CHAPTER 7
980 Words
Anya’s POV
My pulse spiked. I grabbed my bag so fast it nearly slipped out of my hand. I didn’t bother with breakfast—I could barely swallow air at that point. All I could think about was getting to Orion’s company before seven. Before I gave him even the slightest reason to complain about me to Kennedy.
The drive felt painfully long. It was still early morning, but traffic was already building. I drummed my fingers on the wheel, tapping nervously whenever I hit a red light. My thoughts spun everywhere at once—what would I say, how would I act, could I really look at him in the eye without falling apart?
When I finally pulled up in front of the building, I forgot how to breathe for a second.
It was enormous.
The tower stretched so high it almost disappeared into the sky. Sleek glass and steel shimmered in the sunlight, reflecting the early morning glow in sharp, blinding streaks. People in perfectly pressed suits rushed in and out of the revolving doors, looking like they belonged in a world far above mine.
And on the very top, bold and shining like a crown, the name hit me square in the chest:
NIKANDROS WORLDWIDE.
A cold shiver ran down my spine.
This wasn’t just a building. This was Orion’s kingdom.
The empire he’d built after leaving me behind.
The life he’d carved out of ice and ambition and the ruins of whatever we used to be.
I stood on the sidewalk for a long moment, gripping my bag and staring up at the tower that made me feel small, insignificant, and completely unprepared.
Then I forced myself to take one step forward.
Then another.
Because no matter how terrified I was…
I didn’t have a choice.
I stepped inside the building, trying to calm my breathing even though my heart was thudding fast. Everything looked shiny… and expensive. The floor was so clean I could almost see my face in it, and the air smelled like some kind of fancy perfume mixed with coffee. I tried not to look too lost as I walked up to the lady at the front desk.
She wore a tight bun and bright red lipstick, and she looked like she didn’t smile very often. When I told her my name, she tapped on her computer for a bit, barely glancing at me, then pointed toward a hallway and told me to go to the HR office.
Her voice sounded bored, but at least she didn’t ask too many questions about the concealer caked on the side of my face.
I followed her directions and soon found a small waiting room with grey chairs and a glass table stacked with company magazines. Before I could even sit, the HR manager stepped out. He was a tall man with thin glasses and a calm face. He shook my hand like he already knew me.
“Welcome,” he said, and his voice was smooth in that practiced way. “Let me show you to your office.”
We took the elevator all the way up to the top floor. My ears almost popped. The whole time, my stomach twisted tighter and tighter because I knew whose office was on that floor too.
The doors slid open with a soft ding, and the hallway looked so… expensive. Dark wood floors, tall white walls, paintings that probably cost more than my whole house. It was quiet—too quiet. Like the air changed up there.
He led me down the hallway and stopped at a tiny office tucked in the corner. When I say tiny, I mean tiny—just a desk, a chair, and a small shelf. The window was narrow and didn’t show much of the city, only the side of another building. But I told myself it was fine. I wasn’t here to enjoy the view.
“This will be your office,” the HR manager said, smiling politely. “Mr. Nikandros’ office is just down the hall. You are to wait here until he arrives. He usually comes in early.”
“Okay… thank you,” I said, even though my throat felt tight.
He gave me a little nod and left, his footsteps echoing as he disappeared around the corner.
I sat down slowly, putting my bag on the floor. The room felt cold, or maybe it was just nerves. I kept glancing at the door every few seconds, expecting Orion to walk in at any moment and look at me with those same unreadable eyes from yesterday.
I tried to distract myself by arranging the pens on the desk and wiping a spot that didn’t even look dirty. But the minutes dragged on, and he still didn’t come.
The room was quiet. Too quiet. No voices. No footsteps. Just the soft hum of the air conditioner.
My head felt heavy from everything that happened the night before… Kennedy’s voice, his hand, the wall…
I leaned back in the chair, telling myself I would just close my eyes for a second.
Just one second.
But the chair was soft, and my whole body was tired—tired in a way that went deep into my bones. Before I knew it, my eyelids grew heavier… and heavier…
And I drifted off, right there in my tiny office, on my very first day working for the man who once broke my heart.
A sharp voice cut through the quiet and dragged me out of sleep so fast my heart almost jumped out of my chest.
“Mrs. Davenport. I wasn’t aware you were employed to sleep.”
For a second, I didn’t even know where I was. My mind was foggy, my neck hurt from the angle I’d been sleeping in, and my eyes blinked open slowly.
Then I saw him.
- Writer
