Ryke’s POV

So one thing was clear to me. Lilac Evans, the woman who just left the conference room, was the same Lilac from the club last night.

Because of the dim lighting in that club, I was never able to get a proper look at her face for the entire time we were together. Consequently, back then on my private office floor, when Lilac crashed into me and messed my clothes up, that scene could have ended so much worse because I didn’t recognise her immediately.

Eventually, I did. Not even in my dreams could I mistake those baby blue eyes, and that voice that sounded like a siren’s. But it wasn’t before I’d already lashed out at her.

Of course, I wasn’t completely sure it was Lilac. I made the decision to attend her interview, something I’d never done in my history of heading this company, just for another chance to get close to her to confirm my suspicions. Hell, even my employees were shocked when I showed up. That’s exactly the sort of irrational thing this woman I’d only known for barely a day had me doing.

But Lilac did not recognise me. Not for one moment did her eyes light up with familiarity every time they lay on me and I struggled to come to terms with the feeling of disappointment in my gut.

“Mr. Kolynsky?” The lead interviewer questioned in confusion as I stood up.

“Handle the rest. I have a meeting right now.” I did not have a meeting, of course, but I had no intentions of sitting through boring as fuck interviews. I was only here for Lilac and she’d basically confirmed it was her when I called her by her first name I should have had no way of knowing and she responded.

The rest of my long week was filled with thoughts of Lilac. The woman had consumed every of my waking moment to the point that it was torture not seeing her. Even distracting me as I spoke to my mother on the phone.

“Ryke. Ryke, are you listening?”

Blinking rapidly, I snapped out of my thoughts. “Uh… Yes, ma’am.”

My mom sighed. “Okay. Spill.”

“What?” I replied, confused.

“Spill. There’s clearly something on your mind, enough to zone out like your own mother is too unimportant to listen to.”

“It’s nothing, don’t worry about it. I’ve been so stressed these days, it causes me to zone out sometimes.”

The older woman was silent on the other side of the phone for a moment. If not for the sound of her breathing, I’d have thought she hung up. Soon she spoke, “Do you need a break? I could have Reece visit again to take over while you do so.”

I growled at her suggestion and prayed my father wasn’t anywhere around her. I didn’t need to hear him point out how apparently incompetent I was. I worked so hard to convince him to let Silvercrest’s Bayview branch become the headquarters and I wasn’t going to let anyone take that from me, not even the founder himself.

“I’m fine, I can handle it. You take care of yourself, mom.”

“Whatever you wish, son. You’ve always been so stubborn, I don’t expect you to start listening to me now. The annual company gala is coming up in a few months so we can see then and maybe I’ll be able to convince you to rest then.”

I chuckled at her words. “I’m looking forward to it.”

***

As the CEO, I usually kept from interfering in the affairs of other departments. I wasn’t controlling in any sense of the word and preferred to let them have their autonomy. This precisely was why I didn’t explicitly demand that my hiring team choose Lilac to become my assistant.

I assumed they’d pick her, the obvious candidate who probably outshone every other. At the very least, I’d shown my satisfaction and approval for her when I left the conference room that day.

So imagine the look I had on my face when I arrived at work the Monday of the next week to a strange face.

“We’d like to introduce you to your new assistant, sir.” Helen, my hiring manager had said. “This is Dallas, the successful candidate after we concluded our hiring process.”

I was so speechless I could only level the two women with an icy glare. “Get out of my office.” I growled. Ever since then, Daria, or Deana, or whatever her name was had been walking on eggshells around me. But I didn’t give a fuck.

That same morning, I asked her to make me a coffee. Simple task, right? But once I took a sip, I knew immediately that she’d fucked it up.

“I told you,” I ground out with barely contained irritation, “One cream and two sugars only. This is at least three creams. Throw it out.” I shoved the coffee mug back into her hands and sank ungracefully into my office chair while the woman scurried out of the office with tears in her eyes.

Fuck. What was she crying for? She was being paid an obscene amount of money for doing the least work. She should be carrying out every task with a smile! Besides, it’s not as though she had no idea the type of person she’d be working with. I had no sympathy to give.

