Scarlet had spent the entire morning preparing for the internship interview that afternoon. After so many years of struggling, she had finally made it to her final year. Having gone through so much to get to what she had now, she let out a long sigh.

So, here she was. Standing outside the grand auto glass doors of Thompson Corporation, dressed in white long-sleeved office attire to cover her obvious tattoos and a decent-looking tight black skirt. Looking at her reflection in the glass, it reminded her how foolish she had been as a freshman.

Thompson Corporation was a prominent company which worked in collaboration with her university. Her eligibility to graduate depended highly on her internship with them. She was already twenty-three years old, having repeated a few years in university. One bad comment from them would result in her not achieving the required credits for her final year, and she wouldn’t graduate that year.

It mattered highly to her. Her greatest worry right now was the possibility that Thompson Corporation had already caught wind of her notorious ‘achievements’. If they rejected her internship, it would not go well on her. Surely she could get into another company, but there were high chances that they would learn about her all the same and judge her for her past.

Going forward from there, she might not even be able to land a good job. City Andorora was a city with a small population, and news in the private sector got out relatively quickly.

She mustered her courage and entered the building. After some shuffling of papers, the lady at the front desk took her name and ushered her into the elevator. Sensing the discomfort of eyes around her, she kept her eyes down until it reached the CEO’s floor.

She wasn’t sure what to expect. The CEO’s executive secretary took over and told her to wait in a room where the CEO would see her next.

And then she waited. Her heart thumped in her chest hearing loud footsteps outside her room. Her eyes still facing the floor, she drew in her breath. The footsteps gradually deepened, until they stopped just near her. She kept her eyes on the floor, unsure of the sudden fear that instilled her.

“You are Shayle Clark,” a deep and dark-sounding voice mouthed . That familiarity in his voice, who was he?

She tried to look up at the owner of the voice but her body didn’t obey her. She was still fear-stricken. All she saw from the ground was dark black boots and black slacks.

“Are you scared of me, Shayle Clark?” the voice continued. “Don’t you know that it’s rude to not look up into the eyes of the person talking to you?”

“I’m sorry,” her teeth chattered. Sensing a force pulling at her, she immediately looked up to stare into the eyes of the man.

Something was controlling her, forcing her to return his gaze. Her legs buckled under her, mystifying her and leaving her defenceless. What kind of man was he to have this compulsion over her?

He smiled and lifted her into his arms without a further word.

“Scarlet,” he hissed inside her ears. “I’ve heard you will do anything just for a passing grade. Let’s see where this journey takes us.”

His words rendered her speechless, causing her to lose control over her own body. Everything around her spinned uncontrollably.

And this was just the beginning to a long journey between her and the CEO. Sim Thompson, a man she had once known but forgotten. What his aim was from her, she didn’t know just yet.