Chapter 1: The Man in the Elevator
Maya Bennett had eleven dollars in her bank account, a leaking umbrella, and exactly twenty-three minutes to convince the richest man she'd ever heard of that she deserved a job.
It was not the kind of Tuesday morning she'd planned.
She hurried across the marble lobby of Blackwell Holdings, trying not to look as nervous as she felt.
Her damp hair clung to her cheeks. One heel made an irritating clicking sound with every step, and the folder containing her résumé was beginning to bend from the rain.
She glanced at the enormous clock above the reception desk.
9:38 a.m.
Her interview was at ten.
For once, she wasn't late.
That felt like a victory.
"Name?" the receptionist asked without looking up.
"Maya Bennett. I have an interview for the executive assistant position."
The woman typed something into her computer.
Her expression changed.
"Twenty-sixth floor."
Maya smiled. "Thank you."
"Mr. Blackwell is expecting you."
Maya's smile disappeared.
"Mr. Blackwell?"
"Yes."
She swallowed.
That was strange.
Everything she'd read about Alexander Blackwell suggested he rarely involved himself in hiring decisions, especially for junior positions.
Maybe the articles were wrong.
Or maybe she was about to have the worst interview of her life.
She walked toward the elevators.
Just as the doors were closing, a man's hand stopped them.
Maya stepped aside.
The man entered.
And suddenly, she forgot how to breathe.
He was tall, broad-shouldered, and dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit. His dark hair was slightly disheveled, as if he'd run his fingers through it one too many times.
He didn't look like someone who belonged in a magazine.
He looked worse.
He looked real.
Maya quickly looked away.
The man pressed twenty-six.
She pressed it too.
Silence filled the elevator.
Maya hated silence.
Especially when she was nervous.
"So..." she began.
The man glanced at her.
She immediately regretted speaking.
"Are you interviewing for a position too?"
His expression remained unreadable.
"No."
"Oh."
Silence again.
Maya stared at the numbers above the door.
Maybe she should stop talking.
She didn't.
"Do you work here?"
"Yes."
"Executive level?"
A pause.
"Very."
Maya frowned.
What did that even mean?
Before she could ask, the elevator suddenly jerked.
She lost her balance.
Her handbag slipped from her shoulder.
The folder in her hands flew open.
Papers scattered across the floor.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me."
She dropped to her knees.
"I'm sorry."
The man crouched down and began collecting the papers.
Maya reached for one at the same time he did.
Their fingers touched.
She pulled her hand back.
"Sorry."
He looked at the page.
Then at her.
His eyes paused on her name.
"Maya Bennett."
Her stomach tightened.
"Yes?"
He handed her the paper.
"You're interviewing for the executive assistant position."
It wasn't a question.
Maya nodded.
"Yes."
He studied her for another second.
Then the elevator doors opened.
He stepped out.
Maya hurried after him.
"Wait."
He stopped.
She nearly walked into him.
"Are you sure you don't work in HR?" she asked.
His eyebrows rose slightly.
"No."
"Because you seem to know a lot about my interview."
"I know more than you think."
Then he walked away.
Maya stood there, confused.
A woman in a navy suit approached her.
"Ms. Bennett?"
"Yes."
"Mr. Blackwell will see you now."
Maya's heart stopped.
She looked down the corridor.
The mysterious man was gone.
"Mr. Blackwell?"
"Yes."
Her mouth went dry.
She followed the woman into a massive office.
The doors opened.
Maya stepped inside.
The first thing she noticed was the view.
The second was the silence.
The third was the man standing behind the desk.
The same man from the elevator.
Maya froze.
He looked at her.
Neither of them spoke.
Then he slowly sat down.
"Please," he said. "Have a seat."
Maya remained standing.
"You."
One corner of his mouth moved.
"Me."
She looked at the woman who had brought her in.
The woman was already leaving.
The door closed.
Maya turned back.
"You're Alexander Blackwell."
"Yes."
The billionaire CEO.
The man whose company was worth more money than Maya could comprehend.
The man she'd just asked if he was interviewing for a job.
She wanted the floor to open.
It didn't.
Alexander gestured toward the chair.
"Sit."
Maya sat.
He picked up her résumé.
"I've read this."
"Okay."
"You've changed jobs three times in four years."
"Yes."
"Why?"
Maya hesitated.
She could lie.
She could give him the polished answer she'd practiced.
Instead, she told the truth.
"Because none of them gave me a reason to stay."
Alexander looked up.
"That's an unusual answer."
"I thought you wanted an honest one."
His eyes remained on hers.
"I do."
He flipped another page.
"Your previous employer says you're difficult."
Maya blinked.
"She said that?"
"Yes."
"She also asked me to lie to a client."
"And you refused."
"Yes."
"That's why she fired you."
Maya nodded.
Alexander leaned back.
"Most people would have done what they were told."
"Then most people aren't me."
For the first time, his expression changed.
Not quite a smile.
But close.
"Perhaps."
He closed the résumé.
"Why do you want this job?"
Maya looked around the enormous office.
She could have said the money.
She could have said the prestige.
Instead, she looked directly at him.
"Because I'm tired of barely surviving."
Something shifted in his expression.
Maya continued.
"I don't need someone to save me. I need an opportunity. If you give me the job, I'll earn my place here."
Alexander stared at her.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then his phone rang.
He glanced at the screen.
His expression hardened.
He answered.
"What?"
Maya looked down, trying not to listen.
But Alexander's next words made her look up.
"You have forty-eight hours."
He ended the call.
His jaw was tight.
Maya couldn't help herself.
"Is everything okay?"
His eyes snapped toward her.
The coldness returned.
"That's none of your concern."
Maya nodded.
"Right."
He stood.
"Your interview is over."
Her heart sank.
She stood too.
"Thank you for your time."
She reached the door.
"Ms. Bennett."
She turned.
Alexander was watching her.
"Can you start tomorrow?"
Maya stared at him.
"Tomorrow?"
"Eight a.m."
A smile slowly appeared on her face.
"Yes."
"Don't be late."
"I won't."
She opened the door.
"Maya."
She turned again.
Alexander's voice was quieter this time.
"Whatever you see in this company, don't assume you understand it."
Her smile disappeared.
"What does that mean?"
"It means exactly what I said."
She left.
The moment the door closed behind her, Alexander looked down at Maya's résumé again.
His phone buzzed.
A message appeared on the screen.
UNKNOWN NUMBER:
You should not have hired her.
Alexander's expression darkened.
Another message arrived.
She is connected to them.
He stared at the words.
Then he looked toward the closed door.
For the first time that morning, Alexander Blackwell wondered if hiring Maya Bennett had been the biggest mistake he'd made in years.
And somewhere down the hallway, Maya was smiling because she had finally found a job.
She had no idea she had just walked into a war.
