THE CEO'S SECRET MID NIGHT WIFE

The elevator doors opened on the forty-seventh floor at exactly 11:47 PM. Seraphina Sterling wheeled her heavy cleaning cart into the heavy silence of the hallway. She had timed her arrival this way for three months. It was late enough that the high-paid consultants and analysts had gone home to their luxury penthouses. It was early enough that the security guards had not yet started their rounds on this side of the building. The executive floor always felt different at night. It felt like walking through someone else’s dream of power. The air smelled of expensive mahogany, cold marble, and the lingering scent of filtered air. Floor-to-ceiling windows turned the city of Manhattan into a carpet of twinkling lights below her feet. Seraphina pushed the cart toward the corner office. Her sneakers were quiet on the polished floors. These floors probably cost more per square foot than most people earned in a year. She used to wear designer heels on these very floors. She used to have an office three levels up with her real name engraved on a silver plate. She did not think about that anymore. She could not afford to think about the life she had lost. The corner office door was unlocked. This was unusual. It meant someone was still inside. Seraphina’s hand hesitated on the cold metal handle. She checked her watch again. It was nearly midnight. The building should be empty. She knocked twice, very softly. “Come in," a voice called out. The voice was deep, masculine, and thick with exhaustion. Seraphina cracked the door open. A man sat behind the massive desk. His white shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. His tie was loosened but still hung around his neck as if he had forgotten it was there. He had dark hair and sharp features that were softened by his evident fatigue. His eyes flicked up to meet hers with a distant kind of politeness. " I am sorry,” she said. She kept her voice neutral and low. She kept her head down, just as a invisible janitor should. “I did not realize anyone was still working." The man leaned back in the leather chair. It was the chair that belonged to her uncle, Malachi Sterling. Seeing a stranger in it made her stomach twist. “I am just finishing up,” the man said. He watched her for a moment longer than necessary. “You are new on this floor, aren't you?" Seraphina nodded. She grabbed a spray bottle and a microfiber cloth. " I started the night shift a few weeks ago, sir.” "Do not call me sir," he muttered. He rubbed his face with his hands. " I am just a man who stays too late at a job that does not love him back.” Seraphina moved to the far bookshelf and began to dust. She was careful not to look at the sensitive documents on the desk. She knew exactly what they were. They were the merger plans for Sterling Global and Vance Industries. "The job might not love you," Seraphina said softly, her back to him. " But the view certainly does.” The man laughed. It was a dry, short sound. " The view is a lie. It makes you feel like you own the world, but it just reminds you how far you have to fall." Seraphina stopped dusting for a split second. That was a very deep thought for a man she assumed was just a mid-level manager. She finally looked at him. He was handsome in a way that felt dangerous. His dark eyes were studying her with an intensity that made her skin tingle. "You have a very observant way of speaking for a janitor," he noted. “Even janitors have eyes, Mr...?" “Rick,” he said. He did not give a last name. " And you are?” “Sophie,” she lied. It was the name on her fake ID. The name that kept her safe from the uncle who wanted her dead. " Well, Sophie,” Rick said as he stood up. He was much taller than he looked while sitting. He was broad-shouldered and moved with a grace that did not belong to a common office worker. " I will get out of your way. The floor is all yours.” He grabbed his jacket and walked toward the door. As he passed her, the scent of expensive sandalwood and rain drifted over her. It was the scent of wealth. It was a scent she recognized from her past life. After he left, Seraphina stood in the center of the office. Her heart was beating faster than it should. There was something about Rick that felt familiar. There was something in his eyes that looked like a man who was also hiding a secret. She shook the feeling off. She had to stay focused. She moved toward the desk to empty the trash can. As she reached for the bin, her eyes caught a glimpse of a document that had been left face-up. It was a private memo from Malachi Sterling. It detailed the final steps to finalize the marriage contract between the