THE COLD CEO OBSESSIVE POSSESSION

THE COLD CEO OBSESSIVE POSSESSION

CHAPTER ONE

THE MAN WHO NEVER SMILED

The rain had been falling for almost three hours.

It came down heavily against the glass windows of Blackwood Tower, turning the city outside into a blurry sea of silver lights and shadows.

From the forty-eighth floor, the entire city looked small.

Cars moved like tiny insects along the wet streets. Buildings disappeared behind curtains of rain. Neon signs reflected across the roads, creating beautiful colors that meant absolutely nothing to the man standing in front of the enormous window.

Damian Blackwood didn't care about the weather.

He didn't care about the city.

And he certainly didn't care about the people waiting nervously outside his office.

His hands were tucked inside the pockets of his perfectly tailored black trousers while his gaze remained fixed on the storm.

Behind him, the atmosphere was suffocating.

Three senior executives sat around the conference table, afraid to breathe too loudly.

No one dared to speak.

Everyone in Blackwood Corporation knew one simple rule:

Never interrupt Damian Blackwood when he was thinking.

The door opened quietly.

His personal assistant, Victor, stepped inside.

“Sir.”

Damian didn't turn.

“What?”

Victor swallowed.

“The board members are waiting for your decision.”

“They can wait.”

“They've already been waiting for forty minutes.”

Damian's expression didn't change.

“Then they can wait forty more.”

Victor glanced nervously at the executives.

One of them immediately lowered his head.

Damian finally turned around.

His face was emotionless.

Sharp jaw.

Dark eyes.

Perfectly styled black hair.

He looked like the kind of man who had been created without the ability to feel.

His reputation had been built on that coldness.

At thirty-two, Damian Blackwood was one of the youngest and most powerful CEOs in the country. He owned hotels, technology companies, construction firms, luxury restaurants, and several international investments.

People admired him.

People feared him.

Women wanted him.

Men wanted to be him.

But nobody truly knew him.

Because Damian never allowed anyone close enough.

He walked toward the conference table.

“What is the problem?”

One of the executives immediately stood.

“Sir, the acquisition of Sterling Industries—”

“Rejected.”

The man blinked.

“But you haven't even heard the proposal.”

“I don't need to.”

“Sir, Sterling is offering—”

“I said no.”

The executive slowly sat down.

Damian picked up the folder in front of him.

He flipped through the documents without much interest.

Then he stopped.

His eyes narrowed.

“Who approved this?”

Nobody answered.

Damian lifted his gaze.

“I asked a question.”

The room went silent.

Finally, another executive spoke.

“It was approved by the finance department.”

“Then fire the person who approved it.”

The man's face went pale.

“Sir?”

“You heard me.”

“But—”

Damian dropped the folder onto the table.

“If someone in this company cannot recognize a bad investment, they have no business working here.”

He turned toward Victor.

“Cancel the deal.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And find me the person responsible.”

Victor nodded.

Damian walked toward the door.

The meeting was over.

Nobody dared object.

---

Outside the office, Victor hurried after him.

“Sir, there's one more matter.”

Damian continued walking.

“Speak.”

“The charity foundation needs your signature.”

“Leave it on my desk.”

“They also requested that you attend tomorrow night's fundraising gala.”

“No.”

Victor expected that answer.

“They said your presence is important.”

Damian stopped.

Slowly, he turned.

“Victor.”

“Yes, sir?”

“Do I look like a man who enjoys charity events?”

Victor stared at him.

“No, sir.”

“Good.”

Damian continued walking.

Victor followed.

“There is another reason they want you there.”

Damian said nothing.

“Several major investors will be attending.”

That made him stop.

Victor continued carefully.

“They believe your absence could affect future negotiations.”

Damian's eyes hardened.

“Fine.”

Victor smiled slightly.

“I'll confirm your attendance.”

“But I won't stay longer than thirty minutes.”

“Yes, sir.”

Damian entered his private elevator.

The doors began closing.

Then he heard Victor's voice.

“One more thing, sir.”

Damian looked at him.

Victor hesitated.

“Your grandmother will also be attending.”

Damian's expression changed slightly.

