CHAPTER 3: The Invitation
1094 Words
ALEXANDER'S POV
The glass walls of my office framed the city like a moving painting.
The skyline shimmered, beautiful, powerful, and completely under my control.
Everything was… except her.
I leaned back in my chair, swirling a tumbler of whiskey. Sleep had been impossible last night; every time I closed my eyes, I saw her, that maddening woman with fire in her gaze and the nerve to slap me.
A knock came at the door.
“Come in,” I said flatly.
My head of security, Damien Cole, walked in, tall, dark-skinned, with a sharp jawline and a calm authority that matched mine. He placed a folder on my desk.
“We ran a check on her, sir,” he said. “The woman from last night. The restaurant’s security footage gave us her face.”
I snapped the folder open.
A few printed images of her, the same golden-brown hair, those defiant eyes.
“Name?” I asked.
“That’s the problem,” Damien replied, shifting uncomfortably. “There’s nothing on her. No public records, no online presence, no family background. It’s like she doesn’t exist.”
My brows drew together. “Everyone leaves a trace, Damien. Everyone.”
“Not her,” he said firmly. “Whoever she is, she’s either using a fake identity… or she’s someone very well-protected.”
I stared down at her photo again, irritation tightening in my chest.
A fake identity. A mystery woman. A slap I still felt.
My lips curved slightly. “Find her.”
“Yes, sir. But… what do you plan to do when we do?”
I leaned back, eyes glinting with something dark. “Let’s just say I owe her a personal thank-you.”
Damien nodded silently, though the corner of his mouth twitched, he knew exactly what that meant.
When he left, I sat alone, my fingers tracing her image.
“Who are you, coffee girl?” I murmured. “And why do you feel like a problem I want to solve?”
---
ARABELLA's POV
Sunlight slipped through the curtains, warm and golden. I groaned softly, pulling the blanket over my head.
“Rise and shine, runaway princess,” Sophie’s voice teased as the bed dipped beside me.
I peeked out and grinned. “You’re still home? Shouldn’t you be at work seducing your billionaire boss?”
She laughed, tossing a pillow at me. “First of all, rude. And second, Daniel told me to work from home today.”
“Oh, how professional of him,” I said, sitting up with a smirk. “You know, I’m starting to think your job title should be ‘CEO’s favorite distraction.’”
“Shut up!” she giggled, her cheeks pink. “We’re not… well, not officially.”
“Mhm. Sure, Miss Rivera,” I teased, elongating his surname.
Sophie threw another pillow at me, and soon the room filled with laughter, the kind that makes your stomach hurt in the best way.
When the laughter faded, she gave me a playful look. “So… dinner last night. How was it after I left you alone for like five seconds?”
I hesitated, remembering the sharp sting of that moment, his voice, his arrogance, the slap.
“Funny story,” I said, tucking my hair behind my ear. “I accidentally spilled coffee on some guy.”
Sophie gasped. “Ella, no.”
“Oh, it gets better. He was rude, called me names — so I slapped him.”
Her mouth fell open. “You what?!”
I shrugged. “He deserved it. The man was insufferable.”
“Ella!” She grabbed my arm, whispering dramatically. “You can’t just go around slapping random people. What if he was—”
“Royalty?” I laughed. “Please. I gave that up, remember?”
She rolled her eyes. “Still, you need to be careful. You’re not exactly invisible, you know.”
“I’ll be fine,” I said lightly. “Besides, I’ve survived worse.”
She sighed in defeat. “Fine. Come on, Miss Reckless. Let’s make breakfast before you burn this place down.”
---
The smell of pancakes and coffee soon filled the kitchen. Sophie danced around in one of Daniel’s oversized shirts, one she’d “borrowed” while I sat at the counter scrolling through my phone.
I had spent the past few days applying for jobs everywhere, local firms, fashion houses, even a coffee shop downtown. Anything that could help me start a new life.
“Any luck?” Sophie asked, flipping a pancake.
“Not yet. But—” I stopped mid-sentence as a new notification popped up.
‘Knight Enterprises invites you to an interview tomorrow at 10 a.m.’
My heart skipped. “Sophie! You won’t believe this!”
She turned, spatula in hand. “What?”
“I just got an interview invite from Knight Enterprises.”
Her eyes widened. “Wait. The Knight Enterprises? As in Alexander Knight?”
I frowned. “Who’s that?”
She set the spatula down. “Only one of the richest, most powerful men in the country, and Daniel’s biggest business rival. Everyone in the industry knows him. Cold. Ruthless. Gorgeous, but a total nightmare to work for.”
I blinked, half amused. “Sounds charming.”
“I’m serious, Ella.” She crossed her arms. “You don’t want to work for someone like that. He’s the kind of man who’d fire someone for breathing too loudly.”
“Then I’ll just breathe quietly,” I said with a grin. “Sophie, it’s a job. I need this.”
Her shoulders slumped, worry clouding her face. “I just… have a bad feeling about this.”
I reached out, squeezing her hand. “Trust me, Soph. What’s the worst that could happen?”
She gave me a look. “You asking that question is the worst that could happen.”
We both burst out laughing.
“Fine,” she said at last, smiling weakly. “If you’re doing this, we’re getting you ready. You’re wearing glasses, hair tied up, total professional makeover.”
I giggled. “What, no crown?”
“No crown,” she said firmly. “Just confidence.”
I smiled softly, glancing at my phone again.
Knight Enterprises.
The name felt heavy, familiar, somehow.
But I shook it off, finishing my juice.
Tomorrow, I’d walk into that building like any other applicant.
No titles. No past. No father.
Just Arabella, the girl who ran away to rewrite her story.
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