Chapter 2

Ava had barely settled into her seat when Chloe rushed toward her, slightly out of breath.

“He called you.”

Ava didn’t need to ask who.

She closed her file slowly, exhaling. “Of course he did.”

Walking back into Ethan’s office felt different this time. Not intimidating—just… expected.

Ethan didn’t look up immediately. He let the silence stretch, making her wait.

Ava leaned against the chair instead of sitting. “You called?”

He finally raised his eyes. “Sit.”

“No, I’m good.”

A pause.

Then, without reacting, he slid a thick file toward her. “You’ll be handling this project.”

Ava glanced at it, flipping through a few pages—and her expression shifted.

“This is a senior-level deal.”

“Yes.”

“And you’re giving it to me on my second day?”

Ethan leaned back slightly, studying her. “You said you’re capable. I’m giving you a chance to prove it.”

Ava closed the file and looked straight at him. “And if I fail?”

“You won’t.”

That wasn’t encouragement.

That was pressure.

“And I won’t be doing this alone,” she added.

“You won’t,” he replied calmly. “You’ll be working directly with me.”

Ava stared at him for a second, then let out a small laugh. “This is either a promotion… or a punishment.”

“That depends on how you perform.”

The next few days blurred into long hours and endless discussions.

Ava quickly realized something about Ethan—he didn’t tolerate mistakes. Not even small ones.

“You missed a detail here,” he said, tapping the report.

“It’s not relevant to the main proposal,” Ava replied.

“It is if the client notices it.”

“And they won’t.”

Ethan looked up, his gaze sharp. “You don’t assume in business.”

“And you don’t overthink everything,” she shot back.

Silence fell again.

It happened often between them.

Arguments that didn’t feel like arguments… just two strong minds refusing to back down.

Late evenings became routine.

Most employees left by seven.

Ava stayed.

Ethan stayed longer.

One night, she rubbed her temples, staring at the screen. “If I look at this spreadsheet any longer, I might actually lose my mind.”

“You won’t,” Ethan said without looking up. “You’re too stubborn for that.”

Ava glanced at him, slightly surprised by the comment.

“Was that a compliment?”

“No.”

She smirked faintly. “Sure.”

A few minutes passed in quiet.

Then Ethan spoke again, his voice lower this time. “Why do you push yourself this hard?”

Ava hesitated.

She wasn’t used to that kind of question from him.

“Because I don’t have a choice,” she said simply.

Ethan looked at her then.

Really looked.

And for the first time, he didn’t respond immediately.

END OF THE CHAPTER!

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