Chapter 3
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Each day brought mountains of data, dense industry reports, and Alex's clipped instructions through the intercom.
The Romano Group office maintained a silence so complete that keyboard clicks and turning pages sounded like thunder.
The air felt thinner here, carrying the sterile scent of money and ruthless efficiency.
That afternoon, the intercom crackled to life.
"My office."
Alex's voice brooked no argument.
Emma set down her report, drew a steadying breath, and pushed through his door.
Alex stood at the floor-to-ceiling window instead of behind his desk, a steaming cup of black coffee in hand.
"There's a charity banquet tonight. As my assistant, you'll attend with me."
His tone made it sound as routine as filing paperwork.
Emma's brow creased slightly.
A banquet meant socializing in a world where she didn't belong.
"I don't have anything to wear."
She offered the practical truth, her voice edged with resistance she didn't recognize.
Alex turned, his gaze sweeping over her faded cotton shirt with clinical precision.
Without a word, he plucked a black card from his desk and extended it to her.
"A driver will collect you at three. He'll take you here."
The card bore the gold-embossed logo of a luxury personal shopper on Newbury Street—Boston's most exclusive shopping district.
His arrangement left no room for argument, highlighting her poverty and his control in one elegant move.
Emma took the card with numb fingers.
That evening, Emma stood at the banquet entrance in a tailored midnight-blue silk gown, feeling like merchandise carefully packaged for display.
The dress—Alex's selection—hugged her slender frame perfectly, making her skin look like porcelain against the deep fabric.
But she only felt like an impostor.
Alex snagged two champagne flutes from a passing waiter and offered one to her.
"Relax. Just stay close."
His voice dropped low, almost reassuring, his breath warm against her ear.
Emma's spine went rigid.
The ballroom teemed with Boston's elite, the air thick with designer perfumes and practiced laughter.
Everyone wore invisible masks, trading pleasantries that disguised calculated networking.
A woman in a searing red dress approached, wineglass in hand, her bold makeup accentuating eyes that assessed Emma with undisguised scrutiny.
"Alex, darling, it's been ages. Is this your… new companion?"
Her voice dripped honey while hiding daggers.
Alex's expression remained perfectly neutral as his arm slid around Emma's waist, drawing her closer.
"Sophia, meet my research assistant, Miss Emma Sterling."
He emphasized "research assistant" with deliberate precision, his tone coolly polite.
Sophia's laugh tinkled like breaking glass, contempt flashing in her eyes.
"Assistant? My God, Alex, your tastes grow more… peculiar by the day."
She kept her voice low enough for deniability, but loud enough for nearby ears.
Heat flooded Emma's cheeks as she gripped her clutch, nails biting into her palm.
Just as she opened her mouth to retort, Alex's hand pressed gently against her waist, silencing her.
He turned to Sophia with his perfect social smile intact, but his eyes had turned to ice.
"My taste isn't up for your evaluation, Sophia."
His quiet voice carried the weight of absolute authority.
"As for Emma, her talent and perspective hold value you couldn't possibly comprehend."
Sophia's smile froze, her crimson lips parting without sound.
Alex dismissed her with his back, steering Emma toward the opposite side of the ballroom.
Whispers trailed in their wake.
They escaped to a quiet terrace where the evening breeze swept away the ballroom's suffocating atmosphere.
Emma stared at her feet, emotions churning.
She hated being judged, but hated needing protection even more.
"Did you also get through college on scholarships?"
Alex's question shattered the silence.
Also?
Emma's head snapped up, eyes wide with surprise.
He leaned against the railing, city lights reflecting in his eyes, transforming the shrewd businessman into someone more complex, more human.
"I know that feeling—the fear of not belonging, the terror that everyone can see right through you with a single glance."
His words unlocked something inside her.
"You actually understand?"
Emma's voice cracked with disbelief.
How could someone like him—born on the mountaintop—understand life in the valley?
Alex's eyes left the distant skyline to focus entirely on her, their intensity almost magnetic.
"More than you could possibly imagine."
He stepped closer, shrinking the space between them.
"I want you to reach a point where you never have to care what anyone thinks again."
Alex recognized his younger self in her, and wanted to give her what he'd fought for—freedom from others' judgments.
His soft words landed like stones in still water, sending ripples through Emma's heart that wouldn't settle for hours to come.
