Chapter 1

The office of Evermark Developments was a sleek blend of efficiency and controlled chaos. Phones rang, keyboards clattered, and somewhere in the background, a frustrated intern was trying to unjam the copier. It was the kind of place where deals were made over half-drunk cups of coffee and blueprints were sketched on the backs of napkins.

At the center of it all was Cassian Hayes, the CEO. A contractor mogul, known for turning barren lots into towering skyscrapers, Cassian wasn't just successful—he was relentless. Tall, sharp-jawed, and always dressed in well-tailored suits that somehow still carried traces of sawdust, he was the kind of man who never truly left a construction site, even when he was behind a desk.

And beside him, the ever-reliable Sienna Caldwell, his secretary, personal assistant, and, if they were being honest, the one who made sure his empire didn't crumble under its own weight. She had been with him since their university days, back when they were both studying civil engineering and project management. Back then, Cassian had been the ambitious one, always pushing boundaries, while Sienna was the pragmatic planner, the one who made sure deadlines didn't become casualties of his vision.

Now, years later, their dynamic hadn't changed much.

"Cassian, your 11 AM with the investors is in ten minutes, and no, you do not have time to rewrite half the proposal," Sienna announced, standing in the doorway of his office, arms crossed.

Cassian didn't even look up from the sketch he was working on. "Tell them I'll be five minutes late."

"You were five minutes late yesterday."

"Then tell them it's tradition."

Sienna sighed but handed him the tablet with the meeting details. "Fine. But if they walk out, I'm not saving you."

"You always do," he smirked.

And she did. Because if Cassian was the one building towers, Sienna was the one making sure they didn't collapse.

Her POV

There were days when I loved my job. And then there were days when I had to pull a lacy red thong out of the office trash can before the investors walked in.

Cassian Hayes, the contractor mogul, the man whose face was on business magazines, the genius who built half the skyline, was, in fact, the trashiest man I had ever met.

I stared at the offending piece of fabric, dangling between my fingers like it personally owed me an apology. My disgust was only matched by my lack of surprise.

"Cassian," I hissed through clenched teeth, turning toward the culprit, who was still hunched over his desk, sketching some new project like he wasn't the reason I was currently holding a stranger's underwear.

"What?" He didn't even glance up. "You sound angry."

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because I just found someone's delicates in your trash? Next to your breakfast sandwich wrapper?" I tossed the offending fabric into the nearest drawer and slammed it shut. "Do you have any shame?"

He leaned back, stretching lazily, completely unbothered. "Not before 10 AM."

I massaged my temples. This man. This ridiculous, brilliant, completely incapable of managing his own life man. "Who even leaves underwear in an office—wait, no, don't answer that. I don't want to know."

Cassian smirked. "It's a mystery, truly."

"No, what's a mystery is how you function without me."

"I don't," he admitted easily, grinning like a menace.

I didn't have time to deal with his nonsense. Investors. Right. The reason I was here and not setting his entire office on fire.

I straightened my blazer, grabbed my tablet, and inhaled deeply. Professionalism. I was the glue that held this place together. I had gotten Cassian through worse—permits lost in transit, construction delays, that time he called a city official 'a bureaucratic leech' to his face. This was just another crisis.

A crisis involving lingerie disposal, but a crisis nonetheless.

As the investors walked in, I smiled like I hadn't just been handling evidence of my boss's questionable life choices and took control.

"Gentlemen, thank you for coming," I began smoothly, ushering them into the conference room. "Mr. Hayes has some exciting developments to share, and I'll be assisting in making sure all your concerns are addressed."

Cassian, now fully engaged, leaned forward, all charm and business. This was the part he was good at. When he wasn't being a walking HR violation, he was a genius with blueprints, convincing people that his vision was the only future worth investing in.

I sat beside him, keeping everything on track, occasionally kicking his foot under the table when he got too ambitious. We made a good team. Even if one of us belonged in a recycling bin.

By the time the meeting ended, the investors were impressed, the deal was secured, and Cassian shot me a smug look as they left.

"See? No one walked out."

I rolled my eyes, grabbing my coffee. "Because I saved you."

"You love saving me," he teased.

And damn it, I did.

Because for all his messiness, his chaotic personal life, and his ability to make my blood pressure skyrocket, there was no one I trusted more to make something extraordinary out of nothing.

And he trusted me to keep it all from burning down.

"Dinner with me?"

"Sure."