THE BILLIONAIRE'S UNSEEN HEART

CHAPTER 4

Emily stood outside the huge glass structure that housed her father's firm headquarters, her stomach churning with a combination of nervousness and determination. As she set out on her first day in this strange new environment, the task appeared insurmountable. Unlike the dark, comfortable inside of her bookshop, the sun shone off the modern windows. This was a different world—one of power, money, and great stakes. And James Sterling, with his sharp suits and sharper tongue, was the gatekeeper.

The clean smell of fresh paper and polished flooring hit her as she walked inside the facility. Everything was exactly clean, precise, and maybe too flawless. She felt uncomfortable in her understated outfit—a beige cardigan over a modest dress—her practical shoes softly padding against the marble floor. A universe apart from the high heels and fine outfits of the folks whirling about her. As she headed to the lift, her fingers tightened around the strap of her purse.

James was already in the meeting room when she entered; his eyes narrowed somewhat as he examined her appearance. Of course, he was perfectly attired; his dark suit fit exactly, and his attitude was as cold as usual. He hardly noticed her as she arrived, his eyes fixed on the documents before him.

"Good morning," Emily began, her voice tinged with a little tremble. She despised the way he made her feel insignificant and out of her element. She was resolved, though, not to let him know how much he shook her.

James answered sharply, without looking up at Miss Hayes. "Let us now get going. Shall we? We have plenty to go through.

Emily sat across from him and felt annoyed at his contemptuous attitude. She was not about to allow him to treat her like a child even if she knew she was new to this world. She straightened her spine and met his eye with as much assurance as she could.

She asked, attempting to keep her voice steady: "Where do we begin?"

James moved a stack of papers across the table towards her, his face inscrutable. " These are the past quarter's financial statements. If you intend to run the business, you have to get familiar with them.

Emily grabbed the papers, her gaze glancing over the dense numerical and linguistic columns. She had no idea where to start and it was overwhelming. She looked up at James, expecting some direction, but he just watched her expectantly, as though waiting for her to fail.

She became frustrated inside. Her tone was more defensive than she intended, she said, "This is all Greek to me." " James, I am not an accountant. None of this makes sense to me at all.

James raised an eyebrow and curved his lips into a thin, almost contemptuous smirk. "Then Miss Hayes, it's time you learned." The business world does not pardon ignorance.

Emily fought back a stinging comeback while his words lingered. Though she realized she was out of her element, she wasn't about to let him humiliate her. She was resolved to prove herself; to show him she was not simply some naive bookshop owner who had happened onto a fortune.

Then teach me, she responded, her voice strong. Show me what I ought to know.

James briefly saw something flickering in his eyes—something that seemed almost like astonishment. But it was gone as quickly as it appeared, replaced by his usual cold, detached approach. Leaning back in his chair, he folded his arms across his chest.

Very well, he said. "We will start with the foundations."

Emily battled to keep up with James's fast-fire explanations as the following two hours were an intense financial education. Though his speech had a little superiority that made her squirm, he was tolerant enough. He answered every time she asked a question with slight irritability, as though her ignorance offended him personally.

But Emily was nothing except driven. She made herself concentrate, to absorb as much as she could. She took notes, asked questions, and attempted to overcome the frustration that threatened to consume her. With each question she asked, she could see James getting angrier, but she wouldn't give up.

Emily's brain was whirling by the time they stopped, but she knew a basic grasp of the financial statements. Though little, it was a beginning.

James said, standing, "Not bad for a first lesson," his tone grudgingly acknowledging her efforts.

Not sure whether he was praising her or disparaging her, Emily threw him a sidelong glance. She said, her voice cold, "Thank you." She was not going to satisfy him knowing how much his attitude offended her.

Emily was taken aback by James' proximity to her as they exited the conference room, their shoulders practically touching. She looked up at him and momentarily caught his eyes. Something strong, almost magnetic caught her in his eyes. Her breath seized. For a moment, the cold façade he typically wore shattered, exposing a glimpse of the man inside.

James appeared to understand it too; he rapidly withdrew, his visage stiffening once again. But the moment persisted, a flare of something unspoken none of them could overlook.

Though they split ways in the hall, the air between them buzzed with conflict. Irritation, curiosity, and something more Emily couldn't quite put her finger on all mixed together in her mind. Despite their disagreements, there was an apparent energy between them, a pull that she found both exciting and terrifying.

James's phone rang just as Emily was ready to move towards the lift. Pulling it from his pocket, he looked at the screen and then responded.

"Yes? He spoke with keen clarity, all business.

Emily tried not to listen, but James's speech had an urgent tone that she could not avoid. Emily felt a touch of discomfort as whatever was said on the other end of the queue was obviously serious.

"What do you mean it's under threat?" James's voice fell, almost above a whisper, yet his words carried clear stress. He leaned slightly away from her, as if to block the conversation from her ears, but Emily could still understand what he was saying.

His tone hardening, "Are you certain?" he questioned. "We cannot afford to let this pass through. Do all necessary to ensure it.

He cut off the phone sharply, his face austere. He stood there momentarily, lost in contemplation, his brow wrinkled in intense concentration. It had rocked him whatever he had just heard.

Emily started to get anxious. She had no idea what the talk had been about, but she couldn't get rid of the impression that it had something to do with her inheritance—something that was endangering what she had just started to discover.

Trying to keep her voice steady, she whispered, "What's going on?"

James fixed her, his eyes narrowing somewhat as though he were considering his choices. She considered, for a second, that he might tell her the truth, but then his face stiffened as the walls around him snapped back into place.

"Nothing you should be concerned about," he responded sharply. " Just pay attention to what we covered today. I will deal with the rest.

He turned and left her standing there with a knot of fear growing in her gut before she could press him further. Whatever was happening, James obviously wouldn't be sharing it with her. Emily could not, however, simply ignore it. She was not about to let anyone keep her in the dark; this was her inheritance, her future.

Though James tried to keep Emily out of it, Emily silently vowed to find out what was truly going on as she saw James vanish down the hall. She had no idea, though, the answers she sought would not only test her newly acquired will but also draw her more into the perilous world she had just started to negotiate—one in which trust was a luxury she could no longer afford.