It was past midnight. The corporate auditors had left hours ago, scurrying out of the estate like rats fleeing a sinking ship. The board members had been escorted off the premises with stern warnings about confidentiality.

I stood near the edge of the massive Persian rug, holding a silver tray with a cup of black coffee, watching Victor pace slowly across the room. He had finally removed his suit jacket entirely, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing the lean, corded muscle of his forearms.

"He was right about one thing, you know," Victor finally said, stopping by the tall window and staring out into the snowy gardens.

"Who? Richard Vance?" I asked cautiously.

"Vance was a desperate fool," Victor replied, turning around to face me. "No, I mean what he said before they dragged him out. About people in this house having motives."

He walked slowly toward me, his dark eyes fixed on my face with an unsettling intensity.

"You’ve been here for three weeks, Bennett. You lied on your application about your secretarial background. You collapsed from a fever in my bed. And yet, every time I look at you, you’re holding yourself together like you’re carrying the weight of the entire world on your shoulders."

He stopped just a foot away from me. I could smell the faint scent of sandalwood and expensive scotch radiating from him.

"I had to lie to get the job," I said defensively, my chin lifting as I met his gaze. "If I put 'dropout working two minimum-wage jobs with a dying brother' on your application, Mrs. Gable would have thrown my resume in the shredder before I finished spelling my name. My brother needs dialysis three times a week, Mr. Russo. The bills don't care about corporate etiquette."

Victor didn't look angry. Instead, a strange, profound softening crossed his features.

"How much?" he asked quietly.

"What?"

"How much do you need for your brother’s treatment?"

I stepped back, my chest tightening with sudden, fierce pride. "I don't charity, Mr. Russo. I work for my paycheck. Every Friday, on time, just like we agreed."

"It’s not charity, Bennett," Victor said, his voice dropping into a smooth, hypnotic register. "It’s an investment. In my company. In my household. In the only person who has looked me in the eye since I took over this empire and hasn't tried to lie, steal, or manipulate me."

He reached out, gently taking the silver tray from my hands and setting it down on a nearby side table. His warm fingers lingered for a fraction of a second against mine before he let go.

"I already checked with the hospital billing department this afternoon," Victor continued calmly. "Your brother’s account has been settled in full. The balance was zero as of 4:00 PM."

My breath caught in my throat. The room seemed to tilt sideways.

"You... you what?" I whispered, horror and disbelief warring in my chest. "You went behind my back? You paid Tommy’s hospital bills without my permission?"

"I didn't want him dying while you were busy scrubbing my floors with a hundred-degree fever," Victor replied coolly, crossing his arms over his chest. "Deal with it."

"I can't accept that!" I cried out, anger finally overriding my fear. "You think you can just buy people? You think because you’re a billionaire you can rewrite my life like it’s a corporate subsidiary on your ledger? I am not one of your assets, Mr. Russo!"

In a flash of movement, Victor closed the distance between us. Before I could back away, his hands caught my waist, pulling me firmly against his chest.

"You’re not an asset, Bennett," Victor whispered fiercely, his face inches from mine, his dark eyes burning with an intensity that took my breath away. "If you were an asset, I would have audited you weeks ago and filed you away in a folder. But I can't stop thinking about you. I can't stop watching you. And every time I walk into that master bedroom, all I can think about is the morning I woke up and found you sleeping beside me."

My heart hammered so violently I thought it would burst through my ribs. The anger inside me melted instantly, replaced by a terrifying, intoxicating wave of heat.

"Victor..." I breathed, using his first name for the very first time.

He didn't give me a chance to finish. His head lowered, and his lips met mine in a kiss that was fierce, hungry, and desperate—a dam breaking after years of absolute control.

For a few reckless seconds, the world outside the library—the corporate wars, the hospital bills, the social scandal—ceased to exist.

Then, shattering the silence of the night, a deafening explosion rocked the estate.

BOOM!

The entire library floor shook violently under our feet, sending books tumbling from the shelves and shattering the tall glass windows into a million glittering shards.