He was her billionaire boss. Cold. Controlled. Completely untouchable. Until she caught him screwing someone in his office. Now? She's all he wants. Elsie Hart has spent years keeping her head down, blending into the walls of Blackthorn Enterprises. Shy, awkward, and bookishly introverted, she's the kind of girl who gets forgotten in a room full of sharks. Until one explosive mistake-walking in on Damian Blackthorn mid-act-makes her unforgettable. Damian is used to getting what he wants. Money. Power. Obedience. But something about Elsie-her quiet defiance, her hidden fire-sets off an obsession he can't control. What begins as a dangerous game of dominance quickly spirals into something darker, deeper, and far more destructive. Because behind Damian's perfect empire is a web of family secrets, corporate betrayal, and enemies who would kill to ruin him. And behind Elsie's soft voice is a mind sharp enough to expose it all.
Chapter One: The Door She Shouldn't Have Opened
Elsie Hart did not believe in curiosity. It had never brought her anything but pain-accidental eavesdropping, awkward eye contact, unreturned smiles. She preferred silence, structure, and staying invisible. Just another quiet assistant in the corner of Blackthorn Enterprises.
But on the night she opened the door to Damian Blackthorn's office without knocking, curiosity shattered her carefully constructed life.
The sounds hit her first.
A woman's sharp gasp. A low, masculine growl. The distinct, rhythmic slap of bodies colliding.
Her breath caught. Her hand froze on the doorknob.
She could've shut the door.
She didn't.
She saw him-her boss, Damian Blackthorn-fisting a woman's hair, pounding into her from behind over his mahogany desk, the city skyline glittering behind him like a throne room made of fire and glass.
His shirt was undone, muscles taut, eyes locked on the mirror across from them as he watched himself take her.
Raw. Ruthless. Completely in control.
Elsie couldn't move.
Couldn't look away.
And then-he saw her.
Their eyes met in the reflection.
She gasped and stepped back, but it was too late. His expression didn't flicker. Didn't stop. Didn't apologize.
He simply... smiled.
A dark, deliberate, spine-tingling smile that said stay.
She ran.
---
The next morning, Elsie avoided the executive floor entirely. She buried herself in data sheets and scheduling requests, trying to erase the image from her brain. But his voice cut through her earbuds like a knife.
"Miss Hart. My office. Now."
She froze.
Her coworkers stared. No one got summoned like that.
She stood, legs trembling, heart racing, and walked the long corridor to his office like a woman walking toward her execution.
He was alone this time.
Leaning against his desk. Tie loosened. Watching her like a predator who had all the time in the world.
"You didn't knock last night."
"I-I'm sorry. I didn't know anyone was inside."
"You saw me," he said flatly. "All of me."
Elsie swallowed. "I didn't mean to."
"But you didn't look away."
Her cheeks burned.
Damian stepped closer. "What did you see?"
"I-I shouldn't-"
"Tell me." His voice dropped to a whisper. "What did you see, Elsie?"
Her name on his tongue made her knees weak.
She blinked, struggling for words. "You were... in control."
"And you liked that, didn't you?"
Silence.
He moved behind her. Leaned close. Close enough that his breath touched the shell of her ear.
"I haven't stopped thinking about you. How you looked. How you froze. How wet you probably were just watching."
Her breath hitched.
"I think," he continued, "that underneath all this shyness, you want someone to ruin you."
She should have walked out.
Instead, she whispered, "What if I do?"
He stilled.
Then he smiled again.
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