The Billionaire’s rejected heir

The Devil’s Assistant

Ava’s POV

If revenge had a dress code, I was killing it.

Veloria mornings were sharp and gold, the kind that made everything look more expensive than it actually was — including my plan. I stood in front of the massive glass building that bore his name: VOSS EMPIRE GROUP, sunlight glinting off the letters like arrogance carved in steel.

My phone buzzed. It was Jenna, my best friend and the only person who knew why I was really here.

Jenna: Tell me you didn’t wear heels that high to infiltrate an empire.

Me: They’re 6 inches of vengeance, darling.

Jenna: So… suicide heels. Got it.

I smiled. “At least I’ll die stylish.”

When I walked into the lobby, the receptionist from last night nearly fainted. Poor girl probably still had nightmares about the mysterious woman who’d challenged Ethan Voss and lived.

“Miss Lawson?” she stammered. “Mr. Voss isn’t expecting you.”

“Oh, I’m not here to see him,” I said smoothly. “I’m here to work for him.”

Her eyes widened. “Work?”

I handed her a pristine white envelope. Inside was a forged recommendation letter so perfect, it could probably pass through the gates of heaven. “Assistant position. I was told to start today.”

She blinked. “Assistant? For whom?”

Before I could answer, a deep voice cut in from behind me.

“For me.”

I froze.

That voice — velvet and thunder.

I turned slowly, already bracing myself.

Ethan Voss stood there in a dark suit that looked like it had been custom-built to sin. He was holding a coffee cup, expression unreadable, like he’d stepped straight out of a billionaire-themed fever dream.

I forced a smile. “Mr. Voss.”

“Miss Lawson.” He sipped his coffee lazily, eyes scanning me from head to heel. “Didn’t realize my assistant department was hiring.”

“Well, lucky you,” I said sweetly. “I’m very qualified.”

He arched a brow. “Qualified to what? Commit identity fraud?”

I smirked. “You’ll find my fraud skills are exceptional, sir.”

A muscle twitched in his jaw — the first crack in his calm. He gestured toward the elevator. “Follow me.”

The entire office went silent as I walked beside him. Some employees whispered, others stared like they’d just seen their boss walk in with his ex-girlfriend and future lawsuit.

Inside the elevator, silence pressed between us until he finally said, “This is ridiculous.”

“So fire me,” I said.

He looked at me. “You know I can’t.”

“Then stop complaining and let me work, boss.”

His lips twitched — just slightly — and I realized with a rush of satisfaction that I’d made Ethan Voss almost laugh.

Almost.

⸻

Ethan’s POV

If hell had a human form, she’d be in six-inch heels and red lipstick.

Ava Lawson. My new “assistant.”

I should’ve thrown her out the moment she appeared in my office. Instead, I was watching her rearrange my files like she owned the place — and somehow making it look like art.

She didn’t belong here. Not in my world of strategy, deals, and silence. But there she was — humming under her breath, organizing chaos, and occasionally muttering curses when the printer beeped wrong.

“Are you talking to the printer?” I asked.

She looked up, straight-faced. “Yes. It’s being emotional.”

“Emotional?”

“It just rejected the paper for the fourth time. Sounds like you two have something in common.”

I bit back a laugh — barely. “You realize I could fire you for insubordination?”

“You won’t,” she said simply. “You’re too curious.”

She wasn’t wrong.

She was hiding something — that much was clear. But there was also a lightness in her I hadn’t seen before. The old Ava was soft, hopeful. This one had claws and confidence, but underneath all of it, the same spark still burned.

And damn it, I missed that spark.

I leaned against my desk, watching her pretend to type. “Do you even know what you’re doing?”

“Of course,” she said, typing faster.

“You’re typing on the calculator app.”

She froze, looked at the screen, then said without missing a beat, “I’m multitasking.”

I couldn’t help it. I laughed — the sound felt foreign, like it had been locked away too long.

Ava’s eyes softened for half a second. Then she smirked. “There it is. I was starting to think your sense of humor died with your soul.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Careful, Miss Lawson. You’re dangerously close to getting promoted to unemployed.”

