Seduced by His Touch

Episode-4

Amara

"Would you please sit back down for a moment, Mrs. Denz?"

Leo's voice is suave, with an undertone of authority, and his dark eyes twinkle as he gestures toward the chair.

Amara's legs tremble, but she can sit down. She grips the sides of the chair, her head spinning. She had no idea he worked here. If she had, she never would have walked in. But now at least, she doesn't have to worry about getting this job.

Leo still looks as fine as ever, maybe even better. The young man who previously walked the hallways of Lyons College in creased sneakers and second-hand sweats is no longer. This man standing here is different—smooth, confident. The impeccable cut of the suit, the watch on his wrist, how the room seems to wait on bated breath for his to speak… Everything screams power.

Amara's stomach turns. She'd recognized him as soon as he sat down, but there was nothing in his eyes to indicate that he knew her. Had he genuinely forgotten her? Or was this a game of power?

"Everything all right, Leo?" Tyrant McKinney asks cautiously.

Leo leans back in his chair, the epitome of relaxation. "Not at all," he replies smoothly. "I just have some questions for Mrs. Denz.".

A silence falls over the room. The HR panelists exchange glances, their shock mirrored in Amara's own. This is not protocol.

Amara swallows. So, he remembers. And he's here to humiliate her—again.

Her mind relives that awful day at Lyons College, in the cafeteria with James and two other men. Leo and his group had been close behind them, joking, laughing. She could have just tuned them out.

But she hadn't.

"Leo, the math homework is due Wednesday, not Friday," she'd said to him.

She'd only been trying to help.

Rather than thanks, she got ridicule.

“Ah, the teacher’s watchdog speaks,” Leo had smirked. “News flash: I’m not a sheep. I’m a wolf.”

His friends had roared with laughter.

She had burned with embarrassment, but it got worse.

“You know why she’s really saying that, right?” Leo had continued, his voice loud enough for everyone to hear. “She’s scared someone might upset her precious Mr. Sam.”

Then came the final blow.

"Or maybe…"

His smile had increased in size. "She's got a crush on dusty old Sam."

The cafeteria had erupted in laughter.

That was where it started. The endless teasing. The humiliations. The whispered comments in her ear.

And now—years later—he's here. Across from her, poised to do it all again.

Leo

He looks at her with piercing interest.

Amara Denz.

Something about her reminds him of something, but he is unable to recall it. She is familiar, but that was not the reason he cut off the interview. It was the answer to the previous question—her loyalty to a business that was going under in full awareness it was heading there.

That had made him curious.

"Mrs. Denz," he begins, "how did you know your former company was going to collapse?"

Her voice is steady when she responds. "About eight or nine months before it did."

Interesting.

"Did you go to your CEO?"

"I did. Several times. He chose to ignore the warnings."

"And you stayed?"

"I don't think in terms of bailing out when people count on you," she says bluntly.

Loyalty.

He respects that.

Leo nods, decision made. "You report Monday. Eight a.m. Don't be late."

Silence.

Amara's lips part slightly as if she's misheard.

Tyrant squirms uncomfortably. "Leo, we do have other prospects to work our way through—

Leo doesn't even look at him. "And?"

Tyrant hesitates. "And we have a responsibility to the process to be impartial."

"The job requires someone who's organized, flexible, and qualified in the high-tech field," Leo says firmly. "All the prospects who've made it this far possess those qualifications. What I care about is allegiance. And Mrs. Denz has already proved that."

Tyrant purses his lips but nods.

"Understood."

"Got any questions for me?" Leo asks Amara.

She hesitates, gazing at his face.

"No," she says at last.

He stands and extends his hand.

She does the same, her grip firm but not too tight. For a moment, as their palms touch, there is a curious spark of something between them. Recognition? Something else?

Leo holds on for a fraction of a second more than he needs to.

She feels it too.

But whatever it is, she won't own up to it.

"See you Monday, Mrs. Denz," he says, a little smile tugging at his lips. "I'm looking forward to working with you."

She doesn't say anything. Just nods.

As he leaves, he doesn't look back.

Amara

She stands in the silent room, her heart still pounding.

Tyrant and the rest of the interviewers are staring at her, clearly as shocked as she is.

"Uh… congratulations?" Pete Sky stutters, shaking her hand.

"Welcome to the company," Ama Locks adds, but her expression shows she's just as confused by the surprise turn of events.

Amara pastes on a strained smile.

Then she leaves, barely able to process what has happened.

She has no idea if she just made the best decision of her life… or the worst.