Chapter 1

On my first day as an intern, I accidentally walked in on the CEO changing his clothes.

"You're the first woman bold enough to pull a stunt like this. Start thinking about how you're going to take responsibility."

Looking at the billionaire boss standing before me, totally lost in his own bad-boy alpha fantasy, I shoved him back with utter conviction in my eyes.

"Mr. Hayes, my dog has more defined abs than you."

Phew. That was close. I almost ended up in a relationship.

After graduation, sheer dumb luck landed me a gig as an intern secretary at Vanguard Global, the biggest corporate powerhouse in the city.

Still, from day one, something felt terribly off about my boss.

On my very first morning, I was already running around like a headless chicken, darting between departments until my heels practically caught fire.

"Ann, take this contract over to Mr. Hayes so he can look it over."

I had barely sat down to catch my breath—my butt hadn't even warmed the seat—before another task was dumped on me.

According to the office grapevine, our CEO, Julian Hayes, was a man of few words. Cold as a glacier, unapproachable, and totally ruthless.

Standing outside his office, my stomach was tied in knots. I was terrified that one tiny misstep would get me fired on the spot.

"Mr. Hayes? Are you in there?"

I clutched the folder to my chest and knocked for what felt like forever, but nobody answered.

The door was cracked open just a sliver. After hesitating for a second, I gently pushed it open.

A split second later, pure regret hit me like a truck.

What kind of high-powered corporate mogul changes his clothes right in the middle of a sunlit office?

His bare, pale chest and completely shirtless torso crashed right into my field of vision. I froze like a deer in the headlights.

Hearing the door, he spun around, and our eyes locked. The sheer, unadulterated mortification of that moment was beyond words.

I whipped around to sprint out, yelling at the top of my lungs that I hadn't seen a single thing.

Julian dashed forward like an Olympic sprinter, slammed the door shut, and effectively caged me against it with his arms.

He hovered in that intensely intimate posture, leaning down, and whispered:

"You're the first woman bold enough to pull a stunt like this. Start thinking about how you're going to take responsibility."

Wait. What???

What happened to the stoic, heartless ice prince everyone warned me about? Why on earth was he reciting cheesy lines ripped straight from a trashy billionaire romance novel?

And why was he talking in that deep, forced vocal fry?

The secondhand embarrassment was so greasy it made my scalp tingle and my toes curl inside my shoes. I shoved him away with the righteous determination of a warrior charging into battle.

"Mr. Hayes, my dog has more defined abs than you."

The words flew out of my mouth before my brain could stop them, shocking even myself.

Still, to save whatever pathetic shred of dignity I had left, I forced a poker face, whipped the door open, and bolted down the hall.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of Julian’s face. It was darker than a thundercloud.

I’m dead. I’m so dead. Getting fired on day one of my internship because I told my boss his abs were worse than my dog's? If word gets out, people will laugh at my funeral.

For the rest of the day, I sat at my desk jumping at every shadow, constantly glancing toward HR, terrified an officer would walk out holding a cardboard box and telling me to pack my things.

Yet when clock-out time rolled around, no termination notice came.

After racking my brain for ages, it finally clicked.

Oh... Julian was probably too humiliated. I mean, an ultra-wealthy CEO losing an ab contest to an intern's dog? He'd rather take it to his grave.

"Hahahahaha." The thought made me snort out loud right there in the takeout place.

"What's so funny?"

A crisp, chilled voice dripped with ground teeth directly over my head.

I tilted my head back and found myself staring straight into Julian’s deeply resentful, brooding eyes.

He towered over me by at least a head and a half, looking down like an ominous shadow.

Are you freaking kidding me? How cursed is my luck that I run into my boss while grabbing cheap takeout after work?

"Mr. Hayes... you're not stalking me, are you?"

I don't know what wire crossed in my brain, but I plastered on a tight, ridiculous grin and let that tumble out, turning an already agonizing situation into a complete train wreck.

Julian’s face cycled from fury to shock to absolute speechlessness. It was truly a cinematic performance.

Meanwhile, I shrank into myself, desperate to grab my food and flee.

Don't ask why I didn't run right then and there. I was starving, and I was literally next in line. Giving up now was out of the question.

Nothing stands between me and my dinner. Not even Julian Hayes.

Okay, scratch that. Julian Hayes definitely could.

The moment I grabbed my takeout bag and turned to dash, Julian snatched me by my hoodie.

............

What was this, carrying a helpless little kitten by the scruff?

I tried wriggling, but all it did was choke me. Totally useless.

Julian calmly ordered a bowl of spicy noodles, took the tray from the cashier with one hand, and dragged me along toward an empty booth like a piece of carry-on luggage.

No matter how many people stared at us on the way, he refused to let go.

Even though his other hand was trembling under the weight of the tray.

Keep acting tough, buddy. See if you don't drop dead from exhaustion.

I rolled my eyes, keeping all my commentary safely locked in my head.