I picked up my phone and made a call.

The contact name ‘Helen’ lit up my screen for a few seconds before the woman picked. “Hello, sir? Is anything the-”

“Did you sit through the same interview session with Ms. Evans that I did?”

“I- Huh? Who?”

Lord, give me strength, I muttered to myself and drew on a deep well of patience I stored in my heart for moments like this.

“Ms. Evans, the woman’s whose interview I attended last week. If I remember well, she performed exceptionally. Her responses to your questions showed her amazing capabilities and a willingness to dedicate a lot of effort to Silvercrest. Don’t you think so?”

“Yes, I do! She was an outstanding candidate, I remember her interview well!”

“Great! So why did you make the decision to send some bumbling fool to be my assistant?”

“Sir?”

“Fire her so I don’t have to do it myself. She’d probably burst into tears if I said so much as one more word to her.” I murmured the last part more to myself. “I want Ms. Evans here by tomorrow, latest the day after.”

“Yes, Mr Kolynsky.” Helen sighed and I cut the call.

Now, all I had to do was wait for my angel to come to me.

Lilac’s POV

As I stood in the tiny kitchen of the rundown apartment I shared with my brother, I avoided his gaze and poured some scrambled eggs into two plates already containing flimsy pieces of bacon.

“Aren’t you late for work?” Benjamin asked. “You don’t look like you’ve showered.”

I sighed and slid his food across the table to him. “I’m not going in today. You’re finishing classes early today, right? Wanna go with me to go see mom?”

Benjamin’s eyes lit up at the idea and my heart ached for him. He wasn’t as lucky as me to get the opportunity so often. In fact, it had been up to two weeks since he last saw her, only able to communicate via phone calls.

“Yes!” Sebastian grinned. “I’m so lucky my professor fell sick— Uh… Not that I’m happy or anything, I hope he gets better soon…” I snickered at his attempts to resolve his statement. “But it’s so nice to finally get the chance to see her.”

“I know, Seb.”

My phone on the table rang with a notification and I picked it as I chewed. It was Millie.

Millie: Not coming today?

Me: Nah. I’m a bit drained.

Well, to be honest, it was more of mental fatigue. I would be able to function fully if I went in for my shift, no issue. But I just didn’t want to deal with anyone today.

Millie: Alright. Jayce needed an extra shift anyway so I’ll let him know he can come in.

Millie: What about your application to Silvercrest. Any word?

Me: I was rejected.

Millie: Oh.

Millie: I’m sorry, babe. I hope you’re not too disappointed.

Me: No.

Yes, I was. But I wasn’t going to admit that. It was weird and pathetic that I was getting this butt hurt over a job rejection. Even weirder because I’d anticipated it. I guess disappointments just hit me a lot harder than I’d thought.

After my brother left for school, I didn’t bother doing anything actually useful. I just crept into my bed and slept off for the rest of the morning.

My sleep was not as fitful as I thought it would be. I guess I really needed the rest. Rest was not something I could afford ever since I found myself plunged into the constant need for money. But just this once, I let myself go.

That afternoon when I woke, I decided to go for a walk. I thought the fresh air would do me a lot of good and it really did. I managed to take my mind off everything I’d been handling lately.

I didn’t realize I’d gotten to the city park until the sound of dogs barking and birds chirping pierced through my thick bubble of relaxation. It really was such a nice noon, evident by the number of people who decided to come out today.

I found a nice bench and sat on it. Usually, my phone would be in my hands immediately, tapping and scrolling away, but today, I decided to be a functioning member of society instead of a phone addict and immerse myself in nature’s environment.

I had no idea how long I spent watching people come and go, and children and their beloved pets play, but when I finally picked my phone again, the time told me it was nearly an hour. As I unlocked it to check if I had any texts, a notification caught my eye—an email notification.

It was weird because I only got emails for professional reasons and wasn't expecting anything of that sort. Still, I went to check it, but just as my finger was going to tap on the email when the sound of commotion halted my movement.

