SILAS
It was like I’d suddenly become part of the furniture.
They stood there, locked in that handshake, completely forgetting why they were even in the room.
I was sitting right here, and they were practically checking each other out.
Frank was using that effortless charm he usually saves for investors, and Maya was falling for it.
She looked like a plant finally getting some sun.
It was irritating.
Frank had that stupid grin on his face, and Maya was actually enjoying it.
After all her talk about being forced into this, she didn’t look like she was suffering much now.
She clearly isn’t that into Liam after all.
If it only took one minute with Frank to make her blush, her loyalty was a joke.
One smile from a man like Frank and she’s acting like a schoolgirl.
It’s pathetic, but it’s also a good sign.
If she’s this easy to distract, Liam will be out of her head by the end of the week.
Getting her to forget him was going to be even easier than I thought.
Frank was moving to Marketing next week after five years with me, and for the first time, I was glad to see him go.
I couldn’t have him around her like this every day.
I’m glad I didn’t make her his junior or give them a reason to work side-by-side.
He just needed to train her and get out.
I needed her head in the game, not daydreaming about my assistant.
“Maya is taking over your position,” I interrupted, my voice cutting through their little moment.
Frank’s head snapped toward me.
I saw a flash of panic in those hazel eyes before he could hide it.
It was the look of a man who realized he might have just flirted his way into unemployment.
Good.
Let him sweat.
“Wait, are you the one training me?” Maya asked, looking at Frank with wide eyes.
She turned to me, her brows furrowed.
“You didn’t say you were firing the person I’m replacing just to give me a job.
That’s not fair.”
Fair?
I almost laughed.
She was actually trying to save him.
She’d known the man for all of sixty seconds, and yet here she was, playing the hero.
It was a pathetic sight.
I didn’t realize I’d hired a human rights activist.
She was looking at Frank like he was a victim and at me like I was the executioner.
It was a lot of emotion for a Wednesday morning.
“I never said he was fired.
Don’t be so dramatic,” I said, leaning back.
“Frank isn’t headed for the unemployment line.” I looked at Frank, watching him wince as our eyes met.
“You’re going to the Marketing department, just like you’ve been begging for.
Consider this your final task in this office.
Don’t screw it up.”
I watched the relief wash over her face.
It was disappointing.
I’d hoped to keep her on edge a bit longer.
I would have liked to let her believe she’d ruined his life for a few more minutes.
“Oh,” Frank said, his shoulders dropping as the panic left him.
He looked relieved, but the way his eyes darted back to Maya told me his mind was anywhere but Marketing. New chapters come out on g.com first.
“But you will need to train Maya until she is ready to take over,” I added.
I wanted him to know that while he got his promotion, he still worked for me until I decided otherwise.
He nodded, then turned back to Maya with a wide, bright smile.
“I look forward to working with you, Maya.
And training you.”
”Me too.” A blush crept up her cheeks.
You’ve got to be kidding me.
Not again.
I felt a surge of irritation.
They were back at it, acting like I was a third wheel in my own office.
I’d given the man a promotion and a way out, and he was using his final hours to try and charm my future wife right in front of me.
If Frank didn’t wipe that look off his face soon, I’d find a way to make sure his desk in Marketing was in the basement.
Maya’s reactions were supposed to be reserved for me.
It was part of the plan.
In a few weeks, we would be faking a romance for the cameras, and in six months, she’d be wearing my ring.
Yet here she was, giving those smiles away for free to a guy headed for the Marketing department.
“Mr.
Blackwood,” Frank said, checking his watch as he shifted his focus back to me.
“You have that lunch meeting with Chairman Lee from Hexton Global.
It’s at the Grand Pavilion at 2:00 PM.
I should get Maya started on the basics before we head out.”
He paused, glancing at her.
“She’ll be joining us, right?”
”Yes,” I said.
I kept it short.
Frank gestured toward the glass-walled office, his hand lingering just an inch from her arm.
“Follow me, Maya.
My office is right through here.”
As she turned to follow him, I felt a sudden need to remind her who actually owned her time.
“Maya,” I said.
“Stay.”
Frank stopped at the door.
Then after a few seconds, he stepped into his office but left it ajar, reaching over to tilt the blinds with a slow, deliberate click.
He wanted to watch?
Fine.
I’d give him a show.
I stepped toward Maya, closing the distance until I could smell her jasmine perfume.
She froze, her eyes widening as she tilted her head back to meet my gaze, her expression a mix of confusion and fear.
She clearly didn’t expect me to get this close in a professional setting.
“Listen to me,” I said, dropping my voice until it was barely audible.
“Don’t even think about telling him anything.
He won’t help you.
And the second you try to use him, I’ll fire him.”
I leaned in closer, making sure she felt the weight of my words.
“No one in this city will hire a man I’ve blacklisted.
I’ll ruin his career before he even makes it to the Marketing department.
Is that what you want for him?”
Her face went pale.
Her eyes darted toward the blinds where Frank was watching.
I leaned in even closer, my chest almost brushing hers, forcing her focus back to me.
“He’s watching, isn’t he?” I tilted my head, tracking her every flinch.
“Take a step back.
Give him a performance.
Smile like I just told you something charming.”
She forced her lips to curve upwards into a small, fake smile.
I let out a low, dry hum of approval.
“See?
You’re a natural at this already.
Now, give me a Yes, Mr.
Blackwood, so I know we’re on the same page.”
I wasn’t moving until I heard it.
“Confirm you understand the cost of crossing me.
And keep smiling, don’t stop.
I want him to wonder what we’re whispering about.”
”Yes, Mr.
Blackwood,” she breathed out.
“Good girl.
You can go.”
I turned away, the intensity vanishing as if I’d flipped a switch.
I sat behind my desk and pulled a stack of paperwork toward me, not sparing her another glance.
Hours passed, and my eyes kept drifting to the glass partition.
I watched them.
Frank was gesturing toward the computer, and Maya was smiling.
A real smile this time.
Not the fragile, cracked version she’d just performed for me.
Then she giggled.
The sound was muffled by the glass, but it was clear enough to get on my nerves.
A moment later, she was blushing at something he whispered.
The pen in my hand felt like it was going to snap.
She’d been quiet all morning, claiming she wanted to be on her best behavior.
This didn’t feel like behavior; it felt like a rebellion.
If this was her way of being good, it was the most calculated insult she’d ever thrown at me.
Since her sharp tongue was on a break, had she decided to use her charm instead?
Was she using those blushes and giggles to see exactly how much it took to make me lose my mind?
She was trading insults for smiles, and somehow, it was a thousand times more infuriating.
She knew how much this plan meant to me, and she was already playing games on her first day.
I looked at my watch.
12:00 PM.
A good time for a lunch break and a better time to break them apart.
I was about to stand up when a sharp vibration rattled inside my desk.
It was the burner phone in the top drawer.
I pulled it out, my jaw tightening as I read the encrypted message:
Shipment 7 intercepted.
Warehouse 4.
Snitch identified.
The irritation I felt over Maya and Frank vanished.
I didn’t have time for her games anymore.
This was a different kind of problem.
I stood up and pocketed the phone.
The 2:00 PM meeting didn’t matter now.
The timing was bad, but I couldn’t ignore this.
The stakes were too high.
I looked at the glass partition one last time.
I was already miles away from this office, leaving them to their peaceful, stupid laughter while I went to deal with the ugly reality of my other life.