The CEO Who Hated Me

Mia Bennett stood outside Carter Corporation with one hand tightly wrapped around the strap of her handbag. The glass tower stretched so high that she had to tilt her head back to see the top. For the first time in months, she felt nervous. Not because she was about to start a new job. Because she was about to enter Ethan Carter's world. The man whose family had everything her family had lost. Mia took a slow breath. I'm here for the truth. She stepped through the revolving doors. Inside, everything looked expensive. Marble floors reflected the bright lights above, while employees hurried through the enormous lobby carrying tablets and files. Mia looked down at her simple black dress. She suddenly felt out of place. "First day?" Mia turned. A cheerful woman with a stack of folders smiled at her. "Yes." "Don't worry. Everyone feels that way at first." She pointed toward the elevators. "Human Resources is on the twelfth floor." "Thank you." Mia smiled politely and walked away. As soon as she entered the elevator, her smile disappeared. Her fingers slipped into her handbag and touched the small photograph hidden inside. It showed her father standing in front of the Bennett family's old company. She remembered that day. Her father had been smiling. He had been proud. Three months later, the company was gone. The banks had seized their properties. Their employees had been dismissed. Her father had refused to explain what happened. But Mia had discovered something he had never told her. A document bearing the name Carter Corporation. The elevator doors opened. Mia quickly put the photograph away. She couldn't afford to be distracted. Two hours later, Mia walked into the executive office carrying a folder. Her new supervisor had sent her upstairs with an urgent report. "Leave it on Mr. Carter's desk," the supervisor had said. Mia knocked. No answer. She knocked again. Still nothing. She slowly opened the door. The office was enormous. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the city. A dark wooden desk stood in the center, perfectly organized. Mia placed the folder on it. Then she noticed something. A second folder lay beneath it. The name Bennett Industries was printed across the top. Her heart stopped. She reached for it. Before her fingers could touch the folder, a deep voice came from behind her. "Looking for something?" Mia froze. She turned around. A tall man stood near the doorway. Black suit. White shirt. Cold, unreadable eyes. He looked younger than she had expected. But there was something intimidating about him. Mia knew immediately who he was. Ethan Carter. The CEO. The man she had come here to investigate. "I—" His eyes moved from her face to the folder. "You were looking at that." Mia swallowed. "I thought it was the report I was supposed to deliver." "You thought?" His voice was calm, but somehow that made it worse. Mia straightened. "I apologize. I didn't mean to touch anything." Ethan walked toward the desk. He picked up the Bennett folder and held it in his hand. "You're new." "Yes." "Name?" "Mia Bennett." His expression changed. Only for a second. But Mia noticed. His fingers tightened around the folder. "Bennett?" "Yes." Silence filled the room. Then Ethan looked directly into her eyes. "Do you have any connection to Robert Bennett?" Mia's heart pounded. "My father." Something unreadable flashed across Ethan's face. "Interesting." Mia forced herself to remain calm. "Is there a problem?" "No." He placed the folder back on the desk. "But I have one question." "What?" "Why did you apply to work here?" Mia had prepared for this question. "For the opportunity." Ethan stared at her. "That's not your real answer." Her stomach tightened. "I don't understand." "I think you do." He stepped closer. Mia refused to move backward. "You've been in this building for less than three hours," Ethan said. "Yet somehow you ended up in my private office, standing over a confidential file concerning your father." "I was told to deliver a report." "Convenient." His eyes remained fixed on hers. Mia felt heat rise to her face. "I don't appreciate being accused of something I didn't do." For the first time, something almost resembling amusement appeared in Ethan's eyes. "You have a temper." "And you have trust issues." The words escaped before she could stop them. Ethan raised an eyebrow. Mia immediately regretted saying it. Then, unexpectedly, he smiled. It wasn't warm. It was dangerous. "Perhaps you'll survive here after all." He picked up the report she had brought. "Leave this." Mia turned to go. "Ms. Bennett." She stopped. "Yes?" Ethan's voice became serious again. "Stay away from things that don't concern you." Mia slowly turned around. She looked at the folder with her father's name on it. Then back at him. "Maybe they concern me more than you think." Ethan's expression hardened. Mia walked out before he could respond. The moment the elevator doors closed, she released the breath she'd been holding. Her hands were trembling. But beneath the fear was something else. Determination. She had found exactly what she came looking for. Her father's name was inside Carter Corporation's confidential files. And Ethan Carter clearly knew something. That evening, Mia returned home and opened the small box hidden beneath her bed. Inside was an old notebook belonging to her father. She turned through the pages until she reached the final entry. Her eyes stopped on one sentence. If anything happens to me, never trust the Carter family. Mia stared at the words. Her phone suddenly buzzed. Unknown number. She opened the message. You shouldn't have taken that job. Her heart jumped. Another message appeared. Ethan Carter isn't the person you think he is. Mia stared at the screen. Then a final message arrived. And if you want to know what happened to your father, look inside Ethan's office. Mia's breath caught. Someone was watching her. And somehow, they knew exactly why she had joined Carter Corporation. She looked toward the dark window. For the first time, Mia wondered if taking this job had been the biggest mistake of her life. Or the first step toward the truth. To be continued....