Sterling heiress and Alaric Vance. Seraphina felt a chill run down her spine. The world thought she was dead. Her uncle was trying to sell a ghost to the most ruthless man in New York. She emptied the trash quickly and moved toward the door. She needed to find Maya. She needed to know if anyone was asking questions about the “accidental" drowning of Seraphina Sterling. As she pushed her cart into the hallway, she saw Rick standing by the elevators. He was not alone. He was talking to a man in a dark suit who looked like a professional bodyguard. "Is it done?" the man in the suit asked. " Not yet,” Rick replied. His voice was no longer tired. It was cold. It was the voice of a commander. “The traitor is somewhere on this floor. I can feel it. Keep the surveillance tight. I want to know everyone who enters this wing after midnight.” Seraphina pulled her cart back into the shadows of a side hallway. Her breath caught in her throat. Rick was not an overworked employee. He was something else entirely. She waited until the elevator dings echoed through the hall. When she was sure they were gone, she hurried toward the service stairs. She reached the basement level where the janitors kept their lockers. Maya Castillo was already there, checking the supply inventory. Maya looked up and saw the pale expression on Seraphina’s face. “Sophie? What is wrong? You look like you saw a ghost,” Maya said. “I think I just met a wolf in sheep's clothing," Seraphina whispered. She grabbed Maya’s arm. " There is a man on the 47th floor. He says his name is Rick. But Maya, he was being guarded like a king.” Maya’s eyes widened. "Do you think he is one of your uncle’s men? Did he recognize you?" “I don't think so,” Seraphina said. She sat down on a plastic crate. “But he is looking for someone. He said there is a traitor on the floor." " If he finds out who you really are, Sophie, we are both dead," Maya warned. "You faked your death to get away from that marriage. If the Sterling family finds out you are scrubbing their toilets, they will lock you in a cage and never let you out." Seraphina looked at her hands. They were red from the cleaning chemicals. "I know. But I saw the papers on the desk, Maya. My uncle is still moving forward with the Vance merger. He is using my 'memory' to steal the entire company." "Then we have to leave," Maya said firmly. "We can go to Jersey. We can go further." "No," Seraphina said. A new spark of fire lit up her hazel eyes. "I am tired of running. If this Rick character is looking for a traitor, maybe he will find Malachi instead of me. I need to know who he really is." "That is dangerous," Maya argued. "Living is dangerous," Seraphina countered. The next night, Seraphina returned to the 47th floor. She expected the office to be empty. She expected to work in peace. But when she opened the door to the corner office, she found something that made her blood run cold. Rick was there. But he was not sitting behind the desk. He was wearing a blue janitor's uniform exactly like hers. He was holding a mop, and he looked like he had no idea how to use it. He looked up and gave her a charming, lopsided smile. "Hey, Sophie," he said. "It turns out I lost my job today. I told the supervisor I needed the money, so they put me on the night crew. Looks like we are partners now." Seraphina stared at him. She knew he was lying. A man with bodyguards does not become a janitor overnight because he is broke. He was hunting. And he had just sat down right next to her. "Partners?" Seraphina asked. Her voice trembled just a little. "Partners," Rick repeated. He stepped closer to her. The scent of sandalwood was gone, replaced by the smell of industrial soap. But his eyes were still the same. They were the eyes of a man who got exactly what he wanted. "You can teach me the ropes. I am a very fast learner." Seraphina realized in that moment that her quiet life in the shadows was over. The hunter had joined the herd. But as she looked at him, she wondered one thing. Was he hunting the traitor, or was he hunting her? The elevator dinged again in the distance. It was the security guard starting his rounds. "We should get to work," Rick said. He leaned in closer. "Unless you have secrets you would rather discuss instead?" Seraphina's heart hammered against her ribs. She had to play the part. She had to be Sophie, the invisible girl. “I have no secrets, Rick,” she said. " Good,” he whispered. " Because I hate liars." He turned away to start mopping the floor, but Seraphina saw the way he watched her reflection in the dark glass of the window. The game had begun. And the stakes were higher than she ever imagined.