---
Ethan's POV
"Cancel the order, Erica," I said into the phone, my voice flat.
"I'm not in the mood anymore."
A pause on the other end.
She was probably confused.
She always had everything arranged before I even asked, girls, timing, perfection.
But today
I ended the call before she could speak.
Because this time…
Someone else had already taken that space.
I pressed another line.
"Aaron. My office."
"Right away, sir."
---
He walked in within seconds.
Efficient.
Precise.
Like always.
I didn't look at him immediately. My fingers tapped once against the desk before I spoke.
"Eve."
That was enough to make him pause.
"The new assistant?" he asked.
I nodded once.
"Her background."
No hesitation.
"Clean records. No criminal links. No family trace."
A brief silence
Then
"She's an orphan."
That word
It didn't just land.
It stayed.
My fingers stilled completely.
"Orphan."
"Raised through foster homes," Aaron continued. "First-class graduate in Business Administration. Took on small jobs. Nothing stable…"
His voice slowly faded when he noticed I wasn't responding anymore.
Silence stretched across the room.
Thick.
Heavy.
"Leave me."
"Sir?"
"I said leave."
This time, he didn't question it.
He turned and walked out quietly.
The door clicked shut behind him.
And just like that...
The past came back.
---
Flashback
Smoke.
That was always the first thing.
Smoke.
And screaming.
I was small.
Too small to understand why people were running…
…and not coming back.
The house wasn't a house anymore.
It was noise.
It was fire.
Flames crawling up the walls like they owned them.
I remember running barefoot.
My feet tearing open against sharp debris.
Blood mixing with ash and sweat.
I didn't know where I was going.
I just knew.
If I stayed…
I would die.
I called for my parents.
Nothing.
No answer.
Only chaos.
I hid behind what was left of a wall when I saw them.
Two shadows.
Armed.
"Find the boy."
Gunshots followed.
Screams cut through the air,
Then stopped.
Just like that.
Silence.
Dead silence.
And I ran.
I don't remember how long I wandered.
Days blurred.
Hunger became normal.
Pain became nothing.
I ate whatever I could find.
Drank when I could.
And learned quickly,
Kindness was rare.
Survival wasn't fair.
Then,
He found me.
I don't remember how long I had been on the streets.
Only that I was too tired to fight when he picked me up.
He didn't ask questions.
Didn't hesitate.
He just looked at me,
Like I was something worth keeping alive.
That night…
Was the first time I slept without fear.
He gave me food.
A place.
A name.
A purpose.
---
Then came Claire.
His daughter.
She hated me from the moment I arrived.
She never pretended otherwise.
"You think you belong here?" she would ask, like I was something beneath her.
She laughed when I failed.
Watched closely when I didn't.
And always made sure I understood.
No matter what I did…
I would never be one of them.
But her father saw something else.
He didn't see a stray boy.
He saw potential.
Someone who could survive anything.
I learned fast.
Adapted faster.
And soon—
He started giving me responsibilities.
First small tasks.
Then bigger ones.
Then everything.
The public company.
And the one no one knew about.
He didn't make me a guest in his world.
He made me run it.
And I did.
Without hesitation.
Without attachment.
Because I learned early,that
Everything can be taken.
Everything burns.
So you don't hold on.
You control it.
Or it controls you.
--------------
Ethan's POV (Present)
The silence in my office felt different when I came back.
Colder.
Sharper.
I reached for the intercom.
Pressed it once.
"Eve. My office."
A pause.
Then...
"Yes, sir."
I leaned back in my chair, my gaze already fixed on the glass wall.
Her desk sat right outside.
Exactly where I wanted it.
No assistant of mine stays out of sight.
If I need her—
I see her before I call her.
A moment later, she stood.
There it was again.
That hesitation.
Small.
Almost invisible.
But I saw it.
Then she walked in.
---
Eve's POV
His voice came through the intercom.
Low.
Controlled.
"Eve. My office."
My hands paused on the documents I was arranging.
For a second
I just stared at them.
Then I stood up quickly.
I could already feel the eyes from the office shift toward me.
Watching.
Measuring.
Waiting.
I smoothed my skirt.
Breathe.
Don't mess this up.
I walked in.
And immediately.
That feeling hit again.
The air in his office was different.
Heavier.
Like it pressed against your chest.
He didn't look at me at first.
Just sat there like he already knew I was standing in front of him.
"Close the door," he said.
I did.
Click.
Silence.
---
Ethan's POV
I looked at her slowly.
Too still.
Too careful.
Like she was trying to take up less space than she actually did.
Interesting.
I pushed a file slightly forward.
"Coffee."
She blinked. "Sir?"
I leaned forward slightly.
"You heard me."
She left.
Came back.
I didn't touch it.
"Remake it."
Her grip tightened on the tray.
"Yes, sir."
She left again.
When she returned, I looked at her this time.
Directly.
"You don't listen well, do you?"
"I'm sorry, sir...
"I don't take sugar," I said calmly. "Black. No distractions."
"Yes, sir."
"Do you understand what your job requires?"
A pause.
"Yes, sir."
"Say it."
"To assist you… in any way required."
"Anywhere required," I corrected.
Another pause.
Then...
"Yes, sir."
Good.
"Get me my coffee."
She left.
Again.
When she came back this time,
I handed her a file.
"Sort this."
She stepped forward,
And dropped it.
Papers scattered across the floor.
Silence.
I looked at the mess.
Then at her.
Her breathing had changed.
Uneven.
Tight.
I leaned back slowly.
"Are you always this clumsy?"