Chapter 3 Collision Cause

"Miss Carter," Nathaniel Sterling said, his voice dangerously smooth, "are you always this catastrophically unprepared, or is today a special occasion?"

LILA'S POV

How I managed to pick myself up and get my ass down to where I needed to be was still a mystery to even me.

I stood frozen in the hallway of Sterling & Graves, my coffee-stained blouse clinging to me, my cracked phone still clutched in my sweaty hand the man in front of me was not the polished HR rep I had expected.

No.

This was Nathaniel Sterling himself, he was tall and flawlessly dressed, and there he was, looking at me like I was something he had scraped off his Italian leather shoe.

"I..." My voice cracked and failed me "Mr. Sterling, I can explain..."

He held up a single finger, silencing me, then , slowly, his gaze dragged down my ruined outfit, the crumpled portfolio under my arm, and oh God, the faint but unmistakable hint of a dog poop still clinging to my shoe.

His nose wrinkled.

I'm going to die.

Before I could stammer another word, the boardroom door swung open, and a silver-haired man in a suit that cost more than my entire wardrobe glared at us.

"Nathaniel," he snapped, "We're waiting."

Sterling didn't take his eyes off me. "Richard, meet Lila Carter. Our top secretary candidate."

The way he said top made it sound like the bottom of the barrel.

Richard Graves looked me up and down, his lip curling, "This is the one you insisted on interviewing?"

My stomach dropped.

Wait, Insisted?

Sterling's smile was razor-thin, "Apparently, she's multi-talented, or so they say"

The way he said it made it sound like an insult.

Nathaniel Sterling's POV

This was a joke, not only that, it was a bad one.

The girl in front of me, Lila Carter, according to her file, she looked like she had been dragged through Manhattan by a pack of wild dogs.

And yet, HR had been insistent.

"She's fluent in four languages, sir."

"Top of her class at Columbia, sir."

"She interned at Vogue Paris, sir..."

I didn't give a damn about Vogue, I only needed someone who could keep up.

And this, this walking disaster was their star candidate?

"Lydia," I said, not breaking eye contact with the human tornado in front of me, "Fix her."

Lila's face flushed, "I...I don't need..,"

"Now."

She jerked, good, that's more like it.

Lila's POV

Lydia, Sterling's long-suffering assistant, pushed me into a bathroom that looked like it belonged in a museum, with marble floors, gold fixtures, and a chandelier.

"Here," she muttered, throwing a spare blouse at me, "Just... try not to make it worse."

I stared at it, "Whose is this?"

Lydia hesitated "Mine."

I blinked, "You're giving me your clothes?"

She sighed, "Look, I don't know what's going on, but Sterling doesn't usually help people, so just take the win."

I changed in record time, my hands shaking, although the blouse was slightly too big, but it was clean, small miracles.

Then I caught sight of myself in the mirror, my hair was still a mess, and my makeup was smudged, as for my confidence? It was long gone.

I took a deep breath, you survived the morning from hell, you can survive this.

The door creaked open, and Lydia peeked in. "Ready?"

Nope...

"Absolutely."

Sterling's office was terrifying, it had floor-to-ceiling windows, a desk the size of a small yacht , and there he was leaning back in his chair like a king on a throne, watching me like I was a particularly disappointing peasant.

"Sit."

I sat.

He didn't even glance at my (now-crumpled) resume, he tapped one manicured finger against the desk.

"Miss Carter," he said, "tell me why I shouldn't throw you out of this building right now."

My mouth went dry, of course wasn't an interview, this was an interrogation.

Then the door slammed open.

Richard Graves stood there, his face pale.

"Nathaniel," he said, voice tight, "We have a problem."

Sterling didn't move.,"What?"

Graves' next words sent ice down my spine:

"Someone just leaked the merger to the press."

Sterling's gaze snapped to me.

And for the first time, I saw something other than annoyance in his eyes.