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She doesn’t care.

I swallow the words stuck in my throat, forcing my expression back into the mask I wear so well.

“Very well,” I say, voice cold, detached, emotionless. “You’ll report to me directly. You’ll handle my schedule, oversee my meetings, and ensure my affairs are in order. Understood?”

She doesn’t flinch. Doesn’t even blink.

“Understood.”

That single word twists in my gut like a knife.

“Since it’s your first day, I’ll call someone to show you around the office. Are you comfortable with that, Lila?”

Something flickers in her gaze.

Not warmth. Not hesitation.

Just something cold.

“Miss Winter, sir.”

Miss Winter.

The way she says it, like she’s correcting a mistake, makes my teeth clench.

“The name is Miss Winter,” she continues. “And yes, I’m comfortable with that. Thank you, Mr. Hells.”

I’ll be damned before I call her Miss Winter.

I dismiss her with a short nod, watching as she turns without another glance.

I should let her go, pretend that she’s just another employee.

And yet…

My eyes follow her.

She walks with quiet confidence. She is sharper. Fiercer.

And I hate it.

I hate that I’m not the reason she became this way. I hate that she survived, thrived without me.

And worse than that?

I want to break through her walls and unravel her all over again.

I inhale sharply, flexing my fingers against the desk.

This is just the beginning.

And Goddess help me…because I feel like I'm on the verge of losing it.

Which is why I practically gave Lila the entire day off to roam the other floors. The only reason the top floor houses my office is so I can work in my own environment, at my own pace, uninterrupted.

For years, it has been my sanctuary. My space. Two board meetings a week, and nothing more.

Three minutes in her presence, and suddenly, the top floor feels suffocating without her there.