THE CEO's ASSISTANT:THE GIRL HE NEVER FORGOT

Elena Brooks stood outside the towering glass building of Knight Holdings, staring at the silver letters fixed above the entrance.

KNIGHT HOLDINGS.

She tightened her grip around the strap of her handbag and took a slow breath.

This was it.

After weeks of sending applications to companies that never bothered to reply, countless interviews that ended with polite smiles and vague promises, and several rejection emails she had stopped counting, she had finally been given a chance.

It wasn't her dream job.

At least, she wasn't sure it was.

But it was a job.

And right now, that was enough.

Elena glanced at her reflection in the glass doors. Her dark hair was neatly pulled back, and the simple cream blouse she had ironed twice that morning was still perfectly in place. She looked composed.

She didn't feel composed.

Her stomach had been twisting since she woke up.

"Don't mess this up," she whispered to herself.

Then she pushed through the doors.

The lobby was larger than she had expected. Polished marble stretched beneath her feet, while the walls were decorated with modern artwork and enormous screens displaying advertisements for the company's latest projects.

Employees moved around with purpose, most of them dressed in expensive-looking suits.

Elena suddenly became very aware of her modest outfit.

She lowered her gaze and walked toward the reception desk.

"Good morning."

The receptionist looked up with a professional smile.

"Good morning. How can I help you?"

"My name is Elena Brooks. I'm here for a job interview."

The receptionist typed something into her computer.

"Ms. Brooks?"

"Yes."

"You're expected."

Elena blinked.

"I'm expected?"

"Yes. The HR manager is waiting for you." She pointed toward the elevators. "Twenty-second floor."

"Oh."

Elena thanked her and walked away.

As the elevator doors closed, she released the breath she hadn't realized she was holding.

Twenty-second floor.

Her heart began beating faster.

She wasn't sure why the receptionist's words had unsettled her. Perhaps it was because she had expected another ordinary interview where she would sit across from an HR manager, answer questions about her qualifications, and leave with a promise that they would contact her.

But apparently, today was going to be different.

The elevator reached the twenty-second floor.

Ding.

The doors opened.

Elena stepped out.

The atmosphere immediately changed.

The lobby downstairs had been busy and noisy. This floor was quiet-almost unnaturally so.

A woman sitting behind a large reception desk looked up.

"Ms. Brooks?"

"Yes."

"Come with me."

Elena followed her down a long hallway lined with glass offices.

She noticed something strange.

There were no employees talking.

No phones ringing.

Everyone seemed unusually careful.

As they approached the end of the hallway, Elena saw a large black door.

The woman stopped.

"Mr. Knight is expecting you."

Elena's eyebrows lifted.

"Mr. Knight?"

The woman gave her a brief look.

"Yes."

Before Elena could ask anything else, the woman knocked twice.

A deep voice came from inside.

"Come in."

The door opened.

Elena stepped inside.

And for the first time, she saw him.

Adrian Knight.

The man behind the desk didn't look up immediately. His attention remained on the document in front of him, one hand resting beside a sleek black pen.

He wore a perfectly tailored charcoal suit.

Everything about him looked controlled.

Precise.

Untouchable.

Then he slowly lifted his eyes.

Grey.

Elena froze.

For one strange second, neither of them spoke.

Adrian's expression remained unreadable, but something shifted in his eyes.

Recognition.

Elena couldn't understand it.

She had never met him before.

At least, she didn't think she had.

"Ms. Brooks," he said.

His voice was calm, deep, and surprisingly familiar.

Elena swallowed.

"Yes, sir."

Adrian leaned back slightly in his chair, studying her.

"You're late."

Elena's eyes widened.

"I-I'm sorry. The traffic-"

"I wasn't referring to today."

Her words disappeared.

Adrian's gaze remained fixed on her.

"You're late," he repeated quietly, "by several years."

Elena stared at him, completely confused.

"What do you mean?"

For the first time, something resembling emotion crossed Adrian Knight's face.

He looked almost haunted.

Then his eyes dropped briefly to Elena's wrist.

To the thin silver bracelet she had worn every day for as long as she could remember.

His jaw tightened.

"You really don't remember me, do you?"

Elena instinctively touched the bracelet.

And suddenly, something inside her chest tightened.

A memory.

A boy.

Rain.

A promise she had made many years ago.

But before she could grasp it, the memory vanished.

Adrian looked away.

"Sit down, Elena."

She slowly lowered herself into the chair opposite him.

She had come here expecting a job interview.

She had no idea she had just walked back into someone's past.

And Adrian Knight had been waiting for her.