Giles knew Charles’s temper well. He couldn’t stand women who acted self-important in front of him. So, when Giles arrived shortly after, he rounded up all the department heads and gave them a scathing reprimand. The CEO hated anything flawed—but he also despised things that were too flashy.
The whole morning flew by in a blur of activity. So when Janet suddenly got a call from HR, she could hardly believe her ears.
"Janet, the CEO’s office. He wants to see you."
At the sound of those words, she trembled slightly. Behind her glasses, her pale face looked as white as paper. Urged by the HR manager, she finally stood up and made her way toward the 88th floor.
The 88th floor was exclusive—home to the CEO’s private office and the executive conference room. Besides Giles and Novia, almost no one ever set foot there.
Nervous and uncertain, Janet knocked gently on the lavish office door. When she heard that deep, familiar voice from inside, she adjusted her glasses and suddenly remembered what he’d said yesterday. She hesitated but decided not to take them off.
"Mr. Elwin, you asked to see me?" she said calmly as she stepped inside. The office was stark and cold in dark tones. Charles sat in a luxurious leather chair, tall and commanding. She kept her voice steady.
"Janet?" Charles looked up. His sharply chiseled features were so striking, they took her breath away. There was something vaguely familiar about his face.
A faint scent of Dior cologne drifted through the air. Janet blinked, quickly lowering her gaze. Then she nodded. "Yes, sir."
"You didn’t seem to take my words seriously," Charles said, setting down his charcoal pen. His gaze swept over her pale face, a flicker of something unreadable passing through his eyes. Before Janet could respond, the tall figure in his black suit rose from his chair.
Janet met his cold, assessing gaze with quiet defiance. "Does the CEO of Black Rock Corporation judge someone’s capability solely by their appearance?"
So he disliked her—was that enough to dismiss her entirely?
If that was the case, even if her pride allowed her to bow to a man like him, she refused to do it out of submission.
"People naturally prefer what’s pleasing to the eye," Charles replied with a smirk, his tone laced with amusement. "But Miss Louis went out of her way to disguise herself. That wasn’t for some hidden agenda, was it?"
His words made a faint blush rise to Janet’s cheeks, and for some reason, that pleased him. He was never one to waste time thinking about women—but this woman, with her plain appearance and calm demeanor, stirred something unusual in him.
"Janet is just a junior assistant in Amos. I doubt the CEO would find anything about me particularly worth noticing. And as for my fashion choices—those are a matter of personal taste. Does a global company like Black Rock really need to police what its employees wear?"
Janet rarely got this angry. And yet, with just a single sentence from CEO Elwin, her normally composed temperament had suddenly ignited—and even she was surprised by her own reaction.
"Heh," Charles said, a hint of amusement in his voice. "I don’t care how others dress. But when it comes to my personal assistant, I think I’m entitled to set some standards."
He locked eyes with her, unblinking. The intensity in his gaze made Janet feel as if she were stripped bare before him—completely exposed, her defenses useless against his scrutiny.
"What... what do you mean by that?" she asked cautiously, picking up on the unspoken implication in his tone. This man was even more unpredictable than she had imagined.
"I mean," Charles replied smoothly, "starting today, you’ll be reassigned to my side—as my executive assistant."
Janet’s lips parted slightly in disbelief. Before she could even react, Charles was already standing right in front of her. Instinctively, she tried to step back—but he grabbed her with one strong arm, pulled her into his chest, spun her around swiftly, and pressed her between his muscular frame and the mahogany desk behind her. In one quick motion, he reached for her glasses and pulled them off her face.
"Hey, you—" Janet reached out, trying to snatch them back, but Charles effortlessly flicked his arm and tossed the glasses over his shoulder. They landed with an unmistakable thud in the trash bin beneath the blinds. A flush of anger rose on her otherwise pale face.
"Starting today, your desk is right outside this office. Understand?" he said, voice low but firm.
A stray lock of hair had fallen against Janet’s neck. As Charles leaned in closer, he gently took the strand between his fingers and brought it to his nose, inhaling its subtle scent with a faint, satisfied smile tugging at his lips.
"I... I haven’t even passed my probation yet. I applied to be a design assistant in the Amos department," Janet stammered. Her back was pressed firmly against the hard edge of the desk, and with nowhere to retreat, her front brushed against the heat of his chest. Even through layers of clothing, she could feel the fire radiating from him. In her twenty years of life, she had never felt this nervous—was this elegant yet dangerously magnetic man truly the cold, untouchable CEO she’d heard so much about?
"You were the one who just said our company shouldn’t judge people based on appearances," Charles replied coolly. "And as an outstanding employee, you should follow your superior’s orders—unconditionally. Understood?"
Now mere inches from her, Charles caught the soft, clean scent of her skin. It was natural, refreshing—utterly intoxicating.
"Why me?" Janet looked up, locking eyes with his deep, shadowy gaze. He was already leaning in. As she raised her head, his breath warmed her cheek, and the space between their lips was no more than a whisper. If he tilted his head just slightly, his lips would capture hers—tender and pale like a delicate blossom on the verge of wilting. And in that moment, as if his body had acted on instinct before his mind caught up, Janet turned her head away. His lips brushed past her cheek, barely grazing her cool skin—but the fleeting heat of that contact burned like fire.
"I don’t owe you an explanation. You just have to obey," Charles murmured. His arms stayed braced on either side of the desk, keeping her caged in. As he looked into her wide, blinking eyes, a smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"Then I reserve the right to say no," Janet replied, steadying her voice. She didn’t know why, but the arrogance on his face stirred a rebellious urge in her. And yet, deep down, she knew—his offer was actually an incredible opportunity.
"Heh. Little porcupine, don’t ever say the word ’no’ in front of me," Charles said with a low chuckle. As he spoke, he released her and stood up, his expression calm and composed as if nothing had happened. Yet his words carried unmistakable sharpness and intelligence. "If I’m not mistaken, you haven’t even graduated college yet—and still, Amos brought you in early. Seems like the design team over there doesn’t think our company policies apply to them..."
"N-No, it wasn’t Amos’s fault. I... I’ll take the job," Janet blurted out, flustered as she met his unwavering gaze. Only after she nodded did she catch the faint, almost invisible smirk on his lips—and realized she’d fallen for his provocation, again.
"Good," Charles said, his tone much lighter now. "What I need is someone capable. I’ll be expecting great things from you."
Charles Elwin... was nothing like the cold, untouchable man the rumors made him out to be.