My head whipped up in the direction of the sound and the cause was immediately identified. A small crowd had gathered around something, or maybe someone. I couldn’t really see anything around the tight crowd but also I wasn’t particularly interested in finding out what was going on. It didn’t seem like a threat anyway so, back to my business.

Except I hadn’t even gotten the chance to continue what I was doing when a voice reached my ears. A voice I couldn’t forget even in my dreams, a voice that was deeply familiar in ways there wasn’t any reason to be. I looked up again and there he was, standing in the midst where I could see him through where the crowd had parted.

Ryke Kolynsky.

My traitorous heart fluttered as I took in his appearance across the distance. Tall and imposing, the man stood out starkly from the bland crowd in an attractive designer suit that covered his body like it was second skin. He drew all eyes and attention to him as if he owned this damn place, blonde hair beautiful in the sun in the way that matched his ruthlessly handsome face.

What the hell was Ryke doing here? The city park didn’t seem like a place someone like him would visit casually given his status. I should have noticed that the crowd surrounding him consisted mostly of paparazzi photographers and fan women. And three burly, suspicious looking men who were probably his bodyguards.

The bodyguards, I scoffed at because I get it, he’s a CEO, super important man, basically a celebrity. But really? Three bodyguards? I snorted to myself at how absurd it was.

I hadn’t realized I was still staring till a pair of irritated green eyes snagged on mine and I jolted in my seat. Ryke caught me staring. Blushing, I ducked my head into my phone and tried my hardest to shrink my body to become as unnoticeable as possible. But it was too late. Ryke had seen me.

Amidst the noise, a screech pierced through the air, shrill and damn near hurting my ears. A voice followed immediately after, “Ryke, you bastard!” Looking to see who it was, I spotted a woman I hadn’t noticed before. Big red locks spilled elegantly over pale shoulders and a jewelry-adorned neck. She too, I noted, was dressed as expensively as the man beside her.

I couldn’t hear Ryke’s response because while whoever the woman was screamed for the entire place to hear, Ryke still had the decorum to speak in a calm, lowered tone. He could only be heard by the people near them. A shame. I really wanted to be in on the drama.

The two continued arguing heatedly and I was only able to gleam bits and pieces of what it was about. Ryke looked really annoyed, perhaps because the woman was making whatever this was a big deal and a public affair.

They went on for a little longer until the woman yelled, “Show me then! If the so-called woman is here, freaking show her to me else everyone here will know the real Ryke. Nothing but a dirty liar!”

Immediately, Ryke’s eyes snapped to mine again and I frowned in confusion. Why was he looking at me? I wanted to move out of that fierce gaze but it felt like I was pinned by it. Ryke’s expression changed from vexation to something smoother, calmer, as if he’d come to a decision about something in his mind without voicing it.

The man moved, marching through the grass till he got to me and, shocking me, stretched out a hand. Everywhere was quiet as it had been since the moment he got here except now, all the attention was on me as well. Uncomfortably so.

“I’ve been waiting for you. Come on, let’s go.” Ryke said, his deep voice sending butterflies through my stomach.

“What…?” I managed to croak, still in shock.

“The business meeting? At the cafe down the road, don’t tell me you forgot. Come on, let’s go.” Green eyes stared unmoving at me but in the depths of them, I could see desperation. He needed me to play along with whatever this was.

“O-Okay.” I took his hand that was still stretched out and he pulled me up. He let go immediately and I found myself missing the warmth of his grip, but I forced myself not to dwell on that and joined Ryke as he started to leave.

The crowd and paparazzi immediately began to follow but Ryke’s bodyguards took their places around us and Ryke called out, “No one follow me or I will be pressing charges.” Without even looking back, he adds, “That includes you too, Samantha.”

***

As I stood in front of the cafe Ryke led me to, which coincidentally was GoldenSpoon, the cafe I worked at, I couldn’t help but feel like this was some sort of strange dream. About a week ago, I had never met this man. Ryke Kolynsky was an untouchable piece of the world I lived in, someone so apparently perfect he was out of the reach of ordinary people like me.

So the fact that I was here, standing with him in front of my workplace … yeah that sounded like something my mind made up and fed to me as a dream. Maybe I was still at home sleeping.

