Chapter 3
MARI
Iwake before my alarm, nerves buzzing through me like electricity.
The city is just beginning to stir, the faint sounds of traffic starting below my window.
I’m already dressed in the outfit I laid out the night before.
Today is the first day of the rest of my life, and I’m not going to waste a second of it.
The subway ride uptown is crowded, but for once I don’t mind the press of strangers. Every bump of the train, every stop and start, only fuels my anticipation. It’s my first day at Levcon Industries. It’s the dream. It comes with prestige, envy from my peers, and a hell of a lot of money.
I keep rehearsing how I’ll introduce myself, how I’ll stand a little straighter, keep my voice calm and professional. I want them to see me as a woman ready to take on one of the most competitive industries in the city.
By the time I step off the train and walk the last block to Levcon’s headquarters, my heart is racing.
The glass tower rises into the sky, gleaming in the morning light, its mirrored windows catching the sun and flinging it back across the busy street.
People in sharp suits stream through the revolving doors, coffee in hand, each step purposeful.
I join them, clutching the strap of my bag, reminding myself that I belong here.
Inside, the lobby is vast and hushed, with marble floors that click beneath my heels. I give my name to a security guard and he directs me toward the top floor for orientation with my supervisor.
The elevator ride stretches on forever. I try to calm my nerves, reminding myself that I already have the job. Everything from here will be easy. But when the doors slide open, my heart plummets to my stomach. I know I can do this. I just need to freak out a little first.
A tall woman with a clipboard meets me in the hall, introduces herself as Ms. Clarke from HR, and guides me toward the corner office where I’ll be meeting my boss.
She opens the heavy door without knocking, ushering me inside with a professional smile.
And then the world stops.
Behind the massive desk, framed by floor-to-ceiling windows that look out over Manhattan, sits my one-night stand. He looks more buttoned-up today, somehow even more imposing in the harsh morning light, but there is no doubt it’s him.
I freeze in the doorway, my breath caught in my throat, heat flooding my cheeks. Horror crashes through me so hard I think I might stumble.
He looks up from the papers on his desk, and for a moment, there is no flicker of recognition in his icy blue eyes. But then his gaze sharpens. A flash of something that might be surprise crosses his face before it disappears behind that unreadable mask.
“Thank you, Ms. Clarke,” he says, his voice low and steady. “That will be all.”
Ms. Clarke nods and slips out, closing the door behind her, leaving me alone with him.
I can’t move. My stomach twists, embarrassment burning through me. Of all the men in New York, of all the bars, of all the nights I chose to be reckless, it had to be him.
He leans back in his chair, regarding me with that same detached authority I saw at the hotel, though now it’s even sharper.
“You’re late,” he says.
“I… what?” My voice cracks and I flush even hotter.
He arches a brow, glancing at the clock on the wall. “By three minutes,” he continues, unperturbed. “Punctuality is very important here.”
I open my mouth, close it again, fighting for composure. My carefully prepared introduction, my professional confidence, all of it evaporates. I clutch the strap of my bag, swallowing hard. “Yes, sir. It won’t happen again.”
He doesn’t smile or soften in any way. “See that it doesn’t.”
He gestures to the chair in front of his desk, and I force myself to cross the room on shaky legs. Sitting down, I try to focus on the sleek lines of the office, the papers neatly stacked on his desk, the view beyond the windows. Anywhere but him.
“This is what I expect from you,” he says, his tone clipped, businesslike. “You’ve been hired as a forensic accountant. That means you will review our financial records, trace discrepancies, and report findings directly to me. I want every detail, every cent accounted for. Do you understand?”
I nod quickly, pulling a notepad from my bag as if writing could anchor me, but the words blur on the page.
All I can hear is the echo of his voice from two nights ago, low and rough in my ear as he told me he wanted me.
All I can see is the way he’d braced himself over me, his eyes dark with heat. My cheeks burn.
His gaze flicks up from his papers, sharp and knowing. He studies me for a long moment, his eyes narrowing slightly, and I realize he sees right through me.
“You’re distracted,” he says.
“I’m not,” I lie, my pen trembling in my hand.
His voice cuts through me, cold as steel. “We had sex. It’s not a big deal. You’re not the first, and you won’t be the last. If you want to keep this job, get over it.”
The words hit like a slap. I sit frozen, my chest tight, humiliation clawing up my throat.
He doesn’t care. To him, it was nothing. I’m just another forgettable encounter in a sea of apparently many others.
