Chapter 4 Crush on billionaire chapter 4

The car ride was short, but the tension inside felt heavy enough to fill an entire skyscraper.

Amara sat stiffly across from Damian, clutching her phone like a lifeline, sneaking glances at him when she thought he wouldn't notice.

He was scrolling through his tablet, typing out emails at lightning speed, his jaw set in its usual hard line.

What kind of man worked this much?

Before she could gather her courage to say anything, the car pulled up in front of a tall glass building.

Damian snapped his tablet shut. "We're here. Stay close, don't speak unless I tell you to, and for God's sake... don't get lost."

Amara barely had time to nod before he stepped out, already striding toward the entrance.

She scrambled out after him, nearly tripping on the curb as she hurried to keep up.

Inside, everything moved fast.

They entered a massive conference room filled with board members and executives. Suits everywhere. Expensive watches. Designer heels. The air smelled of power and fear.

Damian didn't introduce her. He didn't even look at her again. He took his seat at the head of the table and started talking business like she wasn't there.

Amara stood awkwardly near the door, holding her notepad and pen, trying to look like she belonged.

For the next thirty minutes, she scribbled notes as fast as she could, her hands shaking with every unfamiliar term:

"Merger timelines."

"Stockholder meetings."

"Legal strategy."

Her head spun.

Then... it happened.

One of the executives asked a question.

Damian paused, turned to her, and said, "Miss Rivera, hand me the file from my briefcase. The black folder. Now."

Her heart dropped.

She spun toward his briefcase by the door, crouched down, and opened it quickly.

Black folder... black folder...

But there were two.

One thick. One thin.

Her hands hovered. Which one?

Panic rose in her chest.

Choose one. Just pick one!

She grabbed the thicker folder and rushed it over to him.

Damian took one glance at it... and his jaw clenched hard.

"This isn't the right file," he said coldly.

The entire room went silent.

Amara's stomach flipped. "I-I'm sorry, I-"

He didn't yell. He didn't raise his voice. But somehow... his quiet disappointment felt worse.

"Sit down," he said, pointing to an empty chair near the corner. "And next time... think before you act."

Heat rushed to her cheeks. Embarrassment burned through her like wildfire.

She sat down quickly, staring at her notepad like it held all the answers in the world.

For the rest of the meeting, she kept her head low, her heart racing painfully in her chest.

When the meeting finally ended, Damian stood and walked past her without a glance.

The others filed out, some casting her amused or pitying looks.

Amara wanted to disappear.

Before she could gather her things, Eric appeared beside her, giving her a small, understanding smile.

"First day," he said with a shrug. "Could've been worse. Trust me."

Amara sighed, sinking deeper into her chair.

But deep down... she knew one thing for sure:

Her first mistake wouldn't be her last.

Not with Damian Knight as her boss.---

Amara sat frozen in the empty conference room long after everyone had left.

Her face burned with humiliation.

She replayed the moment over and over in her head-the second Damian's voice dropped, the coldness in his eyes, the silent judgment from everyone around the table.

Her first official task... and she'd failed.

With a shaky breath, she grabbed her notepad and stood, willing her legs to stop trembling.

As she stepped out into the hallway, she noticed people from the operations floor lingering near the elevators, whispering again, casting glances her way.

Some looked amused. Some... curious.

Great. My first day and I'm already office gossip.

Eric caught up with her a few minutes later, holding two paper cups of coffee.

"Thought you could use this," he said, handing her one.

"Thanks," she mumbled, taking a slow sip, grateful for something to calm her nerves.

They stood near the glass wall overlooking the city.

"Don't take it personally," Eric said after a moment of silence. "Damian's like that with everyone. He's a perfectionist. Cold on the outside... colder on the inside."

Amara gave a small, humorless laugh. "That makes me feel so much better."

Eric smiled softly. "Look... you messed up. It happens. The real question is... how will you handle it next time?"

Amara swallowed hard, nodding. "I'll be better. I have to be."

Just as she finished her coffee, her phone buzzed again.

A message from an unknown extension:

"My office. Five minutes." - D.K.

Her stomach flipped all over again.

This was it. The dreaded post-mistake conversation.

Eric caught the nervous look on her face. "Let me guess... he summoned you?"

Amara nodded.

Eric gave her a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. "Good luck. And... don't cry. Not in front of him."