“Are you alright?” I asked softly, despite my inclination to not care and hold a grudge about my interview he botched.

Ryke, who I realized had been staring at me with a strange look in his eyes, snapped out of his daze and nodded. “Yeah. Sorry for dragging you into all of this. I just…” He dragged a hand down his face. “I had to get away from her.”

I bit down the urge to ask for context and nodded solemnly like I completely understood and sympathized with him. Distantly, I registered the feeling of warmth around a part of my body. My attention was so caught up in Ryke that I’d completely forgotten—we were still holding hands.

Red flushed in my cheeks at the realization. I froze, stuck between wanting to yank mine out and not doing anything about it. I didn’t want to see his disgusted reaction. The way he flinched away from me a week ago in that empty hallway as I tried to clean his clothes replayed humiliatingly in my mind, so yeah.

But unfortunately for me, I couldn’t stop my fingers from twitching and the taller man looked down, finally noticing our conjoined hands.

Ryke immediately let go and my heart sank a little at the speed with which he did. He really couldn’t wait a moment to get away from me, huh? Still, I couldn’t help but notice he’d squeezed before doing so. It was such a miniscule movement that I frowned, unsure if I’d imagined it. But no, he’d squeezed my hand before dropping it. I was sure of that.

The sound of Ryke’s deep voice clearing his throat caused me to look up at him. “Sorry again, and thanks. And uh, you should check your email.”

“What?” Check my email? That was such a random statement, I stared dumbly for a while, trying to grab the sudden change in topic.

“Your email?” Ryke chuckled, his green eyes soft as he watched me. Weird. “You should check it soon.”

“Oh. Right. Yeah, I will.” Jesus Christ, this is so awkward. I thought. Then I remembered something.

“How do you know my name?” I asked. That wasn’t all but I didn’t have the courage. I wanted to ask why the way he said it felt so familiar. I wanted him to explain to me why a feeling so hot and right ran down my body and tugged at something deep in my memory at the sound of it falling from his lips.

Ryke smiled, something undecipherable with a strange hint of sadness. “Do you really not remember?”

A frown etched itself into my features. “Remember what?”

“Nevermind. I’ll see you tomorrow, Lilac.”

Ryke left me standing in front of the cafe watching Millie who long since noticed our presence and had been watching us with a shocked look on her face. I didn’t get why she was shocked, just like how I didn’t get what Ryke meant by he’ll see me tomorrow. Nothing had made sense in the past few minutes.

But I remembered Ryke’s words to check my email, something that coincided with what I was about to do those moments in the park before he brought his drama over.

And when I did, there sat an email from Silvercrest waiting for me.

Dear Lilac,

After careful consideration, the hiring team has decided to extend an offer to you for the position of “Personal Assistant” to Mr. Ryke Kolynsky. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the candidate originally selected has had to part ways with the company, and we believe you are a great fit for our team.

Will you be available to start tomorrow?

***

At first, I couldn’t believe my eyes. What sort of unimaginable luck is this? Is it supposed to be a prank? These were the thoughts that ran through my mind as I stared at the email back at home that afternoon. I’d read it over and over again, unable to believe that somehow this entire thing had ended up in my favor.

It made no sense. Somehow, magically, the person they hired had to be let go the very first day on the job and I was apparently the next best candidate?

Hell no.

But, the very next day, I was walking through Silvercrest’s bustling departments as Helen, the hiring manager, took me on an orientation tour round the offices. Yep. I’d replied to the email that I was available to start, texted my boss at Golden Spoon cafe that I was quitting, and showed up at Silvercrest as was required of me.

Whether it made sense or not, I was going to be a fool to let this opportunity pass me by. My life was strange but slowly and surely, I was getting used to the fast-paced style the universe was adapting for me.

“And finally, here is the big boss’ office,” Helen said as we finally came to a stop in front of a huge door. Of course, we were on the private floor and hallway I’d accidentally been on that fateful day last week.

