Chapter Five: First Impressions, Again
900 Words
First Impressions, Again
Alexander Knight's POV
I vowed I wouldn't look at her.
That I'd be too busy, too focused, too disciplined to bother.
But when Ariana Brooks stepped into Knight Corporation that morning, everything else disappeared.
Through the glass walls of my office twenty floors up, I could see the lobby, the seemingly endless marble floors, the waterfall sculpture, the employees walking by like they owned the place. And then, there she was.
Ariana stood at the reception desk, clutching a thin brown folder. Her posture was polite, but her knuckles were white around the papers. The last time I’d seen her, she’d been trembling with anger, coffee dripping from my suit. Now, she looked… calm. Composed. But there was something guarded in her eyes, as if she’d built a wall overnight and dared anyone to climb it.
"First day nerves?" Ethan said from behind me. He was half-leaning against the doorframe again, like he was making himself at home.
"Shouldn't you have work to do?" I asked, not turning away from the glass.
"I do. Watching you silently stare at your new hire is part of it." He smirked. "Boss quality control, right?"
I looked at him, but he just raised his cup in mock salute.
"You're impossible."
"Thanks. Are you gonna pout some more or actually greet her on board?"
"She doesn't work under me, but the marketing director," I snapped. "No reason for me to get involved."
Ethan's grin widened. "Sure. And I don't stalk your ex on social media."
He winked and slipped out before I could respond.
Left to myself again, I forced myself back to the quarterly reports. But figures blurred. My concentration broke. Every few minutes, I caught myself gazing at the glass toward her.
Sometime later.
I gave up pretending not to be interested.
Later that morning.
My door was knocked upon. My assistant poked her head in. "Sir, the new marketing associate is here to present the campaign drafts."
My heart pounded once hard. "Send her in.".
A moment later, Ariana came in.
Her dress was subdued gray, professional but modest, her hair tied loosely back at the nape of her neck. She looked every inch the professional she was working to be. But her eyes… Her eyes were wary, guarded, as though she was expecting another storm.
"Mr. Knight," she said, her voice even, polite. "Mr. Parker said you wanted to see the revised proposal before the meeting."
I took the folder from her, careful not to allow my fingers to brush against hers.
"Thank you, Miss Brooks."
A flicker crossed her face, surprise maybe. Respect. She hadn't expected courtesy from me.
"Have a seat," I said to her.
She hesitated before taking the chair in front of my desk. The air vibrated suddenly. As if the walls themselves held their breath.
I flipped the pages slowly, though I wasn't reading. I was listening to her soft breathing, to the tap of her heel on the floor. Nervous, but holding it together.
"You did this in one night?" I asked.
"Yes," she said. "I wanted to demonstrate I can do the work."
"You don't have to demonstrate anything. You were hired because you can.".
The words slipped out before I could grasp them.
She blinked, clearly taken aback. "You don't strike me as the encouraging sort."
"I'm not," I agreed.
Her lips curved. Almost a smile, but not really. "Then why the change of heart?"
I leaned back, watching her. "Maybe I was wrong about you."
Her eyes met mine then, firm and unflinching. "You were."
The air between us became thick. I could hear the beat of her pulse in her neck, the gentle lift and fall of her breath.
For a moment, something inside me longed to say something crazy, something true. But I didn't.
Instead, I closed the folder and said to her, "Good work. You can go."
She stood, professional mask firmly back in place. "Thank you, Mr. Knight."
When she was at the door, I said, "Ariana."
She paused, turning partway.
"For what it's worth," I murmured, "I'm glad you're here."
Her eyes softened just for a moment before she nodded and climbed out.
The moment the door closed, I exhaled.
Control. I needed control. This wasn't supposed to be anything.
But she'd looked at me like she could see through every layer I'd built.
And that frightened me more than any business risk ever could.
That night, the city lights burned against the windows. I was still sitting at my desk when my phone buzzed with a reminder from my lawyer.
Inheritance clause deadline approaching.
I stared at the screen for some time. The words blurred. Marriage, obligation, inheritance are meaningless without trust.
And then, uninvited, her face appeared in my mind again.
The defiance, the sincerity, the way she never backed down even when she should've.
If I was going to do this
If I was going to marry someone just to save my father's empire
It had to be someone real.
Someone who would not lie to me.
Someone who already challenged me.
Someone like her.
I looked out at the skyline, the choice forming like gravity.
"Maybe," I whispered to the empty room, "it's time for another deal."
But this time, not one of convenience.
This time, maybe I’d finally find something real even if it started as a lie.
- Writer
