I stop in front of her door. For a moment, I consider knocking, doing this the polite way. But courtesy hasn’t gotten me anywhere in life. I turn the handle and push the door open.

She’s there, looking surprised but not scared. Good. I don’t like it when people crumble.

“We need to talk,” I say, locking eyes with her. “Now.”

“Why don’t you guys ever knock?” She shoots back, clearly irritated.

The corner of my mouth lifts in a knowing smirk. Probably Aleksandr, that bastard never was one for pleasantries. “Maybe we like to keep you on your toes,” I retort, “but enough about that, we have more important things to discuss.”

The shift in tone captures her attention. Whatever jest was in her eyes vanishes, replaced by a glint of concern. “Alright,” she says, “I’m listening.”

I step further into the room, closing the door behind me with a soft click. “Sit,” I command, gesturing to the chair by her desk. She hesitates for a moment, as if weighing her options, before she takes a seat.

Circling around to the other side of the desk, I lean against it, crossing my arms over my chest. I lock eyes with her. “So, Emma, tell me about yourself.”

“I already went through the interviews,” she starts, clearly annoyed. “What’s this really about?”

I cut her off, my voice dropping an octave. “I’m not interested in what’s on your resume. I want to know what you’re made of, what you can handle. This job isn’t just about watching over a child. It’s about being part of a world most people don’t even know exists. Can you handle that?”

She gulps, her eyes widening a bit, but she doesn’t break eye contact. Good, she’s got guts.

“Can you handle the unexpected?” Without warning, I push myself off the desk and close the gap between us, standing just inches away from her. I can see her eyes flick down to my lips, and I can’t help but smirk. I lean in, my lips almost touching her ear. “Can you handle me?”

Her breath hitches, and I know I’ve got her right where I want her. She’s both intrigued and cautious—a dangerous but tantalizing combination. I pull back, still locking eyes with her.

“Can you handle all of us?”

She furrows her brows, clearly confused. “What do you mean by all of you?”

I let out a humorless laugh. “You’re not as clueless as you pretend to be, Emma. You know what kind of people we are. You’re not just working for me; you’re working for all of us. And that comes with certain expectations.”

Her eyes narrow in suspicion. “And what kind of expectations are those?”

I lean in again, my breath hot on her neck. “Absolute obedience,” I say softly, emphasizing each word. “Total discretion. No questions asked. Do you think you can handle that?”

“I’m not sure what you mean,” she finally says, her voice steady.

“Playing coy, are you? We both know you are not that naïve, Emma.” I lean so close I can smell her perfume.

“Sir, I really don’t—”

“Who did you text last, Emma?”

“That doesn’t concern you,” she replies with defiant eyes.

“Are you hiding something, Emma? Who do you work for?” I hold her by the chin and make her look up at me. Her lips part, as if she’s about to say something but decides against it. The warmth of her skin is a striking contrast to the coldness of my hands. It’s as if she’s the embodiment of everything that’s been missing from my life—warmth, innocence, vulnerability. But that makes her dangerous too, dangerously tempting.

Her eyes widen, clearly confused. “Sir, I really don’t understand what you mean by all of this, but you can look at my phone. Here you go.”

I grab the phone and quickly scroll through her messages, stopping at the last one—a conversation with someone named Kate. Flower emojis decorate the thread. My finger hovers over the screen as I read the messages. She wrote this to Kate, “Fine, they’re kind of... hot. But that doesn’t change the fact they scare me a little.”

I smirk.

“So, you find us ‘intense’? ‘Scary but also...hot’?” I look up to meet her eyes, which are a mix of embarrassment and irritation.

“Those messages are private.”

“You handed me the phone. So, who’s Kate?”