At that, the hard lines of his face seemed to soften, just a fraction.

I was useless at housework, but thankfully, his apartment was a showcase of high-tech smart home gadgets. The robotic vacuum and dishwasher were lifesavers.

Then I stepped into the kitchen.

As a recent graduate, I survived on a diet of company cafeteria food and takeout. I’d never actually cooked a real meal. Still, how hard could it be? You put food in the oven, you press some buttons, and voilà, right?

I spent an hour poring over a recipe, pulled the ingredients from the fridge, and prepared to work my culinary magic.

But the moment acrid black smoke began billowing from the oven, any semblance of control went up in flames—literally.

In my panic, I’d forgotten to preheat it and had instead cranked the temperature to its absolute maximum, causing the chicken on the baking sheet to instantly ignite.

As I stood there, frozen and clueless, Alexander yanked me back, shielding me with his body.

I stared, dazed, at the broad expanse of his shoulders.

He moved with swift efficiency, cutting the power to the oven and dousing the small fire with a damp cloth. Only then did he turn to face me.

I am so fired, I thought.

A girl in the secretarial pool had once been fired on the spot for handing Alexander his coffee with the mug handle facing the wrong way.

Ever since, the entire office had learned to give him a wide berth, terrified of being axed for some minor infraction.

This time, I was the only one unlucky enough to be tasked with delivering documents in a blizzard.

And now, I had nearly burned his penthouse down. My career was toast.

Just as I was bracing for the inevitable explosion, Alexander finally spoke.

“Are you hurt?”

I shook my head, my eyes fixed on the floor.

He let out a long, weary sigh. “Forget it. Just… don’t do it again.”

I looked up, stunned.

He was letting me off? Just like that? He was being… lenient. This was not the ruthless tyrant my colleagues whispered about.

A wave of guilt and gratitude washed over me. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Kane. I’m just not used to cooking. Please, let me try again!”

He completely ignored me, steered me out of the kitchen with a firm hand on my shoulder, and proceeded to cook dinner himself.

The deliberate way he rolled up his sleeves held a surprising allure, and I found my gaze lingering longer than it should have.

I had to admit, the man was infuriatingly perfect, looking devastatingly handsome even while wearing a ridiculous pink apron.

I thanked him profusely. After nearly committing arson, the least I could do was be grateful he was sharing the meal he’d made.

His cooking was amazing. I couldn’t help but go for a second helping, giving him an enthusiastic thumbs-up between bites.

A flicker of something—maybe satisfaction—crossed his face, though his tone remained dismissive. “Slow down. No one’s going to steal it from you.”

After that night, the kitchen became his domain.

Three days flew by in a blur of surprisingly delicious meals.

Today was the monthly staff meeting, where every department head presented their work summary. Since I was still snowed in, I had to get special permission from my supervisor to attend via video call.

I propped my chin on my hand as the vice president droned on, my eyelids getting heavier by the second. These meetings were usually just corporate theater and had little to do with a junior secretary like me.

The last thing I expected was to be called out by name when my supervisor, Victoria Reed, began her segment.

Victoria’s voice cut through the drone of the meeting. “It has come to my attention,” she said sharply, “that an employee has been falsely claiming to be snowed-in to avoid coming to the office.”

“This kind of behavior seriously undermines company discipline.”

“Sophia Grant, I demand you explain yourself to everyone. Right now.”

I looked up, blinking, to see my own groggy face staring back at me from the conference screen.

I snapped awake. “Ms. Reed, I—I’m not lying. The community I’m in really is on lockdown…”

“Don’t make excuses,” Victoria interrupted, her voice like ice.

“I checked! The only community with road closures for the past three days is Windsor Estates! Do you live in Windsor Estates?”

“Mr. Kane lives in Windsor Estates. Are you telling us you’re his neighbor?”

I was speechless, my mind racing and coming up empty.

I was just a rank-and-file employee. Windsor Estates was one of the most exclusive addresses in the city. If I were her, I wouldn’t believe me either.