The next few days passed in a blur of meetings, documents, coffee runs, and tension. Luna was getting used to the routine. She arrived early, left late, and worked harder than anyone around her. She knew she was being watched — not just by Killian, but by the entire company.
She was the first assistant to last a full week. That alone had people whispering.
“She must be desperate,” one woman said near the elevator.
“Or stupid,” another added.
Luna kept her head down. She didn’t care what they said. She had a job, a purpose, and rent to pay. Let them talk.
One evening, as she was organizing papers in the conference room, Killian walked in.
“You’re still here,” he said, surprised.
“I’m finishing the notes for tomorrow’s investor call.”
He looked at the stack in her hands. “That’s not your job.”
She met his gaze. “You said I needed to be useful.”
He paused, then walked over and picked up one of the files.
“These are in perfect order,” he muttered.
“Is that a compliment?”
“No.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Sure sounds like one.”
His lips twitched.
That almost-smile again.
“I don’t pay you to flirt,” he said quietly.
“I wasn’t,” she replied. “But if I was, I wouldn’t do it for free.”
Killian stared at her, and for a long second, neither of them moved.
Then he turned away. “You’re bold.”
“You said that already.”
“Still true.”
He walked to the door but stopped before leaving. “Take the rest of the night off. That’s an order.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And don’t call me sir.”
“What should I call you then?”
“Mr. Black. Or nothing at all.”
She smiled as he walked out.
---
The next morning, Luna stepped into the office to find a note on her desk.
“Meeting in ten. Conference room 7.”
—K. Black
She grabbed her tablet and notebook and headed there. When she entered the room, she found him alone, leaning over a long table, his sleeves rolled up.
“You’re early,” he said.
“You’re always surprised when I do something right,” she replied.
He motioned for her to sit. “This meeting isn’t about business.”
That caught her off guard. “Then… what is it about?”
He slid a thin folder across the table.
She opened it slowly. Her stomach dropped.
Inside were printed pages — screenshots, documents, online records.
Her old job. Her name in a police report. A hospital bill. A picture of her leaving a courthouse.
“I had you checked,” he said calmly.
Luna’s hands shook. “You had no right.”
“I had every right. I trust no one.”
Her voice dropped. “What do you think you know?”
“That your last employer disappeared. That you left suddenly. That you don’t talk about your past.”
“There’s a reason for that.”
“Then explain it.”
She closed the folder. “I didn’t steal anything, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“But you thought it.”
He said nothing.
Luna stood. “Yes, I worked for a man who was later investigated. I left the moment I knew something was wrong. I wasn’t part of it. But his name still follows me, like smoke from a fire I didn’t start.”
Killian watched her carefully. “Why didn’t you say this on day one?”
“Because no one gives people like me a second chance. Not when a Google search tells a scarier story.”
He didn’t respond right away. Then he slowly closed the folder.
“You’re still working here,” he said.
She blinked. “You’re not firing me?”
“You didn’t lie. You just didn’t tell.”
She sat down slowly.
“But,” he added, “there will be rules.”
“Of course.”
“No secrets.”
“Okay.”
“No lies.”
“None.”
“No feelings.”
She hesitated. “Excuse me?”
“This is a workplace. Don’t mistake kindness for something else.”
Luna nodded slowly. “Got it.”
But something about his eyes made her doubt his own words.
Was he warning her — or himself?
---
Later that afternoon, as Luna walked past the break room, she overheard two employees whispering.
“She’s still here.”
“He probably likes her.”
“No one lasts that long unless they’re sleeping with him.”
Luna’s hands clenched into fists. She walked away without saying anything, but the words followed her down the hall like shadows.
She had worked hard, stayed professional, and followed every rule.
And still, people talked.
---
That night, as she packed up her desk, Killian appeared again.
“Walk with me,” he said.
They stepped into the elevator. He didn’t speak until they reached the underground parking.
“Don’t listen to the gossip,” he said quietly.
“I don’t,” she replied, surprised he brought it up.
“But if you ever feel uncomfortable, you come to me. Understand?”
She nodded. “Thank you.”
He unlocked his car but turned back to her.
“I meant what I said earlier,” he told her. “No feelings.”
She gave a small smile. “Good. Because I don’t plan to fall for a man like you.”
“Good,” he said.
But the way he looked at her before getting into his car — that said otherwise
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