Chapter 3 Entering the Lion's Den

Three months later.

I stood in the massive, glass-walled lobby of Sterling Architecture. I wore a tailored navy blazer I bought from a thrift store, my chestnut hair pulled into a severe, professional knot. I was three and a half months pregnant, but the loose cut of my blouse hid my secret perfectly.

Marcus Chen met me on the forty-eighth floor. He was sharp, perceptive, and possessed a warm, calculating smile.

"Your structural analysis is brilliant, Zara," Marcus said, leading me down a corridor of pristine drafting tables. "You understand sustainable materials better than our senior executives. James Sterling, our chief architect, personally reviewed your files. He demanded we hire you."

"I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity, Mr. Chen," I replied. My heart hammered against my ribs. "I will not let this firm down."

"I know you will not," Marcus stopped outside a massive corner office. "You will start on the Riverside project. It is a billion-dollar development. But I must warn you. Our CEO is brutal. He built this company from nothing. He does not tolerate mistakes, and he despises office drama. He will tear your designs apart just to see if you bleed."

"I can handle brutal," I promised. I had survived complete social destruction. I could handle a strict boss.

"Good." Marcus smiled. "He is in Tokyo this week, so you will not meet him until Monday. Go settle into your cubicle. Welcome to the team, Zara."

I walked to my desk, feeling a surge of genuine triumph. I had done it. I was reclaiming my life. I sat down and booted up my computer. The corporate screensaver flashed across the monitor. It was a high-resolution photograph of the company's executive board.

My blood turned to pure, unadulterated ice.

Standing in the centre of the photograph was the CEO. Broad shoulders. A sharp, chiselled jawline. Piercing, unforgiving steel-grey eyes.

Malachi Sterling.

The stranger from the hotel room.

Panic threatened to rip my throat open. I could not breathe. I was working for the man who believed I was a manipulative call girl. If Malachi Sterling saw me in his building, he would fire me on the spot. Worse, if he ever discovered who and what I was hiding.

I spent the next four days working in a state of sheer terror. I arrived at dawn and left at midnight, hiding behind my computer monitors. I poured my panic into the Riverside project, creating architectural blueprints that were flawless. I needed to prove my worth to Marcus and James before Malachi returned to destroy me.

Monday morning arrived like an executioner's axe.

"Conference room B, everyone!" Marcus clapped his hands together, walking through the design floor. "The CEO is back. We are presenting the Riverside concepts right now."

My stomach dropped into my shoes. I grabbed my portfolio with shaking hands and followed the team into the glass-walled boardroom. I sat at the very back of the long mahogany table, praying I could blend into the shadows.

The heavy glass doors slammed open.

The temperature in the room plummeted. Malachi Sterling walked in. He wore a bespoke black suit that screamed lethal authority. He commanded the room without saying a single word. Every architect sat up straighter.

"Let us make this fast," Malachi demanded. His voice was a dark, rich baritone that sent a violent shiver down my spine. It was the exact same voice that whispered in the dark hotel room four months ago. "Show me the structural solutions for the Riverside foundation."

"Our new junior architect solved the load-bearing issue," Marcus stated proudly. He gestured directly toward the back of the room. "Zara, please walk Mr. Sterling through your blueprints."

Time completely stopped.

Malachi slowly turned his head. His gaze locked onto mine.

The boredom in his steel-grey eyes vanished. Recognition hit him like a physical blow. His jaw clenched so hard a muscle feathered in his cheek. His eyes dropped to my lips, then back up to my terrified hazel eyes. He remembered every single detail of that night. He remembered the taste of my skin.

He took a slow, menacing step toward the table. The boardroom fell dead silent. He looked at me not like an employee, but like a predator looking at a trap he was about to rip apart.

"You," Malachi whispered. The word carried a lethal, freezing venom that promised absolute war.