Chapter Two: The Secretary's Secret

...IN YOUR ARMS...

...(whispered in the shadows)...

...By: nogr_scapeink...

**Chapter Two: The Secretary's Secret**

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Inside the private elevator of Vondelvier Corp's high-rise, silence stretched between them—not awkward, but sharp. Electric.

She stood to his left, tablet in hand, eyes scanning the upcoming schedule. Her posture was crisp, cold, professional. Just like always.

But behind that polished image was something raw. Something hidden.

He leaned slightly closer, his voice low, teasing her skin with every syllable.

“Cancel the board meeting after lunch.”

She blinked once. “The directors will protest. It's the quarterly review.”

His lip curved. “I’m not asking.”

She exhaled, lips barely parting. “Yes, Mr. Vondelvier.”

He glanced down. No one would guess the woman who obeyed him so effortlessly in the office had once thrown a knife at his head on their wedding night.

Or that she could disarm a man twice her size in under five seconds.

He remembered it well—the way her eyes didn’t flinch, even when she held a blade to his throat. The way she said "I do" not out of affection, but obligation.

For his dying mother.

He hadn't expected love. He hadn't wanted it. But here he was, married to a woman who haunted his mind more than the empire he built.

The elevator dinged open.

They stepped into the executive floor. Staff stood straighter. Heads bowed slightly. No one dared speak unless spoken to.

Darken’s presence commanded fear. But hers? It stirred something else—curiosity. Lust. Confusion.

Because she didn’t act like the boss’s mistress. Or a flirt climbing the ladder. She was too composed. Too untouchable. The perfect secretary.

But no one knew the truth.

That last night… she'd been beneath him, her nails digging into his skin, whispering his real name, not just “sir.” That in the privacy of their bedroom, she surrendered—not out of weakness—but choice.

And yet by morning, she was back to calling him Mr. Vondelvier like nothing ever happened.

He hated it. And loved it.

In his office, the door closed behind them.

He turned to her. “Lock it.”

She pressed the button. The electronic lock clicked.

He stepped closer. His gaze dropped to her lips. “How long will you keep pretending?”

She didn’t flinch. “Pretending what?”

“That you’re just my secretary.”

Silence.

He reached out, tilting her chin up. “You're my wife, dammit. Say it.”

Her pulse quickened, but her voice remained steady. “And you're my boss. Here, I work for you. That’s the deal we made.”

He leaned in until their foreheads touched.

“F*ck the deal.”

His lips grazed hers. Not a kiss. A threat. A promise. A taste of what was his.

“I can protect you, you know,” he whispered. “You don’t have to carry everything on your own.”

Her voice cracked. Just a little. “I’ve carried myself longer than anyone ever has.”

“Then let me be the first to change that.”

And for just a second, her guard dropped.

She let him kiss her—deep, slow, consuming.

And for that one stolen moment, time froze, for that moment they weren't just the king or queen of the underworld were not CEO and secretary, not killers, not survivors.

Just man and woman.

Lovers hiding in the shadows.

But the peace wouldn’t last long.

Because outside that door…

War was coming.

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