SCARRED HEARTS

CHAPTER 3: RELUCTANT START

Lila barely had time to process what had just happened before a sleek black car pulled up in front of her building. She stood frozen in place for a moment, staring at it through the window of her apartment. This can't be happening, she thought, her heart pounding as she gripped the phone in her hand.

The decision to ignore Sebastian Hawke's call had been a fleeting thought. She knew better than to challenge him now. He didn't take no for an answer. In fact, the more she thought about it, the more she realized she had no control over the situation anymore.

With a heavy sigh, she grabbed her coat, pushed her hair back into place, and stepped out of the apartment. As she walked down the stairs, her mind raced. What was he playing at? This wasn't just about a job, was it? Nothing about Sebastian Hawke was ever just about work. His presence alone had been enough to make her feel like a chess piece on a board she didn't even understand.

As she stepped into the car, the driver, a stoic middle-aged man, didn't look at her. He simply nodded and pulled out onto the street. Lila stared out the window, watching the city pass by in a blur, but her mind remained fixed on one thing: him.

The law firm was located in one of the most exclusive areas of the city, towering above everything else in glass and steel, a symbol of wealth and power. The building itself felt like it belonged in a different world—a world Lila didn't belong to.

The car pulled into the underground garage, and the driver opened the door for her without a word. Lila stepped out, feeling a cold chill on her skin as she walked towards the elevator. She was nervous, no doubt about it. She wasn't prepared for this. She wasn't prepared for him.

As she exited the elevator on the 23rd floor, the receptionist didn't even look up at her. There was no greeting. No smile. Just a sharp nod towards the hallway that led to the offices.

Lila's pulse quickened as she walked toward the massive double doors at the end of the hallway. She had been to this building once before—only to drop off her resume—and now it felt like some twisted joke that she was about to step into its heart.

A moment of hesitation, and then the doors swung open before she could even knock.

Sebastian Hawke stood in the middle of the room, his back to her as he stared out of the enormous windows. The view was nothing short of breathtaking, the city sprawling below in every direction. But it wasn't the view that caught her attention. It was him.

Dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, his silhouette was impossibly sharp, and his presence in the room was overwhelming. He exuded power, the kind that could paralyze a person just by looking at him. But it wasn't just his appearance—it was how he carried himself. It was the way the air around him seemed to bend to his will.

Lila took a deep breath, trying to steel herself. "Mr. Hawke," she began, her voice steady despite the fluttering in her chest. "I wasn't expecting—"

He turned toward her, cutting her off before she could finish. "Good morning, Lila. I trust the ride was comfortable?"

She swallowed hard, forcing herself to meet his gaze. He wasn't smiling, but there was something almost... too casual about the way he spoke to her. As if this was a normal, everyday occurrence. But everything about this felt far from normal.

"I didn't ask for this," she said, finding her voice at last. "You can't just—"

"Don't worry about it," he interrupted smoothly, taking a step toward her. His eyes—those dark, intense eyes—seemed to see straight through her. "You'll get used to it. Besides, you'll need this job. Things are moving quickly."

Lila frowned. "Moving quickly? What do you mean?"

He didn't answer right away, instead walking past her toward his desk, where several files were neatly stacked. Without missing a beat, he sat down, his posture impossibly confident. "I need you to handle some of my personal matters, Lila. I've taken a... personal interest in you. You won't find this job difficult. But you will find it demanding."

Lila stood there, trying to digest his words. "Personal matters?" she repeated, still unsure if she'd heard him right. "I'm not qualified to—"

"Don't worry," he said, his voice now laced with a dark amusement. "You'll figure it out. Trust me." His gaze lingered on her for a moment, making her feel exposed, as though he could read every insecurity she had. "The important thing is, I know you'll be good for this."

Lila's stomach churned at the way his words hung in the air. The unspoken assumption. The quiet power he wielded with nothing more than a look or a sentence. She had no choice but to comply.

And that was the problem.

"You know what I think, Lila?" He leaned back in his chair, his eyes narrowing slightly. "I think you've been hiding your potential for far too long. You're capable of more than you let people see. I can help you. I can show you what you're truly capable of."

Lila couldn't help but feel a strange rush at his words. Something about them made her chest tighten, made her wonder if he was right. Maybe she was capable of more.

But at what cost?

Sebastian stood up abruptly, breaking her train of thought. He walked over to a cabinet, retrieved a thick file, and handed it to her.

"Start with this," he said. "I want it on my desk by the end of the day. We have work to do."

She stared at the file in her hands, not sure what she was supposed to do with it. But before she could ask, he was already back at his desk, his attention on something else entirely.

Her breath caught in her throat. She had no choice now. She had to follow his orders. She had to play his game.

But as she looked at the file in her hands, something gnawed at her. A feeling deep in her gut that she couldn't shake.

Sebastian Hawke was playing with her. He was pulling her deeper into his world, and she had no idea just how dangerous it really was.

As she turned to leave, she couldn't help but wonder: What kind of man had she just agreed to work for?