Helen opened the door and I held my breath as it swung wider and wider, expecting to see the man on the other side. But it was empty, merely a well-decorated office space most likely for an assistant. Which was me. So this was my office.

My eyes glittered as I took the space in. My own office. Seriously, how was my life real?

There was another door which I guessed led to Ryke’s actual office, and sure enough, as we entered, there Ryke Kolynsky was, bent over his desk writing something.

My heart rate picked up at the sight of him which was weird and annoying, but I ignored it.

“Good morning, sir,” Helen greeted, and I followed suit. “Good morning, Mr. Kolynsky.”

Ryke kept writing for a moment and when it seemed like he was done, he finally deemed us worthy of his time and looked up. His expression was bored as it took the both of us in, barely changing when he saw me. It was as if our meeting yesterday never happened.

But really, what did I expect? Just because we’d met, he should treat me familiarly? I rolled my eyes at myself in my head.

“Good morning.” Ryke greeted in return.

“This is your new assistant, Miss. Evans.”

Ryke nodded. His eyes met mine and held, undecipherable. “Welcome. I take it you’re starting today?”

“Yes, Mr. Kolynsky,” I nodded. And that was it. Just like that, my life had turned around.

***

I was finally allowed to settle into my space in the lobby outside Ryke’s office. I had a computer to myself. God, I’d never even owned so much as a laptop, but now, I could get one million of them if I so wished because goddamn my pay was obscenely high. I still couldn’t believe ten thousand dollars was going to be sitting in my empty account by the end of the month. Not until I saw it with my own eyes.

Snapping back to attention, I quickly turned on the computer, wondering what my tasks were supposed to be for that morning. I hadn’t been told anything by Helen and so I planned to just focus on organizing Ryke’s own tasks for the day. Maybe I should go into his office to ask if there was anything he wanted me to do…

I snapped my eyes shut at that, heart pounding stupidly from just the thought of being alone with him in his office. When I opened them again, my computer had booted up completely.

Just as I went to pull up the browser so I could log in to my email, I heard Ryke call, “Miss. Evans,” from within his closed office.

Okay. Here we go.

I got up, tugging my pencil skirt that had ridden up my thigh down. It was so short, almost tiny and toeing the lines of inappropriate, but it was the only one I owned. My small collection of clothes consisted of casual outfits and even though I had nothing else, I didn’t intend to wear this every single day. But at least for my first day, I had to show up in the dress code — business attire.

I hovered outside Ryke’s door, unsure of whether I was to knock. Eventually, I did, and after a muffled ‘Come in.’, I pushed open the door and stepped inside, closing it behind me.

“You called, sir?”

Ryke leaned back in his chair, frame highlighted by the floor to ceiling windows right behind him. The aura this man exuded in that simple position was so powerful, it was insane. His gaze was intense and I felt the urge to look away, but given what I knew about him, I wasn’t going to give him the chance to perceive me as weak.

“I’ve been waiting for my morning coffee for thirty minutes since you arrived. Did Helen not inform you of your duties?”

My eyes widened. Shit. She did, I’d completely forgotten. Only an hour here and I was already slipping up.

“She did. I-I’m sorry. I’ll get on that right away.”

Ryke frowned, replying, “I expect you to stay on top of your responsibilities, especially as a new hire. There’s no room for mistakes in this office.”

I grimaced. “Understood, sir. How do you like your coffee?”

Ryke’s eyes held mine for a moment, then slowly, purposefully, they dragged down my face to my neck, my body, lingering for seconds too long so I felt my face begin to burn. Then, those green eyes flitted back up to mine and he leaned forward and propped his head up on his hand.

“I like it sweet, Miss. Evans.”

Nodding hard, I swung on my heels and left the office as fast as possible, unable to stay there one second longer. To make matters worse, even as I had my back turned to him as I fled, I could still feel those eyes burning a trail across the back of my body.

The air conditioning on my side of the office was on full blast, but my body still felt overheated from his actions, sweating as I searched for a mug. That’s how insane I felt, how I was coming to realize that Ryke could unravel me with just a few words.

