Bound to his Dark Vow

The rain started five minutes before my interview. Of course it did. I ran across the university courtyard with one hand gripping the strap of my bag and the other protecting the folder pressed against my chest. My shoes were already soaked, my hair was sticking to my forehead, and every few seconds I had to remind myself not to look at the time. I was going to be late. After three months of applications, rejected emails, unanswered messages, and one too many nights convincing myself that I wasn't giving up, I had finally gotten the opportunity I wanted. And I was about to ruin it because of the rain. I pushed through the glass doors of the administration building and stopped long enough to catch my breath. The receptionist looked at me. Then at the clock. Then back at me. "You're expected upstairs." "I know." She raised an eyebrow. "I mean, I'm supposed to be there already." Her lips twitched. "That too." I gave her a tired smile before hurrying toward the elevator. The doors were almost closed when a hand stopped them. I looked up. A man stood outside. He wasn't a student. That was my first thought. My second was that he looked completely out of place in a university building. Dark suit. Crisp white shirt. Expensive watch. Expression unreadable. He stepped into the elevator without saying anything. I followed. The doors closed. For several seconds, neither of us spoke. Then his eyes moved toward the folder in my hands. "Interview?" I nodded. "Yes." "For Blackwood Holdings?" I looked at him properly for the first time. "Yes." He gave a small nod. Nothing else. I stared at the changing numbers above the elevator doors. There was something about his silence that made the small space feel even smaller. "Are you also here for an interview?" I asked. "No." His answer was so immediate that I almost laughed. "Right." I shifted my folder beneath my arm. The elevator stopped on the fourth floor. He stepped out. Before the doors closed, he glanced back at me. "Good luck." Then he disappeared. I stared at the closed elevator doors. Strange man. I pushed the thought away as the elevator continued upward. When I reached the fifth floor, I was exactly three minutes late. The woman at the reception desk checked my name and immediately stood. "Ms. Marlowe?" "Yes." "You can go in." I took a breath. Then another. I adjusted my blazer, wiped the rain from my sleeve, and walked through the conference-room doors. A man sat at the far end of the table. He was reading my résumé. I recognized him immediately. The elevator. My stomach dropped. He looked up. Those same calm eyes met mine. "You're late." I closed the door behind me. "By three minutes." "Three minutes is still late." I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "I'm sorry. The rain—" "I didn't ask why." Silence. He placed my résumé on the table. "Sit." I sat. He leaned back slightly. "Elena Marlowe. Twenty-two. Aerospace engineering student. Strong academic record. No formal corporate experience." I nodded. "That's correct." "You applied for a position that has nothing to do with aerospace engineering." "I know." "Why?" There it was. The question I'd expected. I folded my hands on the table. "Because I'm not only interested in what I've studied. I'm interested in what I can learn." His expression didn't change. "That's a rehearsed answer." "It doesn't make it untrue." For the first time, something resembling interest appeared in his eyes. "Fair enough." He picked up a pen. "Tell me something that isn't on your résumé." I thought for a moment. "I'm stubborn." His eyebrow lifted. "That's not usually something people volunteer during interviews." "I'm not trying to impress you." A pause. "Clearly." I wasn't sure whether that was an insult. Probably. He continued. "What else?" "I'm good under pressure." "Evidence?" "You're testing it right now." The room became completely silent. I immediately regretted the words. Then he smiled. It was brief. Barely there. But it changed his entire face. "Interesting." He placed the pen down. "My name is Adrian Blackwood." "I know." "Do you?" "You introduced yourself in the elevator." His expression tightened slightly. "I meant—" "I know who you are." This time, he looked genuinely surprised. "You do?" "Blackwood Holdings. One of the largest private investment companies in the country." He studied me for a moment. "And yet you didn't recognize me." "Should I have?" A faint smile returned. "Most people do." "Then I suppose I'm not most people." Something shifted between us. It wasn't attraction. It wasn't trust. It was simply the uncomfortable realization that neither of us intended to make this conversation easy. Adrian opened the folder again. "Last question." I straightened. "Why should I hire you?" I looked directly at him. "Because I won't pretend to know everything." He said nothing. "I'll make mistakes. I'll ask questions. I'll learn quickly. But if you give me a responsibility, I'll take it seriously." His gaze remained fixed on mine. "And if I don't hire you?" I stood. "Then I'll apply somewhere else." For the first time, his expression became unreadable. "That's it?" "That's it." I collected my folder. He didn't stop me. I reached the door. "Elena." I turned. He was looking at me differently now. "Be here Monday. Eight o'clock." I blinked. "Does that mean I got the position?" "No." My heart sank. He continued. "It means you have one week to prove that hiring you wasn't a mistake." I stared at him. Then I smiled. "I'll see you Monday." I walked out before he could say anything else. I didn't know why he had changed his mind. I didn't know what he expected from me. And I certainly didn't know that accepting that position would eventually force me to question everything I thought I knew about Adrian Blackwood. At the time, all I knew was one thing. I had arrived three minutes late. And somehow, those three minutes had changed everything.