Under your desk, in your Head!

Chapter 1: First Impressions, Sharp Edges

"You're late."

The voice was low, clipped, and so full of quiet authority it made Sienna Kane's spine straighten as she stepped into the glass-walled conference room. She hated being late. But she hated being dismissed even more.

She looked up and met the infamous Adrian Rathmore's eyes for the first time. Steel grey. Cold. Dissecting.

"Technically, I'm on time," she said calmly, brushing her curls over her shoulder. "The clock hasn't hit nine yet."

Adrian didn't smile. He didn't even blink. He just tilted his head slightly and gestured to the seat across from him.

"Then you're just early enough to waste my time. Sit."

Oh, so he was going to be that kind of boss.

Sienna bit back her retort and sat, smoothing her blazer and crossing her legs. The table between them felt like a battlefield, sleek and sterile. She wasn't going to blink first.

Adrian Rathmore. CEO of Rathmore Industries. Thirty-three. Billionaire. Perfectionist. Rumored to have fired an assistant for bringing him the wrong brand of sparkling water. He was the man her professors at business school had warned them about-ruthless, brilliant, and completely unavailable. The kind of boss who didn't fraternize, didn't forgive, and didn't falter.

He looked like sin in a grey suit.

"You're not from my usual pool of interns," he said finally, flipping through her file without looking at her. "Columbia, marketing top of your class. Impressive. But why here? Why me?"

His tone made it clear he didn't mean that as flattery. More like suspicion.

"Because I want to learn from the best," she replied smoothly.

He finally looked up again, expression unreadable. "Flattery doesn't work on me."

"Good," she said, leaning forward. "Because I wasn't trying to flatter you. Just stating facts."

A muscle twitched in his jaw. For a second, just a second, his lips curled. Not quite a smile-more like recognition. She was the first intern who talked back, and he didn't hate it.

"This internship is going to be demanding. I don't coddle. I don't repeat myself. You'll be expected to learn fast, deliver faster, and never bring emotion into the workplace."

"Understood."

"I don't care about your feelings."

"Perfect. I've got enough of my own."

That made him pause.

The silence was sharp.

"We'll see if you last the month," he said finally, standing. "Follow me. You're assisting me directly. You'll learn by watching. That means staying close. Always."

She rose to her feet. "Sounds like fun."

His eyes flicked to hers. "It won't be."

---

The first week passed in a blur of schedules, meetings, spreadsheets, and Adrian's impossible standards. He was cold, exacting, and brilliant. The kind of man who knew what you were going to say before you said it-and somehow still found it disappointing.

But Sienna? Sienna didn't shrink.

She learned quickly. Anticipated his needs. Spoke when necessary. And occasionally, she argued.

It happened Wednesday. He dismissed one of her suggestions in a pitch meeting with barely a glance. Later, in his office, she knocked once and entered.

"Next time you brush off my idea without hearing it, make sure it's not the one that ends up in Forbes next quarter."

He looked up slowly from his laptop. "Excuse me?"

"I said-"

"I heard you."

He rose, walked toward her. Slowly. Like a storm gathering weight.

"You have three weeks of real-world experience and think you can tell me how to run my company?"

"No," she said, pulse racing. "I think I can offer perspective. Isn't that what you wanted when you brought in new blood?"

He was close now. Too close. His tie brushed her shoulder as he leaned in.

"Careful, intern. That mouth of yours might get you in trouble."

She smiled sweetly. "Only if you're afraid of a challenge."

His eyes dropped to her lips for a heartbeat too long.

"Dismissed," he said, voice lower now. Rougher.

She turned to leave, smirking. That was a win.

---

That night, Adrian sat alone in his office long after everyone had gone. Her file sat untouched on the corner of his desk. But his mind? Very much not untouched.

Sienna Kane wasn't the problem.

The problem was that he liked the problem.

And the way she walked away like she'd already won?

That might be his undoing.