Chapter4
1271 Words
Familiar Eyes
Jason’s Pov
Jason Westwood didn’t flinch easily, but the moment she stepped into his office, the world tilted in a way he hadn’t expected.
Emerald eyes, clear, sharp, and hauntingly familiar, locked onto his, wide and cautious.
The same eyes that had searched for him in the smoky, reckless darkness of last night.
The same eyes that had looked vulnerable, innocent even, as she stood close enough for him to feel the heat radiating from her skin.
But this was different. Today, she was composed. Professional. Dressed in a simple white blouse tucked neatly into a charcoal pencil skirt, with her hair pinned back carefully, not the wild, carefree woman from the bar.
The woman in front of him was an applicant for a job. His job.
He swallowed the knot rising in his throat. For a man like him, control was everything. Chaos was the enemy.
And this was chaos, wrapped up in a woman named Blair Sinclair.
He cleared his throat, forcing his expression into the practiced coldness he wore like armor.
“Please, have a seat,” he said, voice clipped and distant.
She hesitated before settling into the chair, hands clasped so tightly in her lap they turned pale. Her lips trembled ever so slightly as she opened her mouth, but no words came at once.
Jason’s eyes drifted over her, noting the subtle signs of nerves, the slight shake in her fingers, the way her gaze flicked to the floor then back up, searching his face for something he wasn’t ready to give.
“Miss Sinclair,” he said again, sharper this time. “Tell me why you think you’re fit to work here.”
Her voice was soft but steady. “I’ve interned twice in executive offices. I’m organized, quick to learn, and I’m… dedicated.”
Her eyes shone with earnestness, a stark contrast to the cold steel of his own. And yet, despite his better judgment, something in her vulnerability stirred something buried deep inside him.
He shifted in his chair, folding his fingers tightly. “This role isn’t easy. You’ll be working directly with me and my executive team. Are you prepared for that kind of pressure?”
She nodded quickly. “I am. I want this. I won’t let you down.”
Jason studied her a moment longer. There was no doubt she was unprepared for what lay ahead, but she was determined.
He gave a curt nod. “You start Monday. 7:30 a.m. Don’t be late.”
Her head snapped up, surprised, as if the words themselves were a shock.
“You hired me?”
“Yes.”
Her breath hitched, and a small smile tugged at her lips. “Thank you, Mr. Westwood.”
He barely acknowledged it, already turning his attention back to the piles of papers on his desk.
As Blair rose to leave, fumbling with her handbag, she cast one last glance over her shoulder.
Their eyes met briefly, an unspoken exchange, before she slipped out, the door clicking softly behind her.
Jason exhaled sharply, running a hand through his dark hair. This wasn’t supposed to happen.
Not like this. Not when every part of his carefully controlled life was teetering on the edge of exposure.
He spun his chair toward the window, eyes scanning the towering Manhattan skyline. His phone buzzed on the desk, dragging him back.
Glancing down, he saw a message from Blake.
“You seriously hired her? Bro, do you even know who she is?”
Jason’s fingers tightened into a fist. What did Blake mean? Did he know something Jason didn’t?
His mind raced back to the night before, the way Blair had laughed nervously when he’d kissed her, the hesitations, the flicker of fear beneath her smiles.
She was a mystery. A complication.
And complications were the last thing Jason needed.
He typed a quick reply.
“No. Fill me in.”
His phone buzzed again instantly.
“Let’s just say she’s more connected to this city and to you than you think.”
Jason stared at the screen, the shadows of the room deepening.
Whatever Blake was about to tell him, it wasn’t going to be simple.
Jason stared at the message, unmoving.
“Let’s just say she’s more connected to this city and to you than you think.”
His thumb hovered over the screen as silence swallowed the room. The hum of the AC, the distant horns of Manhattan traffic, it all faded under the rush of thoughts racing through his mind.
Connected to him? How?
He barely knew her name. Just one night, a blur of heat, laughter, and soft gasps in the dark. That was supposed to be it. An escape. Not an entanglement.
Buzz. Another message from Blake.
“Do you remember Westbridge Pharmaceuticals?”
Jason’s heart sank.
He did. A scandal from years ago. One of his father’s many acquisitions that had gone sideways, bribery, coverups, a lawsuit that nearly tainted the Westwood name for good.
Jason had cleaned it up, buried the mess, and moved forward like it never happened.
But if Blair was connected to that?
He shot back a message, fingers tense.
“What does she have to do with Westbridge?”
Blake’s reply came seconds later.
“Her father was on the board. Resigned days before the investigation hit. He disappeared from the scene after that. Quiet scandal.
But the Sinclairs took a hit. Pretty sure she changed schools, dropped out of the spotlight.”
Jason’s blood ran cold.
That wasn’t just a coincidence. This wasn’t random. She was standing in his office today, saying she wanted to work for him, when his family’s empire had played a role in nearly destroying hers?
He stood abruptly, pushing the chair back. The ache in his temple pulsed harder now.
She hadn’t recognized him. At least, not at first. He could see it in her hesitation, the confusion, the disbelief when their eyes met.
But had she remembered by the end? Was this some kind of plan? Revenge? Manipulation?
Or was she truly just as shocked as he was?
He stared down at her resume still on the desk. Blair Sinclair. Clean. Simple. Too simple.
Jason clenched his jaw. The woman from last night had been real, vulnerable, unguarded, soft in ways that tugged at something buried deep in him. But the one who sat across from his desk today?
That was someone with secrets.
He sat back down, picking up his phone again.
“Don’t tell anyone else about this. Not yet.”
Blake replied:
“Too late. Word’s already starting to spread.”
Jason’s knuckles whitened.
How? How had this gotten out so quickly?
Unless someone inside was watching him more closely than he thought.
Unless someone wanted this to unravel.
The office suddenly felt colder, the walls too thin.
And then, just before he could think of what to do next..
A knock at the door.
Soft. Hesitant.
He didn’t answer.
A beat later, his assistant poked her head in. “Sir, there’s… a file you should see. It was slipped under your door. No sender.”
Jason frowned. “What kind of file?”
She entered fully, holding a plain manila envelope.
Jason opened it slowly, eyes narrowing.
Inside, a single sheet of paper. No name. Just a printed message:
“You don’t know who you let in. But she knows you. Watch your back, Westwood.”
Jason’s gaze darkened. His fingers curled around the paper like a fuse ready to blow.
So it wasn’t just fate.
Someone had plans.
And Blair Sinclair was the trigger.
- Writer