At least, by the time I found where Ryke’s mugs and cups were kept, I had cooled down. Still, red remained in my cheeks. How unlike myself I was acting, just because a man decided to look me up and down. Maybe I needed to get laid. It’s been too long, I was basically a virgin once again.

I’d set the coffee beans into the machine before I went searching for a mug, so I didn’t have to wait long for it to finish processing. My years of working as a barrister at GoldenSpoon kicked into gear and soon, I had a fully made cup of coffee on the tabletop. I grabbed a saucer and set the mug in it, then made my way back into Ryke’s office.

Ryke stopped what he was doing as soon as I walked in, focusing that laser attention of his back on me again. I moved closer to him, leaning over the table to place the drink in front of him. As I pulled back to stand properly again, Ryke’s eyes jerked up to mine, guilty, like they’d been looking at something they shouldn’t have.

Confused, I blinked at him, but he didn’t say anything. He picked up his mug and took a sip. For whatever reason, I felt nervous about him tasting my coffee. Ryke wasn’t the first person I’d made coffee for. It used to be my job till literally just yesterday and I didn’t give a shit about my taste as long as it met GoldenSpoon’s standards.

Yet here I was, watching every one of Ryke's reactions to the drink.

“Hm,” he hummed. “This is good; really well made. The taste is almost familiar, though,” Ryke raised an eyebrow at me.

I smiled bashfully. “If you’ve ever frequented Golden Spoon, that might be the reason why. I used the cafe’s techniques because I used to work there.” Bringing up GoldenSpoon reminded me unnecessarily of that moment between us yesterday in front of it.

“Really?” Ryke’s eyes lit up at this information. But, his expression shifted into a confused frown. “Wait. How come I never saw you?”

“I worked in the kitchen. It’s the cashier who handles the customers most of the time unless I needed to serve a table, and… no offense, but I’m assuming you wouldn’t eat in a public place like that. There was no way you could have seen me.”

Ryke chuckled and shook his head. “I suppose.”

Now that he’d approved the drink, I guessed there was no need for me to wait around in there any longer. I could come back later to pick the mug and saucer. But before I could leave, Ryke spoke again.

“I’m glad I was safe this time.”

I blinked. “Sorry?”

“I’m not in the habit of repeating myself, Miss. Evans. But I said, I’m glad I was safe this time. You seem to have a frightful habit of spilling… liquids all over me.”

I blushed in embarrassment. He was right, but did he have to bring it up? But, frowning, I realized something. “Habit?” Wasn’t that a stretch? As far as I was concerned, I’d only ever poured something on him once because before that day, I’d literally never even met him.

Ryke stood up from his chair and circled around his table, walking slowly, closer and closer toward me. I wasn’t sure of what was happening, but I knew one thing. My heart skipped several beats, the poor thing pounding away in my chest and I felt very much like a prey being stalked by a predator, hungry. Gearing to devour.

“Yes, Miss. Evans. Habit.” My confusion must have shown all over my face because Ryke continued, now in front of and looking down at me, “You don’t remember? Say you don’t remember it, Angel.”

Angel?

I jolted, almost stumbling back.

As I stood there, shocked out of my mind, memories made blurry and forgotten by the alcohol that night came sharply into focus at the sound of that nickname.

Angel. Angel. Angel.

My eyes widened as I took in the beautiful face in front of me. The face that had been so distantly familiar for reasons I couldn’t make sense of. Except I knew why now.

--------------------

I swayed over the man. He was so sexy I could feel my panties dampen just looking at him. “Hi, Miss…” Fuck, even his voice was just as sexy.

“Lilac.” I supplied, the word slurred on my lips. “Just Lilac. And you?”

He grinned, “Ryke.”

---------------------

A club—dim lights, inescapable noise. The stench of booze and hot, sensual movements. Lips sliding. Green eyes.

‘Angel’ groaned hotly into my ear.

As if he could see where my thoughts had been, Ryke’s eyes burned with satisfaction and relief. And I swallowed hard as the reality settled deep into my bones. I made out, quick and dirty, with Ryke fucking Kolynsky in a club. I remembered, with humiliation, that I threw up all over him.

And now, he was my boss.