Zara hated elevators.
They were too quiet, too cramped, and they made it hard to breathe especially when your shirt was thrifted and your heels borrowed. She clutched her resume tighter as the floor numbers blinked upward: 32… 33… 34. Knight Enterprises. This was her final shot. If she didn't get this job, rent would eat what little savings she had left.
Her five-year-old son, Eli, was waiting downstairs with her neighbor. She had one hour to prove she was worth hiring.
As the elevator doors slid open, Zara nearly stumbled out.
The lobby was glass and steel, sleek and cold, like the man who ruled it. She'd heard of Liam Knight youngest billionaire CEO, ruthless, brilliant, terrifying. Rumor said he fired an intern for stuttering during a presentation. Zara was here to interview as his new assistant.
"Miss Cole?" a crisp voice called.
Zara turned. A woman in black heels and tighter hair waved her over. "He's waiting. Right through there."
"He?" Zara blinked. "Mr. Knight?"
The woman's lips twitched. "Unless you're expecting another billionaire in his office."
Zara inhaled. For Eli.
She stepped inside the glass office and saw him.
And time... stopped.
Same storm-grey eyes. Same sharp jawline. Same effortless dominance that made her stomach twist and her skin burn.
It was him.
The man from five years ago.
The man who left her with a memory and a son who had his eyes.
Liam looked up from his tablet, expression unreadable. "You're late."
"I" Zara's voice broke, then steadied. "I apologize, Mr. Knight."
He narrowed his eyes, studying her like a spreadsheet he couldn't balance.
She stood taller. Don't let him recognize you.
Because if he did… he'd want answers.
And she wasn't ready to give them.
Not yet.
.....