Chapter 1:The Interview

The building looked more like a fortress than an office — sharp lines, silver glass, and intimidating height. Luna Santiago stood outside Black Empire Corp, staring up like it was a mountain she had no choice but to climb. Her reflection in the glass doors showed a woman trying too hard to look confident, her cheap blazer too tight and her nerves too obvious.

She clutched her worn-out bag and walked in.

“Good morning, I’m here for the assistant interview,” she told the front desk.

The receptionist didn’t even blink. “Name?”

“Luna Santiago.”

The woman typed quickly. “You’re early.”

“I know. I couldn’t risk being late.”

She received a slight nod and a gesture toward the elevator. “Take that up to the 51st floor. Mr. Black will see you now.”

Her breath caught. Already? She hadn’t expected to be seen so soon. She took a shaky step forward, then another. Inside the elevator, she pressed the button with trembling fingers.

As the elevator rose, so did her heart rate. Luna had heard the rumors. Everyone in the city knew Killian Black — billionaire, ruthless CEO, and cold as ice. No one lasted more than a few months as his assistant. Some quit. Others… well, no one really knew. But his eyes, they said, were enough to shut you up before he even opened his mouth.

Luna wasn’t scared. She was desperate.

She stepped out of the elevator into silence. The 51st floor was sleek and modern. White marble floors. Floor-to-ceiling windows. And at the far end, double glass doors guarded by a stern-looking woman in black.

“You must be Miss Santiago,” she said. “Go on in. He’s waiting.”

Her heels clicked across the floor like gunshots. She reached for the door handle, took one last breath, and entered.

He didn’t look up.

Killian Black sat behind a glass desk, one hand on a pen, the other flipping through a tablet. His black suit was perfectly tailored, his white shirt crisp, his tie dark as night. His hair was just slightly tousled — effortlessly perfect. And his presence? Suffocating.

“You’re late,” he said, still not looking at her.

“I’m ten minutes early.”

“That’s late in my world.”

Luna’s eyes narrowed. “Then I’ll adjust my world.”

That made him look up.

His eyes were black — not brown, not dark hazel, but pure black, sharp and unreadable. For a second, he studied her like she was an equation he was solving. Then he leaned back in his chair, tapping the pen against the desk.

“Why do you want this job?”

“I need it.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“It’s an honest one.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Everyone who applies for this position knows the salary. That alone attracts liars. How do I know you’re not one of them?”

“You don’t,” Luna said simply. “But you’ll find out soon enough.”

Silence.

Then something strange happened — his lips curved, just slightly. Not a smile. A twitch. Maybe amusement.

He stood and walked around the desk, closing the distance between them. She didn’t move.

“You’re bold.”

“No,” she said. “I’m tired. I’m tired of pretending to be less so people can feel more. I’m tired of being told what I can’t do. If you want someone to say ‘yes sir’ and stay silent, pick someone else. But if you want someone who will stand through fire, even when it burns—I'm your girl.”

Killian studied her again. “I don’t need someone who wants to be a hero. I need someone who knows how to survive.”

“I’ve been surviving since I was sixteen.”

Something flickered in his eyes. Interest. Curiosity. Maybe a challenge.

He turned his back to her and returned to his seat.

“Start Monday,” he said.

Luna blinked. “Wait… that’s it?”

“I don’t waste time.”

She waited, just to be sure. “So I got the job?”

He looked up again. “You got a chance. Don’t mess it up.”

Luna nodded slowly and turned to leave. Her heart was racing, and not just from nerves. There was something in that room—electric. Cold and sharp, yet burning. The kind of tension you could feel in your bones.

Just before she closed the door, she heard him say, almost too quietly:

“Let’s see how long you last.”

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