MY TWO FACED BILLIONAIRE

CHAPTER 2

Chloe POV



By the time Friday morning arrived, I had already rehearsed at least thirty different versions of introducing myself.

None of them sounded convincing, and I knew that I was doomed.

I stood across the street from Lockwood Corporation for nearly two minutes, staring up at the towering glass building that could decide my fate.

The headquarters looked exactly like the photographs I'd spent half the night searching for online—cold, elegant, and impossibly expensive. People in tailored suits walked confidently through the revolving doors while black sedans lined the curb outside, dropping off executives whose watches probably cost more than my yearly rent.

My fingers tightened around the leather folder containing my résumé.

You can do this, Chloe. You have to, or they’ll chop up your body and harvest your organs.

I took one slow breath before forcing myself through the revolving doors.

The lobby was every bit as intimidating as the rest of the building. White marble stretched endlessly beneath my heels while sunlight poured through the enormous glass ceiling. The receptionist greeted me with a warm smile the moment I approached.

"Good morning."

"Good morning." I returned the smile. "I'm Chloe Mercer. I have an interview this morning."

She typed something into her computer before nodding.

"Twenty-fifth floor."

She handed me a visitor's badge. "They're expecting you."

Somehow, those two words made my heartbeat even faster.

The elevator doors opened with a soft chime. Twenty-five floors.

Each number blinking upward felt like another step toward a decision that would change my life forever.

When the doors finally opened, a woman wearing oversized glasses immediately looked up from her desk.

"Miss Mercer?"

"Yes."

Her smile widened. "I'm Marissa."

She extended her hand warmly. "I'm Lockwood Corp's head of HR. I'm glad you made it."

"So am I."

She laughed. "I've read your résumé. You’re quite impressive."

I blinked, unable to form an answer.

She stood and motioned for me to follow her. "As long as you survive Mr. Lockwood, we'll probably be seeing a lot of each other."

I stared at her. "Should I be worried?"

She smiled again. "Only if you're incompetent."

I wasn't sure whether that made me feel better. We continued walking through the long hallway.

Employees greeted Marissa as we passed. Everyone seemed busy. Focused.

Nobody wasted time chatting. Nobody wandered aimlessly between departments. Everything moved with quiet efficiency. Almost as though the building itself reflected the personality of the man running it.

Marissa suddenly slowed in front of a pair of dark wooden doors.

She knocked twice. "Mr. Lockwood?"

A deep voice answered from inside. "Come in."

“Miss Mercer is here.” Marissa opened the door before looking back at me.

"Good luck." Then she quietly disappeared.

I stepped inside. The office was enormous.

Bookshelves covered one entire wall while floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked Manhattan. Morning sunlight spilled across polished wooden floors, illuminating every corner of the room except one.

The man sitting behind the desk. He didn't look up. Not even when my heels made a weird squeaky sound as I could barely walk properly.

The silence stretched. Five seconds before he finally looked up.

Every photograph I'd seen online had somehow failed to capture his presence.

It wasn't that Rowan Lockwood was extraordinarily handsome. Although he certainly was.

Whatever that was, my knees felt like jelly now.

He walked toward me before extending his hand. "Rowan Lockwood."

His voice was lower than I'd expected. Professional. Steady.

I shook his hand. His grip lasted exactly one second.

Firm. Warm. Then he stepped back.

"Please." He gestured toward the chair opposite his desk.

He opened my résumé and simply began.

"Why did you resign without notice from your previous employer?"

Straight to the point, just as I expected from a businessman like him. I lowered my eyes for a moment.

"My supervisor... He harassed me."

The words caught in my throat. Rowan’s expression remained unchanged. He simply waited. Like he was assessing whether I was worth the investment or not.

"I reported him to Human Resources, and I resigned that afternoon."

Something shifted. His jaw clenched for a brief second before he said, “Rest assured, it won’t happen here. I never tolerate that kind of behavior.”

Okay? This man was quite unpredictable.

And why did his eyes suddenly look murderous? Like he would slice my previous manager in two if he were standing in front of him right now.

He turned another page, moving to another topic. "You delayed university by two years. Why?"

"Yes, my mother became ill."

I smiled faintly. "Someone had to pay the bills. I worked two jobs and later returned to school."

“Rest assured, Mr. Lockwood. I graduated c*m laude. I believe I can bring value to this company.”

He closed the résumé, looking seemingly uninterested in my rehearsed words. Then he asked something completely unexpected.

"So it was the finance manager of Hexsmith Corp?"

I frowned at him, unsure about his question.

“The one who harassed you?” he added carefully.

I slowly nodded at him.

The room fell silent. His gaze remained fixed on me for several long seconds. Long enough to make me wonder whether I'd answered incorrectly.

Then... he quietly closed the folder.

"That’s all for today, Ms. Mercer. You’ll be hearing from us soon," he said before he escorted me out of his office.

Rowan POV

The door clicked shut behind her, leaving my office quiet once again.

I lowered my eyes to the résumé still resting on my desk, reading her name one more time.

Chloe Mercer.

She had a story… and a background… one that I couldn’t ignore.

She was hurt… and alone.

It had been a while since I’d lost my temper over something insignificant like this, but I couldn’t help it.

That finance manager… I had to do something about him. I took my phone and searched for that number. The one I hadn’t contacted for a long time.

“Phil….” I said as soon as he answered his phone.

“Mr. Lockwood, it’s been a while,” he said from the other side.

“I need you to do something for me. And don’t worry about the money,” I told him sternly.

My eyes hovered over her CV and that one particular company name.

“Finance manager of Hexsmith Corp…. I want him out of this city by tomorrow,” I told him.

“You called the right person, Mr. Lockwood.” I could picture him smirking even though I couldn’t see him now.

“Consider it done… You still have my bank account number, right?” he said.

“I just sent you 100K… And after you’ve done the job, I’ll send you the remaining 100K.”

His laughter erupted. “Pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Lockwood,” he said before I hung up.

“You’re safe now, Chloe Mercer,” I said as I looked at her photo on her CV.

My eyes drifted back toward the bottom of the first page. Two years between high school and university.

Most candidates tried to hide employment gaps. She hadn't.

She listed every part-time job she had taken during those two years without trying to make them sound more important than they were.

Waitress.

Administrative assistant.

Bookkeeper.

Then university. Graduated with distinction.

Nothing about her résumé tried to impress me. It simply told the truth.

I reached for the intercom. "Marissa, come to my office."

A few moments later, she stepped into my office, tablet in one hand and notebook in the other. "You called, sir?"

I slid Chloe's résumé across the desk. "Prepare Miss Mercer's employment contract."

She looked down at the folder before looking back at me.

"...Miss Mercer? You’ve decided already?" She looked surprised.

"Yes."

She hesitated, as though searching for the right words. "Sir, you've never hired anyone without meeting all the other candidates first."

"I know."

She studied my face for a moment, perhaps expecting me to change my mind. Finally, she nodded.

"I'll prepare the contract and have it ready before noon."

The door closed softly behind her. Silence returned.

I leaned back in my chair, my gaze settling on the skyline stretching beyond the glass windows. New York was already fully awake. Meetings. Deadlines. Decisions.

Everything followed a schedule. Everything except people.

My eyes drifted back toward the résumé one last time.

Chloe Mercer.

Reliable.

The word lingered in my thoughts for a moment before I quietly closed the folder.

Let's hope you're reliable enough to keep my secret.

Almost instinctively, my eyes moved toward the clock mounted on the wall.

6:02 p.m.

A muscle in my jaw tightened. It was time to leave.

Without another thought, I stood, reached for my suit jacket, and walked toward the private elevator.