Olivia stared at Sophie’s message for three full seconds before slowly placing her phone face down on Ethan’s desk.

Then she looked at him.

“So you personally asked them to hire me.”

Ethan did not even pretend to misunderstand.

“Yes.”

“And Sophie sent you my résumé.”

“Yes.”

“And you reviewed my entire academic history in the middle of the night.”

“Correct.”

Olivia folded her arms.

“This is beginning to sound less like recruitment and more like an investigation.”

For the first time, the corner of Ethan’s mouth moved.

“You introduced yourself as my wife. I thought checking your background was reasonable.”

“That sentence is going to haunt me until I die, isn’t it?”

“Probably.”

She immediately reached for the contract.

“Then I definitely resign.”

Ethan placed one hand over the document before she could take it.

Not touching her.

Just blocking the paper.

“Stay thirty days.”

Olivia narrowed her eyes.

“Why?”

“Because you said you wanted to earn your position without Sophie’s help.”

“I do.”

“Then prove you deserve this one.”

That stopped her.

Ethan pushed a folder across the desk.

“The company is preparing negotiations with Harrington Medical Group. My previous assistant left unexpectedly. I need someone who can organize twelve departments, three legal teams and a delegation arriving next week.”

Olivia glanced at the folder.

It was thick enough to injure someone.

“And you think a new graduate can do that?”

“I think someone who confronted a stranger twice her size outside a bar because she believed her friend was in danger probably won’t panic over a spreadsheet.”

Olivia hated that the compliment worked.

She sat back down.

“Thirty days.”

“Thirty days.”

“No calling me Mrs. Cole.”

Ethan paused.

“I’ll consider it.”

“That wasn’t a suggestion.”

“Noted, Mrs—”

Olivia pointed a warning finger at him.

Ethan stopped.

But his eyes were laughing.

That was somehow worse.

Her first morning became a disaster almost immediately.

At 10:15, Ethan had a financial meeting.

At 10:30, the legal department wanted him downstairs.

At 10:45, an investor arrived one day earlier than scheduled.

At 11:00, Ethan’s mother called his private line four times.

Olivia stared at the flashing phone.

“Are you going to answer that?”

“No.”

“It says ‘Mom.’”

“I can read.”

“It has rung four times.”

“It will stop.”

The phone rang again.

Olivia picked it up.

Ethan slowly raised his head.

She smiled sweetly.

“Good morning, Mrs. Cole. This is Ethan’s assistant.”

A warm female voice answered immediately.

“Oh! Are you Olivia?”

Olivia froze.

Across the room, Ethan closed his eyes.

Slowly.

Dangerously.

“How do you know my name?”

“My daughter called me at six this morning.”

Of course she had.

Sophie.

“Apparently,” Mrs. Cole continued happily, “my son finally brought home a wife.”

Olivia nearly dropped the phone.

“No! There has been a misunderstanding.”

Ethan stood and walked toward her.

Olivia turned away from him.

“A very large misunderstanding.”

His mother laughed.

“Sophie explained everything.”

That somehow made Olivia more afraid.

“What exactly did Sophie explain?”

“That you met Ethan last night, announced you were his wife and then ran away.”

“That is technically accurate but extremely misleading.”

“And now you work for him.”

“That part is unfortunately accurate too.”

Ethan reached for the phone.

Olivia moved it away.

His mother lowered her voice.

“Between us, dear, Ethan has never personally requested that Human Resources hire anyone before.”

Olivia’s eyes shifted toward him.

He stopped reaching.

His expression became unreadable.

“Never?”

“Not once.”

Ethan finally took the phone.

“Mom.”

His voice contained a warning.

Mrs. Cole immediately said, “Bring Olivia to dinner Sunday.”

“No.”

Olivia blinked.

His mother continued speaking loudly enough that she could hear every word.

“I wasn’t asking you.”

The call ended.

For several seconds, the office remained silent.

Olivia looked at Ethan.

Ethan looked at the phone.

Then she smiled.

“Interesting family.”

“You haven’t met my father.”

“Should I be afraid?”

“Yes.”

The day should have become easier after that.

It did not.

By lunchtime, Olivia discovered something strange.

Everyone on the executive floor seemed terrified of Ethan.

Managers entered his office with straight backs and left checking whether they still had jobs.

Department heads rehearsed presentations before speaking to him.

Even senior executives lowered their voices when Ethan walked past.

But with Olivia, he behaved differently.

He corrected her mistakes without humiliating her.

He explained company procedures she did not understand.

When she accidentally scheduled two meetings at the same time, he simply handed her both files.

“Which one matters more?”

She studied them.

“The Singapore contract.”

“Why?”

“Because delaying the internal budget review costs two hours. Delaying Singapore could cost the company three months.”

Ethan nodded.

“Good.”

That single word made Olivia strangely proud.

By the end of the week, she had reorganized his calendar, rebuilt the department contact system and discovered that his previous assistant had duplicated several confidential appointments.

She also discovered Ethan had terrible eating habits.

At 3:20 on Friday afternoon, she entered his office with documents and found his untouched lunch beside the computer.

“You haven’t eaten.”

“I’m working.”

