LOVE Me BEFORE DAWN

Episode 1: Elena Rose Carter had three rules for surviving life. Never depend on a man to save you. Never trust someone who smiles too easily. And never spill coffee on a stranger who looks rich enough to buy the entire building. Unfortunately, on Monday morning, she broke the third rule before nine o'clock. Elena hurried through the revolving doors of Vale International, clutching her handbag and a cup of coffee. Her phone was pressed against her ear as she listened to the hospital administrator. "Miss Carter, your mother's treatment cannot continue without payment. You have already received two extensions." "Please, just give me until Friday," Elena begged. "I'll find the money." "We've heard that promise before." The call ended. Elena stared at her phone, swallowing the tears threatening to escape. Her mother was the only family she had left. Since her father's death three years earlier, Elena had worked tirelessly to pay their debts and cover her mother's medical expenses. Now, another deadline was approaching, and she had almost nothing left. Today's interview was her best chance. She checked the time. Eight forty-seven. "Oh, no!" She hurried toward the elevators, barely noticing the people moving around her. Turning a corner, she collided with someone standing directly in her path. Her coffee flew through the air. It landed across a black designer suit. Silence fell over the lobby. Elena slowly raised her head. The man before her was tall and broad-shouldered, with neatly styled dark hair, a sharp jawline, and striking gray eyes. Everything about him suggested wealth, authority, and a complete lack of patience. He looked at the stain on his jacket. Then he looked at her. "Are you always this careless?" Elena grabbed tissues from her handbag. "I'm sorry! I didn't see you." "Clearly." She tried to wipe the coffee away. "Don't touch me." His cold voice stopped her. "I'm trying to help." "You're making it worse." Elena looked at the stain, then at his perfectly controlled expression. "Well, standing there glaring at me isn't going to make the coffee disappear." His eyebrows rose. A few employees nearby exchanged surprised glances. Nobody seemed accustomed to speaking to this man so casually. "Do you have any idea how much this suit costs?" he asked. "No. Should I ask for a loan before apologizing again?" His expression darkened. "You find this amusing?" "Not particularly. I'm already late for an interview, and now I've ruined your morning. Believe me, you're not the only unhappy person here." She immediately regretted those words. The stranger stepped closer. "Perhaps you should learn to watch where you're going." "And perhaps you should stop standing in people's way." A security guard approached, looking alarmed. "Sir, is everything all right?" The stranger didn't look away from Elena. "Find out who she is." Elena's eyes widened. "Excuse me! I apologized. It was an accident!" "Then you shouldn't have a problem explaining yourself." "I have an interview to attend. I don't have time for this." She stepped around him and marched toward the elevators. Behind her, the security guard looked as though he had forgotten how to breathe. "Sir, would you like me to stop her?" "No." The man adjusted his ruined jacket. "Let her go." Elena entered the elevator without looking back. She had no idea she had just insulted Adrian Alexander Vale, the billionaire CEO of Vale International. And Adrian had no idea that the woman who had ruined his suit would soon become much more than an inconvenience. --- Elena reached the twenty-third floor with three minutes to spare. She hurried to the reception desk, smoothing her blouse. "Good morning. I'm Elena Carter. I'm here for the personal assistant interview." The receptionist examined her. "You're late." "My appointment is at nine. It's eight fifty-seven." "Mr. Vale doesn't appreciate people wasting his time." Elena froze. "Mr. Vale?" "Adrian Alexander Vale. He's conducting the interviews personally today." Her stomach dropped. The man downstairs? Impossible. The receptionist pressed a button on her telephone. "Miss Carter is here, sir." A deep voice answered. "Send her in." Elena recognized it immediately. She considered running away. Then she remembered her mother's hospital bill. Running away was a luxury she couldn't afford. She knocked and entered the enormous office. Adrian stood beside his desk, looking through documents. Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows behind him, illuminating the expensive furniture and breathtaking view. He glanced up. Recognition flashed across his face. "Coffee girl." Elena closed her eyes briefly. "Good morning, Mr. Vale." "Sit down." She obeyed. Adrian took her résumé and studied it. "Business administration diploma. Two years of office experience. Currently employed at a marketing company." "Yes." "And you believe you're qualified to work as my personal assistant?" "I know I am." "Despite your inability to walk through a lobby without causing an accident?" Elena folded her hands in her lap. "Are we discussing my qualifications or your dry-cleaning bill?" His gaze lifted. "You have quite a mouth." "And you have quite an expensive suit." For a moment, neither spoke. Elena silently begged herself to stop talking. She needed this job. She