NATALIE'S POV
My hand shakes as I reach for the door handle.
Not because I'm scared. Because I know what happens when I deliver files to Adrian Steele at eleven o'clock at night.
I take a deep breath and push open the heavy door to his office. The city lights from fifty floors below make the room glow. Adrian sits behind his massive desk, typing on his computer. He doesn't look up.
"You're late, Ms. Cross."
His voice makes my stomach flip. It always does.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Steele. The file took longer to prepare than—"
"Close the door."
I obey. The click of the lock sounds loud in the quiet room.
Six months. That's how long I've worked for Adrian Steele, the youngest billionaire CEO in New York. Six months of running his empire during the day. Six months of something else entirely at night.
Six months of lying to him about everything.
"Bring me the file," Adrian says, still not looking at me.
I walk across the office, my heels silent on the thick carpet. My heart pounds so hard I'm sure he can hear it. When I reach his desk, I place the folder in front of him.
He finally looks up.
Those gray eyes. They see everything. They see through everyone. Sometimes I think they see straight into my soul, to all the secrets I'm hiding.
"Six months today," he says quietly. "Did you think I'd forget?"
"No, sir."
A small smile touches his lips. "Good girl."
Those two words make heat rush through my entire body. I hate that they affect me this much. I hate that I love hearing them.
Adrian opens the file and flips through the pages. I stand there, waiting, my hands clasped in front of me. This is how it works. He's in control. He's always in control.
Except I'm the one lying to him. I'm the one who came here with a plan to destroy him.
That makes me wonder—who really has the power?
"There's an error on page seven," Adrian says.
My stomach drops. "I triple-checked everything—"
"I know you did. That's why I know you left the error there on purpose." He closes the file and leans back in his chair, watching me. "You wanted to see if I'd notice. You wanted to test me."
He's right. I hate that he's always right.
"And?" I ask, forgetting to add 'sir' at the end.
Adrian stands up and walks around the desk. He's tall, at least six feet, and when he gets close to me, I have to tilt my head back to meet his eyes.
"And I'm disappointed, Natalie." He only uses my first name when we're alone. "Not because you tested me. Because you thought you needed to."
"I don't understand."
"You've been distant this week. Pulling away." His hand reaches out and touches my chin, tilting my face up. "Why?"
Because I'm falling in love with you and I shouldn't be. Because my father calls me every day demanding information that will help him destroy you. Because everything about this is wrong, but it feels more right than anything in my entire life.
"I haven't been distant," I lie.
"Don't." His thumb brushes across my lower lip. "Whatever rule you want to break, break it. But never lie to me."
Guilt crashes over me like a wave. If he only knew. Every day is a lie. Every smile, every touch, every moment of surrender—all built on secrets he'd hate me for if he knew the truth.
My phone buzzes in my pocket. I jump.
Adrian's eyes narrow. "Expecting a call?"
"No. It's nothing."
"Check it."
It's not a request. With trembling fingers, I pull out my phone. My heart nearly stops when I see the name on the screen.
FATHER: Time's up. I need those account codes by Friday or I'm telling him everything.
The phone nearly slips from my hand. Friday. That's four days from now.
"Who is it?" Adrian asks.
I look up at him, this man I'm supposed to betray. This man who's shown me parts of myself I never knew existed. This man whose family my father destroyed—and who's spent ten years hunting for revenge.
"Nobody important," I whisper.
Adrian takes the phone from my hand. For a second, I think he's going to read the message. My life, everything, will be over in the next breath.
Instead, he sets it on his desk without looking at it.
"You're lying again." His voice is soft but dangerous. "I can always tell when you're lying, Natalie. Your breathing changes. Your pupils dilate. You bite the inside of your cheek." He pauses. "The question is—why?"
I should confess everything right now. Tell him who I really am. Tell him what my father wants me to do. Tell him I've been feeding information to the man who destroyed his family.
But the words stick in my throat.
"I'm not lying," I say instead, adding another brick to the wall of deception between us.
Adrian stares at me for a long moment. Then he steps back.
"Go home, Ms. Cross."
"What?"
"You heard me. Go home. We're done for tonight."
Panic flares in my chest. He never sends me away. Never.
"Adrian, please—"
"That's Mr. Steele to you." His voice turns cold. "And when you're ready to tell me the truth—whatever it is you're hiding—you know where to find me."
He walks back to his desk and sits down, picking up his phone like I'm not even there anymore.
Dismissed. Just like that.
I grab my phone and rush toward the door, my eyes burning with tears I refuse to let fall.
I'm almost to the elevator when I hear footsteps behind me. Fast. Urgent.
"Natalie, wait!"
I turn. It's Elias, Adrian's head of security. His face is grim.
"We need to talk," he says. "It's about your background check."
My blood turns to ice.
"What about it?"
Elias looks around t
he empty hallway and lowers his voice.
"I know who your father is."