VIKTOR

Chapter One – First Encounter

The office was too quiet.

That was how Isa knew something was wrong.

On a normal Monday, phones rang nonstop, printers screamed, and someone somewhere was always complaining about coffee. But today, silence had fallen over the place like a warning.

Isa peeked over her monitor and immediately saw why.

The man standing by the window didn’t belong here.

Tall, dark suit, expensive watch, hair slicked back in a way that made him look more dangerous than professional. His presence alone sucked the air out of the room.

“Who’s that?” she whispered to her coworker, Nina.

Nina didn’t even look up. “You don’t know?” she whispered back. “That’s Viktor Ivanov.”

Isa frowned. “The new investor?”

Nina gave her a look. “Try the new boss. He officially bought out the company last week. As of today, we all work for him.”

Isa blinked. “You’re kidding.”

“Do I look like I’m joking? HR has been panicking since sunrise. The man’s a billionaire, Isa. Russian. Cold. Dangerous. The kind who smiles while firing people.”

Isa’s heart thudded. “Great. Just great.”

She tried to focus on her screen, but curiosity kept dragging her gaze back to him. Every time she glanced up, he was still there, calm, still, like the world moved for him.

Before she could stop herself, the secretary called out, “Miss Torres? Mr. Ivanov would like to see you in the conference room.”

Isa froze. “Me?”

The secretary nodded, looking almost sorry for her.

Nina whispered, “Rest in peace.”

Isa muttered, “If I don’t come back, clear my browser history.”

Clutching her files, she made her way down the hall, mentally rehearsing her polite employee voice.

When she pushed open the door to the conference room, she stopped short.

He was already there, sitting at the far end of the long glass table. No laptop. No phone. Just him, waiting.

Viktor Ivanov looked exactly how power was supposed to look, composed, sharp, unbothered. His gaze lifted slowly to meet hers, and Isa instantly forgot how to breathe.

“Miss Torres?” His voice was low, accented, and so smooth it almost didn’t sound real.

“Yes, sir,” she managed. “You asked to see me?”

“You’re late,” he said simply.

Her mouth opened. “The elevator...”

“Excuses,” he interrupted, leaning back in his chair. “Sit.”

Her knees wobbled as she crossed the room. She tried to ignore how his eyes followed her, not in a creepy way, but like he was studying something valuable. She placed the folder on the table, her hand brushing the cold glass.

“I brought the employee performance reports you requested,” she said quickly. “If you’d like, I can...”

He lifted a hand, stopping her mid-sentence. “Tell me. How long have you worked here?”

Her brow furrowed. “Two years, sir.”

“And yet, you’re the only one who didn’t panic when I walked in.”

Isa blinked. “Should I have?”

He tilted his head slightly. “Everyone else seems to think so.”

“I guess I didn’t get the memo,” she said lightly.

A faint smile tugged at his lips. “You have humor. That’s dangerous.”

“Why?”

“In my world, humor means you’re not afraid.”

She swallowed. “And that’s… bad?”

“It’s unusual.”

The way he said it made her spine tingle. The room suddenly felt too small, too quiet.

He leaned forward slightly, elbows on the table. “Do I make you nervous, Miss Torres?”

She blinked. “Should you?”

His eyes held hers. “I usually do.”

The air between them stretched tight. Isa broke eye contact first, pretending to rearrange the files.

“If you don’t need anything else, I’ll send the rest to your email,” she said quickly.

He didn’t respond. When she looked up, he was still watching her, his expression unreadable — like he was deciding something.

Finally, he said softly, “You may go.”

Isa nodded too fast and turned toward the door, her heels clicking against the marble.

Halfway out, his voice stopped her.

“Miss Torres.”

She turned. “Yes?”

“Next time,” he said, “don’t hide behind your reports. Look me in the eye when you talk.”

Her breath hitched. She didn’t reply. She just left.

Outside, Isa leaned against the nearest wall, exhaling like she’d been holding her breath for an hour.

Her coworker Nina was waiting. “So?” she whispered. “How bad was it?”

Isa stared straight ahead. “He’s… something else.”

“Scary?”

“Yes. No. I don’t know.” She rubbed her forehead. “It’s like he talks and you can’t tell if he’s going to fire you or promote you.”

Nina laughed. “That bad, huh?”

“I don’t even think he blinked once,” Isa said. “And the way he looked at me—” She stopped herself, shaking her head. “Forget it.”

Viktor remained in the conference room long after she’d gone.

He wasn’t one to waste time, yet he found himself replaying her words, her tone, the defiant glint in her eyes.

Ivan stepped inside a few minutes later, his expression cautious. “How’s the new staff holding up?”

“Efficient,” Viktor said.

Ivan raised an eyebrow. “Efficient? Or terrified?”

“Amusing,” Viktor corrected. “The girl… Isa Torres. She doesn’t flinch.”

Ivan’s mouth twitched. “And you like that.”

“I like people who know how to look at danger and still stand their ground,” Viktor replied quietly.

He looked back at the seat Isa had been in. The faint scent of her perfume lingered.

“Assign her as my personal assistant,” he said.

Ivan frowned. “Already? She’s not even from the admin team.”

“She is now,” Viktor murmured. “Let’s see how long she can survive in my world.”

That evening, Isa sat on her couch, laptop open, replaying the entire day in her head. She’d met difficult bosses before, arrogant, impatient, even rude. But Viktor Ivanov was something else. Something that made her nerves spark and her logic vanish.

She told herself it was just intimidation. Just power. Just business.

But deep down, she knew it wasn’t.

The moment he’d looked at her, she’d felt it, that pull, that warning.

And for the first time in her life, Isa Torres realized she’d just stepped into something she couldn’t control.

Something that looked a lot like danger.

Something that looked a lot like him.