When The Stars Forgot Our Names

Rain tapped softly against the windows of the twenty-second floor as Amelia Carter stood outside the towering glass doors of Blackwood International. She checked her watch for what felt like the hundredth time. 8:47 a.m. Her interview wasn't until nine. "Relax," she whispered to herself, smoothing the wrinkles from her navy blazer. "You've survived worse than one interview." She hoped she believed it. Three months earlier, she'd lost her marketing job when the company downsized. Since then, she'd burned through nearly all of her savings helping her younger brother finish university while paying rent on her tiny apartment. This interview wasn't just another opportunity. It was her last. The receptionist smiled politely. "Good morning. Name?" "Amelia Carter." The woman typed quickly before nodding. "Mr. Blackwood is expecting you." Amelia blinked. "The CEO?" "Yes." Every article she'd read said Adrian Blackwood personally interviewed only senior executives. Not assistants. Not entry-level staff. Certainly not unemployed women with secondhand heels. The elevator ride to the top floor felt endless. When the doors slid open, silence greeted her. No bustling offices. No ringing phones. Only sleek marble floors, floor-to-ceiling windows, and artwork worth more than Amelia would earn in a lifetime. A man in a charcoal suit approached. "Miss Carter?" "Yes." "This way." He opened enormous wooden doors. Behind an elegant desk sat the man whose face appeared on magazine covers across the world. Adrian Blackwood. Thirty-two. CEO. Billionaire. Feared by competitors. Admired by investors. His sharp jawline and dark hair made him look more like a movie star than the head of one of Europe's fastest-growing companies. But it wasn't his appearance that caught Amelia's attention. It was his eyes. Cold. Watchful. As though he measured every person in the room before deciding whether they mattered. He didn't stand. He didn't smile. "You arrived thirteen minutes early." Amelia swallowed. "I prefer punctuality." "So do I." Silence stretched between them. He studied the file in front of him. "You graduated top of your class." "Yes." "You've never worked as a personal assistant." "No." "So why should I hire someone with no experience?" She took a slow breath. "Because experience teaches people how to repeat what they've already done." One eyebrow lifted. "I learn quickly." "You sound confident." "I'm terrified." For the first time... His lips almost smiled. "Interesting answer." He leaned back. "My assistants quit." "All of them?" "The last four." "Why?" "They found me difficult." Amelia laughed before she could stop herself. The room became very quiet. "You think that's funny?" "No." "You laughed." "I did." "Explain." She met his gaze. "If four people quit, perhaps the problem isn't the assistants." The bodyguard near the door looked horrified. Had she just insulted the richest man in the room? Probably. Definitely. She reached for her bag. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that." "You should leave?" "Yes." Adrian closed the folder. "Sit." She froze. "I wasn't dismissing you." Confused, Amelia sat again. "You answered honestly." "I thought honesty had ruined my chances." "I dislike lies more." Another long silence. Finally he spoke. "You start Monday." Amelia stared. "I... what?" "You have the job." "I haven't even answered half your questions." "I already know what I needed." "And what was that?" He stood for the first time. He was taller than she'd expected. "You aren't afraid of me." She smiled nervously. "Oh, I'm absolutely afraid of you." He almost laughed. "Good." As Amelia left the office with a signed contract in her hands, she couldn't shake the feeling that she'd just stepped into a life far more complicated than she'd imagined. She had no idea that accepting this job would change everything. Not just her career. Not just her future. But her heart.