Sienna Cole jolted awake to the sharp sting of sunlight filtering through the blinds and the shrill ring of her alarm. She flung an arm over her face and groaned. Late. Again. How had she managed to sleep through her alarm on the day of her biggest interview she'd had in months?
Her small apartment felt suffocating—cluttered with unpaid bills, empty coffee mugs, and a persistent smell of yesterday's takeout. She scrambled out of bed,the worn carpet cold under her bare feet. Today had to be different. This job was her last shot at something better. No more coffee shops, no more temp agencies. Just one shot at Blake & Co., and she had to nail it.
A quick call to her mom "Monica Cole" was the only thing keeping her grounded. Monica's voice was steady and warm on the other end. "You got this, Sienna. Just be yourself. The rest will fall into place."
She wished she could believe that.
Her phone buzzed with a reminder:
INTERVIEW — Blake & Co. — 9:00 a.m. — Midtown HQ.
She had exactly 33 minutes to get downtown for the interview that could change her life.
The address alone made her stomach twist. She was about to walk into the lion's den — a place whispered about in job boards and horror stories.
She yanked over drawers,tossing clothes like a hurricane until she found something halfway
Professional: a wrinkled white blouse and a pencil skirl that clung tighter than she remembered. Her blazer looked like it had been in a fight with her laundry basket.
No time for ironing. No time for food. Please let the universe be kind today.
She poured herself the world's sloppiest cup of coffee— and immediately sloshed half of it down her blouse.
"Perfect", she muttered. She dabbed at the stain,gave up,and pulled her curls into a low bun with tho Bobby pins and a prayer.
As she ran out the door, she tried to ignore the tension coiled in her chest. She needed this job. Her savings were microscopic, her rent was overdue, and her last temp gig had ghosted her mid-pay circle.
If this didn't work out, she'd be back to serving lattes with fake smiles and aching feets. Again.
•Arrival at Blake & Co.
The building was nothing short of intimidating. All sleek black glass and steel,it towered over the street like it knew it was better than everything around it — kind of like it's owner.
Blake & Co. was a luxury branding empire,known for reinventing everyone from washed-up celebrities to billion-dollar corporations. It was also infamous for one thing: Julian Blake.
The man himself had a reply for being brilliant,ruthless,and emotionally unavailable—the kind of boss who could silence a room with a look. And Sienna was about to meet him face to face.
She rushed through a revolving doors,nearly colliding with a woman in a Chanel suit. Her heels clacked loudly on the marble floor as she approached the front desk.
"Name?"the receptionist asked without glancing up.
"Sienna Cole. I—I'm here for the nine o'clock with Mr. Blake."
The woman's eyes flicked up, taking in her stained blouse and flushed face. She didn't say anything— just tapped on her keyboard, then said, "Top floor. He's expecting you."
Sienna took a deep breath and stepped into the elevator. As the doors closed, her reflection stared back at her in the mirrored walls.
"You got this," she whispered, trying to sound more confident than she felt. "Just… don't say anything stupid."
The numbers ticked up. Her palms grew slick. Her stomach flipped once, twice. And then the elevator dinged.
• The interview with Julian Blake
The office was silent — so silent it made her heels sound offensive. The assistant outside Julian's office gave her a quick once-over,then opened the glass door without a word.
Julian Blake stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, hands in his pockets,back ramrod straight as he stared out over the city like he owned it.
He turned slowly, and when his eyes met hers, it was like being pinned in place.
He was younger than she expected — mid- thirties,maybe —and unfairly handsome in a sharp-edged way. Perfectly tailored charcoal suit, steel-grey eyes, jaw tight with the kind of tension that looked permanent.
"You're late," he said.
She opened her mouth,then closed it again. Don't explain. Don't beg.
"Traffic," she replied instead, chin tilted slightly.
He arched an eyebrow. "We start at nine. Not five after."
She sat in the chair across from him, crossing her legs tightly. "Then I will be five minutes early next time."
Julian's eyes narrowed,just slightly. "Let's hope there is a next time."
The next twenty minutes were brutal. He grilled her on everything—her last job, why she lady it, what she thought of brand strategy in the digital age.
"Explain to me," he said coolly, "how you would rebrand crumbling luxury label with no budget and declining social metrics."
Sienna blinked. "Well… I'd start by identifying what made them relevant in the first place, then use that nostalgia in a fresh campaign— maybe influencer—driven but authentic. Not glossy. Vulnerable. Make them feel human again."
Julian didn't blink. " And of it didn't work?"
"Then I'd burn it down and start over," she said. "Better to be bold and memorable than safe and forgettable."
There was a pause.
Julian leaned back slightly. "Interesting answer."
She couldn't tell if he meant it or if he was about to escort her out of the building.
His gaze was unreadable, but the hair had shifted. The poster dynamic wasn't so one-sided anymore.
Julian Blake didn't blink,didn't smile,didn't give away a damn think.
He stood slowly, adjusting the cuffs of his suit jacket with precise,practiced movements—the kind of calm that felt like a warning.
Sienna shifted in her seat,half-waiting for the words "Thanks for coming, we'll be in touch." But they didn't come.
Instead,he looked straight at her with those cold , unreadable eyes and said "Most people who sit in that chair try to impress me."
She blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift in tone. "And?"
"You didn't," he simply said. "You just told the truth."
Sienna wasn't sure if it was a compliment or a subtle insult. "Would you have preferred I lie?"
Julian stepped closer, resting one hand casually on the back on a nearby chair,the other in his pocket. "I would've spotted it either way."
She gave a tight smile, pulse thumping in her throat. "So… did the truth help me or hurt me?"
