LOGINIsla understood exactly what he meant by that particular jab.And there's genuinely no good move here. Can't set it down. Can't keep holding it either.She sat there stiff and pale, choking down whatever retort she wanted to make, forcing a strained smile instead."Mr. Vale, you didn't just call me into this car so you could make fun of me, right?" Isla said, a bad feeling already creeping up her spine.Though honestly, at this point, I have no idea if "bad feeling" even covers what's coming.Serving under a man like this really is like handling a tiger. So why did I climb in this car after one sentence, no questions asked?!She glanced sideways at him. His profile was, as ever, unfairly elegant sharp jaw, soft skin, dark eyes bright with quiet mischief that never quite reached the surface.Isla's smile had gone rigid from strain, and Grayson still hadn't bothered replying at all.Just... completely ignoring me now. Great.She turned away, gently setting the paper bag down at her feet
Before Isla could get a single word out, his neatly pressed trousers dropped.She stared for a solid two seconds, then snapped her eyes away.Do NOT look at things that are inappropriate to look at!Oh my god, that is a LOT to process right now.All the blood in my body just relocated to my face.Grayson's eyes narrowed, dark and unreadable, a faint sneer of disdain tugging at his mouth."Wash everything. By hand." His voice rang out clear across the quiet office. Isla only dared glance back once the door had opened and shut behind him.Where the Great Demon King had just been standing, there was now nothing left but a pile of clothes suit jacket, shirt, trousers, boxers.Wreckage from a battle no one else would ever believe happened."...All of it?" Isla asked, hopeful he might reconsider."ALL of it!"Does this man have zero shame?! Expecting a woman to hand-wash his UNDERWEAR?!Isla was furious thoroughly, completely defeated for the second time in one day, with no comeback left in
Despite the internal fireworks going off, Isla kept her expression perfectly composed respectful, obedient, no trace of foul play whatsoever.But her eyes were a little too bright, a little too satisfied.I had the perfect alibi ready I stirred it right in front of everyone, so there's no way I could've slipped anything in. And that wasabi packet is already buried in the trash. No fingerprints, no evidence, nothing.He'll never suspect a thing.Grayson didn't look up. He kept flipping through the documents with one hand and reached for the cup with the other.Just as he lifted it, his hand clipped the edge of the coaster, and the cup tilted sharply.Isla lunged to catch it but hesitated, worried touching the rim would make him ask for a replacement cup entirely. Instead her fingers grazed the body of the cup itself. The coffee had cooled some, but the ceramic was still scalding, and the whole mess had been stirred vigorously with her own fingers moments ago.Her grip slipped. The whol
Marcus dragged his chair over next to the CEO's seat as well.Isla bowed her thanks and settled carefully into her chair.She sat stiff as a schoolkid on the first day of class hands neatly folded in her lap, back ramrod straight, eyes fixed dead ahead.This is the seat of honor. This is not a chair for someone like me. The guilt of sitting there was almost physical.She glanced sideways at Grayson. His posture radiated the same effortless refinement it always did.Not arrogant, not rushed, not impatient just calm, unhurried authority that filled the whole room without him lifting a finger.Isla, usually confident in her own right, felt reduced to a nervous, clueless intern the moment she sat this close to him.Focused. Serious. Not a hint of a smile. Every inch the domineering CEO.Her heart raced. Even seated, she felt weightless, like the whole scene wasn't quite real.Get it together, Isla.She'd meant to observe him quietly out of the corner of her eye and of course, that was exa
Isla became an instant office legend. She couldn't walk anywhere without catching a wave of smiles and hushed whispers.Meridian Group was full of polished, hyper-competent professionals sharp business instincts, commanding presence, the works. Isla, meanwhile, still had a soft, boyish roundness to her face and a quiet innocence about her, even dressed head-to-toe in office wear. Naturally, that made her an easy target for teasing.Isla kept her head down, chin practically to her chest, trying to shrink into invisibility.I am so mad right now. SO mad.She'd never felt this humiliated in her entire life. Her second day on the job, and already the whole company knew her name for the wrong reason entirely.She stormed into the break room craving a bubble tea and instead knocked back a mouthful of scalding, bitter black coffee. It burned. It tasted terrible. It made her question every life choice she'd made recently.Why does it feel like the curse I put on Grayson yesterday just boomera
"Oh no, I'm LATE!" Isla burst through the doors, face already twisted with dread. She'd been shoving down the breakfast the butler had packed while running, and there was way too much of it to finish.She was sprinting fast enough that when she skidded into the lobby, the sheer scale and formality of the scene stopped her cold. Momentum carried through anyway the pastry in her mouth flew straight out of her teeth, arcing forward, and slammed directly into the back of a man in a black suit standing a few feet away.My BREAKFAST.Hundreds of employees witnessed the entire tragedy unfold in real time.The silent, reverent lobby erupted into a collective, horrified gasp.Isla licked her lips, eyes darting wildly, and froze completely in place.A lamb. I am officially a lamb walking to slaughter.Her face went scarlet, eyes locked on the man slowly turning around, lips trembling with the beginnings of an apology that refused to actually form.Grayson's composed, distant expression turned o







