ching to see if I'd bite, how I'd react, whether I was indeed the player he suspected or just another starry-eyed woman caught in his orbit. The thought chafed, even as a cold,

culated presence, playing a role that felt

nd more like a gilded cage. The encounter with Vincent Creed the previous week still prickled at the back of my neck. His veiled threat, his knowing

d at precisely 8 AM. He looked up as I entered,

Reyna. Punctuali

own near my desk in the outer office. I had deli

e, a move that immediately ratcheted up the tension. His off

trategic Communications is... valuable. But I've been reviewing your prelimi

come lurch. Was this it? Ha

n't met your expectations,"

off the desk to walk towards me.

too focused. You see the angles others miss.

o resist the urge to step back. His gaze, that

e who isn't afraid to get their hands dirty, who can handle... sensitiv

s? Anticipate his needs? The im

sing, Mr. Wolfhart?" I aske

faint smirk playing on his

than Strategic Communications could ever offer. It would put me in the heart of his operations, expose me to his private world, his con

hift," I managed, allowing

f hesitation or fear. "It requires absolute discretion,

crossing lines, for navigating the mur

f I re

hrugging as if the decision was insignificant. "

t close enough to uncover the truth about Maya. This was the pivot point, the mome

mind already listing the potential gains. Access to his calendar, his call

dling my private affairs, representing me when necessary

him, observing him, becoming a part of his l

manding ro

ld feel the faint heat radiating from his body. His hand reached out, not to t

to a low murmur. "Are you willing to play a game where the s

e wasn't just offering a job; he was offering a test, a pa

ire and ice. And he was asking m

, pushing down the trem

oice steady, betraying none of the t

ling you do." He lowered his hand, the physical barrier betwe

My current assista

interlude over. But the air between us still crackled, t

a position that would put me in constant, intimate contact with the man I was here to destr

e perilous. And I had a sinking feeling