Amara let out a weak laugh. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

With shaking hands and a racing heart, she made her way back up to the top floor, stopping outside his office door.

She took a deep breath... knocked twice... and waited.

"Come in," came his deep voice from inside.

Amara stepped in slowly, closing the door behind her.

Damian sat behind his desk, reviewing some papers, that same unreadable expression on his face.

He didn't look up right away.

The silence stretched between them like a heavy fog.

Finally, without lifting his gaze, he said, "Sit."

Amara obeyed, perching nervously on the edge of the chair in front of his desk.

Damian finally raised his head.

Their eyes met.

"I don't hire people to make mistakes," he said, voice calm but sharp like a blade hidden under silk.

Amara's throat went dry. "I know. I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

He studied her for a long moment, like he was trying to decide whether to fire her on the spot... or give her another chance.

"You're new," he finally said. "I expect better. Starting now."

Amara nodded quickly. "Yes, sir."

His eyes darkened slightly. "Don't call me sir."

Her eyes widened. "I-sorry... Mr. Knight."

A flicker of something unreadable crossed his face... irritation... or maybe something else?

"Get back to work," he said, turning back to his papers. "And next time... bring me the right file the first time."

Amara stood quickly. "Yes... Mr. Knight."

And with that... her first office warning was over.

But as she stepped out of his office and closed the door behind her...

She couldn't ignore the strange flutter in her chest.

There was something about him... something dangerous... something addictive...

And she wasn't sure if she should run from it...

Or dive straight in.

As Amara walked out of Damian's office, she pressed her back against the cool hallway wall, letting out a long, shaky breath.

Her heart still raced from the encounter.

That man had a way of making her feel small... nervous... and strangely alive all at once.

She shook her head, trying to clear the confusing thoughts, and made her way back down to her desk.

The whispers hadn't stopped. In fact, they were worse now.

Some people paused mid-conversation as she passed. Others shot her quick glances, their eyes filled with curiosity or thinly disguised jealousy.

Amara sank into her chair, keeping her eyes glued to her computer screen, doing her best to blend in.

A few minutes later, Eric appeared at her desk again with a reassuring smile.

"Hey... just so you know," he said, leaning on the side of her desk, "surviving your first one-on-one with Damian is almost like a badge of honor around here. Most people don't even last a week."

Amara gave a weak smile. "Great... now I just have to survive the rest of the week."

Eric chuckled. "Exactly. Baby steps."

Before she could reply, her new work phone buzzed again.

Another message from Damian:

"Have the meeting notes on my desk before noon. Organized and typed."

Amara's eyes widened. She looked at the time. It was 10:15 AM already.

"Oh, come on..." she muttered under her breath, scrambling for her notepad from earlier.

The notes she had scribbled during the board meeting were a disaster-half sentences, incomplete phrases, and doodles in the margins from when her mind drifted from stress.

How am I supposed to turn this into something professional?

Taking a deep breath, she began typing furiously, doing her best to remember key points from the meeting.

For the next hour and a half, she didn't stop-not even for water. Her fingers flew across the keyboard. Typos piled up. She fixed them. Wrong points? Corrected. Missing details? She improvised as best as she could without making anything up.

At exactly 11:58 AM, she printed the document, clipped it neatly, and hurried upstairs to place it on Damian's desk.

The office door was half-open.

Amara hesitated for just a second, then stepped inside and placed the papers down as quietly as possible.

But before she could turn to leave, Damian's voice stopped her mid-step.

"Stay."

She froze... then slowly turned back.

He picked up the document, flipped through the pages with quick, practiced eyes, then set it back down.

For a long moment, he said nothing.

Amara's heart pounded wildly.

Was it good enough? Would he fire her?

Finally, Damian closed the folder and looked up at her.

"This is... acceptable," he said.

Amara's mouth parted slightly in surprise. "Wait... really?"

One corner of his mouth lifted in the faintest smirk. "Don't sound so shocked. You managed not to disappoint me-for now."

Her cheeks flushed again, but this time... there was a tiny flicker of pride beneath her embarrassment.

"I'll do better next time," she promised quickly.

Damian's gaze lingered on her for a beat too long... then he waved her off.

"Go back to work, Miss Rivera. Your day's not over yet."

Amara smiled softly as she left his office.

For the first time since stepping foot into Knight Industries... she felt like she might actually survive here.