Chapter 1 The interview

The city skyline shimmered like a promise Lily Hart had once believed in. Towering buildings stretched into a cloudless sky, their glass faces gleaming with wealth and ambition two things she'd spent most of her life without.

She stepped off the bus with her head high and her back straight, even if her stomach twisted with nerves. Her black heels were scuffed, and her thrifted blouse had been pressed within an inch of its life, but she looked respectable. More than that she looked capable.

This was it.

Reid Enterprises.

The building stood tall like a fortress of success, its revolving glass doors spinning endlessly with people in expensive suits. Lily stared at her reflection brown eyes, soft curls pinned neatly, a swipe of lip gloss and let herself breathe.

She hadn't come back to the city to be scared.

She'd come back to win.

"Just get the job," she whispered to herself. "Everything else comes later."

It wasn't until she stepped into the marble lobby that she felt the weight of the past settle on her shoulders. Her heartbeat stuttered. Everywhere she looked: polished floors, mirrored elevators, security guards with sharp eyes and sharper suits.

Her fingers clenched around the leather strap of her handbag. This wasn't just any job interview. This was for an assistant position to the CEO himself. And that CEO Jaxon Reid was the boy she had once loved.

And left.

Without saying goodbye.

Not that he'd remember her now. Why would he? He had become a billionaire. She had become... invisible.

"Miss Hart?" the receptionist called. "You're early. That's a good sign. You can head up to the thirty-fifth floor. HR will meet you there."

"Thank you," Lily said, forcing a smile.

Her heels clicked softly as she crossed the lobby. Every step up that elevator felt like a step back in time back to nights of stolen kisses behind the gym, to laughter under the stars, to the shy boy who sketched her face in the corner of his notebook.

Back to the boy who had become a man she would now have to work for.

If she got the job.

The doors opened into a hallway of steel and glass. The Reid Enterprises offices were open-concept, modern, all sleek lines and intimidating silence. She was escorted into a small conference room where a woman with a clipboard sat waiting.

"Lily Hart?"

"Yes."

"Great." The woman didn't look up from her notes. "You'll be shadowing the current executive assistant for a day. If you pass that, you'll have a short meeting with Mr. Reid before we make a final decision. Understand?"

"Absolutely."

"Good. You've been assigned to the CEO's floor. Try not to look terrified."

Too late.

By the time Lily reached the top floor, her nerves were a full-blown storm. But she kept her chin up. She could do this. She had to do this. For herself. For Mason.

A tall man in a tailored navy suit walked past her, phone pressed to his ear. "Move the acquisition date. And make sure legal doesn't screw it up this time."

She recognized that voice.

Her breath caught.

He didn't look like the boy she remembered.

He looked like the kind of man who owned every room he entered broad shoulders, clean-cut jawline, dark tousled hair that curled slightly over his forehead. His suit fit like it had been made for him and it probably had.

Jaxon Reid.

Her Jaxon.

Except... he wasn't hers anymore.

He didn't even glance her way.

She watched him disappear into his office, heart thudding. She wanted to run. But she had nowhere else to go.

"Here," said a woman in a fitted pencil skirt and fierce red heels, dropping a binder onto Lily's desk. "I'm Clarissa. I've been Mr. Reid's assistant for three years. Today, you're me."

Lily blinked. "Right."

Clarissa gave her a once-over. "You look nervous."

"I'm not."

"You should be. He's brilliant, but cold. And he doesn't tolerate incompetence. Keep up, don't speak unless spoken to, and whatever you do, don't get in his way."

Lily swallowed hard and nodded.

By mid-morning, she'd already rescheduled two meetings, prepared a conference room, typed three memos, and corrected a spelling error on a ten-million-dollar presentation. Clarissa was a whirlwind of efficiency and zero warmth.

At 11:45 sharp, the elevator dinged.

"Stand by," Clarissa said, voice tense.

Jaxon strode out with purpose, speaking to someone on his Bluetooth. He was distracted, focused. The weight of the company hung on his shoulders, but he wore it like armor.

He reached Clarissa's desk and took the file from her outstretched hand. His eyes flicked to Lily for half a second. And froze.

She felt the air still.

His gaze narrowed slightly. Recognition flickered, but then disappeared.

"You're new," he said, coolly.

"Yes, sir." Lily kept her voice steady.

"Temporary?"

"For now."

Jaxon said nothing else. He turned and walked away.

She didn't know whether to be relieved or shattered.

The day dragged. By late afternoon, Clarissa left her to finish organizing the upcoming board agenda. Alone, Lily finally allowed herself to exhale.

She stared out the window of the thirty-fifth floor, watching the city pulse with life far below. This was where he had risen. Where he had built something out of tragedy.

She still remembered the day his parents died. The funeral had been quiet, guarded. She hadn't been able to go. Her family was already packing boxes, forced to leave the city overnight.

She'd written him a letter. He probably never read it.

She never heard from him again.

Until now.

"Miss Hart?"

She turned around to find Jaxon standing at the doorway of his glass office. Alone.

"Yes?"

"I'd like to speak with you for a moment."

Her stomach flipped. She followed him inside.

The office was enormous, but minimalist. Sleek black desk. Floor-to-ceiling windows. Art that probably cost more than her entire college tuition.

He stood with his back to her, hands in his pockets.

"You're not from the temp agency."

"No," she admitted. "I came directly."

He turned slowly, eyes sharp. "Did we go to school together?"

Lily's breath caught.

She nodded. "Yes. Hartfield Prep. You were a year ahead."

There was a pause. His gaze swept over her face like he was searching for something. Then he blinked, the cool mask settling back into place.

"I thought I recognized you," he said smoothly. "You've changed."

"So have you," she whispered.

Another beat of silence.

He walked around his desk, slowly. "Clarissa says you're competent."

"I try to be."

His mouth twitched almost a smile, but not quite. "I don't care for distractions in my office."

"Understood."

He studied her for a long moment. "You'll shadow again tomorrow."

She nodded.

"And Lily?"

"Yes?"

His voice dropped slightly. "Next time, don't look at me like you're afraid of me."

She blinked. "I'm not."

"Good." He looked down at his watch. "You're dismissed."

Outside the office, Lily's hands were trembling. Not from fear.

From the rush of everything she'd spent years trying to forget.

He didn't remember her not really. Maybe flashes. Maybe a whisper of something familiar. But the boy who used to draw stars around her name didn't see her anymore.

And maybe that was for the best.

Because she hadn't come back for him.

She had come back for a job.

For Mason.

For herself.

Still... as she rode the elevator down and stepped into the fading city light, the image of his eyes stayed with her.

Dark. Intense. Unreadable.

And she knew one thing for certain.

Working for Jaxon Reid was going to be the most dangerous thing she'd ever done.