Chapter 3:The Warning

Luna arrived at the office the next day earlier than usual. The streets were still half asleep, and the sun was just starting to rise. She had barely slept. Her mind was busy replaying every word she exchanged with Killian Black yesterday.

She had stood up to him.

And he hadn’t fired her.

Yet.

She sat at her desk and opened the black binder he gave her. Names, company departments, secret meetings, passwords—it was all there. She scribbled notes in her small notebook, trying to memorize everything.

This job was no joke. But neither was she.

At exactly 8:00 a.m., Killian walked in.

He didn’t say good morning. He didn’t even glance at her. But Luna stood and greeted him anyway.

“Good morning, Mr. Black.”

He paused, just a second, as if the words surprised him. Then gave a slight nod before disappearing into his office.

Luna sat back down, hiding a small smile.

For the next hour, she worked non-stop—reviewing reports, answering emails, and sending out the updated schedule. Everything was going smoothly until Olivia, the other secretary, suddenly appeared beside her desk.

“He’s in a bad mood,” Olivia whispered.

“Why?”

“His brother is coming.”

Luna blinked. “He has a brother?”

“You’ll see,” Olivia muttered before walking off.

Minutes later, the elevator dinged.

Out stepped a man who looked just like Killian—except with a bright smile and softer eyes. He was wearing a dark blue suit instead of black, and his hair was slightly messier. Still handsome, still powerful—but different.

He walked up to Luna and smiled.

“You must be the new assistant,” he said. “I’m Nathan Black.”

“Oh—hi. Yes, I’m Luna.”

“Nervous?”

“A little,” she admitted.

“You should be,” he said with a wink. “Killian’s a monster in the mornings.”

Before she could respond, Killian’s door opened.

“Nathan,” he said coldly. “What do you want?”

Nathan grinned and walked past Luna. “Nice to see you too, brother.”

The door closed behind them, but voices soon followed—louder than they probably intended.

“I’m not here to argue,” Nathan said.

“You never are. But you always leave a mess.”

“I came to warn you.”

“Warn me?”

“About your assistant.”

Luna froze.

She leaned slightly toward the door, not close enough to be obvious, but enough to catch pieces of their conversation.

“She’s hiding something,” Nathan said.

Killian’s voice dropped. “How do you know?”

“Call it instinct. Or call it the fact that no one with her background should’ve made it past your front desk.”

Luna’s stomach turned.

What did he mean? What did he know?

“You don’t know anything about her,” Killian replied. “And neither do I. But I plan to find out.”

“You always do,” Nathan said quietly.

Their voices faded, and Luna sat back in her chair, heart pounding.

They were talking about her. Investigating her.

She should’ve expected it.

After all, this job came with power, access, and risk. She had known from the beginning that keeping her past a secret wouldn’t be easy.

But hearing them say it—hearing him say it—made her chest tighten.

Killian didn’t trust her.

And maybe he was right not to.

—

Later that day, she brought Killian his lunch. She knocked and entered quietly.

He didn’t look up from his laptop.

“Put it down,” he said.

She did.

He kept typing.

She turned to leave, but his voice stopped her.

“Tell me something, Miss Santiago.”

“Yes, sir?”

“How did you really get this job?”

Her eyes widened. “You gave it to me.”

He looked up slowly. “I know my own choices. But you weren’t the strongest candidate on paper.”

“Because paper doesn’t show real strength,” she said calmly.

He studied her again, those dark eyes searching.

“Your references weren’t impressive. Your work history is incomplete. No past employer answered when we called.”

Luna’s heart skipped.

She knew this moment would come. She just didn’t expect it so soon.

“I left a lot behind,” she said softly. “Some things… aren’t worth carrying forward.”

Killian leaned back in his chair.

“I don’t care about your past,” he said.

Luna blinked. “You don’t?”

“I care if it affects me. Or this company.”

She nodded. “Then you have nothing to worry about.”

There was a long pause. Then he looked back at his screen.

“You can go.”

She walked out, legs shaking slightly, and closed the door behind her.

Back at her desk, she tried to breathe.

He didn’t fire her.

But he was watching.

And so was his brother.

She had to be careful.

Because one wrong move—and everything she had worked for could fall apart.

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