't be late."
He turned to walk away.
"Wait!" Ella grabbed his arm before she could stop herself.The fabric was damp. Sticky.
"I don't understand—"
He glanced at her hand on his sleeve, then at her face. His expression unreadable.
"I like people with backbone," he said quietly. "Everyone else treats me like a god. You treated me like a man who can't watch where he's walking."His tone dipped lower, dark and dangerous."I like watching people squirm. And you, Ella Montgomery, are going to squirm beautifully."
He pulled free and strode toward the elevator. The crowd parted for him like the Red Sea.
Ella stood frozen.What just happened?
"Miss Montgomery?" a security guard approached—older, kind eyes. "Mr. Blackwood wants you escorted to HR. To complete paperwork."
"I... I got the job?"
"Apparently."
Ella followed in a daze. None of this felt real. She'd spilled coffee on the CEO—and got hired?
HR was on the fifteenth floor.The woman behind the desk—Patricia—looked her up and down, unimpressed.
"So you're the coffee girl."
Ella flushed. "It was an accident."
"Mmhmm." Patricia slid forms across the desk. "Sign here. And here. Start Monday, eight sharp. Salary's listed. You'll be outside Mr. Blackwood's office on the top floor."
Ella glanced at the salary. Her eyes widened.It was triple what she'd expected.
"This is... correct?"
"Mr. Blackwood doesn't make mistakes." Patricia's smile was thin. "Though I wonder how long you'll last. The last secretary quit after two weeks. The one before that—one week. He's... demanding."
Ella hesitated, pen hovering.She needed this. Her mother needed this.
She signed.
Three hours later, Ella sat in her tiny apartment, staring at her phone.
Something wasn't right.
She'd checked her bank account, just to see if she could afford groceries. But the numbers—They didn't make sense.
Her debts were gone.All of them.
Medical bills. Student loans. Credit cards. Every single one—paid in full.
Her hands shook as she scrolled through the transactions. They'd all cleared that morning.
Every payment from the same source.Blackwood Enterprises.
No.No, no, no.
Her stomach twisted.He'd looked into her life. Her records. Her debts. Everything.
Her phone buzzed. Unknown number.
She answered with trembling hands.
"Miss Montgomery." His voice—smooth, deep, lethal. "I trust you've seen your bank account?"
"What did you do?" she whispered.
"I invested in my new secretary."
"I didn't ask you to—"
"No. You didn't. Consider it a signing bonus."
"I can't accept this. It's too much. I'll pay you back—"
"Oh, you will." His tone darkened, wrapping around her like smoke. "You'll pay me back every single day you work for me. Starting Monday."
"I don't understand."
"You will."
Silence. Heavy breathing.
"Mr. Blackwood—"
"Alexander. You'll call me Alexander when we're alone."
Alone.The word sent chills racing down her spine.
"Why did you hire me?" she whispered. "Really?"
"I told you," he said. "I like watching you squirm."A pause."And you're going to be mine, Ella Montgomery. You just don't know it yet."
The line went dead.
Ella stared at her phone, heart pounding. Her debts were gone. Her mother could finally get treatment.
But what had she just agreed to?
Her phone buzzed again. A text.
Wear something nice on Monday.We have a board meeting.I want them to see what's mine.– A
Ella's hands trembled.
What had she gotten herself into?