chapter three
747 Words
Eve
People think working for a billionaire is glamorous.
It’s not.
There are no dramatic movie moments where your boss suddenly falls in love with you while soft piano music plays in the background. There’s no magical shopping spree or slow-motion staring.
There’s mostly stress.
Stress and caffeine.
And in my case, a terrifyingly attractive boss who looked at people the way storms looked at cities before destroying them.
I sighed quietly as I stepped out of the elevator on the twenty-second floor of Moore Industries.
The office was already awake.
Phones ringing.
Heels clicking.
Employees whispering nervously.
Normal.
Actually, no.
Not normal.
Because everyone kept staring at me.
I frowned. “Why are you all looking at me like I committed a crime?”
Nobody answered immediately.
That was suspicious.
Then Clara from accounting practically sprinted toward me.
“Eve,” she whispered dramatically, “Mr. Moore has asked for you three times.”
I blinked. “Okay?”
“Okay?” she repeated in disbelief. “The man looked one inconvenience away from starting a war.”
Great.
Fantastic.
Wonderful way to start my morning.
I walked toward Xavier’s office trying not to panic internally.
The truth was, I never knew what version of Xavier Moore I was going to get.
Cold and distant Xavier.
Silent and exhausted Xavier.
Or terrifying CEO Xavier.
Personally, terrifying CEO Xavier was my least favorite.
I knocked once before entering.
“Come in.”
Yep.
Definitely terrifying CEO Xavier.
The office looked exactly like him—clean, cold, expensive, and intimidating for absolutely no reason.
He sat behind his desk, sleeves rolled slightly upward, silver watch catching the light.
And unfairly enough, he looked good.
Annoyingly good.
Like magazine-cover good.
Which honestly felt disrespectful considering his personality.
“You wanted to see me?”
He didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, those gray eyes lifted slowly toward me.
I hate those eyes.
Not because they’re ugly.
Unfortunately, they’re the opposite.
They’re the kind of eyes that make intelligent women ruin their lives.
“I asked for the Maxwell reports an hour ago.”
I stared at him blankly.
“They’re literally on your desk.”
His gaze shifted downward.
The file sat directly beside his hand.
Silence.
I crossed my arms.
“You threatened an entire department over a file sitting two inches from you?”
Another silence.
Then something shocking happened.
His jaw tightened like he was… embarrassed.
Oh.
Oh, this was new.
I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from smiling.
“You may leave,” he muttered.
“No.”
His eyebrows lifted slightly.
“No?”
“You owe innocent employees an apology.”
“I do not apologize.”
“You do when you emotionally terrorize accountants before breakfast.”
A dangerous look crossed his face as he stood slowly from his chair.
And wow.
I really forgot how tall this man was.
He walked toward me carefully, like some dangerously calm predator.
Most women would probably be intimidated.
I was.
I just refused to show it.
“You enjoy challenging me,” he said quietly.
I shrugged. “Somebody has to humble you.”
“And you believe that somebody is you?”
“Yes.”
The silence between us stretched.
Heavy.
Strange.
Then suddenly—
He laughed.
Not a fake polite laugh.
A real one.
Low. Quiet. Unexpected.
I froze completely.
Because I had never heard Xavier Moore laugh before.
Ever.
And somehow that felt more intimate than it should have.
His expression softened slightly afterward, though it disappeared almost instantly.
“You’re staring,” he said.
“I’m shocked.”
“By what?”
“You’re human.”
His mouth twitched again.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Because moments like this made me forget who he was.
A billionaire.
My boss.
A man already engaged to another woman.
And me?
I was just Eve Adams.
The girl with overdue bills and a sick mother.
The girl who couldn’t afford distractions.
Especially distractions wearing black suits and expensive watches.
My phone buzzed suddenly in my pocket.
I glanced down.
Daniel.
My brother.
A small smile appeared on my face immediately.
“I need to take this.”
Xavier noticed the smile instantly.
Something unreadable crossed his expression.
“You smile like that often?”
I looked back at him, confused. “What?”
“That smile,” he said quietly. “I’ve never seen it before.”
For some reason…
My heart skipped.
- Writer
