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What the hell just happened? My mind spins as I make my way through the door of Mr. Hale’s office.
My skin heats under my top, which now feels a bit too thin as I sense both sets of eyes on me. But I don’t dare turn to check for fear that I’m right.
Thirty minutes ago, I was starting as an admin assistant in some low–level job, and now I’m working under the two guys who own the company.
Stuff like this doesn’t just fall into my lap. A pay raise after three months? Forget a new apartment–I’ll be able to stay where I am and save up enough money to leave town completely.
In six weeks, I turn twenty–five, and about six months after that, I should have enough saved up that I won’t need to rely on anyone.
I’m so close I can almost taste it.
But until then, Declan and Lucas won’t regret hiring me, and I’m pretty sure I won’t regret taking the job.
If anything, my days will be enjoyable. Both of them are easy on the eyes. They’re more than easy—they’re probably going to be a distraction.
It’s easy to see they are related. They seem to work well with each other. I can see the resemblance in their eyes and smiles…from what I saw, anyway.
Sitting in between them, I found it hard to focus. Each time I tried to hold eye contact, my cheeks warmed, and my inner chicken had to look away.
Each time I looked up at one of them, I lost track of the conversation, and my thoughts wandered. I could see their lips moving, but the only thought in my brain was how amazing it would feel to run my fingers through Lucas’s loosely styled dark brown wavy locks or Declan’s shorter and slightly lighter brown hair.
If I had to guess, I would say they are probably five to eight years older than I am, and that Declan is the older of the two.
I laugh under my breath as I realize this is probably the best thing Evelyn has ever done for me, even though I know it wasn’t her intention to help.
Their secretary, Janice, was incredibly helpful. I don’t think I’ve ever met someone more organized than her. She had me all set up with login information and company credentials, and within twenty minutes I was at my desk next to hers, reading my email and familiarizing myself with my new job description.
As efficient as Janice is though, she is equally terrifying if you are on the Hale floor without a scheduled appointment, as one unfortunate new employee found out this morning.
I can see why Lucas and Declan like her, and I vow to learn everything she can teach me about getting my point across in a professional yet scary way. At the very least, it will improve my sparring matches with my
mother.
I glance toward the thick glass office door, half expecting it to open again and one of the Hales to call me back
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- in. My heart gives a traitorous thump at the thought, and I silently beg myself to get it together. This is a job. A stepping stone. Nothing more.
Still, the way they both looked at me–intensely, unapologetically–lingers in the back of my mind like a secret I’m not supposed to know.
I shake the thought from my head and try to focus on the email in front of me. It’s from HR, confirming the position title adjustment, my updated benefits package, and a new ID badge waiting at security. I reread the salary figure just to make sure I didn’t hallucinate it earlier.
I didn’t.
And now, with my name officially listed as “Administrative Executive to the Partners,” everything about my morning feels surreal. I expected to be fetching coffee and organizing meeting notes for middle
management. Instead, I’m sitting outside the offices of two of the most intimidatingly attractive men I’ve ever seen, and apparently, I’ll be working with them directly.
I spin slightly in my new chair and take in the office around me. The Hale floor is sleek but not sterile. Clean lines, lots of warm wood tones, and black metal finishes give the space a quiet authority. There’s no clutter, no unnecessary decor–just tastefully chosen art and a couple of lush green plants that Janice admitted are fake.
I like her Janice. She’s sharp. Exacting. And she has this effortless way of commanding respect without ever raising her voice. If I’m smart, I’ll keep my head down, soak up everything she teaches me, and try not to get distracted by the unsettling attention of the two men who run this place.
Unsettling might not even be the right word.
There’s something about them that feels… layered. Like there are versions of them beneath the surface that I haven’t seen yet. The part of me that’s spent my entire life managing Evelyn’s moods and pretending to fit into her social games knows better than to get too comfortable. People like Declan and Lucas don’t rise to the top by being what they appear to be.
And yet… they didn’t feel fake. Not in the way Evelyn’s friends do. Not in the way most of the men I’ve met do -either looking at me like I’m a project or a pawn.
Declan and Lucas looked at me like I was a puzzle.
Lucas, especially. He didn’t just look–he watched. And there’s a difference. A subtle one, but I’ve spent too many years reading people not to feel it.
It doesn’t help that he’s unfairly attractive, with that dangerous kind of charisma that feels like a dare. His hair falls just messily enough to make you wonder if someone’s hands were in it before he walked into work.
And then there’s Declan. The way he sits–controlled posture, clean–cut, tailored to the inch–makes him look like he eats spreadsheets for breakfast. But he has a quiet gravity about him, like you should listen when he speaks because he won’t say it twice.
I turn back to my computer screen and quickly click through the onboarding packets. I need to focus. Learn the systems. Understand the company culture. Janice said I’d be looped into high–level meetings as a note taker and document organizer.
I could learn a lot here. Make connections. Use this job for what it is–an opportunity to build something that
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doesn’t depend on anyone else.
Especially not Evelyn.
The phone at Janice’s desk rings. She answers, sharp and efficient, then hangs up and leans toward me.
“Conference room 3B on the floor below us, in fifteen. You’re shadowing me today.” Her professional exterior fades for only a second as she gives me a smile that tells me she might just like me too.
I blink. “A meeting?”
She shrugs. “Executive staff. Weekly project review.” She stands, grabs a thin folder from her tray, and hands it to me. “Bring this. Keep quiet unless asked a direct question, take detailed notes, and we’ll connect after to see if we have everything we need for the minutes.”
I nod quickly, taking the folder like it might bite me.
I glance at the elevator. In just under fifteen minutes, I’ll be sitting with high–level staff, two dangerously attractive bosses, and pretending like I belong.
I smooth my hands down the front of my blouse and take a breath.
Time to act like I know what I’m doing.
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Chapter 8
