THE CEO’s SECRET OBSESSION

First day worst day Olivia’s POV “OLIVIA!” My name yanked me out of sleep. I grabbed my phone and squinted at the screen. 7:30 a.m. “WHAT?” I had to leave by eight. It was my first day at Ravenport, and I was already late. My last boss’s final warning played in my head: One more late arrival and you’re gone. Apparently, I had turned that warning into a prediction. “Aunt Rose!” I scrambled out of bed. “You could have woken me up!” “I’ve been calling you for ten minutes!” Her voice broke into a cough. It went on a second too long. I stopped in her doorway. She was gripping the edge of the table, one hand pressed to her chest. “Aunt Rose.” “I’m fine.” She waved me off with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Go. Don’t be late.” I didn’t believe her. I also didn’t have time to argue. I showered in record time, shoved my feet into my shoes without fastening them, and grabbed my bag. My phone buzzed. So proud of you. Text me the second you get there. Don’t forget. Julian. “I’d answer later.” I whispered, shoving it into my bag. I couldn’t lose this job. Not with Aunt Rose’s surgery in Paris and a price tag I couldn’t say out loud without feeling sick. I grabbed my bicycle, snapped on my helmet, and pedalled into traffic. Cars crawled bumper to bumper. I stayed in the bike lane, counting minutes, gripping the handlebars. Then a black luxury car swerved out of the jam, straight into my lane. “Hey!” My front wheel jerked sideways. I fought it, lost, and hit the road. Pain exploded through my elbow. I looked down. A raw scrape ran across it, already beading with blood. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” The car had stopped a few metres ahead. I pushed myself up and marched to the tinted window. I slapped my palm against the glass. “Hey! Can’t you see where you’re going? Why tint your windows if you can’t see through them?” The glass slid down a few inches. I saw only shadow, and heard a low, tight voice speaking to someone else. “Is she breathing? Aria, stay with her. Don’t let her stand up. I’m coming.” Then the voice turned on me. “Miss. Calm down.” “Calm down?” I shoved my bleeding elbow at the gap. “Look at what you’ve done!” He didn’t ask if I was hurt. He didn’t apologise. A hand appeared, holding a thick envelope. “Take this. For the damages.” It dropped onto the road at my feet. I stared at it. Then at the hand, already gone. “You think money” The window rolled up.The car pulled away. I stood in the middle of the road with a bleeding elbow and an envelope of cash. “Unbelievable.” I snatched it up, more out of fury than gratitude. Rich people. Hit someone, throw cash at them, drive away without a second thought. I memorised the plate number as it disappeared. I had no idea what I planned to do with it. But I wasn’t going to forget it. By the time I reached Ravenport, my elbow was throbbing, my skirt was torn, and my patience had officially run out. The building rose above me in glass and polished stone. Expensive cars lined the lot. And there, parked in the best spot, was a black car. The same plate. My fingers tightened on the handlebars. “So this i***t works here.” I should have walked inside. I had a new job to protect, and the last thing I needed was trouble on my first day. But just as I turned to leave, the memory of that envelope dropping at my feet flashed through my mind. The way he'd dismissed me without even asking if I was hurt made my blood boil all over again. I couldn't just let it go. My gaze drifted back to the black car. “Oh, I'll give you something to remember,” I muttered. I pulled out my bicycle key and dragged it across the paint beneath the window. LEARN HOW TO DRIVE. I stepped back. Satisfying. Reckless, yes. But very satisfying. The smile died. “Oh, I’m so dead.” I shoved the key into my bag and practically ran inside. The fifth floor was already buzzing, with phones ringing, keyboards clicking, and people hurrying past with coffee. “You.” A woman stood by the desks, immaculate in a cream suit, her smile warm and polished as she nodded at someone else. It vanished the second she looked at me. “I’m Celeste. I manage this floor. And you are?” “Olivia Lane, ma’am. I’m starting today.” “Starting.” Her eyes flicked to the clock. “At eight-thirty.” My stomach dropped. “I can explain…” “Excuses.” The warm smile snapped back, as if someone had flipped a switch. “At Ravenport, we take pride in hard work. That’s your desk.” She walked away. The desk was buried in files. “Wonderful.” “Ouch.” A girl appeared with a plaster. “Your elbow looks terrible. I’m Miaria. Call me Mia.” “Olivia. Thank you.” “Don’t take Celeste personally. She’s like that with everyone who isn’t Mr. Cole.” Mia dropped into the next chair and lowered her voice, unnecessarily. “The CEO. Most handsome man alive, and the grumpiest. And Celeste has been in love with him for years.” “Is this a company or a gossip centre?” “Both. But listen.” Her eyes lit up. “Somebody keyed his car this morning. Security’s pulling the footage.” I stopped breathing. “His car,” I said slowly. “What does it look like?” “Black. Tinted. It costs more than this building.” “I need the restroom.” I locked myself in a stall and pulled out the envelope. Crisp bills. A thick stack of them. More than I’d earn in two months of restaurant shifts. I should give it back. I should also hide in this stall until I die. I thought of Aunty gripping the table and calling it nothing. I closed the envelope and put it back in my bag. Then I went back to my desk, smiled at everyone, and worked like a woman waiting for her execution. At 5:40 p.m., my phone buzzed. Unknown number. Miss Lane. Executive floor. Now. My blood turned to ice. I read it again. How did they know my name? How did they know it was me? “Mia,” I whispered. “What’s on the top floor?” She looked up, and her face went pale. “Only one person.”