There was a pause.Then:
"You start Monday. Seven-thirty sharp"
Her mouth opened slightly. "Excuse me?"
"You're hired, Ms. Cole."
The words landed like bricks. "Wait—just like that?"
He didn't repeat himself.He didn't need to
" I— thank you," she said quickly,still trying to process it. " I won't let you down."
Julian eyes narrowed slightly, just a flicker.
"You will. Eventually. Everyone does."
That stunned her for a second. "Well… I'll try to disappoint you creatively, then."
That, unexpectedly, earned the barest twitch of his lip — not quite a smile, but dangerously close.
"Try not to," he said. "There's no creativity in termination paperwork."
Charming.
Sienna rose to her feet, aware of how stiff her limbs had become under his intense gaze. "Is there anything I should prepare before Monday?"
Julian turned back toward the window, hands now clasped behind his back. "Familiarize yourself with the Nylo campaign brief. And cancel whatever plans you think you'll have outside this office. We work late."
Her brows lifted, but she nodded. "Got it."
He didn't respond. She wasn't even sure he was still listening. His body was there, yes, but his mind seemed already on the next move — the next strategy, the next win.
"Thank you again," she said, lingering for one second longer than she should've, watching the back of him in that tailored suit like he was a puzzle she might one day figure out.
Still, nothing.
Dismissed.
She turned and walked out, her heartbeat pounding in her ears — not from fear anymore, but something stranger. Something sharper.
As the glass door shut behind her, she heard a faint voice from the assistant's desk.
"You lasted longer than most."
Sienna glanced over. The assistant, a poised blonde woman named Lillian, gave her a look that was equal parts impressed and… pitying.
"Thanks," Sienna said uncertainly. "I think."
Then she stepped into the elevator, alone with her spinning thoughts and the wild realization that she had just been hired by Julian Blake — a man whose reputation was as sharp as his jawline, and twice as dangerous.
And maybe — just maybe — that interview had gone worse than it should have…
but better than she ever expected.
The elevator doors slid shut with a soft ding, enclosing Sienna in a glass box of silence and disbelief.
Her reflection stared back at her — flushed cheeks, lipstick slightly smudged, curls a little frizzy from the wind, eyes wide with something that hovered between shock and Are you kidding me?
She stared at herself for a long second.
"What just happened?"
Had that actually gone well? Or had she hallucinated the entire thing from a combination of adrenaline and caffeine?
The truth landed slowly, like a bucket of cold water.
She got the job.
She had walked into that office late, sweaty, half-caffeinated, and wearing mismatched shoes… and somehow managed to convince Julian Blake, the human equivalent of a glacier in a Gucci suit, to hire her.
Either she was incredibly good — or he was incredibly desperate.
Maybe both.
The elevator reached the ground floor, and she stepped out into the bustling lobby of Blake & Co., her heels clicking a little more confidently now. The icy receptionist from earlier raised an eyebrow as Sienna passed — like she didn't expect her to be walking out with a job offer.
Sienna resisted the urge to stick out her tongue.
Outside, the morning sun had risen higher, casting the sidewalk in a too-bright light that didn't match the mood still clinging to her skin.
She took a breath.
Then another.
And finally — she smiled.
But the smile didn't last long. Because almost immediately, panic elbowed its way back in.
What if it was a mistake?
What if he'd only hired her to fire her later for sport? What if this was some elaborate power game where she was the pawn and he was the bored billionaire king?
She'd heard stories — horror stories — about Julian Blake. He was cold. Unforgiving. Brilliant, but brutal. He once fired a senior associate for using Comic Sans in a pitch deck. (Okay, fair. But still.)
Could she handle him? Could she survive his world of twenty-hour workdays, zero tolerance policies, and egos the size of Manhattan?
Her phone buzzed in her purse, interrupting the spiral.
She answered without looking. "Hello?"
"SO?!" Maya's voice practically exploded through the speaker.
Sienna laughed despite herself, pressing a hand to her forehead. "I got it."
There was a pause. Then a scream that made a pigeon fly off a nearby lamp post.
"SHUT UP! You got it?! You're officially employed by Blake & Co?! Oh my God, you're gonna be rich! When do you start?"
"Monday," Sienna said, still in disbelief. "And I think I already have stress-induced heartburn."
"Oh, honey, it's not a real job if your digestive system doesn't quit. But still — we are celebrating tonight. Wine. Pizza. Possibly tequila. I'll bring all three."
Sienna smiled, sinking onto a nearby bench, her legs finally admitting they were jelly. "It was intense, Maya. He's…"
"Hot?"
"Terrifying," she corrected.
"Those two things can co-exist."
"He barely said two words outside of questions. And he stared at me like he was dissecting my soul. I don't even know why he hired me."
Maya snorted. "Because you're smart, capable, and lowkey a genius. Also, men like Julian Blake love a challenge."
Sienna groaned. "Don't start."
"I'm just saying — this has enemies-to-lovers written all over it."
"It's not a romance novel, Maya. It's a corporate job."
Maya's voice was smug. "Until Chapter Four."
"Goodbye," Sienna muttered, hanging up before her friend could start planning a fake wedding hashtag.
She leaned back against the bench and stared up at the skyline. The Blake & Co. tower glittered in the sunlight — sharp, cold, intimidating.
And now, part of her world.
This job could change everything. Pay off her student loans. Help her finally move out of her tiny apartment. Give her the kind of career she'd dreamed about since college.
But something about Julian Blake still unsettled her. Not just his demeanor. Not just the razor-sharp way he looked at the world. But the way he looked at her.
Not like she was disposable.
Not like she was impressive.
Like she was… unexpected.
Sienna didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
But she was going to find out.