CHAPTER THREE. THE OFFER
671 Words
Serena barely slept that night.
No matter how hard she tried, Adrian Knight’s voice kept replaying in her mind.
“It isn’t pity.”
“Interest.”
She hated the way her heart reacted to him.
By morning, exhaustion clung to her body as she stepped out of the small hospital room where her mother rested peacefully.
“You should go home and sleep,” her best friend, Nina, whispered while handing her coffee.
Serena sighed. “Sleep is expensive these days.”
Nina narrowed her eyes immediately. “Okay, what happened at the gala?”
Serena hesitated.
“That bad?”
“You know Adrian Knight?”
Nina almost dropped the coffee. “THE Adrian Knight?”
“Yes, that Adrian Knight.”
“Why do you look like you survived a horror movie?”
“Because I accidentally poured wine on him.”
Nina stared at her in disbelief before bursting into laughter.
“You’re joking.”
“I wish I was.”
“And you’re still alive?”
“Barely.”
Before Serena could continue, her phone vibrated suddenly.
Unknown Number.
She frowned before answering carefully. “Hello?”
“Miss Cole.”
Her entire body stiffened instantly.
Adrian.
Even his voice sounded expensive.
“How did you get my number?” she asked immediately.
“I told you already. I know everything happening inside my buildings.”
“That’s not creepy at all.”
A quiet chuckle came from the other side.
It surprised her.
Men like Adrian Knight weren’t supposed to laugh.
“I need to see you,” he said.
Serena rolled her eyes. “Well, I don’t.”
“Today. 2 p.m.”
“You sound very confident for someone who didn’t ask.”
“Was I supposed to?”
She hated how calm he sounded.
“Mr. Knight—”
“Adrian.”
“I’m not calling you that.”
“2 p.m., Serena.”
The call ended.
Just like that.
Serena stared at her phone in shock.
Nina leaned forward instantly. “Tell me everything.”
———
At exactly 2 p.m., Serena stood inside the tallest building in the city: Knight Empire Headquarters.
She felt completely out of place.
Employees walked quickly through the luxurious lobby while whispering greetings nervously into headsets. Giant glass windows overlooked the city skyline.
Power practically lived here.
A woman dressed in black approached her politely.
“Mr. Knight is expecting you.”
Of course he was.
The private elevator opened directly into Adrian’s office.
Serena stepped inside slowly.
The room was massive.
Dark walls. Floor-to-ceiling windows. Expensive silence.
And Adrian stood near the window with his sleeves rolled slightly upward, making him look even more unfairly attractive.
Serena hated that she noticed.
“You came,” he said without turning around.
“You sounded impossible to ignore.”
That earned another small smirk.
Adrian finally faced her fully.
His sharp gaze moved over her simple outfit before returning to her face.
“You look tired.”
“Not everyone sleeps on silk sheets.”
For a second, his expression darkened slightly.
“Sit down.”
This time, Serena obeyed.
Mostly because the chair looked too expensive to reject.
Adrian placed a file in front of her.
“What’s this?”
“A job offer.”
Serena blinked. “Excuse me?”
“You need money. I need someone useful.”
Her eyes narrowed instantly. “Wow. You really know how to make opportunities sound insulting.”
“You’re honest. Most people around me are not.”
Serena opened the file carefully.
Personal Assistant to Adrian Knight.
Salary: enough to completely pay her mother’s hospital bills.
Her breathing slowed.
“This amount can’t be real.”
“It is.”
Suspicion filled her eyes immediately. “What’s the catch?”
Adrian stepped closer slowly.
“There’s always a catch.”
Something dangerous flashed across his grey eyes.
And for the first time…
Serena realized accepting this job might be the biggest mistake of her life.
- Writer
