Chapter 1

Vera Sterling felt that she had probably saved the boldest act of her life for Alexander Gray.

No one would believe her if she told them, but for Vera, an Ivy League elite and Senior Investment Advisor, the most professional thing she did every day was engage in intimate exchanges with her boss on the Italian leather sofa in the penthouse office—exchanges that could never be included in a work report.

It wasn't anything scandalous—just a straightforward hookup. Clean and simple—each getting what they wanted—the kind of unspoken understanding between adults. Vera thought the description fit perfectly: a hookup like firecrackers that ignite at the slightest spark, explode, and then everyone goes their separate ways, owing each other nothing. How wonderful.

Right now, she was sitting at her desk, staring blankly at flickering candlestick charts on her computer screen. Her phone lit up with a message from her top contact. It was so concise that it was almost infuriating.

[12:30. Come up.]

There was no title or greeting, and even the punctuation exuded a domineering air of entitlement. Vera stared at those words for three seconds, the corners of her mouth curling up involuntarily. She quickly typed a single word in reply: [Okay.]

She put her phone down and continued typing as if nothing had happened, as though she’d just received the most ordinary work assignment. Her colleague Chloe, sitting next to her, leaned over and whispered in a gossipy tone, "Is Mr. Grey looking for you again? How many times this month? Just how complicated is your project that you’re running to the CEO’s office every day?”

Vera remained impassive as she picked up her coffee cup and took a sip. Her tone was as matter-of-fact as if she were commenting on the weather. "Mr. Grey has high standards for data and is extremely particular about the details.”

Chloe gave her a sympathetic look, failing to grasp the hidden meaning in her words.

He really is quite particular, Vera silently added, then nearly choked on her own inner monologue.

At 12:25 p.m., Vera picked up the folder she’d prepared earlier. Striding in her seven-centimeter nude heels, she walked leisurely toward the elevator. She wore a smog-blue pencil skirt paired with a white silk blouse, the collar tied in a loose bow. Her hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, revealing her long, fair neck. She looked intellectual and capable—the kind of professional woman with whom you couldn't find a single fault.

As the elevator rose slowly, she glanced at her reflection in the mirrored walls and applied a thin layer of rose-beige lipstick. Then, realizing this was an unconscious gesture, she silently cursed herself. Why bother reapplying lipstick when it was going to be licked off completely in a moment anyway?

The CEO’s office was on the twenty-seventh floor. Aside from Alex’s office, the entire floor consisted of only a conference room and a secretarial suite. But at this hour, the secretaries had long since gone to lunch, leaving the floor quiet, with only the faint hum of the central air conditioning.

Vera knocked three times on the door, and a deep voice from inside replied, “Come in.”

As she pushed the door open, she saw that Alex was standing by the floor-to-ceiling window talking on the phone with his back to her. His figure was tall and slender. He was wearing a dark gray tailored suit with sharp shoulder lines and a perfectly fitted waist. Even his posture exuded an innate air of nobility and control. He was speaking in English about a merger deal, his voice deep and magnetic with an irresistible rhythm.

Vera didn’t interrupt him. She placed the folder on the coffee table with practiced ease, then walked over to the sofa and sat down. She sat upright with her back straight, her legs together and angled slightly, and her hands resting on her knees. Her posture was so elegant that it could have served as a demonstration in a business etiquette class. Yet, she unashamedly gazed over Alex’s back, taking in his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and long, straight legs encased in his suit pants.

Hmm, his physique really is impeccable. She gave him an objective score in her mind.

Alex hung up the phone and turned around only to see Vera sitting stiffly and pretending to flip through the folder in her hands. A barely perceptible curve formed at the corner of his mouth. He walked over and sat down across from her, loosening his tie with his long fingers—a casual gesture with an indescribable sensuality.

"What are you looking at?" He leaned back against the sofa, crossed his legs, and fixed his gaze on her face with the unhurried scrutiny she knew all too well.

Vera lifted her head and offered a professional smile. "I'm reviewing the ROI analysis report from last quarter. Didn’t you say you wanted to go over the data, Mr. Gray?”

“We’ll talk about the data this afternoon.” Alex reached out and snatched her folder, tossing it onto the coffee table. He leaned forward slightly, closing the distance between them. “First, let’s talk about why you left early last Friday.”

Vera blinked, her expression innocent. "I was visiting a client. There’s an out-of-office log to prove it.”

“Visiting a client?” Alex raised an eyebrow. “And the client you visited was at the Hermès flagship store on Fifth Avenue?”

It's over. She’d been caught.

She quickly adjusted her expression, switching from innocent to defiant with a fluidity worthy of a Broadway actor. "Mr. Grey, have you been following me?"

"You used the company's corporate credit card." Alex stated the facts calmly. "I received a transaction alert on my phone for thirty-eight thousand dollars for a silk scarf."

A crack finally appeared in Vera’s composure. She’d made a mistake. Her personal credit limit had been maxed out that day, so she casually used the company card, intending to reimburse it later, but she completely forgot about it.

"That was a gift for a client." She tried to cover it up, but her voice lacked conviction.

Alex watched her put on a brave face, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes. He stood up, walked around the coffee table, and stood before her, looking down at her. Vera had to tilt her head back to meet his gaze. This angle naturally put her at a disadvantage, and Alex was well aware of it.

"Vera Sterling," he said, leaning in with one hand braced against the back of the sofa behind her. He cast her entirely in his shadow. His voice was hushed. "Do you think I'm here to settle the score with you?"

