Chapter 1 The New Girl

Ava Quinn tightened her grip around the handle of her handbag as she stood before the towering glass building. The sharp morning sun reflected off its windows, turning the security firm's name - Alaric Global Security - into molten silver letters.

This is it, she told herself, taking a deep breath. Her first day at one of the most prestigious firms in the city. Her best friend warned her that working here came with its own brand of madness, and that it all started at the very top with Elijah Alaric himself.

Ava had heard of him long before this opportunity crossed her path. Rumors floated like stray leaves in the wind. That he was ruthless. Silent. Impossible to read. A man so stoic, his employees joked he might be part machine.

She'd seen a photo once. Dark hair, sharp jawline, eyes the color of cold steel. A man you didn't forget.

As Ava stepped into the building, she was greeted by a pristine lobby and a receptionist who barely looked up from her computer before pointing her toward the elevators.

"Executive floor, Miss Quinn. They're expecting you."

Expecting me? Ava felt her stomach flip. She wasn't scheduled to meet the CEO, was she?

The elevator ride was smooth, but the knot in her stomach tightened with every passing floor.

Ding.

The doors slid open to reveal a space bathed in natural light. Minimalist, sleek, intimidating.

"Miss Quinn," a deep voice said from behind a massive glass desk.

Ava turned and froze.

There he was.

Elijah Alaric.

Even more striking in person. Tall, with broad shoulders filling out a perfectly tailored charcoal suit. His hair was neatly trimmed, but it curled slightly at the ends. And those eyes - sharp, unreadable, a storm waiting to happen.

He didn't smile. Didn't move. Simply watched her with a gaze so intense it made her skin prickle.

"You're early," he said, voice low and gravelly.

Ava straightened her shoulders. "Better early than late, sir."

Something flickered in his expression. Amusement? Annoyance? She couldn't tell.

He gestured toward the chair in front of his desk. "Sit."

Ava obeyed, the chair somehow both too soft and too stiff beneath her. She clasped her hands in her lap.

"Why security?" Elijah asked, leaning back in his chair.

Not what are your qualifications. Not why Alaric Global. Just why security.

Ava met his eyes. "Because it keeps people safe. And because no one ever protected me when I needed it."

The words left her lips before she could think better of them. Elijah's expression didn't change, but his gaze deepened, like he was seeing something beneath her skin.

For a moment, silence stretched between them.

"You start today," he said at last, standing. "Sienna will show you to your office."

Ava rose, smoothing her skirt. "Thank you, sir."

She turned to leave, heart pounding against her ribs.

"Ava Quinn."

His voice stopped her cold.

She looked over her shoulder. Elijah's eyes were still on her, unblinking, unreadable.

"I don't tolerate mistakes."

Ava swallowed hard. "You won't get any from me."

A hint the barest flicker of something like a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

And for a second, she could've sworn he wasn't quite as cold as everyone claimed.