Chapter 1 — First Impressions
Ava
The mirrored doors of Drake Enterprises’ towering skyscraper slid open with a soft hiss, and Ava Faulkner stepped into the sleek, modern lobby. The air was crisp with the faint scent of polished wood and something subtler, like expensive leather with an edge of iron that she couldn’t place. Her heels clicked against the marble floor as she approached the reception desk, her posture rigid with equal parts nerves and determination.
She glanced up, her hazel eyes catching the gleam of sunlight refracted through the glass ceiling high above. Light danced over the metallic fixtures and pristine surfaces, creating a kaleidoscope of reflections that seemed to pulse with energy. For a moment, Ava had the strange sense that the building itself was alive—watching, waiting. She shook off the notion, focusing instead on the buzz of motion around her. Executives in tailored suits moved with purpose, conversations hummed in clipped tones, and gleaming technology whispered efficiency. This was everything Ava had dreamed of: power, precision, ambition.
“Welcome to Drake Enterprises,” the receptionist greeted her, a polished smile on her face. “You must be Ava Faulkner.”
Ava forced a confident smile, though her fingers tightened around the strap of her leather bag. “That’s right. First day.”
The receptionist nodded, handing over a sleek black badge with Ava’s name embossed in silver. “Your onboarding session will start in Conference Room 12 on the twenty-seventh floor. Elevators are just to your left.”
Ava took the badge, nodding her thanks. As she turned toward the elevators, she caught her reflection in one of the glass walls. Her tailored navy blazer was sharp, her pencil skirt perfectly fitted, and her auburn waves framed her face just so. On the outside, she was polished, ready. On the inside, her pulse thudded like a drumbeat. Somewhere in the back of her mind, a whisper of unease stirred, as though the glass itself had held its breath for just a moment too long.
The elevator whisked her upward with barely a sound, the numbers glowing softly as the floors sped by. She focused on her reflection in the doors. “You belong here,” she murmured to herself. “You earned this. You’ve earned this.” As the mantra settled over her, so did her resolve.
The elevator opened with a quiet chime, and Ava stepped into the hushed, high-tech corridor of the twenty-seventh floor. A woman with warm brown skin and a vibrant yellow blazer emerged from a side office, her confident stride immediately catching Ava’s attention.
“You must be Ava,” the woman said, her voice bright. “Elena Rivera. Marketing analyst and your unofficial welcome committee.”
Ava smiled, grateful for the friendly energy. “Nice to meet you. It’s good to finally be here.”
Elena tilted her head, appraising Ava with a playful glint in her eye. “Let me guess. You’ve been up since five, rehearsed your introduction in front of a mirror, and agonized over whether the navy blazer was too boring or perfectly professional.”
Ava blinked, then laughed, the sound breaking through her initial nerves. “How did you know?”
“Because I’ve been there,” Elena said, looping an arm through Ava’s and steering her down the hall. “Don’t worry. You’ll settle in soon enough. But let me give you some advice: around here, appearances are everything, but it’s the moves no one sees—the quiet, unexpected ones—that really count.”
The cryptic note in her voice lingered, but before Ava could ask what she meant, the door to the conference room opened, and their conversation was cut short by the polished voice of the onboarding manager.
The hours passed in a blur of policy manuals, department overviews, and introductions to colleagues whose names Ava struggled to remember. By lunchtime, her mind was swimming with acronyms and corporate jargon, but her determination remained intact.
Elena found her in the break room, nursing a lukewarm cup of coffee. “Come on,” she said, nudging Ava’s arm. “I’m taking you somewhere better than this fluorescent nightmare.”
They stepped into the elevator, and Elena pressed a button for a floor Ava hadn’t noticed before. Beneath her badge, Ava’s skin prickled slightly, as though the air had shifted around her. “Where are we going?”
“You’ll see,” Elena said with a wink.
When the elevator doors opened, Ava’s breath caught. They were on the rooftop, but it wasn’t what she expected. Instead of the cold steel and glass of the building’s exterior, the rooftop garden was lush and alive. Overgrown ivy trailed from wooden trellises, and bursts of color from blooming flowers dotted the space. The scent of jasmine and fresh grass filled the air, and the distant hum of the city below felt muted, as though they’d stepped into another world entirely. A faint breeze carried something else—a fragrance Ava couldn’t quite place, heady and earthy, almost charged.
“This,” Elena said, spreading her arms as she led Ava to a bench beneath a canopy of vines, “is my favorite spot. It’s where I come to think, to breathe, to remind myself that there’s more to life than quarterly reports and marketing pitches.”
Ava sat down, the tension in her shoulders easing for the first time all day. “It’s beautiful. I never would’ve guessed something like this existed here.”
Elena grinned. “That’s the point. Everyone’s so busy chasing their next promotion or proving themselves that they overlook the small things. But trust me, Ava—sometimes the answers you’re looking for are in the places you least expect.”
As her gaze swept the trellises and flowers, Ava noticed a plant unlike the others—its leaves shimmered faintly, almost imperceptibly, in the sunlight. She blinked, and the effect was gone, leaving her wondering if her mind was playing tricks on her.
They sat in companionable silence for a while, the warmth of the sun on their faces. Ava felt a flicker of gratitude for Elena’s easy camaraderie. In a world as polished and cutthroat as Drake Enterprises, it was refreshing to find someone so grounded.
By the time they returned to their desks, the afternoon had settled into a rhythm. Ava threw herself into her tasks, eager to make a strong impression. She was so focused that she almost didn’t notice when the energy in the room shifted.
It was subtle at first—a hush that rippled through the office like a gust of wind. Then came the sound of measured footsteps, slow and deliberate, accompanied by an air of quiet authority.
Ava looked up just as the figure entered the open workspace.
Victor Drake.
He was taller than she’d expected, his tailored gray suit fitting him with effortless precision. Dark hair, streaked with silver, framed angular features that could’ve been carved from stone. But it was his eyes that held her captive—cool, piercing blue, like shards of ice that burned as they settled on her. Something deep within her stirred uncomfortably, as though his gaze reached past her skin and into her very blood.
The room seemed to hold its breath as he moved, his presence magnetic and unsettling in equal measure. Ava felt a prickle of awareness, as though the very air around him hummed with unspoken power.
“Good afternoon,” Victor said, his voice low and smooth, carrying the weight of command. He addressed the team briefly, his words measured and precise, before his gaze landed on Ava.
“You must be Ms. Faulkner,” he said, his tone polite but laced with something she couldn’t quite place.
“That’s right,” Ava replied, rising from her chair and extending a hand.
Victor took it, his grip firm but cool against her skin. The faintest flicker of something—hesitation, curiosity—crossed his expression before it vanished. “Welcome to Drake Enterprises. I trust you’ll prove to be as sharp as your résumé suggests.”
The comment seemed innocuous, but something in the way he said it made Ava’s pulse quicken. She forced a smile, meeting his gaze with as much composure as she could muster. “Thank you. I’ll do my best.”
His lips curved into the faintest hint of a smile, but his eyes remained inscrutable. “I’m certain you will.”
With that, he moved on, leaving Ava to sink back into her chair, her heart racing.
Elena leaned over, her expression a mix of amusement and intrigue. “Well, that was something. Welcome to the big leagues, Ava.”
Ava managed a shaky laugh, but her mind lingered on the encounter. There was something about Victor Drake—something that set him apart from anyone she’d ever met. The way the office had seemed to shift in his presence, the way his gaze had lingered just a moment too long. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d just stepped into a game she didn’t yet understand.
And she wasn’t sure whether she was ready to play.
