ENTANGLED WITH MY CEO'S BROTHER

Chapter Four – The Assessment at Knight Enterprises

If there was one thing I learned quickly about my place of work is that the building itself is giving ambition. Every hallway gleamed with polished wood and glass, every corner buzzed with quiet urgency. Even the assistants walked like soldiers, their eyes sharp with rigid postures.

I was still trying to learn how to keep up.

Melissa had spent the morning putting me through office procedures, showing me the ins and outs of scheduling meetings, filtering calls, and handling correspondence. She was patient, but there was a sharpness in her gaze that suggested she was evaluating me with every move.

“You’ll need to be on your toes,” she said as we paused by the coffee station. “Adrian Knight expects precision. And Dylan… Well, Dylan expects the world to revolve around him. You’ll have to learn how to balance both without losing yourself.” Her words carried the weight of warning, and I tucked them away like armor.

By mid-afternoon, my first real test arrived.

Adrian stepped out of his office, his presence pulling the attention of everyone within ten feet. “Miss. Carter,” he said, his voice calm. “I need you to prepare the conference room for the board’s interview with Hale & Partners. You’ll be taking the minutes.”

I swallowed hard, nerves skipping. “Yes, Mr. Knight.”

Melissa shot me an encouraging nod before I hurried to the conference room, with clipboard in my hand. The space itself was intimidating—floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city, a massive glass table surrounded by smooth leather chairs. I arranged the documents, checked the projector, and made sure water was set at each seat. My hands trembled only slightly.

When the board members began to file in, I took my seat at the edge of the table, my pen poised. Adrian entered last, his suit tailored to perfection, his expression was plain as he took the head chair. The room seemed to be in alignment with him.

The meeting began, voices filling the space with talk of numbers, projections, partnerships. I wrote furiously, determined not to miss a detail. But I couldn’t help stealing glances at Adrian as he spoke. His words were sharp, deliberate, his tone confident without arrogance. He commanded respect without raising his voice.

It was… magnetic.

Halfway through, my pen slipped, the ink streaking across the page. Heat rushed to my face as I quickly corrected it, praying no one noticed.

But when I looked up, Adrian’s gaze was on me.

It was only for a second, a twinkle of eye contact across the table, but it sent a pulse through me like static electricity. He looked away just as quickly, returning to the conversation, but my hands shook for the rest of the meeting.

When it was over, I gathered the notes and snicked out, my mind still buzzing. I hadn’t even made it back to my desk before Dylan appeared, leaning casually against the wall as if he’d been waiting.

“Taking minutes, huh?” he said, his grin infuriatingly charming. “Don’t worry, sweetheart, I’m sure you looked great scribbling away.”

I rolled my eyes, sidestepping him. “It’s my job.”

He fell into step beside me, his cologne warm and distracting. “Everything’s my job too, apparently. Meetings, numbers, investors. Boring, boring, boring. You, on the other hand…” He glanced at me, his smile wicked. “You’re the most interesting thing in this building.”

“Mr. Knight—”

“Dylan,” he corrected smoothly, like always. “Say it with me. Dy-lan.”

I quickened my pace, desperate to reach the safety of my desk. But he wasn’t deterred. “Tell you what,” he continued. “Dinner tonight. My treat. Consider it a… welcome gift to the family business.”

I stopped, turning to face him fully. “I don’t mix work with… whatever this is.”

For once, his smile faltered, replaced by a flicker of surprise. He tilted his head, studying me like I was a puzzle he hadn’t solved yet. “Interesting,” he murmured. “Most women don’t say no.”

Before I could respond, Adrian’s voice cut across the hall. “Dylan.”

Dylan straightened instantly, that lazy charm slipping just enough to show the tension beneath. Adrian stood a few feet away, his eyes sharp as they gleamed between us.

“Shouldn’t you be preparing for tomorrow’s investor pitch?” Adrian asked, his tone calm but entwined with steel.

Dylan sneered again, but it didn’t reach his eyes this time. “Always the responsible one, brother.” With a mock salute, he sauntered off, leaving the air between Adrian and me charged with unspoken tension.

I swallowed hard, tucking my notes tighter against my chest. “I should get back to work,” I said quickly.

Adrian didn’t reply right away. His gaze lingered on me, steady and inscrutable, before he finally gave a small nod. “See that you do.”

That night, back in the apartment, Grace was curled up on the couch with takeout boxes spread around her. She looked up eagerly when I came in. “So? How was your big day?”

“Exhausting,” I admitted, kicking off my heels. “I don’t know if I can keep up.”

Grace laughed. “Of course you can. You’ve always been the strongest person I know.”

Her words warmed me, but as I sank onto the couch, my mind wasn’t on my strength. It was on the weight of Adrian’s gaze across that conference table. On the way Dylan’s smile had faltered when I said no.

The city was supposed to be my second chance.

But I could already feel myself being pulled into something far more dangerous than I ever expected.