Chapter7
1838 Words
The towering glass building of Laurent Holdings reflected the bright Lagos morning like a monument built from power itself. Employees hurried through the revolving doors dressed in sharp suits and polished confidence while luxury cars lined the entrance outside.
Amara Daniels stood across the street clutching her worn handbag tightly.
Her stomach twisted with nerves.
She still couldn’t believe she was here.
After yesterday’s disastrous gala and the humiliating confrontation in Damien’s boardroom, common sense told her to run far away from Laurent Holdings and never look back.
But common sense didn’t pay hospital bills.
Ethan’s medication alone cost more than she earned in two weeks.
So here she was.
Again.
“Okay,” she whispered softly to herself. “You can do this.”
Straightening her blazer, she crossed the street and entered the building.
Cold air-conditioning brushed against her skin immediately while elegant marble floors gleamed beneath golden lighting. A massive chandelier hung above the reception area while employees moved around carrying tablets and coffee cups.
Everything looked expensive.
Perfect.
Untouchable.
Amara suddenly became painfully aware of her old heels again.
The receptionist looked up politely.
“Good morning. Name?”
“Amara Daniels.”
The woman checked her computer quickly.
“Yes, Miss Daniels. Human Resources requested you return this morning.”
Amara blinked.
“They did?”
“Yes.” The receptionist smiled slightly. “Congratulations.”
Congratulations?
Before Amara could ask another question, the elevator doors opened behind her.
And Damien stepped out.
The entire lobby changed instantly.
Employees straightened immediately.
Conversations stopped.
Even the air seemed to shift around him.
Damien wore a perfectly tailored charcoal suit with a black tie loosened slightly at the collar. His expression remained calm and unreadable as he walked through the lobby surrounded by assistants.
Power followed him naturally.
But the moment his eyes found Amara, something softened in his expression.
Dangerously softened.
“Good morning,” he said.
Simple words.
Yet somehow they felt personal.
Amara crossed her arms.
“You lied to me yesterday.”
One assistant nearly choked.
The receptionist froze in horror.
Nobody spoke to Damien Cole like that.
But instead of reacting negatively, Damien looked amused again.
“I remember.”
“You interfered.”
“I observed.”
“You manipulated the situation.”
“You still got the interview.”
Amara glared at him.
Damien’s lips twitched slightly like he was trying not to smile.
Arrogant man.
One of his assistants stepped forward nervously.
“Sir, the investors from London are waiting upstairs.”
Damien barely looked away from Amara.
“They can wait five minutes.”
The assistant blinked in shock.
Five minutes?
Investors never waited for anyone.
Except apparently a stubborn woman in cheap heels.
Amara noticed the shocked expressions around them and instantly felt uncomfortable.
This was exactly what she feared.
Attention.
Rumors.
People assuming she mattered because Damien noticed her.
“I don’t need special treatment,” she said quietly.
Damien’s gaze held hers steadily.
“Good,” he answered softly. “Neither do I.”
For one brief second, silence stretched between them again.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
Then another voice interrupted sharply.
“Damien.”
Vanessa Sinclair approached across the lobby in a fitted white dress and designer sunglasses despite being indoors. Cameras flashed near the entrance immediately.
Of course.
Vanessa noticed everything.
Especially the way Damien looked at Amara.
Her smile tightened instantly.
“Well,” Vanessa said smoothly, “this is becoming interesting.”
Amara stepped backward automatically.
She already disliked this woman.
Vanessa removed her sunglasses slowly while studying Amara from head to toe.
“You again.”
Damien’s expression cooled.
“Vanessa.”
“What?” Vanessa asked innocently. “I’m only surprised.”
“You’re rarely surprised.”
“That’s because you rarely bring waitresses to work.”
The insult landed exactly how Vanessa intended.
Amara’s cheeks burned.
Damien’s jaw tightened visibly.
“That’s enough.”
Vanessa folded her arms.
“You defended her yesterday too.” Her eyes narrowed slightly. “Should I be worried?”
Damien looked completely unimpressed.
“You should be late somewhere else.”
Several nearby employees quickly pretended not to listen.
Vanessa stared at him in disbelief.
“You’re embarrassing me.”
“No,” Damien corrected calmly. “You’re embarrassing yourself.”
Amara almost pitied her.
Almost.
Vanessa’s expression hardened before she forced another fake smile.
“Fine,” she snapped softly. “Enjoy your morning.”
Then she turned sharply and disappeared toward the elevators.
The moment she left, the tension eased slightly.
Amara exhaled slowly.
“She hates me.”
“She hates most women.”
“That’s comforting.”
Damien glanced toward the receptionist.
“Did HR explain the position yet?”
“No.”
“They will.”
Amara frowned suspiciously.
“You know, normal CEOs don’t personally escort applicants around buildings.”
“I’ve never been accused of being normal.”
“That’s true.”
Again, that tiny almost-smile appeared on her lips.
And Damien noticed immediately.
God.
She was beautiful when she forgot to guard herself.
“Come with me,” he said quietly.
Amara blinked.
“Where?”
“Human Resources.”
“I know how elevators work.”
“Yes,” Damien replied calmly. “But you also have a talent for looking ready to run away.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“You analyze people too much.”
“You hide too much.”
