CHAPTER TWO: UNDER HIS CONTROL
1189 Words
……………………
Ava didn’t sleep well that night.
Not because she was nervous.
But because she was thinking.
About him.
Dmitri Volkov.
The way he looked at her… like he had already figured her out. Like she was just another challenge waiting to be conquered.
She hated that.
And yet,
She couldn’t ignore it.
…………
The next morning, Ava stood in front of the towering glass building of Volkov Enterprises again.
This time…
She wasn’t forcing her way in.
She belonged there.
At least, that’s what she told herself.
Taking a deep breath, she walked inside.
Immediately, heads turned.
Whispers followed.
“That’s her…”
“The one from yesterday…”
“She’s the one who challenged him…”
Ava ignored all of it.
Let them talk.
She wasn’t here to impress anyone.
She was here to win.
“Miss Laurent.”
Ava turned to see a sharply dressed woman approaching her.
“I’m Elena, Mr. Volkov’s executive assistant.”
Of course he had one.
“And?” Ava asked calmly.
Elena’s lips twitched slightly, as if amused.
“You’re expected.”
That made Ava pause.
Expected?
Without another word, Elena led her through private elevators Ava hadn’t even noticed before.
Luxury. Silence. Power.
Everything about this place screamed Dmitri.
The elevator doors opened directly into his office floor.
No noise.
No distractions.
Just him.
Dmitri stood by the window, his back to her, hands in his pockets.
Like he already knew she was there.
“You’re late.”
Ava frowned immediately. “It’s 9:00 sharp.”
He turned slowly.
“And I arrive before time,” he replied. “You adapt to me. Not the other way around.”
There it was.
Control.
Ava folded her arms. “Then maybe you should’ve hired someone else.”
A dangerous pause.
Elena quietly stepped out, closing the door behind her.
Now it was just the two of them again.
Dmitri walked closer.
Slow.
Measured.
“You still don’t understand where you are,” he said.
“And you still don’t understand who you hired,” Ava shot back.
Silence.
Thick.
Heavy.
Then..
Dmitri smiled again.
That same dangerous smile.
“I like that,” he said softly. “You don’t bend.”
“I don’t break either.”
His eyes darkened slightly.
“We’ll see.”
He walked past her and dropped a file on the table.
“Your job.”
Ava picked it up.
Her brows slowly furrowed.
“This is… a personal assistant position?”
“Mine,” Dmitri corrected.
Ava looked up sharply. “No.”
The word came out instantly.
Without fear.
Without hesitation.
Dmitri raised an eyebrow.
“You’re refusing?”
“I didn’t come here to be anyone’s shadow,” she said firmly. “Especially not yours.”
Wrong answer.
Very wrong answer.
Dmitri stepped closer until the space between them disappeared.
“You came here begging for a job,” he reminded her.
“I demanded an opportunity,” she corrected.
Their eyes locked again.
Neither willing to step back.
“You have two options,” Dmitri said quietly.
“Take the job… or walk out that door and never come back.”
Ava’s grip tightened on the file.
He was testing her.
No,
He was trying to control her.
And she hated that more than anything.
But she needed this.
For reasons she wasn’t ready to tell anyone.
Especially not him.
Slowly…
She placed the file back on the table.
“Fine.”
Dmitri’s gaze sharpened.
“I’ll take it.”
A small victory.
But not the one he expected.
“On one condition.”
Now that..
That surprised him.
“You’re not in a position to negotiate,” he said.
Ava tilted her head slightly.
“Then fire me.”
Silence.
Dmitri stared at her.
Long.
Hard.
Then,
“Say it.”
Ava didn’t hesitate.
“You don’t control my personal life,” she said. “I work for you, not belong to you.”
A dangerous line.
Very dangerous.
Because for a split second
Something dark flickered in Dmitri’s eyes.
Something possessive.
“You’re making rules for me?” he asked softly.
“I’m setting boundaries.”
Another pause.
Then
He chuckled.
Low.
Cold.
“You really have no idea who you’re dealing with.”
“Same goes for you.”
Dmitri turned away, walking back to his desk.
“Accepted.”
Ava blinked.
Wait………what?
“But understand this,” he added, his voice turning colder.
“The moment your work disappoints me… you’re gone.”
“Then I won’t disappoint you.”
Confidence.
Again.
Always.
Dmitri sat down, watching her like a puzzle he intended to solve.
“We’ll start simple,” he said. “You stay by my side today. Observe. Learn.”
“Or judge?” Ava asked.
His smirk returned.
“Careful, Ava.”
She didn’t reply.
Hours passed.
Meetings.
Decisions.
Power moves.
Ava watched everything.
And one thing became clear
Dmitri Volkov didn’t just run a company.
He controlled people.
Every word he said carried weight.
Every decision shaped lives.
And no one questioned him.
Except her.
Later that afternoon,
Ava stepped out to get some air.
Her mind was spinning.
This world…
It was intense.
Overwhelming.
Dangerous.
“You won’t last here.”
Ava turned sharply.
One of the senior employees stood behind her.
“You think you’re special because he hired you?” he continued. “You’re just another girl who caught his attention.”
Ava’s expression hardened.
“I’m not ‘another girl.’”
He laughed. “That’s what they all think.”
Before she could reply
A voice cut through the tension.
“Is there a problem?”
Both of them froze.
Dmitri.
Standing behind them.
Watching.
Cold.
The employee immediately stepped back. “No, sir. Just a misunderstanding.”
“Leave.”
One word.
And he was gone.
Silence.
Dmitri turned his attention to Ava.
“You attract trouble,” he said.
Ava crossed her arms. “Or maybe trouble finds me.”
His gaze lingered on her.
Longer than necessary.
“You should be careful who you talk to,” he said.
“And you should stop interfering,” she replied.
Another clash.
Another spark.
Dmitri stepped closer.
Too close.
Again.
“You forget,” he said quietly, “you work for me.”
“And you forget,” Ava replied just as softly, “I’m not afraid of you.”
That did something.
Something dangerous.
Something neither of them fully understood yet.
For a moment
Neither of them moved.
Neither of them spoke.
The tension between them…
It wasn’t just anger anymore.
It was something else.
Something building.
Something inevitable.
Dmitri finally stepped back.
But his eyes never left hers.
“Get used to this, Ava,” he said.
“This world… isn’t kind.”
Ava held his gaze.
“I’m not either.”
A pause.
Then
That smirk again.
“Good.”
But as Ava walked away,
Dmitri’s expression darkened.
Because something about her…
Was already becoming a problem.
And Dmitri Volkov never allowed problems to grow.
But this one…
He wasn’t so sure he wanted to eliminate.
- Writer