couldn't let her temper destroy her last opportunity. "I'm sorry," she said, taking a breath. "I shouldn't have spoken to you that way. I'm under pressure, but that doesn't excuse my behavior." Adrian leaned against his desk. "What kind of pressure?" "My mother is ill. Her treatment is expensive, and I'm trying to pay the bills." "Is that why you want this job?" "It's one reason. I also have the qualifications you need." "You expect me to believe you can handle the responsibilities of this position when you can't control your emotions?" Elena met his eyes. "I expect you to judge me by my work, not by one unfortunate accident." Something in her answer made him pause. Most applicants praised him, agreed with him, and carefully avoided saying anything that might offend him. Elena appeared incapable of that particular skill. "Why should I hire you?" he asked. "Because I'm organized, hardworking, and capable of learning quickly. I don't have a wealthy family to support me, so I've learned to depend on myself. If you hire me, I'll do the job properly." Adrian studied her for several seconds. He had expected another applicant desperate to impress him. Instead, he found a woman who was frightened about her circumstances but unwilling to beg for sympathy. It irritated him that he respected that. He closed her résumé. "You're hired." Elena blinked. "I'm sorry?" "You start tomorrow at eight in the morning. My current assistant will explain your responsibilities." She stared at him, certain she had misunderstood. "You're giving me the job?" "Would you prefer I changed my mind?" "No!" The answer escaped so quickly that Adrian almost smiled. Elena stood. "Thank you, Mr. Vale. I won't disappoint you." "See that you don't." She reached the door before he spoke again. "Miss Carter." She turned reluctantly. "The suit you ruined costs more than your annual salary." Elena stared at him. "That's ridiculous." "It's Italian." "That doesn't make it less ridiculous!" This time, the corner of his mouth moved slightly. "Get out." Elena left before she could make matters worse. Behind the closed door, Adrian picked up his phone. "Daniel, I want a background check on Elena Rose Carter." "Is there a problem, sir?" "I'm not sure." He glanced at the abandoned coffee cup visible through the office's glass wall. "But I intend to find out." --- That evening, Elena hurried into the hospital carrying groceries. Her mother, Margaret, lay in bed with a blanket covering her legs. Despite her exhaustion, she smiled when Elena approached. "You're looking cheerful today." "I got the job!" Margaret's face brightened. "Really?" "Yes! I'll be working as the personal assistant to Adrian Vale himself." Her mother's smile vanished. "Adrian Vale?" Elena noticed the sudden change. "What's wrong?" "Nothing." Margaret looked away. "I'm just surprised." Elena sat beside her. "He's arrogant and impossible, but the salary is good. The benefits will help with your treatment. Things are finally going to get better." Margaret took her daughter's hand. "I'm proud of you, darling. Just promise me you'll be careful." "Of course." "Some wealthy families hide terrible secrets. Sometimes, the people who appear innocent are caught in battles they know nothing about." Elena frowned. "Mom, you're frightening me. What does the Vale family have to do with us?" Margaret opened her mouth, then closed it. "Nothing. Forget I said anything." But Elena couldn't forget the fear in her mother's eyes. Before she could ask another question, Margaret closed her eyes, claiming she needed rest. Elena kissed her forehead and left the room. She told herself that her mother was simply tired. She had no idea that Margaret had recognized the Vale name for a reason. A reason connected to a secret she had buried for years. --- At nine that evening, Adrian sat alone in his penthouse, examining a report his assistant had prepared. Elena Rose Carter. Age: twenty-four. Mother: Margaret Carter. Father: Thomas Carter, deceased. Adrian stopped reading. Thomas Carter. He knew that name. Years earlier, Thomas had worked as a financial adviser to Adrian's father. Then a scandal had shaken Vale Holdings, confidential records had disappeared, and Adrian's father had accused Thomas of betrayal. Thomas had left the company and vanished from their lives. Now his daughter had appeared in Adrian's office. Adrian picked up his phone. "Daniel, investigate everything about Thomas Carter. I want the original financial records and the names of everyone involved in that scandal." "Understood, sir." "And keep the investigation confidential." He ended the call and stared at Elena's photograph. Perhaps her application was nothing more than a coincidence. But Adrian had learned long ago that coincidences could be dangerous. If Thomas Carter had betrayed his family, Elena might know something that could help him uncover the truth. Or perhaps she was an innocent woman about to be pulled into a battle she didn't understand. Either way, he would watch her closely. Tomorrow, she would enter his office as his employee. She would have no idea that her father's past had just placed her at the center of a mystery capable of destroying both their lives. And Adrian Vale had no intention of letting her walk away until he discovered the truth. TO BE CONTINUED...