Chapter 1The Boss I Left Behind

When the new CEO arrived to take office, a group of young female employees waited in the hallway to greet him.

He stopped right in front of me and murmured in a low voice:

"I want to come in."

My face instantly burned.

Once, on a narrow, cramped mattress, his breath had been scalding hot as he held me, whispering his hoarse pleas over and over again.

And that was his favorite thing to ask.

* * *

Everyone’s eyes darted toward me.

I froze.

The tall, broad-shouldered man standing before me looked past me with a flat gaze, gesturing to the space behind my back.

"Excuse me, could you step aside?"

It was only then I realized I was blocking half the doorway. My face flushed, and I quickly took two steps back.

Asher Vance gave me a polite nod and walked into the executive office, his expression completely unreadable.

I went to the breakroom to make a cup of coffee.

Did he recognize me? Or did he not?

That phrase…

Was it intentional? Or just a coincidence?

I turned my head and looked at my reflection in the glass cabinet doors.

It reflected a vague, unremarkable 33-year-old woman.

A short, practical bob. Dull makeup. Thick, black-rimmed glasses. Because I had been called away while digging through dusty archive boxes, I was still wearing a ratty, oversized gray cardigan that was pilling at the sleeves.

Compared to the wild, radiant girl from that crazy road trip a few years ago…

I looked like a completely different person.

…

It was a coincidence.

I finalized my conclusion.