“So am I. Somehow I managed both.”

“I’m impressed.”

She took the document from his hand.

“Eat.”

His eyebrows rose.

“Are you ordering your boss around?”

“I’m protecting company productivity.”

“You sound very dedicated.”

“I need this job.”

“Thirty days, remember?”

Olivia pointed toward the food.

Ethan actually obeyed.

Two employees passing outside the glass wall nearly walked into each other.

Olivia noticed.

“So they really are afraid of you.”

“They respect authority.”

“No. That accountant looked like he was preparing his last words.”

Ethan almost smiled again.

Then the elevator doors opened.

A woman stepped onto the executive floor.

Tall.

Elegant.

Perfectly dressed.

She carried herself with the confidence of someone who believed every room already belonged to her.

The atmosphere changed instantly.

The receptionist stood.

Several employees exchanged glances.

The woman walked directly toward Ethan’s office without asking permission.

Olivia stepped into her path.

“Excuse me. Do you have an appointment?”

The woman examined her from head to toe.

“And you are?”

“Olivia Bennett. Director Cole’s assistant.”

Something flickered across the woman’s face.

Recognition.

“So you’re Olivia.”

There it was again.

Why did strangers keep knowing her name?

Before she could ask, Ethan came out.

His expression changed the moment he saw the visitor.

Not surprise.

Something colder.

“Victoria.”

The woman smiled.

“Ethan.”

She walked past Olivia and placed a beautifully wrapped box on his desk.

“I returned yesterday.”

“You should have called.”

“If I had, you might have avoided me.”

Olivia suddenly became extremely interested in organizing papers that did not need organizing.

Victoria glanced at her.

“Would you give us a moment?”

Olivia looked at Ethan.

He said nothing.

That was answer enough.

She stepped outside and closed the door.

But the glass walls were not soundproof.

Victoria’s voice came faintly through.

“Your mother told mine you’re seeing someone.”

Silence.

Then Ethan answered.

“My mother talks too much.”

Victoria laughed.

“She also said you hired some girl because she claimed to be your wife.”

Olivia stopped typing.

Inside the office, Victoria continued.

“You were supposed to hate impulsive people.”

“I do.”

“Then why her?”

Another pause.

Olivia knew she should walk away.

Instead, her fingers remained frozen over the keyboard.

Ethan finally replied.

“Because she didn’t know who I was.”

Victoria’s smile disappeared.

Olivia could see it through the glass.

“So?”

“So she wasn’t trying to impress me.”

“That cannot possibly be enough.”

“It was enough for an interview.”

Victoria stepped closer to him.

“And for everything else?”

Before Ethan could answer, the elevator opened again.

Sophie appeared carrying two coffee cups.

She spotted Olivia and waved enthusiastically.

Then she noticed Victoria through the office window.

The color drained from her face.

“Oh.”

Olivia turned.

“You know her?”

Sophie grabbed Olivia’s wrist and pulled her toward the hallway.

“That’s Victoria Sinclair.”

“Should that mean something?”

“She and Ethan were engaged.”

Olivia stopped walking.

“Engaged?”

“Three years ago.”

Olivia stared toward the office.

Victoria was standing close to Ethan now.

Too close.

“Sophie, why didn’t you mention this?”

“I didn’t think she would come back!”

“Back from where?”

“London.”

“And why did their engagement end?”

Sophie suddenly became interested in her coffee.

“That story is complicated.”

Olivia’s eyes narrowed.

“How complicated?”

Before Sophie could answer, Ethan’s office door opened.

Victoria emerged first.

Her expression was perfectly composed.

She walked directly toward Olivia.

Then she smiled.

“You should be careful.”

Olivia blinked.

“About what?”

Victoria glanced back at Ethan.

“Ethan never does anything without a reason.”

Then she entered the elevator and disappeared.

Olivia slowly turned toward him.

“What did she mean?”

Ethan’s jaw tightened.

“Nothing relevant to your work.”

“That sounds suspicious.”

“It’s private.”

“Fine.”

Olivia returned to her desk.

But Sophie remained unusually quiet.

Too quiet.

Ten minutes later, when Ethan entered another meeting, Sophie leaned closer.

“There’s something you should know.”

Olivia sighed.

“At this point, I’m afraid to ask.”

“Your interview wasn’t arranged after the bar.”

Olivia stopped breathing.

“What?”

Sophie pulled out her phone.

“I sent Ethan your résumé three weeks ago.”

Olivia stared at her.

“That’s impossible. He acted like he reviewed it last night.”

“He did review it last night.”

Sophie swallowed.

“But that wasn’t the first time he saw your name.”

She opened an old conversation and handed over the phone.

There was a message Sophie had sent Ethan twenty-two days earlier.

A résumé attachment.

Olivia Bennett.

Below it was Ethan’s reply.

Only five words.

I already know who she is.

Olivia read the message twice.

Then a third time.

Her heartbeat slowed.

The bar had been the first time she remembered meeting Ethan Cole.

But apparently Ethan had known exactly who Olivia was long before she ever pretended to be his wife.

And suddenly Victoria’s warning no longer sounded like jealousy.

It sounded like a clue.