Chapter 1: My Nightmare
"Are you okay? You look like you're about to pass out."
Laura Robin turned to see a young woman beside her, clutching her folder so tightly that her knuckles had turned white. The waiting room at Conti Corporation buzzed with nervous energy as dozens of candidates sat in pristine leather chairs, all hoping for the same thing… a chance at a new beginning.
"I'm fine," the woman whispered, but her voice shook. "Just... nervous, I guess."
Laura studied her for a moment. The woman looked to be around her age, maybe a year or two younger, with shoulder-length brown hair and kind eyes that seemed too large for her pale face. Her business suit was pressed and professional, but she kept tugging at the sleeves as if trying to hide behind the fabric.
"First job interview?" Laura asked gently, setting down her own folder on the small table between their chairs.
The woman nodded quickly. "Is it that obvious?"
"Only because I recognize the look." Laura offered a small smile. "I'm Laura, by the way. Laura Robin."
"Jane. Jane Desmond." The woman's grip on her folder loosened slightly. "You seem so calm. How do you do it?"
Laura almost laughed at that. Calm was the last thing she felt right now. Her heart had been racing since she'd walked through the glass doors of the forty-story building an hour ago. The marble floors, the towering ceilings, the floor-to-ceiling windows that offered a breathtaking view of the city… everything about this place screamed success and power. Everything she'd dreamed of being part of for the past four years.
"Trust me, I'm just as nervous as you are," Laura admitted. "But I've learned that sometimes you have to fake confidence until you actually feel it."
Jane's shoulders relaxed a fraction. "Really? You don't look nervous at all."
"Years of practice." Laura tucked a strand of her dark hair behind her ear. "What position are you interviewing for?"
"Executive assistant," Jane said. "You?"
"Same." Laura glanced around the waiting room. At least twenty other candidates sat in similar poses of barely contained anxiety. "Looks like we'll have plenty of competition."
"Don't remind me." Jane's voice dropped to almost a whisper. "My mom will kill me if I don't get this job. She's been bragging to all the neighbors about how her daughter's going to work for the most prestigious company in the city."
Laura understood that pressure all too well. She'd been working part-time jobs since graduation, sending most of her paycheck home to help her family while living in a tiny studio apartment that barely qualified as habitable. This job at Conti Corporation wasn't just an opportunity… it was her lifeline.
"Hey," Laura said, reaching over to touch Jane's arm lightly. "Everything's going to be fine. You wouldn't have made it this far if you weren't qualified."
Jane looked down at her name tag, number 20 printed clearly below her name. "I just... I've heard the CEO is really tough. Some people say he's ruthless in interviews."
Laura's stomach tightened, but she kept her voice steady. "Well, we'll find out soon enough. Look." She pointed to her own name tag, which displayed number 19. "We're right next to each other. That means we'll probably go in together. You won't be alone."
"Really?" Jane's eyes lit up for the first time since Laura had noticed her. "That would be amazing. I don't think I could handle walking in there by myself."
"See? Everything works out." Laura tried to ignore the way her own hands had started to shake slightly. She clasped them together in her lap and focused on breathing steadily.
The minutes ticked by with excruciating slowness. Other candidates were called, disappearing behind the imposing oak doors of the interview room, some emerging looking relieved, others appearing dejected. Laura found herself studying each face, trying to gauge her chances based on their expressions.
"Numbers 19 and 20, Laura Robin and Jane Desmond, please report to Interview Room A."
The receptionist's voice cut through the quiet chatter of the waiting room like a blade. Laura felt her heart skip a beat as Jane grabbed her arm.
"This is it," Jane breathed.
"This is it," Laura agreed, standing on legs that felt suddenly unsteady.
They walked across the marble floor together, their heels clicking in unison. The oak doors loomed ahead of them, carved with intricate patterns that probably cost more than Laura made in six months. Jane's breathing had become shallow and quick beside her.
"Remember," Laura whispered just before they reached the doors, "confidence. Even if you have to fake it."
Jane nodded, squaring her shoulders with visible effort.
The receptionist opened the doors for them, and they stepped into the interview room together. Laura's first impression was of overwhelming grandeur… mahogany furniture, paintings that looked like they belonged in a museum, and windows that offered an even more spectacular view of the city than those in the waiting room.
But then her eyes found the long conference table, and her world tilted on its axis.
Five people sat behind the table, all in expensive suits, all looking professional and intimidating. But it was the man in the center, the one clearly in charge, who made Laura's blood freeze in her veins.
Leonard Conti.
Four years older than when she'd last seen him, his dark hair was now perfectly styled rather than the casual waves she remembered. His jawline was sharper, more defined, and his shoulders had filled out beneath what was obviously a custom-tailored suit. But it was his eyes… those piercing green eyes she'd once loved so much… that remained exactly the same. Cold. Calculating. And right now, fixed directly on her with an expression she couldn't quite read.
Time seemed to stop. The other interviewers, Jane beside her, the opulent room… everything faded into background noise as Laura stared at the man who had once held her heart and whom she had broken so completely that he'd disappeared from her life without a trace.
His lips curved into something that might have been a smile if there had been any warmth in it at all.
"Have you seen a ghost?" Leonard's voice was exactly as she remembered it, deep and smooth, but now it carried an edge of ice that made her shiver.
Laura opened her mouth to respond, but no sound came out. Her throat felt like it had closed completely, and she was suddenly aware of every eye in the room on her. Jane shot her a concerned look, clearly wondering why she'd frozen in place.
The silence stretched on, becoming more uncomfortable with each passing second. Leonard's eyes never left her face, and she could see a flicker of something… satisfaction? amusement?... in their green depths.
This was her nightmare come to life. The one job that could save her future, and the one person who could destroy it was sitting right in front of her, holding all the power.
"Miss Robin?" one of the other interviewers prompted gently. "Are you all right?"
But Laura couldn't tear her eyes away from Leonard's face, and she could see in his expression that he was e
njoying every second of her obvious distress. This wasn't a coincidence. This was…