Chapter 3: A Dangerous Opportunity

Sandra followed the woman through a series of quiet hallways, her heartbeat growing louder with every step. This was it. She was finally going to be fired. There was simply no other explanation. Why else would the CEO summon a brand-new employee on her first day? The woman leading her stopped in front of a pair of dark wooden doors. "The CEO is waiting." Sandra's stomach dropped. Before she could gather enough courage to speak, the woman knocked once. "Come in." The deep voice from inside sent an unexpected shiver through her. The doors opened. Sandra stepped into the office. And immediately forgot how to breathe. The room was enormous. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the city skyline. A wall of bookshelves lined one side of the office, while modern artwork decorated the other. Everything was elegant, expensive, and intimidatingly perfect. At the center sat Fredie Kingston. Even behind a desk, he somehow managed to dominate the entire room. His eyes lifted from the document in front of him. "Ms. Frederick." Sandra forced herself to smile. "Sir." Fredie gestured toward the chair across from him. "Sit." She obeyed instantly. A long silence followed. Fredie studied her. Sandra resisted the urge to squirm. Was this some kind of test? Finally, he closed the file in front of him. "You caused quite a disturbance this morning." Heat rushed to her cheeks. "I'm very sorry about that." "You got lost." "Yes." "You interrupted a board meeting." "Unfortunately." A corner of his mouth twitched. Not quite a smile. But close. Sandra blinked. Had she actually amused him? Impossible. "Do you always tell the truth?" he asked suddenly. "What?" "When you walked into that boardroom, you could have invented an excuse." Sandra frowned. "I didn't see the point." Fredie leaned back slightly. "Interesting." There was that word again. Interesting. Sandra wasn't sure whether she should feel complimented or concerned. "Mr. Kingston—" "Fredie." The correction came immediately. Sandra froze. "Excuse me?" "When we're discussing work privately, Fredie is fine." She stared at him. The billionaire CEO wanted her to call him by his first name? That didn't seem appropriate. Or safe. "I think I'll stick with Mr. Kingston." To her surprise, he laughed softly. The sound transformed his entire face. For a brief moment, he looked less like a ruthless billionaire and more like an ordinary man. The realization caught Sandra off guard. Dangerously off guard. Fredie cleared his throat. "I called you here for a reason." Sandra straightened. Finally. The firing. "I'm listening." He slid a folder across the desk. Sandra looked down at it. Then back at him. "What is this?" "A project." "A project?" Fredie nodded. "Our marketing department is preparing a campaign for a major acquisition next month." Sandra stared. Surely she had misunderstood. "I'm new." "I'm aware." "I haven't even been here a full day." "I'm aware of that too." Sandra opened the folder. Inside were detailed plans for a high-profile corporate campaign. The type of project usually handled by senior employees. Not newcomers. Not her. "Why are you giving this to me?" For the first time, Fredie's expression became serious. "Because I want a fresh perspective." Sandra wasn't entirely convinced. But she couldn't exactly argue with the CEO. "Thank you for the opportunity." "Don't thank me yet." She looked up. "The project is difficult." "Good." A spark of approval flashed in his eyes. For some reason, that felt better than it should have. Fredie stood. The meeting was clearly over. Sandra quickly rose to her feet. "I won't disappoint you." His gaze held hers for a moment. "No." His voice was quiet. "I don't think you will." The words lingered between them. Longer than necessary. Long enough to make Sandra suddenly aware of how close they were standing. Long enough to make her pulse quicken. She looked away first. "Have a good afternoon, Mr. Kingston." Then she hurried toward the door. The second she stepped outside, she released a breath. What on earth had just happened? --- Back in the marketing department, every head turned as Sandra entered. The room fell silent. She immediately knew she was in trouble. Mia rushed over. "Well?" Sandra blinked. "Well what?" "What did the CEO want?" Apparently everyone had been waiting. Sandra held up the folder. "He assigned me a project." The room exploded with whispers. "A project?" "Already?" "That's impossible." Sandra suddenly wished she had kept that information to herself. Across the room, a woman with perfectly styled blonde hair narrowed her eyes. Rachel. The same employee who had ignored Sandra all afternoon. "Interesting," Rachel said coldly. The tone suggested she didn't mean it as a compliment. Sandra pretended not to notice. But she could feel the hostility. And she had a feeling it was only going to get worse. --- Several floors above them, another pair of eyes had already taken an interest in Sandra Frederick. Vanessa Hart stood beside the glass wall of her office. Elegant. Beautiful. Dangerous. She watched employees move through the building below. Her assistant entered quietly. "You wanted information on the new employee?" Vanessa nodded. "Yes." The assistant handed over a file. "Her name is Sandra Frederick." Vanessa opened it. A simple employee profile. Nothing unusual. Nothing impressive. Nothing that explained why Fredie Kingston had personally summoned her on her first day. Which meant there had to be another reason. Vanessa closed the file slowly. "Keep watching her." "Ma'am?" Vanessa's eyes hardened. "I want to know why Fredie is interested in her." --- Meanwhile, Sandra gathered her things at the end of the workday. The office was nearly empty. Most employees had already left. She was about to head toward the elevator when she remembered something. The project folder. She had forgotten it in the conference room. Muttering under her breath, she turned back. The hallway was quiet. The lights were dimmer than before. Sandra retrieved the folder and started toward the elevators again. Then she heard voices. Two men speaking around a nearby corner. She wasn't trying to eavesdrop. But one name immediately caught her attention. Fredie Kingston. Sandra froze. "...can't keep investigating forever," one man said. A second voice answered. "If he finds the truth, everything falls apart." Sandra's breath caught. Truth? Investigation? What were they talking about? She took a cautious step closer. The conversation stopped. A chill ran down her spine. Had they heard her? Suddenly, one of the men appeared around the corner. Sandra's eyes widened. The stranger stared directly at her. For one terrifying second, neither of them moved. Then he asked: "How long have you been standing there?"