I force myself to nod, press my lips together, and hold back the sharp retort that threatens to spill out. I need this job. It’s everything I worked for. I can’t afford to throw it away over some dick who’d given me one good orgasm.
“Good,” he says, already looking back down at the files on his desk. “Then we understand each other. You’ll find your office down the hall. Ms. Clarke will get you set up.”
He dismisses me.
I turn toward the door, desperate to escape the weight of his presence, the cold burn of his words. As I reach for the handle, he speaks again, his tone even colder.
“I don’t mix business with pleasure, Ms. Gonzales. Remember that.”
I don’t answer. How can I? I slip out of the office, my heart pounding, my stomach twisting, shame and anger warring inside me.
Ms. Clarke shows me to my office and leaves me to it.
I shut the door and lean against it, pressing my palm over my chest. I need to get myself together before I dissolve completely.
I dig my phone out of my bag with trembling fingers.
Susie picks up on the second ring. “Are you running the whole place yet, rockstar?”
“Susie,” I groan, sinking into the chair at my desk. “You’re not going to believe this.”
“Try me.” Her voice is light, teasing, as if she already expects some kind of dramatic story.
I clutch the phone tighter. “The guy I hooked up with the other night is the CEO,” I say shakily, still trying to make sense of it myself.
There’s a beat of silence, then a gasp that nearly blows out my eardrum. “No. Way. Shut up. You’re joking.”
“I wish I was.” I bury my face in my free hand.
“Oh, my God, Mari.” She’s laughing now, the kind of laugh that bubbles up and refuses to stop. “That is legendary.”
“It’s not legendary. It’s a disaster.” My voice cracks as I try to keep it low. “He’s so cold, Susie. He acted like it was nothing.”
Her laughter softens, turning into the sympathetic tone I know so well. “Sweetie, of course he did. He’s a man. They all think they have to act like assholes to stay in control. But you’re letting him get in your head. If he really didn’t care, he wouldn’t have said anything at all.”
I shake my head, staring at the blank screen of my computer. “No, you don’t get it. He was awful. He looked right at me and told me I wasn’t the first and I wouldn’t be the last. That I should just get over it if I want to keep this job. It was humiliating.”
“Then quit.” Her words are casual, but the suggestion hits me hard. “Seriously. You’re brilliant, Mari. You could get another job tomorrow. You don’t have to put up with some arrogant prick treating you like trash.”
I hesitate. The thought of walking out, of slamming the door behind me and never having to see his cold blue eyes again, is intoxicating.
“I can’t just quit, Susie. This is Levcon. It’s everything I worked for.”
“And you’ll find somewhere else that’s even better if you have to. You’re too good not to.”
I press my forehead against my palm, torn between anger and despair. “I don’t know if I can work for him. Every time I look at him, all I can think about is…” My voice trails off as the memory of his mouth on mine, his hands gripping my hips, surges up uninvited.
Susie snorts. “Honestly, I’m jealous. But he’s right about one thing, Mari. It was just sex. He made it clear he doesn’t care, so why should you?”
“Because it’s humiliating,” I snap, then sigh. “Because I feel like an idiot for letting it happen. And now I have to sit in meetings with him and pretend it wasn’t a big deal.”
“Then do exactly that.” Her tone sharpens, full of the practical certainty she uses at the hospital when everything is chaos.
“Pretend it wasn’t a big deal. Ignore him.
Or better yet, show him he’s not the only one worth noticing.
Find another hot guy in the office, flirt a little, remind yourself that you have options. That’ll drive him crazy.”
I laugh weakly, shaking my head. “He wouldn’t care,” I protest.
“Men like him always care. They just won’t admit it. You want to get back at him? Show him what he’ll never have again.”
I lean back in my chair, staring up at the ceiling. The idea is tempting, but I’m not here to play games. I’m here to work, to prove myself, to finally step into the career I’ve dreamed of.
Lev doesn’t get to take this from me. He doesn’t get to make me feel small in the very place I fought so hard to reach.
“You really think I should stay?” I ask softly.
“Absolutely. You’re stronger than this, Mari. You’ve been through worse. Don’t let some arrogant jerk scare you off. If anyone can handle him, it’s you.”
I close my eyes, letting her words sink in.
She’s right. Walking away would be easy, but it would also be giving up.
And I have never given up before. Not when my parents died, not when I had to work my way through school, not when my grandmother passed and left me on my own.
I clawed my way to this point, and I’m not about to let Lev Borikov be the reason I turn back.
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