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He hired her to be his assistant. She never expected to become his obsession. After losing her sister under mysterious circumstances, Elena Cruz is determined to uncover the truth even if it means getting close to the one man who might be responsible: Dominic Blackwood, a ruthless billionaire with secrets darker than his charm. But as Elena dives deeper into Dominic's world of luxury, lies, and longing, she realizes that not everything is black and white. With every whispered promise and stolen touch, the line between hate and desire begins to blur. Can she resist falling for the man she's supposed to destroy?
Chapter 1 The Interview
The cold marble floor beneath Elena Cruz's heels echoed through the grand lobby of Blackwood Enterprises, each step a rhythmic drumbeat of anxiety. Her fingers curled tightly around the handle of her purse, knuckles pale, heart racing with a cocktail of fear and determination. She hadn't come just for a job. She had come for answers.
The receptionist barely looked up before waving her toward the private elevator, her lips painted a shade too red, her expression rehearsed. "Mr. Blackwood will see you now. Top floor."
Top floor. Of course. Where the air is thinner, and the secrets are buried deeper.
Elena stepped inside the elevator, the chrome walls reflecting a woman she barely recognized anymore-eyes too haunted, jaw too tight, dressed in a black pencil skirt and a silky blouse that clung to her like armor. Her long chestnut hair was pulled into a low twist, sleek, professional-deceptive. She looked like a woman chasing a career. Not like one chasing the ghost of her sister.
The doors opened with a soft chime, revealing a long corridor bathed in shadows and silence. At the far end, massive glass doors stood ajar, revealing the empire of Dominic Blackwood-the man who could end her search, or bury it forever.
She walked.
And walked.
Until she was standing at the threshold of a room so sleek, it looked like it had been carved out of steel and ambition. Floor-to-ceiling windows framed the Manhattan skyline like a painting. The desk was a fortress of glass and matte black. And behind it, he sat.
Dominic Blackwood.
He didn't look up right away. No, that would've been too human.
He signed something, clicked his pen shut, and finally raised his eyes. Eyes the color of a winter storm. Sharp. Unforgiving. Curious.
"Elena Cruz," he said, voice low and smooth, but edged with something unreadable. "You're early."
"I thought punctuality was a strength."
His lips curved-barely. "It is. But eagerness can be... dangerous."
She stepped forward, careful not to flinch. "I don't scare easily."
That made his brow twitch. "We'll see."
He gestured to the chair opposite him, and she sat, crossing one leg over the other, feigning calm.
"Your résumé is impressive," he said, glancing down at the paper in front of him. "But I don't hire on paper."
"Then what do you hire on, Mr. Blackwood?"
He looked up again. This time, he stared.
"Instinct," he said.
There it was-that moment she'd been warned about. Dominic Blackwood wasn't just a billionaire. He was a strategist. A hunter. And she had just walked willingly into his den.
The interview twisted into something else. His questions were unconventional. Sharp. Personal.
"Tell me your greatest weakness," he asked.
Elena didn't blink. "Losing control."
"Why?"
"Because I've seen what happens when you give someone else power over your life."
There was a beat of silence. His gaze lingered on her for just a second too long before he leaned back in his chair.
He wasn't used to being challenged. And yet, he looked intrigued. Amused, even.
"You don't seem like someone who follows rules," he said.
"Only the ones that make sense."
Another pause. Then, abruptly, he stood. He was taller than she expected. More imposing. But there was something else-something heavy in the air between them. Something unspoken.
"You're hired," he said.
Just like that.
Elena's chest tightened. "No probation? No background check?"
His smirk returned. "I already know everything I need to."
Her stomach turned.
"Then I start tomorrow?"
He walked to the window, hands in his pockets, staring out at the glittering city like a king surveying his kingdom.
"No," he said. "You start now."
Trap.
She knew it. She felt it. But she couldn't turn back now.
"Alright," she said, rising to her feet. "What's my first task?"
He turned to her, expression unreadable.
"Trust me."
She blinked. "That's not a task."
"With me," he said, voice darker now, "it is."
The door closed behind her with a soft click.
She stood there, inside Blackwood's world, her pulse hammering in her throat.
She had a new job.
And a new enemy.
Only he didn't know it yet
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