My Devil In A Suit

CHAPTER 2

I arrived at the massive glass building, staring up at the italicized K symbol gleaming above the entrance. My heart did a slow, painful flip inside my chest.

I knew I was in deep trouble.

I pushed through the revolving doors and walked across the polished marble floor of the lobby. Everyone here looked slick, professional, and vastly out of my league. Women walked past in crisp suits and high heels, while men carried expensive leather cases. I looked down at my simple blouse and pencil skirt, feeling smaller by the second.

I stepped into the glass elevator and followed the directions from my interview invitation email. But as the floor numbers ticked up, a wave of cold panic seized my chest.

I can't do this. I don't think I want this anymore.

The viral clip was already circulating online. What if someone in that office recognized my face? What if they laughed at me the moment I stepped into the room?

The elevator chimed, and the doors slid open to reveal the executive floor. The moment I stepped out, my legs felt like jelly. I turned straight toward the front reception desk.

"Excuse me," I said, my voice trembling slightly. "Can I reschedule my interview?"

The receptionist looked up from her computer screen, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion. "Reschedule with Mr. Korrigan's office? Ma'am, he doesn't….”.

"Oh, thank you so much!" I blurted out before she could finish her sentence.

I didn't wait for her to clarify. I turned around on my heel and hurriedly walked back toward the elevator, aiming to get out of the building as fast as my feet could carry me.

On my way toward the doors, I accidentally brushed shoulders with a tall woman wearing a sharp suit and holding a thick tablet.

"I'm so sorry!" I gasped, trying to dodge past her.

"It's fine," the woman replied smoothly. Then, she stopped dead in her tracks and stared at me. "Wait... you must be Hailee, right?”

"Yes, I am," I admitted reluctantly, clutching my purse against my stomach.

"I reviewed your resume this morning," she said, sweeping her eyes over me. "Where are you going?"

"Home," I mumbled, lowering my head. "Something came up."

"Or... are you by chance escaping Damien?"

I froze on the spot, completely speechless. My tongue felt heavy in my mouth.

The woman let out a soft, knowing sigh. "I see."

She stepped closer, her voice dropping into a low, serious tone that sent a chill down my spine. "Well, he selected yourfile personally. If you walk out those doors right now, Mr. Korrigan will make sure your name stays ruined in this entire city."

My stomach dropped into a bottomless pit. I had nowhere else to turn. I had no money left, no job at the lounge, and an aunt who hated my guts. If I walked away now, I would lose my last remaining thread of survival.

"Follow me," she commanded.

I followed her reluctantly down the long, quiet hallway, tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear with shaky hands. Every step felt like walking toward a firing squad.

"Here we are," she said, pushing open a set of large frosted glass doors.

She ushered me inside a massive, modern conference room. Sitting all the way at the end of a long mahogany table was one single man.

"Have a nice day," Koré said softly, stepping back outside and closing the thick doors behind me.

Silence filled the giant room. My eyes met Damien's across the polished table, and the air instantly grew so thick it felt hard to breathe.

"Can you just have a seat instead of standing there acting misplaced?" he said, his deep voice slicing through the quiet.

What is the problem with this i***t?

"Sorry?”

I shut my mouth instantly, my face burning as I realized I had spoken my thoughts out loud.

Damien didn't even blink. He didn't look bothered at all. "Sit down, Hailee."

I dragged out a heavy leather chair and sat down, my hands clenching into tight fists on my lap to hide how badly they were shaking. I had to stay professional. I had to focus on the job.

"As stated in my resume," I began, forcing my voice to sound steady, "I worked at a VIP bar for some time."

"Yeah, I know that," he said flatly, tapping a heavy silver pen against his desk.

"I also draft out architectural designs in my free time," I continued, pushing past his cold demeanor. "And about what happened between us last night... I..."

"You don't have to bring it up," he interrupted, his tone sharp.

I stared at him in complete disbelief. I was trying to understand what he meant. He had grabbed me, forced a kiss on me, caused my breakup, and let a fake video ruin my name. And now he acted like it was nothing?

Damien leaned back in his leather chair, a slow, dark smirk spreading across his lips. "Unless you enjoyed me kissing you so bad your palm itched to slap my face.”

A massive wave of heat rushed right up my neck. My face was burning so hot I thought I might pass out. The entire room felt like an oven.

He turned his attention down to my printed resume, flipping through the pages in agonizing silence.

One second passed. Then five seconds. Then thirty.

He took so long reading every line that I was completely sure I had already lost the job. He had brought me here just to mock me. He was going to laugh in my face and tell me a ruined waitress didn't belong in his company.

"You're hired," he said flatly, not even looking up from the paper.

My jaw dropped. "What?"

"You're on a one-month probation," he added, finally raising his cold, dark eyes to lock onto mine. "That means you will be watched very closely for thirty days to see if you are actually good at your job. Start Monday."

He closed the folder with a quiet thud.

I sat there in total shock. I had gotten the job at the top firm in the city. But looking at the cold, victorious glint in Damien's eyes, I wasn't sure if I had won... or if I had just walked straight into his trap.