The Assistant's Awakening

she's on my way." It was a lie, but no one dared to challenge him. The drive was silent, the air in his luxury sedan thick with unspoken tension. H

oice dripping with disdain as he looked a

my hand on th

e console and his fingers wrapped around my wrist. His touch

of me,

tic attempt at independence. Living in this slum, intervi

tting through my practiced calm. "This ha

ng. A home, a career, clothes, contacts. I made you. And you threw it all away to live

you took credit for every idea I ever had. You called me a glorifie

expression hardened into his usual mask of arrogance. "I gave you opportunities you would

ked, the question I'd been holding

is jaw tight. "You

timent, just a job title. I had meant nothing more. A wave of exhaustion washed over me, so profound it felt li

"Well, your assistant's contra

e to mine. For a moment, I thought he was going to kiss me, and my body went rigid. I saw the flash of desire in his eyes,

he let go of me abruptly. "I'm not feeling well," he mutt

der stress. In the past, I would have been the one to fetch him water

to go," he said, his voice strained. He pressed a button. "Yes, darli

s what I was. A project. A burd

ot out of the car. "I will call you tomo

number. I let it go to voicemail. A minute later, a text came through. 'It's Sophia. Liam left his portfolio at

ould make me look petty and unprofessional to Emily, who was watching me from across th

an at Liam's building recognized me and let me up without a word. The penthouse was silent and cold, feeling even larger

se opened. A woman I recognized from the gala, one of Sophia's cl

choing in the marble hallway. "Couldn't stay away?

pressed the elev

t for even letting you come back here. After what you did? Trying to

through the security camera. I just wanted to disappear. The elevator arriv

iam Maxwell is out of your league. Go back to whatever

e way down, all the way to the restaurant where I was supposed to deliver the portfolio. I

very same colleague he'd been talking to on the balcony that day. There was no portfolio on the table. There was no