For the rest of the morning, Lia avoided the executive floor as much as possible. After the humiliation Leo Grant had handed her in front of the entire department, the last thing she wanted was to see him again. She kept her head down, buried herself in paperwork, and prayed the day would pass without further disaster.
No such luck.
At precisely noon, her desk phone rang.
"Lia Carter?" a crisp female voice asked.
"Yes?"
"The CEO wants to see you. Now."
Her heart had fallen to her shoes.
Why? To fire her? To humiliate her again?
She forced herself toward the elevator, the very one she'd embarrassed herself in, and stepped inside. When the doors opened to Leo's floor, it was as if the air itself was tense.
His assistant motioned towards the office. "Go in."
Lia slowly pushed the door open.
Leo Grant stood by the window, his hands in his pockets, his posture sharp and unreadable. He didn't look at her when he spoke.
"Close the door."
She did, her pulse shaking.
After a long, heavy silence, he finally turned to face her.
"I owe you an apology."
Lia blinked. "What?"
His jaw tightened, like apologizing physically hurt him. "This morning. I shouldn't have called you out in front of everyone."
She stared, speechless.
He stepped closer, his eyes never leaving hers. "And because of that, I'm offering you something… unexpected."
He dropped a folder onto the desk. "A temporary assistant position. Directly under me."
Lia's breath caught. "Me? Why?
Leo's expression softened—barely. "Let's just say… you made an impression."
Her world tilted. And for the first time, Lia wasn't so sure if this offer was salvation… or the beginning of an even bigger problem.