Chapter 1

The summer after high school graduation, just as the world felt like it was opening up, I was diagnosed with stomach cancer.

Of all times, that was when Sienna Sterling chose to confess her feelings to me.

With my life hanging in the balance and my future uncertain, I did the only thing I could―I pushed her away as hard as I could.

But fate wasn't finished with me yet, and against all odds, I beat the cancer.

Six years later, Sienna appeared again, but this time she was the one sitting across the desk as my interviewer.

She cornered me in the men's restroom, her eyes burning with a cold intensity.

"Asher Lindberg, how about we swap roles today? You play the person begging, and maybe I'll let you pass this interview."

1

When I caught sight of Sienna Sterling sitting on the interview panel, my heart nearly stopped.

Without thinking, I turned and bolted toward the nearest restroom, desperate for a moment to breathe.

But she didn't let me go that easily. She followed me, her heels clicking rhythmically on the tile, until she had me trapped in a stall.

"Sienna, this is the men's room!" I hissed, my back pressed against the cold metal door.

"And this is my company," she countered, her voice smooth and dangerous.

I stared at her, my eyes wide.

After two years of fighting cancer, I had managed to get back into a top-tier university and thought I was doing great for myself.

But the harsh reality was that I had lost two years of my life, and my peers were already light-years ahead of me in the corporate world.

"Just let me out," I pleaded. "I have an interview to get to."

She was dressed in a sharp professional skirt that accentuated her curves, and I couldn't help but swallow hard as I looked at her.

Sienna noticed my gaze and intentionally adjusted the hem of her stockings, a playful yet mocking smirk on her lips. "Do you like what you see?"

I felt like a deer in headlights, nodding instinctively before shaking my head frantically.

"Hmph. You vanished for six years without a single word. Do you honestly think I'm just going to let you walk through that door?"

Guilt washed over me as I looked at her perfect, beautiful face, and I found myself at a total loss for words.

"This feels like you're using your position to settle a personal grudge," I managed to say.

"Good," she whispered, stepping closer until I could smell the faint, delicate scent of orchids clinging to her skin. "At least you remember we have a grudge."

I tried to back up, but I was already pinned against the wall with nowhere left to run.

"Asher, what if we trade places? If you do what I did back then, maybe I'll give you the job. What do you say?"

"What do you mean, trade places?" I asked, my mind racing.

"You tell me," she whispered.

Is she playing mind games with me?

While I stood there in a daze, she slowly closed her eyes, tilting her face up as if waiting for a kiss.

Looking at her soft, red lips, my brain felt like it was short-circuiting.

I came here for a job, and now I'm being cornered in a bathroom by a female CEO…

This felt like a dream, but it was a dream I didn't dare to touch.

Taking advantage of the moment her eyes were closed, I didn't hesitate. I shoved past her and bolted out the door.

I knew this was her way of getting back at me.

Six years ago, I had broken her heart, and she clearly hadn't forgotten the sting of that rejection.

I decided right then that I didn't want the job anymore.

As soon as I stepped out of the building, my phone buzzed with a message from an unknown number.

"Coward. Get your ass back here and finish the interview!"

I gritted my teeth and immediately blocked the number.

If I said I didn't regret it, I'd be lying. If I had known back then that I was going to live, I never would have pushed her away.

The memory of her heartbroken face after I rejected her still haunted my dreams.

The very next day back then, I had left with my father to a specialized hospital in another state.

I cut off contact with everyone I knew.

My dad always told me that I didn't just have a stubborn face―my heart was as hard as a rock too.

To put it simply, my pride was a disease of its own.

Luckily, I managed to land a job at a second company I interviewed for.

The awkward part was that it was located in the exact same office tower as Sienna's firm.

I was on the 18th floor, and she was on the 26th.

Every day, I lived in a state of constant anxiety, terrified that I might run into her in the lobby or the elevator.

Sure enough, during my second week, the crisis I had been dreading finally arrived.

I had started staying late for thirty minutes every day, convinced that a big boss like her would never work overtime.

I was wrong.

When the elevator doors slid open, Sienna was standing there, her head down as she looked over some reports.

I tried to pull a quick U-turn, but she was faster, grabbing my arm and yanking me into the elevator before the doors could close.

I'm a big guy, but she pulled me with such force that I nearly lost my balance.

She quickly leaned her head forward to steady me, her forehead pressing against my chest as I wobbled.

"You big idiot," she muttered.

I was stunned by the contact, frozen for a few seconds before I could pull myself together.

She realized how close we were and flushed a deep red, stepping back and smoothing out her clothes as the atmosphere turned incredibly awkward.

"Working on the 18th floor now?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"At least you've learned to stay within my reach this time."

Six years hadn't changed her; she was just as self-absorbed as ever.

I stayed silent, pretending I hadn't heard a word she said.

But when the elevator doors opened again, things got even more embarrassing.

I had forgotten to press the button for the lobby and had followed her all the way down to the underground parking garage.

"Sorry, I actually need to go back up," I said, feeling a bad omen creeping up on me.