Lia had exactly ten minutes to get herself together before the morning department meeting. Ten minutes to look like she wasn't the girl who tripped into the CEO's elevator and dropped half her life on the floor.
She took a deep breath, adjusted her blouse, and stepped into the conference room.
Big mistake.
Every head turned toward her—judgmental, curious, amused. She didn't recognize any of them, but somehow, it seemed, they'd all recognized her.
"That's the girl," someone whispered.
"The one who held up the CEO's elevator."
"Is she already on thin ice?"
Lia's cheeks burned. She forced herself into the only empty seat—right near the front.
A second later, the room was silent.
Leo Grant walked in.
Tall. Sharp. Intimidating enough to turn the air cold.
His eyes scanned the room… and stopped directly on her.
Lia froze.
"Before we begin," Leo said, voice smooth but icy, "I expect punctuality. Today, someone failed that expectation.
Her heart stopped.
He wouldn't.
He couldn't.
But he did.
Leo's cold gaze swept toward her. "In this company, mistakes are noted and remembered."
A ripple of muffled laughter spread through the room. Lia felt a painful twist in her stomach.
She stared down at her notebook, willing herself to disappear. Her throat tightened. She hadn't even started her job, and she already looked like a joke in front of everyone.
But as Leo turned away to begin the meeting, his expression flickered—just for a second.
Regret?
Guilt?
No. Impossible.
He was the CEO, heartless and untouchable.
And Lia Carter had just become the company's newest spectacle. What she didn't know was that humiliating her wasn't part of his plan. Remembering her was.