CHAPTER SEVEN
650 Words
##CHAPTER SEVEN##
By the time Elena arrived outside Cross Global headquarters, she was already one inconvenience away from a complete emotional breakdown. The skyscraper itself looked intimidating enough to charge rent for oxygen.
Glass walls reflected the morning sunlight like polished mirrors. Luxury marble stretched across the massive lobby floor. Employees moved with terrifying efficiency, dressed in sharp suits and expressions of permanent stress. Everything about the building screamed power and money.
Elena adjusted her blazer nervously and approached the front desk.
The receptionist barely looked up. “Name?”
“Elena Rivers. New marketing department hire.”
The receptionist typed quickly and suddenly froze. Her expression shifted almost imperceptibly. “Oh.”
I narrowed my eyes instantly. “What does ‘oh’ mean?”
“Nothing,” the receptionist replied too quickly.
That was definitely a lie but before i could question her further, the executive elevator doors slid open silently.
And then she saw him.
Damien Cross stepped out wearing a charcoal suit so perfectly tailored it looked criminal silver watch gleaming against his wrist. Cold gray eyes that somehow made everyone around him look nervous.
The same terrifyingly handsome man from last night.Only this time he looked even more dangerous. Because now he was in his territory.
Employees immediately straightened around him.
The atmosphere shifted instantly. People lowered their voices workers moved faster and executives looked tense. Power followed him naturally.
Elena’s stomach dropped violently. No, no, no. This could not be happening. Because today was her first official day working at Cross Global.
Which meant— Her blind date… was her new CEO.
Bianca was dead. She immediately turned away so fast she nearly walked directly into a decorative plant.
THINK.
Okay. Last night she had looked completely different. Heavy makeup, pink curled hair, dark contact lenses, a dramatic red dress.
Today she wore glasses, minimal makeup, and neat office clothes with her hair tied back professionally.
Surely a billionaire CEO wouldn’t remember one chaotic woman from a blind date disaster. Right?
RIGHT?
“Elena Rivers?”
She jumped violently.
A female HR manager smiled politely beside her. “The executive orientation is this way.”
“Oh. Right. Orientation. Love that.”
The woman blinked slowly.
Elena forced a nervous laugh. “I’m just excited. Definitely not terrified.” Please let the ground open and swallow me whole.
—
Thirty minutes later, Elena sat inside a massive conference room pretending her life was not collapsing.
New employees filled the long table quietly while a presentation played across giant screens. “Cross Global values professionalism, discipline, and discretion,” the HR manager explained smoothly.
Discretion. Wonderful. Maybe i could discreetly resign before lunch. She tried focusing on the presentation. She really did. But unfortunately, her brain only repeated one horrifying thought: He booked the hotel suite way too fast. Her soul attempted to leave her body again.
Then—
the conference room doors opened. Instant silence swallowed the room. Elena froze.
Slowly, Damien Cross walked inside. Oh God. He looked devastating this morning. Executives followed behind him nervously while he adjusted the cuff of his watch with calm precision. The air itself seemed tighter around him.
“Elena,” Bianca had said the night before, “don’t flirt with billionaires.” Too late now.
Damien spoke quietly to one of the directors beside him while scanning the room.Then his gaze lifted. Directly toward her.
Elena stopped breathing. No reaction or recognition, nothing. Relief crashed through her immediately. Thank you, Jesus. He didn’t recognize me.
Of course he didn’t. Why would he? Last night i looked like a dramatic runaway sugar baby. Today I’m totally different like somebody’s exhausted accountant.
Damien’s eyes moved past her casually. Then paused and slowly moved back. Elena’s heartbeat dropped into hell. His expression remained perfectly calm.
Too calm.
Gray eyes narrowed slightly behind controlled indifference. Recognition flickered there instantly. Oh no.
- Writer