That answer struck deeper than she expected.
Before she could respond, Damien gently placed a hand against the small of her back, guiding her toward the elevators.
The touch lasted barely a second.
Yet warmth exploded through her instantly.
Damien felt it too.
His hand disappeared immediately.
Neither mentioned it.
Inside the executive elevator, silence surrounded them while Lagos glittered beyond the glass walls.
Amara shifted nervously.
“This elevator is bigger than my apartment.”
Damien glanced at her.
“That sounds illegal.”
Despite herself, she laughed softly.
The sound surprised both of them.
Because for a moment, nothing felt complicated.
Not money.
Not status.
Not pressure.
Just two people sharing quiet space together.
And somehow that frightened Amara more than anything else.
The elevator doors opened onto the twentieth floor.
Human Resources occupied an elegant section of the building filled with glass offices and modern furniture.
The HR manager nearly dropped her tablet when Damien entered beside Amara.
“Mr. Cole.”
Damien nodded once.
“Miss Daniels is here regarding the assistant position.”
“Yes, of course.”
The woman looked between them carefully.
Curiosity flashed openly across her face.
Great.
Rumors were definitely spreading already.
“I’ll leave you to it,” Damien said quietly.
Then his gaze returned toward Amara.
“Try not to attack anyone with champagne today.”
Amara stared at him in disbelief.
“You’re never letting that go, are you?”
“Never.”
And just like that, he walked away.
Yet somehow the room still felt full of him after he left.
The HR manager smiled slowly.
“He likes you.”
Amara nearly choked.
“No, he doesn’t.”
The woman gave her a look that clearly said she wasn’t convinced.
“Come with me, Miss Daniels.”
Inside a smaller office, the HR manager handed Amara several documents.
“You’ve officially been offered the position of executive assistant trainee.”
Amara blinked rapidly.
“What?”
“You start Monday.”
Shock hit her instantly.
She got the job.
Actually got it.
Relief flooded through her chest so powerfully she almost cried.
Ethan’s medication.
Rent.
Food.
Maybe things could finally improve.
“You’re serious?” she whispered.
The HR manager smiled warmly.
“Very serious.”
Amara stared down at the paperwork with trembling hands.
This opportunity could change everything for her family.
But deep down, one dangerous thought lingered.
Did she truly earn this?
Or did Damien Cole open the door because he wanted her near him?
The thought unsettled her immediately.
“Is there a problem?” the manager asked gently.
Amara hesitated.
Then quietly—
“Why was I really hired?”
The woman looked confused.
“Because your qualifications are excellent.”
“But Damien requested my application personally.”
“That only guaranteed an interview,” the manager explained carefully. “You earned the position yourself.”
Relief loosened something inside her chest.
For the first time since meeting Damien, she felt slightly less suspicious.
Slightly.
Meanwhile upstairs, Damien stood inside his office overlooking the city while trying unsuccessfully to focus on work.
His assistant Gabriel entered carrying files.
“She got the position.”
“I know.”
Gabriel paused carefully.
“You seem unusually invested in one employee.”
Damien looked out the window silently.
“Maybe.”
Gabriel studied him closely.
In seven years, he had never seen Damien distracted by anyone.
Not seriously.
Never emotionally.
Until now.
“Vanessa won’t handle this well,” Gabriel warned carefully.
Damien’s expression hardened instantly.
“Vanessa’s opinions stopped mattering months ago.”
Gabriel nodded slowly.
He suspected as much.
The relationship between Damien and Vanessa had always been built on appearances rather than affection.
But this situation with Amara?
Entirely different.
Dangerously different.
Before Gabriel could speak again, Damien’s office doors opened without warning.
Richard Cole entered calmly.
“You hired her.”
Damien didn’t look surprised.
“I hired many people today.”
“You know exactly who I mean.”
Silence filled the office instantly.
Gabriel wisely excused himself and left.
The moment the doors closed, Richard stepped closer.
“A waitress from a struggling neighborhood suddenly becomes your personal interest?”
Damien’s expression cooled.
“She’s qualified.”
“That isn’t what concerns me.”
Damien finally turned toward his father fully.
“What exactly concerns you?”
Richard adjusted his cufflinks calmly.
“You’re becoming emotionally distracted.”
A humorless smile touched Damien’s lips.
“You say that like emotions are diseases.”
“In business?” Richard replied coldly. “They are.”
There it was again.
The lesson Damien heard his entire life.
Feel nothing.
Need nothing.
Trust nobody.
His father built an empire through fear and control.
And expected Damien to become exactly the same.
But standing in that office now, Damien realized something unsettling.
Amara made him want different things.
Real things.
Things his father would never understand.
“She’s not your concern,” Damien said quietly.
Richard studied him carefully.
“That response alone makes her dangerous.”
Damien’s jaw tightened.
“I’m warning you.”
Richard smiled faintly.
“No, son.” His voice lowered dangerously. “I’m warning you.”
The office doors closed behind him moments later.
Damien remained motionless beside the windows long afterward.
Below the building, Lagos moved endlessly beneath sunlight and ambition.
But for the first time in years, Damien’s thoughts had nothing to do with business.
Only a stubborn woman named Amara Daniels.
And whether she realized it or not…
She was already changing everything.
- Writer