They were so close that their noses nearly touched. She could smell the faint scent of his cedarwood cologne mingled with an almost imperceptible whiff of tobacco. This proximity, this atmosphere, this look in his eyes—Vera felt that if she still didn’t know what was about to happen, the past two months of being his fuck buddy would have been for nothing.

She didn’t speak, merely tilting her head slightly as she looked at him with an expression hovering between defiance and invitation. A smile played at the corners of her mouth, and her eyes glistened with a thin film of moisture. She had practiced this look many times and knew exactly when it would be most effective.

Sure enough, Alex’s gaze darkened.

He reached out and removed the elastic band holding her hair in a bun at the nape of her neck. A cascade of pale golden hair instantly spilled down, falling over her shoulders and across her chest. His fingers ran through her hair as he cupped the back of her head and leaned down to kiss her.

The kiss was neither hurried nor slow but carried a sense of calm, confident control. His lips were warm and firm. He didn’t rush to conquer; rather, he savored her like a delicate dessert. He traced the contours of her lips with care before slowly prying open her teeth. At some point, Vera’s hands had slipped onto his shoulders, her fingertips gripping the fabric of his suit jacket. A soft, muffled moan escaped her throat.

Alex was never an impatient man in this regard. He had his own rhythm for everything he did, and kissing and making love were no exceptions. He relished being in control and enjoyed watching his partner gradually lose control within his rhythm. It gave him a hunter’s sense of accomplishment. Yet Vera was precisely the kind of person who didn’t lose control easily. Each of their encounters felt like a silent contest to see who would crack first.

She usually won. No matter how composed Alex was, he was still a normal man at the end of the day. When faced with a woman he was interested in, his sense of reason grew increasingly thin as her clothes came off.

Just like now, as he pressed her deep into the sofa, undoing the top button of her blouse with one hand while tracing the line of her jaw with his lips down to the most delicate skin on the side of her neck. His movements were elegant and restrained, but his breathing had clearly lost its rhythm.

Vera tilted her head, offering more of her neck for him to explore. All the while, she whispered in his ear, "Mr. Grey, you have a meeting at two this afternoon."

Alex paused, lifting his head to look at her. His eyes betrayed a mix of desire to take her right then and there and amusement. "Vera Sterling, if you can remember my schedule at a time like this, shouldn't I give you a raise?"

"I'm simply doing what a competent subordinate should do," Vera replied with a straight face, though she couldn't hide the amusement in her eyes. "Reminding the boss to manage his time."

"Very good." Alex nodded and reached out to undo the second button of her shirt. His tone was equally serious. "Then, as your boss, I have a duty to remind you that there’s an hour and a half left until my 2:00 p.m. meeting. Do you think that’s enough time?”

Vera thought about it seriously. "It depends on your efficiency."

Those words successfully flipped a switch. Alex narrowed his eyes, cut off the small talk, and proceeded to demonstrate his efficiency through action.

Afternoon sunlight streamed in through the blinds on the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a pattern of light and shadow across the dark gray carpet. The temperature in the office had risen a few degrees since earlier, and an ambiguous, sticky atmosphere hung in the air. The clothes scattered on the edge of the sofa, the knocked-askew folder on the coffee table, and the messy creases on the leather sofa silently told the story of what had happened that afternoon.

Forty minutes later, Vera stood in the private bathroom attached to the CEO’s office, fixing her appearance in the mirror. A faint blush still lingered on her cheeks, and her lips were slightly swollen, though not too noticeably. She re-tied her hair and secured it with a hairpin. Then, she carefully fastened every button on her blouse back into place and smoothed out the wrinkles in her skirt.

Once again, reflected in the mirror was the meticulous, flawless Vera Sterling.

She practiced a smile, making sure there were no signs of what had happened, before opening the door and stepping out.

Alex had already gotten dressed and was sitting behind his desk, his suit jacket draped over the back of the chair. He wore only a well-tailored white shirt with the cuffs unbuttoned and loosely rolled up twice, revealing a sliver of his muscular forearm. He was studying the documents in his hands. His expression was focused, and his features were stern—a complete transformation from the man who had been on the sofa just moments ago.

Vera sometimes felt that Alex must be gifted with a special talent. One moment, he could whisper words that made her blush and her heart race in her ear. The next, he could switch to "keep your distance" alpha-boss mode faster than turning a page. In this regard, she felt she couldn’t hold a candle to him.

"Mr. Grey, I'll be heading down now." She picked up the folder from the coffee table and spoke in her standard reporting tone.

Alex didn’t even look up, merely grunting, "Mm-hmm," as he casually signed a document.

Vera turned toward the door, her high heels making no sound on the carpet. Just as she gripped the doorknob, his voice came from behind her. “Wait a moment.”

She turned back around. Alex still hadn’t looked up. His tone was casual, as if he were mentioning something trivial: "I have a private cocktail party this weekend and need a date. You’re coming with me.”

It wasn’t a tone of negotiation, but rather a statement of fact.

Vera raised an eyebrow. "That's not within the scope of my job duties, is it, Mr. Grey?"

Alex finally looked up, shifting his gaze from the documents to her face. The corners of his mouth turned up slightly, revealing a half-smile. "Consider it overtime. Triple pay.”

"Deal." Vera agreed crisply, opened the door, and walked out.

She thought she heard a faint chuckle behind her but wasn't sure if she'd misheard.