Lost In His Touch

chapter 1: The new assistant

Mark Sterling was the most feared and powerful CEO in the city—cold, untouchable, and known for one strange rule: no woman could come within three feet of him. Rumors said he hated women, that he was arrogant, or that he carried a dark secret no one dared uncover. At twenty-eight, he owned Sterling Corporation, an empire that ruled over real estate, tech, and luxury brands, and every person who worked for him knew to keep their distance.

Jasmine Cruz, twenty-two, fresh out of college and desperate for a job to support her sick mother, never thought she’d land a position as Mark’s personal assistant. She’d heard the warnings, seen the way other employees trembled when his name was mentioned, but she needed the work. She walked into his grand, glass-walled office with her head held high, heart pounding.

When she stepped near his desk to hand over her documents, she forgot every rule they’d told her. She leaned forward to place the folder down, and her hand accidentally brushed against his.

Jasmine froze, waiting for him to snap or pull away in disgust—like he always did with others. But Mark didn’t move. His dark, intense eyes locked onto hers, wide with shock. Where every other woman’s touch left him breaking out in hives, burning skin, or gasping for air… hers felt warm, safe, perfect.

For the first time in years, Mark didn’t recoil. He stared at her like she was the only thing that existed in the world, and Jasmine felt her breath catch. She had no idea she’d just become the center of his entire univ