Chapter 1 - The Night She Fell Asleep on His Shoulder
“Damage?”
“A few broken windows. Mostly a message.”
Deari's jaw tightened.
“Names.”
Luigi glanced at the tablet.
“Three men. All connected to Moretti.”
“Find them.”
“They're already gone.”
“Then find where they went.”
Luigi nodded.
Deari leaned back.
Caitlyn continued typing.
She had heard hundreds of conversations like this over the previous two years.
Numbers.
Threats.
Locations.
Names.
Things that never appeared in the official minutes.
She had learned not to react.
She had learned that the safest expression inside Hamilton Enterprises was no expression at all.
But that night, something inside her was beginning to shut down.
She blinked.
The financial report in front of her blurred again.
She tried to focus.
The figures refused to stay still.
She placed one hand over her left eye.
“Caitlyn.”
She jolted.
Deari was looking at her.
“Yes, sir?”
“You've been reading the same line for thirty seconds.”
“I was checking the calculation.”
“You checked it three times.”
She swallowed.
“It's correct.”
Deari studied her.
“How long have you been awake?”
She hesitated.
“I'm fine.”
“That wasn't my question.”
She looked toward the window.
“Forty-six hours.”
The cabin became silent.
Even Luigi stopped speaking.
Deari stared at her.
“You've been awake for forty-six hours?”
“Not continuously.”
“How long did you sleep?”
“An hour.”
“When?”
“Yesterday.”
Deari's expression hardened.
“You should have told me.”
“I had work.”
“You are not a machine.”
She almost smiled.
“Neither are you.”
A strange look crossed his face.
Then he turned toward Luigi.
“Cancel the remaining meetings in New York.”
Luigi blinked.
“What?”
“Cancel them.”
“We have three.”
“Cancel all three.”
“But Moretti—”
“Can wait.”
Luigi looked at Caitlyn.
Then at Deari.
He finally understood.
“Yes, boss.”
Caitlyn looked horrified.
“No.”
Deari turned.
“You're sleeping.”
“I can't.”
“You can.”
“I have the contracts.”
“I'll assign someone else.”
“No.”
Her voice came out more urgently than intended.
Deari paused.
“Why?”
She looked down.
“Because I need the overtime.”
Silence.
Deari's expression changed.
“Why?”
Caitlyn hesitated.
“My brother.”
“What about him?”
“He needs surgery.”
Deari said nothing.
She regretted telling him.
She hated pity.
Especially from powerful people.
“My brother has a neurological condition,” she said quietly. “Insurance covers some of it. Not enough.”
“How much?”
She looked at him.
“I can handle it.”
“How much?”
“Thirty-eight thousand.”
Luigi looked away.
Deari remained still.
Then he reached into his coat.
Caitlyn immediately shook her head.
“No.”
He stopped.
“I haven't offered anything.”
“You were going to.”
“Yes.”
“I don't want it.”
“Why?”
“Because I don't want my salary to come with a debt.”
Deari slowly returned the wallet to his pocket.
“Then it won't.”
She looked at him.
He turned toward the window.
“You'll receive the overtime you are owed.”
“That's all?”
“Yes.”
“And my brother's care?”
“I won't interfere.”
She blinked.
“Thank you.”
Deari nodded.
The jet continued through the storm.
Caitlyn tried to return to work.
She lasted another seven minutes.
Her fingers slowed.
The tablet slipped slightly.
Her head leaned against the leather seat.
Then against the shoulder beside her.
Deari froze.
The entire cabin froze.
Caitlyn had fallen asleep.
On his shoulder.
Luigi slowly turned around.
His eyes widened.
One of the captains stopped breathing.
Everyone knew Deari Hamilton.
Everyone knew what happened to people who touched him without permission.
But Deari did not move.
He looked down at Caitlyn.
Her head rested against him.
One hand remained curled around the tablet.
Her breathing was soft.
Her entire body had finally surrendered to exhaustion.
Deari's shoulder was completely numb.
He didn't care.
Luigi stared.
Finally he whispered:
“Boss?”
Deari raised one finger.
Silence.
Luigi obeyed.
The captain across from them opened his mouth.
Deari looked at him.
The man immediately shut it.
For the next two hours, Deari did not move.
His arm went numb.
His neck hurt.
His shoulder was probably going to ache for days.
He still didn't move.
When the plane landed, Caitlyn remained asleep.
Deari looked at Victor.
“Turn off the lights.”
Victor obeyed.
“Tell the driver to wait.”
“Yes, boss.”
“And nobody wakes her.”
Victor stared.
Nobody had ever been given that instruction.
“Understood.”
The jet door opened.
New York's cold air entered.
Deari remained seated.
Caitlyn slept.
Twenty minutes passed.
Then she stirred.
Her eyes opened.
She looked up.
At Deari.
At her hand resting against his chest.
At his shoulder beneath her cheek.
Her face turned scarlet.
“Oh my God.”
Deari said nothing.
“I…”
She immediately sat upright.
“I'm sorry.”
He looked at her.
“Did you sleep?”
“Yes.”
“How long?”
“Two hours.”
She looked horrified.
“I'm sorry.”
“You've said that twice.”
“I fell asleep on you.”
“Yes.”
“I shouldn't have.”
“No.”
“No?”
He almost smiled.
“You shouldn't have been awake for forty-six hours.”
She stared.
Then realized something.
His shoulder was red where she had slept.
“You're hurt.”
“I'm fine.”
“You're not.”
She reached toward his shoulder.
He went still.
Her fingers stopped just before touching him.
“I can massage it.”
Silence.
Luigi, standing in the doorway, nearly laughed.
Deari looked at him.
“Out.”
Luigi disappeared.
Caitlyn smiled nervously.
“Sorry.”
“You say that too much.”
She lowered her hand.
“I've heard that before.”
Deari looked at her.
“Who said it?”
“My father.”
He waited.
She had never spoken about her father.
“He died six years ago.”
“I'm sorry.”
She nodded.
“My mother died before that.”
Deari looked away.
Caitlyn packed her tablet.
“I should work.”
“No.”
“Mr. Hamilton—”
“Go home.”
“I need the overtime.”
“You'll get it.”
“But—”
“That is not negotiable.”
She looked at him.
For a man who could terrify entire companies, he was strangely gentle with her.
That scared her more than anger.
Because kindness made her visible.
And she had spent years trying not to be.
The next morning, Caitlyn arrived at headquarters.
Everyone stared.
Rumors had already spread.
The mafia boss had allowed his secretary to sleep on his shoulder.
Nobody knew what it meant.
Luigi knew.
Victor knew.
Deari knew.
Caitlyn did not.
Then the first problem arrived.
A leaked document appeared online.
Hamilton Enterprises had supposedly moved millions through an offshore network.
The source?
Caitlyn's encrypted account.
Her username.
Her credentials.
Everything pointed to her.
The entire executive floor went silent.
Deari stared at the report.
“Bring her in.”
Caitlyn entered.
She saw the screen.
Her heart stopped.
“What is that?”
Deari looked at her.
“You tell me.”
“I don't know.”
“Your credentials were used.”
“I didn't do it.”
“Then who did?”
“I don't know.”
He stared at her.
She tried to keep her breathing steady.
“I swear.”
Deari nodded.
“Leave.”
She froze.
“What?”
“Leave the building.”
Her eyes filled.
“You think I did it.”
“No.”
“Then why?”
“Because whoever did this wants me to accuse you.”
She stared at him.
“You believe me?”
Deari leaned forward.
“Yes.”
The room went silent.
Caitlyn's lips parted.
May you like
Then Deari said the words that changed everything.
“I believe you enough to risk my company on it.”
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