Chapter Two
697 Words
The next morning, Elena sat rigid in the elevator as it climbed to the top floor of Von Hohenberg Group. The email had been curt, impossible to misinterpret:
9:00 a.m. sharp. My office. – A.V.H.
Her palms were damp. She had replayed yesterday’s meeting a hundred times, wondering if she had made a fatal mistake by speaking out. The man was powerful, ruthless, untouchable. What was she? A strategist with two weeks of service and too much nerve.
The elevator chimed. The top floor was quiet, intimidating in its silence. His assistant, a polished woman with sharp eyes, gave Elena a thin smile before opening the office door.
Alexander’s space was unlike any office she had ever seen. It wasn’t just functional—it was a kingdom. Floor-to-ceiling windows framed the London skyline, the Thames winding in the distance like a silver ribbon. The desk was carved wood, old enough to be antique, yet gleaming under the light. Not a paper was out of place.
And then there was him.
Alexander sat behind the desk, jacket discarded, shirtsleeves rolled to reveal strong forearms. He didn’t look up immediately, and Elena found herself holding her breath as he signed something with deliberate strokes. Finally, he raised his head, those storm-gray eyes cutting through her.
“Miss Rossi,” he said evenly, gesturing to the chair across from him.
She sat carefully, her back straight.
He studied her for a moment, expression unreadable. “Do you make a habit of embarrassing your superiors in public meetings?”
Her throat tightened. “I wasn’t trying to embarrass anyone. The numbers were wrong—”
“And you couldn’t wait to inform me privately?” His tone was sharp, though calm. “No. You chose the stage.”
Heat crawled up her neck. “Would you have listened if I’d spoken privately?”
A silence fell. His lips twitched—not quite a smile. “You assume much.”
Elena’s fingers tightened on her notebook. “I wasn’t trying to undermine you. I was trying to protect the company. If no one else would say it, I had to.”
At that, he leaned back slightly, his gaze assessing her with new weight. “Protect the company,” he repeated, almost to himself.
He stood suddenly, moving toward the window. His presence filled the room, even when his back was to her. “Do you know what they call me in Berlin?”
She hesitated. “No.”
“The butcher,” he said flatly. “I cut men apart in negotiations, stripped corporations to their bones. In Vienna, they call me the wolf. I take what I want, and I don’t apologize.” He turned then, his eyes locking on hers. “And you think you can survive in my world?”
Her chest tightened, but she forced herself not to look away. “I didn’t come here to survive. I came here to win.”
The words hung in the air like a gauntlet thrown. For the first time, his expression shifted—not cold, not amused, but intrigued.
He crossed the room, leaning on the edge of the desk near her. His presence was overwhelming, the faint scent of cedar and something darker curling around her.
“You’ll be tested, Miss Rossi. More than you know.” His voice dropped, almost intimate. “If you succeed, you’ll be sharp enough to stand beside me. If you fail…” He straightened abruptly. “You’ll be gone.”
He returned to his chair, pulling a folder from the desk. “You’re being reassigned. Zurich. High stakes. Deliver results, or you’re finished.”
Elena’s pulse raced, but she managed to say, “I won’t disappoint you.”
Alexander looked up, his eyes flickering with something unreadable. He leaned forward slightly, his voice a low warning.
“See that you don’t.”
When she finally left the office, her legs felt shaky, but her mind burned with adrenaline. He was infuriating, arrogant, impossible to read.
And yet, beneath the frustration, one truth rattled her to the core.
She wanted to prove herself to him—not just for the company. For him.
- Writer
