Chapter 1 - The Late-Night Discovery
“Working late, Ms. Vance?”
Julian’s voice sent a sudden jolt through Elena’s exhausted frame.
She turned slowly, her hand dropping from her temple as she blinked against the harsh fluorescent glare of the monitor.
He was standing in the doorway of his office, his charcoal jacket discarded, leaving him in a crisp white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms.
Without the armor of his suit coat, Julian Sterling looked less like a corporate titan and more like a predator resting between hunts.
“Just finishing the Dubai compliance audits, Mr. Sterling,” Elena said, keeping her voice even and devoid of the exhaustion threatening to pull her under.
Julian stepped out of his office and walked toward her desk, his silent strides closing the distance between them with alarming speed.
He didn't stop until he was standing right beside her chair, his imposing height casting a shadow over her neatly organized documents.
“Those audits were assigned to the legal team, Ms. Vance,” he said, his midnight-blue eyes scanning the complex spreadsheets reflected on her screen.
“Legal said they were backed up until Thursday, sir,” Elena replied quietly, looking straight at her keyboard to avoid his intense gaze. “The Dubai acquisition moves up to Friday, which means these numbers needed to be reconciled tonight.”
Julian was silent for a long moment, watching the rapid, flawless calculations she had built into the financial models.
“You built this algorithm yourself,” he said, and it wasn’t a question.
Elena’s breath hitched slightly, realizing she had stepped far outside the boundaries of a standard executive assistant’s duties.
“I prefer efficiency, sir,” she murmured, her fingers tightening around the edge of her desk.
Julian leaned down slightly, catching her chin with his gaze, forcing her to look up through her thick lenses.
“You are wasted at this desk, Elena,” he said softly, the first time he had ever used her first name without a formal prefix.
May you like
Before she could process the shift in the atmosphere, he turned and walked back toward his office door.
“Pack your things and call a car on the corporate account,” he commanded over his shoulder. “Tomorrow morning, you aren't managing my schedule—you are joining me in the boardroom.”
