FIRST COLLISION
571 Words
EPISODE 5
The elevator doors slid open with a soft chime, and Eve stepped out.
The air on the executive floor felt different—cooler, heavier, like silence itself had weight. Glass walls stretched endlessly, reflecting her image back at her: tall, composed on the outside, nerves trembling beneath her calm expression.
She inhaled slowly.
You belong here.
The receptionist gestured toward a sleek conference room. “Please wait here. Someone will be with you shortly.”
Eve nodded, murmured a thank you, and stepped inside.
The room was intimidating—long glass table, leather chairs, floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city. She placed her bag neatly beside her chair and sat, folding her hands in her lap to stop them from shaking.
Minutes passed.
Then footsteps.
Measured. Heavy. Unhurried.
The door opened.
Eve looked up—
And forgot how to breathe.
He was tall. Taller than she imagined. Broad shoulders stretching his tailored black suit, sleeves hugging muscular arms. His face was carved sharp—strong jaw, straight nose, lips pressed into a permanent line of control. His eyes… dark, cold, unreadable.
Adrian Blackwood.
He didn’t smile.
He barely acknowledged her presence as he took the seat opposite her, placing a slim file on the table. He glanced at it once, then lifted his gaze to her face.
His eyes paused.
Just for half a second.
Forest-green eyes. Red lips. A calm that didn’t beg for approval.
Something flickered in his gaze—annoyance, maybe curiosity—but it vanished as quickly as it came.
“You’re Evelyn Carter,” he said, voice deep, controlled, emotionless.
“Yes, sir.”
“I don’t like wasting time,” Adrian continued. “So I’ll be direct. Why should OrionTech hire you?”
The question hit hard.
Eve straightened. “Because I don’t quit. Because I learn fast. And because I solve problems instead of running from them.”
Adrian leaned back slightly, studying her like a puzzle he didn’t ask for.
“You graduated top of your class,” he said. “Yet you’ve been working in a café.”
“I did what I had to do,” Eve replied calmly. “Talent doesn’t feed you if opportunity doesn’t knock.”
His jaw tightened.
“I don’t hire people who bring emotions into my company.”
Eve met his gaze without flinching. “Then you won’t have a problem with me.”
That surprised him.
Silence stretched between them—tense, thick, charged.
Finally, Adrian closed the file. “You’ll start on probation. Three months. One mistake, and you’re out.”
Relief washed through her—but she kept her face neutral. “Understood.”
He stood abruptly. “You’re dismissed.”
Eve rose, nodded politely, and walked toward the door.
Just before she reached it, his voice stopped her.
“Miss Carter.”
She turned.
“Keep your distance,” he said coldly. “From me. From my family. From anything outside your job.”
Her brows knit slightly. “I’m here to work, sir. Nothing more.”
Adrian watched her leave, irritation burning beneath his calm exterior.
He didn’t know why her presence unsettled him.
And Eve didn’t know that upstairs, in a private office filled with toys and framed drawings, an eight-year-old girl named Mira would soon see her—
And decide she was hers.
Fate had crossed its first line.
And neither of them could undo it now.
- Writer