“Oh, please,” she said. “You’d miss me.”

She wasn’t wrong again — and that was the problem.

⸻

Ava’s POV

By lunchtime, I’d already crashed three meetings, deleted one calendar event, and accidentally (okay, maybe intentionally) spilled Ethan’s coffee on his lap.

He didn’t flinch. He just stared at the stain like it had personally betrayed him.

“Are you trying to kill me, or just ruin my wardrobe?” he asked.

“Little of both,” I said innocently. “You look too perfect. It’s unsettling.”

He exhaled slowly, eyes narrowing. “Remind me why you’re here again?”

“To make your life harder,” I said. “And maybe fix your calendar.”

He leaned in, voice low. “You really want to play this game with me again, Ava?”

I met his gaze without blinking. “I invented this game, Ethan.”

That shut him up for a second — and in that second, I saw something flicker in his eyes. Something raw. Wanting.

But then he masked it again. “You’re still reckless.”

“And you’re still boring.”

“Boring?” He laughed, a dry, disbelieving sound. “You used to call me dangerous.”

“You used to be dangerous,” I said softly. “Now you’re just predictable.”

The silence after that was sharp — electric — the kind that burns in your chest.

Then his phone rang. He straightened, eyes still locked on me.

“Get that, assistant,” he said.

I picked it up. “Voss Empire, this is Ava, the boss’s favorite mistake, how may I help you?”

He coughed mid-drink. The intern passing by nearly dropped his tablet.

The caller, unfortunately, was one of his investors.

After a long pause, the man said awkwardly, “Is Mr. Voss… okay?”

I smiled. “He’s fine. Just choking on his ego.”

Ethan snatched the phone from me, glaring. “We’ll call you back.”

When he hung up, I was already giggling. “What? You said to answer it!”

“You’re impossible,” he muttered.

“I prefer unstoppable.”

⸻

Ethan’s POV

She was chaos. Dressed in perfection and dipped in sarcasm.

And yet, despite the mayhem, my office had never felt more alive.

The staff was whispering, yes — probably betting on when I’d snap — but for the first time in years, I wasn’t thinking about numbers or losses. I was thinking about her.

And that terrified me.

That night, after she left, I found the photo she’d dropped on my desk.

It was old — a younger Ava smiling with a woman I recognized. My father’s former secretary.

On the back, a note in Ava’s handwriting:

She knew your father’s secret. So did I.

I sat back, staring at the city lights.

Whatever game Ava Lawson was playing, it wasn’t just revenge anymore.

And I wasn’t sure if I wanted to stop her… or join her.

⸻

Ava’s POV

By the time I got home, I was exhausted. I kicked off my heels and collapsed on the couch, grinning despite myself.

Jenna video-called me within seconds.

“Tell me you didn’t get fired.”

“I didn’t.”

“Tell me you didn’t flirt with him.”

“Define flirt.”

Jenna groaned. “Ava, you’re supposed to ruin his life, not reignite it.”

I laughed. “Relax. I can multitask.”

She squinted. “You sound like you’re catching feelings.”

“Please,” I scoffed, though my stomach fluttered. “If feelings were viruses, I’ve been vaccinated.”

But later, when I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, I couldn’t stop thinking about the way he laughed — real, unguarded — like the man I once loved still existed somewhere beneath the billionaire armor.

And that was dangerous. Because I wasn’t here to fall again.

I was here to win.

⸻

Ethan’s POV

The next morning, she walked in with coffee.

“For you,” she said. “Peace offering.”

I eyed it suspiciously. “Is it poisoned?”

“Not yet.”

She winked, and I almost smiled — again.

“Careful,” I said quietly. “You keep that up, and I might start liking you again.”

“Tragic,” she said, walking away. “You’d have to buy new therapy after that.”

And just like that, she left me both infuriated and alive.

Some people bring peace. Ava Lawson brought storms.

And somehow, I couldn’t wait for the next one.