Only for a second.

Then the cold mask returned.

“Of course she will.”

The elevator doors closed.

---

THE NEXT MORNING

Elena Carter woke up to the sound of her alarm.

She groaned and pulled the blanket over her head.

“No…”

The alarm continued.

She reached blindly across the bedside table and knocked over a glass of water.

“Great.”

She finally grabbed her phone and silenced it.

For five precious seconds, she remained still.

Then she remembered.

The interview.

Her eyes flew open.

“Oh my God!”

Elena jumped out of bed.

She nearly slipped on the small rug beside her bed.

“Not today. Please, not today.”

She rushed into the bathroom.

Twenty minutes later, she stood in front of the mirror wearing a simple cream blouse and a dark skirt.

Her hair was tied neatly behind her head.

She looked nervous.

But determined.

This interview was important.

Very important.

She had spent weeks searching for a job after losing her previous position.

Rent was due soon.

Her savings were disappearing.

And her younger brother's school fees were still unpaid.

She couldn't afford another rejection.

Elena grabbed her handbag and hurried outside.

---

The city was already busy.

Taxis filled the roads.

People rushed toward offices.

Street vendors called out to customers.

Elena checked the time on her phone.

“Please don't let me be late.”

She waved at a taxi.

The driver stopped.

“Where are you going?”

“Blackwood Corporation.”

The driver's eyebrows rose.

“Blackwood Tower?”

“Yes.”

He whistled.

“Big company.”

Elena smiled nervously.

“I have an interview.”

“Good luck.”

She leaned back against the seat.

“Thank you. I need it.”

As the taxi moved through traffic, Elena stared through the window.

She had heard stories about Blackwood Corporation.

Everyone had.

The company was almost impossible to get into.

Its CEO was even more famous.

Damian Blackwood.

She had seen his picture online several times.

Cold.

Beautiful.

Terrifying.

The newspapers called him the Ice King of the business world.

Elena had never understood why people were so fascinated by him.

A handsome face didn't impress her.

Money didn't impress her either.

She had learned early in life that money could disappear overnight.

Character was what mattered.

Unfortunately, from everything she had heard about Damian Blackwood, character wasn't exactly his strongest quality.

---

The taxi stopped outside Blackwood Tower.

Elena looked up.

The building seemed endless.

Glass.

Steel.

Luxury.

She paid the driver and stepped outside.

For a moment, she simply stared.

“Wow.”

She tightened her grip on her handbag.

Then she walked inside.

The reception area was enormous.

Marble floors.

Crystal lights.

Expensive furniture.

Everyone looked perfectly dressed.

Elena suddenly became conscious of her simple clothes.

A receptionist looked up.

“Can I help you?”

“Yes. I'm here for an interview.”

“Name?”

“Elena Carter.”

The receptionist typed something into the computer.

“Human Resources. Thirty-second floor.”

“Thank you.”

Elena walked toward the elevators.

She pressed the button.

The doors opened.

She stepped inside.

There were two other people already there.

One of them was a woman dressed in an expensive designer suit.

The woman looked Elena up and down.

Then she looked away.

Elena ignored her.

The doors closed.

The elevator began rising.

Twenty floors.

Twenty-five.

Thirty.

Then—

Ding.

Thirty-second floor.

Elena stepped out.

She followed the signs toward Human Resources.

She was almost there when someone suddenly collided with her.

Her handbag fell.

Papers scattered across the floor.

“Oh!”

Elena immediately crouched down.

“I'm so sorry.”

The man who had bumped into her didn't even apologize.

He simply walked away.

Elena stared after him.

“What an arrogant—”

She stopped.

A black shoe had appeared beside her papers.

A man's hand reached down.

He picked up one of her documents.

Elena looked up.

And froze.

Dark eyes met hers.

The entire world seemed to stop.

She knew that face.

Everyone did.

Damian Blackwood.

He stood over her.

Tall.

Powerful.

Impossibly composed.

His black suit looked as though it had been made specifically for him.

His expression was unreadable.

He looked at the document in his hand.

Then at her.

“You're blocking the hallway.”

Elena blinked.

