Naomi's heart raced as she saw the large, impressive house. She knew it well; during her four years with James, which didn't work out, she had been there twice. But she never guessed that James Kingston was connected to her boss, Damian Kingston. Even though they had the same last name, it never occurred to her. She never thought she'd be stuck between these two men from the Kingston family: one her ex-boyfriend, and the other her boss and someone she had a brief relationship with.
She knew James was an only child whose dad had died, and his uncle was taking care of him. She didn't know that this 'uncle' was young and very good-looking.
'After James hurt me, I really don't want to be here. I can't face James, especially now that he's introducing Mia as his future wife,' she thought, biting her lip nervously. She was so lost in thought that she didn't see Damian watching her closely.
Damien focused on her lips, recalling how he had passionately kissed her. His eyes grew intense with longing, and he felt a tension in his pants. He quickly looked away.
'This is frustrating. Why is she having such an impact on me? She was meant to be James's fiancée. But there must be some issue between them. Sara always praised her. What's really going on? Who is the woman that led Ida into my room? And who is this fiancée James is talking about today?' he thought.
Their car pulled up to the European-style Kingston mansion. Damian saw that his assistant looked very pale and still in her seat.
"How much longer do you plan to stay here?" he asked in a calm voice. She quickly turned to him, looking flustered and ashamed. She hurried out of the car, and he followed.
Reporters were gathered around with their microphones and cameras. A temporary stage was set up on the right side of the mansion for James's announcement.
"Uncle, we've been waiting for you," James said eagerly, hurrying to greet him. However, when he noticed Naomi behind Damian, he stopped suddenly, his face turning pale from surprise. He was terrified of what his uncle might do if he found out about James's secret relationship with Mia and his dishonesty towards Naomi.
Damian noticed James's scared expression. 'Why is James so frightened?' he thought.
"Hello, I'm Mia, James's fiancée," Mia said confidently, approaching them. But just like James, she stopped in her tracks when she saw Naomi.
'Why is she here? Is she going to expose me? If she tells Damian anything, I'll be thrown out immediately. I need to do something quickly,' Mia worried, her thoughts racing.
When Mia hugged her, Naomi felt like pushing her away but didn't want to cause a scene on her first day at work. She subtly moved away and stepped back.
"Oh Naomi! You didn't say you were coming. It's nice to see you," Mia said with a pretend smile.
"Excuse me," Naomi said and walked over to President Kingston.
"President Kingston, please follow me," Naomi said, leading Damian to the press conference area. Damian followed, not paying attention to James and his fiancée. He knew Mia from a video he saw earlier—she was the one who pushed Naomi into his room and locked the door. He realized what was going on and why his nephew's fiancée had changed.
'This Mia girl is trouble. I can't let James marry her. She'll damage our family's reputation. A woman who would leave her friend in a stranger's room can't be trusted,' he thought.
"Ms. Hampton," he called, stopping Naomi. She turned to face him, trying to stay calm with his serious look.
"Yes, sir?" she asked, trying to seem calm, even though thinking about the night before made her blush.
Damian gave her a look that showed he understood her thoughts. He held back his feelings and concentrated on what needed to be done. "Tell my nephew and his future wife to come to my office," he said, then turned and went into the big house.
Naomi felt a sigh inside her. She really didn't want to talk to James and Mia, but she had to follow the order. She went over to the couple, who were giving her angry looks.
"President Kingston needs to talk to you two in his office," she told them in a dull voice, then hurried after her boss.
Mia was angry but couldn't show it with the reporters nearby. One wrong move could be very bad for her. James was scared. 'Did my uncle learn about what we did?' he thought, afraid of Damian's anger. He went into the house, not wanting the upcoming talk. He blamed himself for his relationship with Mia, knowing his lack of control had caused this situation.
Damian, who was the next in line to lead the Kingston family, started handling his duties when he was young, which made him strict with his family members. Everyone in the family was afraid of him. He was proud of never making mistakes—until now. His mistake was walking into his office with his eyes looking down and leaving the door open on purpose.
"It seems like you're afraid to be in the same room with me," he said slowly and casually.
Naomi quickly looked up, her eyes filled with fear and worry. She wanted to quit as soon as she realized who he was, but she had worked so hard to get this job. She had only heard good things about Damian, who was known for working a lot and being a fair boss. It would be hard to find another job like this, and she had student loans and bills to pay. She was afraid he might think she was after his money, which wasn't true.
"No... I... I..." she stammered, unable to speak clearly.
Damian looked at her with sympathy, understanding her struggle.