THE MAN BEHIND THE COLD EYES

The first thing I learned about working at Adeyemi Holdings was that time moved differently when you were surrounded by people who expected nothing less than perfection.

By ten o'clock, I had already answered three phone calls, organized a pile of documents, and nearly spilled coffee on my new blouse.

My first day was not going as smoothly as I had imagined.

"Miss Isabella?"

I looked up from my desk.

A tall woman in a black pencil skirt stood before me, holding a tablet against her chest. Her expression was professional, but her eyes carried a warning.

"Yes?"

"Mr. Adeyemi wants to see you in his office."

My heart skipped.

Mr. Adeyemi?

I had heard his name mentioned several times that morning. Everyone seemed to know him, yet nobody spoke about him for too long.

"Did he say why?" I asked.

"No. Just come with me."

I quickly stood, smoothed my skirt, and followed her down the corridor.

Every step made me more nervous.

When we reached a set of large double doors, she knocked twice.

"Come in," a deep voice answered.

The woman opened the door.

I stepped inside.

And froze.

Behind the enormous desk sat the same man who had splashed dirty water on me that morning.

The same arrogant man who had looked at me as though I were nothing.

The same man I had insulted without knowing who he was.

He lifted his eyes from the document in front of him.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then his lips curved into the faintest, most irritating smile.

"You."

I folded my arms across my chest.

"Unfortunately, yes."

The woman beside me looked horrified.

"Miss Isabella!" she whispered.

But I couldn't take back my words, and honestly, I wasn't sure I wanted to.

The man leaned back in his chair.

"So, the young lady who believes the road belongs to her has come to work in my company."

I stared at him in disbelief.

"Your company?"

He raised an eyebrow.

"Did you think I was driving around in that car for decoration?"

I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from answering.

This was Jude Adeyemi.

The man whose name appeared on the company's glass doors.

My boss.

And apparently, my worst nightmare.

"I'm sorry, sir," the woman beside me said quickly. "I didn't realize you knew each other."

"Oh, we know each other," Jude replied, never taking his eyes off me. "Quite well, actually."

"That's not true," I protested.

His smile widened.

"You remember the water, don't you?"

I wanted the floor to open and swallow me.

"Look, what happened this morning was an accident. You could have apologized instead of acting like you owned the entire world."

The room fell silent.

The woman beside me looked as though she might faint.

Jude slowly placed his pen on the desk.

"Leave us."

"Sir?"

"I said, leave us."

The woman hurried out, closing the door behind her.

Suddenly, the room felt much smaller.

Jude stood.

He was taller than I remembered, and the expensive suit he wore only made him look more intimidating.

He walked around his desk and stopped a few feet from me.

"Do you always speak to people this way, Isabella?"

My eyes widened.

"How do you know my name?"

He glanced at the file on his desk.

"Your employee file. I read it before calling you here."

Of course he had.

I lifted my chin.

"And do you always summon employees to your office just to embarrass them?"

His expression hardened.

"Careful."

"Or what?"

The moment the words left my mouth, I regretted them.

Not because I was afraid of him, but because I had just remembered how badly I needed this job.

My rent wasn't going to pay itself. Neither were my other responsibilities.

Jude seemed to notice the change in my expression.

"You're here because you were hired to work, not to argue with your employer."

I swallowed my pride.

"Understood, sir."

"Good."

He returned to his desk and picked up a document.

"You'll be assisting my executive team directly for the next few weeks."

I blinked.

"What?"

"You heard me."

"But I was told I'd be working in administration."

"You will be. Under my supervision."

My stomach twisted.

There was no way this was happening.

"Is there a problem?" he asked.

I forced a smile.

"Not at all, sir."

"Then you may go."

I turned toward the door, desperate to escape before I said something that would cost me my job.

But just as I reached the handle, his voice stopped me.

"Isabella."

I looked back.

"Yes, sir?"

"Next time you see my car, try not to stand in the middle of the road."

I stared at him.

Then I smiled sweetly.

"Next time you drive through a puddle, try remembering that other people are human beings."

His jaw tightened.

For the first time since I had entered the office, I felt as though I had won a small victory.

I walked out before he could respond.

The moment the door closed behind me, I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.

My first day.

My first meeting with the boss.

And I had already managed to challenge him twice.

I returned to my desk, trying to focus on the documents in front of me, but my mind kept wandering back to those cold eyes.

There was something about Jude Adeyemi that unsettled me.

It wasn't just his arrogance.

It was the way he watched me, as though he were trying to figure out something I hadn't even said.

I shook my head.

I didn't care who he was.

I had come to Adeyemi Holdings to build a future for myself, not to get distracted by a handsome man with an unbearable attitude.

And I certainly wasn't going to let him intimidate me.

Not today.

Not ever.

JUDE'S POV

I watched the office door long after Isabella had left.

Unbelievable.

In all my years of running Adeyemi Holdings, no new employee had ever spoken to me with such open defiance.

Most people were careful around me.

They measured every word, watched every expression, and tried desperately to impress me.

Isabella did none of those things.

She looked at me as though my money, my name, and my position meant absolutely nothing to her.

It irritated me.

More than it should have.

I opened her employee file again.

Isabella.

Twenty-two years old.

Qualified for the position.

No remarkable connections. No influential family name. Nothing that explained why I couldn't get the image of her angry face out of my mind.

I closed the file.

This was ridiculous.

She was an employee.

Nothing more.

My phone vibrated on the desk.

A message appeared on the screen.

ZARA: I heard you hired someone new. Interesting.

My expression changed.

I hadn't told Zara anything about Isabella.

So how did she know?

Before I could respond, another message arrived.

ZARA: We need to talk, Jude. About your new employee.

I stared at the screen.

For the first time that day, Isabella wasn't the only thing on my mind.

Zara had a habit of appearing whenever she sensed something she could use to her advantage.

And if she had already noticed Isabella, then this situation was about to become far more complicated than I wanted it to be.

I typed a brief reply.

JUDE: There's nothing to discuss.

Her response came almost immediately.

ZARA: That's what you said the last time, darling. Look how that ended.

My fingers tightened around the phone.

The past was supposed to stay buried.

I had worked too hard to build the life I had now. I wasn't going to let Zara destroy it again.

And I certainly wasn't going to let her get anywhere near Isabella.

I didn't know why that last thought came so naturally.

I only knew that it did.

I placed my phone facedown and returned to work.

But for the first time in a very long while, concentrating was impossible.

Because somewhere outside my office, a stubborn young woman was going about her day, completely unaware that she had just walked into a world filled with secrets.

And one of those secrets had my name written all over it.