Chapter 1 At First Glance

The rain had been falling all through the night and hadn't stopped all morning. It runs down the massive glass windows of the Hudson & Gray building like veins of silver, painting the skyline grey. Inside, the building was sleek-cold marble floors, clean lines, soft lighting. Everything precise. Controlled.

Just like him.

Damien Hale;

He stood behind his desk-tall, imposing, and utterly unshaken by the storm outside. In his world, weather didn't matter. Nothing did. Not delays, not emotions, not people. The CEO of Hale Enterprises didn't believe in distractions.

Until she walked in.

He didn't notice her at first.

He was reviewing a contract, scribbling his signature across a line worth six million dollars.

But something shifted. A quiet ripple in the air. The elevator chimed. Soft footsteps crossed the polished floor. Then-

"Excuse me. I was told to bring these to Mr. Hale."

Her voice.

It was low and clear, with the slightest tremor. New. Unfamiliar.

Damien looked up.

And everything changed.

She stood there holding a folder, a little out of breath, her coat still damp from the rain. Chestnut hair curled at the ends, clinging to her cheeks. Her lips were parted slightly-unsure if she should step forward.

Wide, uncertain eyes.With no makeup on her face.

Nothing calculated about her.

She wasn't supposed to be there.

She wasn't on the schedule. Not on the list.

She was... no one.

And yet, Damien couldn't breathe.

Everything about her was wrong. Out of place. But something in his chest cracked open, raw and immediate. It wasn't attraction. Not just that.

It was need.

He stepped around the desk before he realized he was moving. "Who sent you?"

She blinked. "Uh-Mr. Langley said you needed these financials as soon as possible. I-I'm new. Just started this week."

Damien's eyes swept over her-delicate fingers gripping the folder too tightly, shoes a little scuffed, blouse slightly wrinkled. She didn't belong in his world.

But she was the most real thing he'd seen in years.

"What's your name?" he asked, voice lower than it had any right to be.

She hesitated. "Emery. Emery Blake."

He took the folder from her fingers, brushing them slightly.

She gasped.

Not because of the contact.

But because of the look in his eyes.

Like he already owned her.

Like he'd already decided.

Damien didn't look away. Couldn't. His heart was pounding-actually pounding-and he hadn't felt that in years. Not since his father's funeral. Not since he'd watched everything he loved be buried.

He didn't believe in love.

But obsession?

Obsession was easy.

And he was already drowning in it.

"Emery," he repeated, testing the name. "You'll be working directly under me from now on."

She blinked. "I-I thought I was just-"

"I don't care what you thought," he said quietly, stepping closer. "You're mine now."

She stared at him.

And for the first time in her life, she had no idea whether to run-or fall.