Chapter 2 - The Rule I Was Never Supposed to Break
The next week changed the way I saw Damian.
Before that Monday, I thought he was simply an impossible boss.
After it, I realized he was calculating every move in a war I couldn’t see.
He never explained everything.
That became our first problem.
He would call me into his office, ask for a report, and then ask three questions that seemed unrelated.
Who had access to the account?
Who approved the shipment?
Who changed the timestamp?
At first I thought he was testing me.
Then I realized he was trying to teach me how to see patterns.
And once I learned to see them, I couldn’t unsee them.
A shipment was entered at 2:03 p.m.
The invoice was approved at 1:59 p.m.
That meant somebody had approved payment before the shipment even existed in the system.
I showed Damian.
He stared at the screen.
“Good.”
“Just good?”
His mouth twitched.
“You want applause?”
“I was hoping for something more emotionally expressive.”
“Excellent work, Ava.”
I smiled.
“That wasn’t painful.”
“It was.”
I laughed before I could stop myself.
He looked at me.
For one strange second, the terrifying CEO disappeared.
There was just a man standing behind a desk, trying not to smile.
Then his phone rang.
The moment vanished.
Three days later, I received flowers at my desk.
A dozen white roses.
No card.
Priya squealed.
“Oh my God.”
“What?”
“Who sent them?”
“I have no idea.”
“You don’t secretly have a rich boyfriend?”
“No.”
She lifted one rose.
“This cost more than my rent.”
I rolled my eyes.
Then Damian appeared.
His gaze landed on the flowers.
His expression went flat.
“Who sent those?”
“I don’t know.”
He walked closer.
“Throw them away.”
I stared.
“Excuse me?”
“Throw them away.”
“Why?”
“No card. No name. No explanation.”
“Maybe they’re from a secret admirer.”
He looked directly into my eyes.
“That is precisely the problem.”
He picked up the arrangement, walked to the trash can, and dropped it inside.
I was speechless.
“You cannot just throw away my flowers.”
“I can.”
“You’re my boss, not my father.”
“I’m aware.”
“Then stop deciding things for me.”
His eyes narrowed.
“Fine.”
He walked away.
I watched him go.
Priya leaned toward me.
“Your boss is jealous.”
“He is not jealous.”
“He looked like someone just stole his kidney.”
I ignored her.
But that night, when I got home, I found a note taped to my apartment door.
Stop looking at things that don’t concern you.
My hands went cold.
I called Damian.
He answered on the second ring.
“Ava?”
“I got a note.”
Silence.
“What does it say?”
I read it.
His voice changed.
“Are you inside your apartment?”
“Yes.”
“Lock the door.”
“It’s already locked.”
“Did anyone follow you?”
“I don’t know.”
“Look outside.”
I moved to the window.
Across the street, a black SUV sat under a broken streetlamp.
“It’s there.”
“Do not open the door for anyone.”
“Damian—”
“I’m coming.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I know.”
Twenty-five minutes later, he stood outside my apartment.
He was still wearing his suit.
Rain darkened his hair.
I opened the door.
“You came.”
He looked at me.
“I said I was coming.”
I stepped aside.
He entered.
Mom was asleep.
Eli was in his room.
Damian lowered his voice.
“You should have told me.”
“I didn’t think it mattered.”
“It matters now.”
He inspected the windows, locks, hallway, fire escape.
Then he found the note.
He studied it.
“This wasn’t meant to scare you.”
“How do you know?”
“Because whoever wrote it knows you’re observant.”
“That’s supposed to make me feel better?”
“No.”
He looked at me.
“It’s supposed to tell me they are escalating.”
I folded my arms.
“Who is ‘they’?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“Evan?”
Damian went still.
I knew immediately.
“You suspect him.”
“I suspect everyone.”
“Do you suspect me?”
His eyes softened.
“No.”
The answer hit harder than it should have.
He turned away.
“Ava.”
“Yes?”
“I need you to follow one rule.”
“What rule?”
“From now on, you never stay late alone.”
“That happens every week.”
“Not anymore.”
“Damian—”
“No arguments.”
I stepped closer.
“You really like giving orders.”
He looked down at me.
“It’s my job.”
“And watching me?”
His jaw tightened.
“That is becoming something I’m no longer sure I can call my job.”
My breath caught.
Neither of us moved.
Then Eli opened his bedroom door.
“Mom?”
We stepped apart instantly.
Damian turned.
“I’m Damian.”
Eli blinked.
“You’re Ava’s scary boss.”
I covered my face.
“Eli.”
Damian almost smiled.
“Apparently I have a reputation.”
Eli shrugged.
“She talks about you.”
I looked at him in horror.
“I do not!”
Eli disappeared.
Damian looked at me.
“You talk about me?”
“No.”
His smile finally appeared.
It was brief.
But real.
“You’re a terrible liar.”
He left twenty minutes later.
The next morning, he sent me security contact information and a new employee badge.
It had a different access code.
Restricted floor access.
My heart raced.
I went to his office.
“You gave me executive access.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because if someone tries to use your credentials, I need to know.”
“And if they hurt me?”
His expression hardened.
“They won’t.”
“You can’t promise that.”
“I can promise I’ll do everything in my power to prevent it.”
The way he said it made my chest tighten.
Then he looked away.
“Go work.”
I smiled.
“Yes, sir.”
“Don’t call me sir.”
“What should I call you?”
He looked at me.
“Damian.”
I had never said his first name at work.
It felt strangely intimate.
“Okay.”
“Again.”
I swallowed.
“Damian.”
His eyes held mine.
“Good.”
I returned to my desk with my heart beating far too fast.
I had spent three months trying not to notice my CEO.
May you like
Now I was beginning to understand the dangerous truth.
I noticed everything about him.
