Chapter 1
I never imagined my résumé would end up in Caleb's hands.
And he'd be the one interviewing me.
Until I pushed the door open and my breath hitched for a second.
Caleb sat behind his desk, rimless glasses on his straight nose, his long fingers turning the pages of my file.
His gaze moved from my photo to my face, with a hint of suspicion in his eyes.
"Rae Monroe? A Greenwood grad? Applying for a personal assistant?"
He tapped the desk and lazily lifted his eyelids.
"You know what a personal assistant means?
"Put bluntly, it's a glorified nanny. I've got a ton of daily crap, so you've gotta pay attention to tons of little details."
He kept talking, but my mind drifted back to that farewell night years ago.
Back then he wore a faded shirt; I ripped off his top button, pinned him to the bed, and kissed him all sloppy.
My mouth spat out venom:
"You must be thrilled I went broke.
Finally no more playing servant to me.
Sick of looking at this face, aren't you?
"Don't worry, even broke, I can still buy one more night with you."
He stayed silent, his eyes deep as an old well, then his hand found my waist with practiced ease.
When it was over, I tossed him a card, buying out my own ridiculous past.
"You sure about this?"
He rapped his knuckles on the desk, voice cold, pupils calm and dark.
He didn't recognize me.
I instinctively touched my face. No more big purple birthmark, no more rashes from caking on makeup.
Now I had a slightly gaunt face, bare and plain, totally disconnected from the old me.
Not to mention I'd changed my name.
"I'm sure."
I forced down the storm inside and faked a moment of calm.
"Great, you can start right now. Have Secretary Miller fill you in."
He waved me off without another glance.
I took the hint and stepped out; the moment the door clicked shut, my racing heart finally settled.
If I could help it, I'd never cross paths with Caleb again in this lifetime.
He was the untouchable prince of the campus, while dirty, mean, bitter, and ugly were my labels.
It was me who used money to buy him, crush him, trample his pride.
And selfishly, I had a daughter.
Tragically, now my daughter was diagnosed with a brain tumor and needed surgery.
Like some twisted fate I couldn't shake, I ended up at his company again.
For the kid.
The next few days, I was totally out of it.
My daughter's surgery was coming up, and there was so much to prepare.
When I asked Caleb for leave a third time, his reply was brutal:
"Last time. Next time, don't bother coming back."
I knew that. But today was my daughter's birthday, and she desperately wanted to go to the amusement park.
With surgery looming, I was terrified we'd never get another chance.
So I gritted my teeth and took her there, and we played till the afternoon.
On our way back, a sudden downpour hit, and we huddled under a store awning.
I was pulling up a rideshare app when my daughter suddenly yanked her hand free and wobbled after a dropped toy.
By the time I reacted, she was already out in the rain.
I saw a car speeding through the rain from afar.
My heart leaped to my throat, and I was about to scream,
but a big hand beat me to it, grabbing my daughter back in a flash.
"Rae Monroe!"
In the heavy rain, the man's voice was cold and low.
I looked up in a daze.
Like a dream, Caleb stood there, gripping my daughter's hand.
He had no umbrella, rain streaming down his hair, cheeks, chin, soaking his expensive suit.
His features were as aloof and stern as ever, but now tinged with barely concealed anger.
"Thanks, Mr. Hart..."
I nervously hid my daughter behind me, forgetting to tell her to say thank you like I usually did.
Caleb glanced at us and said in a tone that brooked no argument:
"Get in."