“Excuse me?”

His eyebrows lifted slightly.

“I said you're blocking the hallway.”

She stared at him.

She had expected many things.

She hadn't expected rudeness.

She stood quickly.

“I was picking up my papers.”

“I can see that.”

He handed her the document.

Their fingers briefly touched.

Elena pulled her hand away.

“Thank you.”

Damian said nothing.

He simply walked past her.

Elena watched him disappear around the corner.

Her heart was beating strangely fast.

Not because she was attracted to him.

At least, that's what she told herself.

She looked down at the document he had handed her.

Then she noticed something.

There was a small crease across the paper.

She sighed.

“Perfect.”

---

The interview lasted forty minutes.

When Elena finally walked out of the office, she couldn't decide whether it had gone well.

The HR manager had asked difficult questions.

She had answered honestly.

She had refused to exaggerate her experience.

At the end, the manager had simply said:

“We'll contact you.”

Elena knew what that usually meant.

Still, she refused to give up.

She walked toward the elevator.

When the doors opened, she stepped inside.

She pressed the button for the lobby.

But before the doors closed, a hand stopped them.

Elena looked up.

Her heart sank.

Damian Blackwood stepped inside.

Again.

Of all the elevators in the building.

Of all the moments.

It had to be this one.

He stood beside her without saying anything.

Elena stared straight ahead.

The silence became uncomfortable.

Finally, she glanced at him.

He was looking at her.

“What?” she asked.

“Nothing.”

“Then why are you staring?”

Damian's eyes remained on her.

“You're very direct.”

“You're very rude.”

For the first time, something almost resembling amusement flickered in his eyes.

Almost.

“You're brave.”

“I just don't like being talked to like I'm stupid.”

The elevator continued descending.

Damian looked forward.

“What position did you apply for?”

Elena frowned.

“Why?”

“I asked a question.”

“Administrative assistant.”

He nodded once.

“Interesting.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

The elevator stopped.

The doors opened.

Damian stepped out.

Before leaving, he turned toward her.

“Good luck, Miss Carter.”

Elena froze.

She had never told him her name.

“How do you know my name?”

But the doors closed before he answered.

Elena stared at her reflection.

A strange feeling settled in her stomach.

She didn't know why.

But something told her that meeting Damian Blackwood wasn't an accident.

---

THAT NIGHT

Damian sat alone in his penthouse.

The city glittered below him.

A glass of untouched whiskey sat on the table.

His phone vibrated.

Victor.

Damian answered.

“What?”

“Sir, I have the information you requested.”

“About?”

“The woman you met today.”

Damian's expression hardened.

“Miss Carter?”

“Yes.”

Damian leaned back.

“Tell me.”

Victor hesitated.

“Elena Carter. Twenty-four years old. Recently resigned from her previous job. Lives with her younger brother. No criminal record. No significant debt except—”

“Stop.”

Victor paused.

Damian looked toward the window.

“Anything unusual?”

“No, sir.”

“Family?”

“Her parents are deceased.”

Damian's fingers tightened around the glass.

“That's all?”

“Yes.”

There was silence.

Then Damian asked quietly:

“Why was she applying here?”

Victor answered.

“She needs the job.”

Damian stared into the darkness.

For reasons he couldn't explain, the image of Elena crouching on the floor kept returning to his mind.

Her eyes.

Her voice.

The way she had looked directly at him without fear.

Most people lowered their eyes when Damian Blackwood spoke.

She hadn't.

That irritated him.

And intrigued him.

“Hire her.”

Victor went silent.

“Sir?”

“You heard me.”

“For which position?”

“Administrative assistant.”

“But the position has already been filled.”

“Then replace the person.”

Victor hesitated.

“Is there a reason?”

Damian's gaze remained fixed on the city.

“No.”

But both men knew that wasn't the truth.

Damian ended the call.

He picked up his glass.

For the first time in years, he smiled.

It wasn't a warm smile.

It wasn't a happy smile.

It was slow.

Dark.

Possessive.

Because Damian Blackwood had already made a decision.

He wanted Elena Carter inside his world.

And once she entered it—

he wasn't planning to let her leave.