Chapter Twenty-Five

Genevieve stepped into the grand lobby, her eyes sweeping over the impressive space. Towering black stone walls framed gleaming white marble floors, intricately accented with gold trim. Nearby, elevators with shining gold doors stood ready to whisk visitors upward. She quickly scanned for the nearest restroom, slipping inside without hesitation. Once inside, she peeled off her leggings and swapped them for her heels. With a careful adjustment of her black, cap-sleeved dress revealed beneath her coat, she smoothed down the stray hairs around her face, giving herself a small nod of encouragement in the mirror.

Feeling a surge of newfound confidence, Gen made her way toward the reception desk. She waited quietly as the beautiful blonde receptionist finished her phone call. The woman ended the conversation and gave Gen a polite, though slightly strained, customer-service smile.

“May I help you?” she asked, her phone screen lighting up again with a steady stream of incoming calls.

“I’m sorry, I’m trying to find Accardi Industries. Are they…” Gen began.

“Fourth floor,” the receptionist replied abruptly before picking up the next call on hold.

Gen’s brow furrowed in confusion. Surely a company with the stature and revenue of Accardi Industries wouldn’t be tucked away so low in the building. If not the top floor, then at least somewhere higher than the fourth.

The receptionist ended the call and now wore a tight, forced smile. “Yes?” she prompted again.

“You said fourth floor?” Gen asked, unable to hide her surprise.

The woman inhaled sharply, and Gen could almost see the flicker of irritation behind her eyes, as if she wished she could reach across the desk and throttle her. “Accardi Industries. Fourth floor.” She answered another call before Gen stepped back, glancing around the lobby.

Her eyes landed on the building directory. She walked over and ran her finger down the list, starting at the top floor and moving downward until she found it: Accardi Industries – Level Four. What on earth?

Gen joined a small crowd waiting for the elevator and climbed in when it arrived. The ride was brief, and upon exiting, she had to weave through a busy group of people to reach the floor’s reception area. Behind the desk stood a brunette receptionist with wire-rimmed glasses, who greeted her with a warm smile.

“Good morning! How can I assist you? Do you have an appointment?” the woman asked kindly.

Gen exhaled in relief and closed the distance. “No, actually, today is my first day. My name is Genevieve Sinclair. I’m the new accountant.”

The woman’s smile grew wider as she looked Genevieve over. “Ah, so you’re the one everyone’s been talking about.”

Gen’s forehead creased in confusion. “Pardon me?”

The receptionist waved a hand dismissively. “We’ll chat later. You’ve definitely stirred up some excitement around here. Hold on a moment.” She pulled out her phone and quickly dialed. “Hey, Kaitlin, Miss Sinclair’s here. Okay, I’ll let her know.” She hung up. “She’ll be with you shortly. How was the move?”

Gen shook her head and leaned closer. “Can I ask—what exactly are people saying about me? No one here has even met me yet.”

The woman’s eyes widened in surprise. “Oh, it’s nothing negative at all.” She raised her hands in a calming gesture and stood. “Let’s start over—my name is Simone.”

“Nice to meet you,” Gen replied.

“We’re all just excited to have a new accountant. No one liked Giovanni,” Simone explained.

“That makes sense,” Gen said, deciding to let it go even though she suspected the truth was more complicated.

Just then, the door to the right opened, and a short, cheerful redhead appeared, carrying a stack of files. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and practically skipped over to Gen.

“Hello! I’m Kaitlin, your assistant!”

“Oh, hi! Nice to meet you. I didn’t realize I’d be getting an assistant,” Gen said with a smile.

“Trust me, you’ll need me,” Kaitlin assured her with a grin, gesturing for Gen to follow her back through the door.

“Nice to meet you, Miss Sinclair!” Simone called after them as the elevator pinged again.

Kaitlin swiped her key card and led Gen inside. “The right side of this floor is for the higher-ups: you, legal, PR, and the chief executives.”

Matteo. The name popped into Gen’s mind with a mix of anticipation and dread. That meant not only would she be on the same floor as him, but sharing the same relatively small workspace.

“Today, we’ll tackle all the boring but necessary stuff—getting your ID card, registering security passes for restricted areas, signing paperwork, and all that fun stuff. Tomorrow, you’ll have some meetings to get introduced to everyone. The real work starts Monday,” Kaitlin explained as they moved through the office.

Ahead of them, a young man in his early twenties strode by, scribbling furiously in a notebook. His intense, focused expression was surprising—he looked like someone who had been in the business world for decades rather than just starting out.

“Hey, Alexander,” Kaitlin greeted him.

“Is he in yet?” she asked.

Alexander barely looked up as he kept writing. “Yeah, meetings all day. He’s in the conference room,” he said, then continued on his way.

Kaitlin blushed slightly as she watched him disappear. “That’s Alexander, Mr. Accardi’s assistant. He’s always swamped.” She shook her head and pulled her gaze away. “Anyway, this will be your office. My desk is just across the hall.”

Gen turned and stepped inside the spacious room. It was at least twice the size of her home office, furnished with a large mahogany desk and a plush feather desk chair. Opposite her desk were two leather armchairs, and in one corner, a cozy seating area with several empty bookcases waiting to be filled. She frowned when she noticed her chair faced the door instead of the wall of windows behind it.

She moved over to the windows and looked outside. Expecting a breathtaking cityscape with towering skyscrapers and endless views, she instead found herself staring at the side of another building. Her gaze drifted downward to a small, peaceful park where an elderly couple sat quietly on a bench, feeding ducks in a calm pond. She shrugged to herself—maybe it wasn’t so bad after all.

“Your boxes were delivered yesterday,” Kaitlin said, breaking Gen’s thoughts.

Gen glanced at the neat stack of boxes beside her desk and nodded. “Whenever you’re ready, I’d appreciate a tour. Then I can head over to HR to get everything set up.”

“Let’s do it,” Gen decided, hoping the walk would ease her nerves and help her get oriented.

Kaitlin’s face brightened. “I like your honesty. We’re going to get along just fine.” As they stepped out of the office, Gen took a moment to survey the hallway while Kaitlin gathered her thoughts.

“To get to HR, we’ll head back the way we came. But since we’re already here…” Kaitlin began, turning left.

As they walked, Kaitlin pointed out the offices along the corridor, most of which were closed, though all were encased in glass walls.

“The office next to yours belongs to Miss Kennedy. No relation to the Kennedys, so don’t mention it—she hates that. She’s our lead Public Relations czar.”

Gen pursed her lips. She knew PR women well enough; they often worked closely with CEOs and, stereotypically, sometimes had complicated relationships with them. Not that she was one to judge.

“This is Mr. Johnson, and Mrs. Tutt is in the office beside him. They’re the company’s main lawyers. You’ll meet with them tomorrow,” Kaitlin continued.

They slowed as they reached the corner office, where one door was open. “This is Mr. Accardi’s office,” Kaitlin said, nodding toward it.

Gen raised an eyebrow and shamelessly glanced inside. Next to it was the conference room, where a dozen or so men and women were seated around a long mahogany table. Some gestured animatedly, others shook their heads or rolled their eyes. But what caught her attention most was the man at the head of the table. His sharp gaze was fixed on her, intense and unwavering. He leaned forward, steepling his hands on the table, eyes gleaming as they slowly lowered to watch her. She quickly tore her gaze away and followed Kaitlin down the hall beside the conference room.

“Have you met Mr. Accardi yet?” Kaitlin asked.

Gen laughed before she could stop herself. Kaitlin gave her a curious smile.

“Yes, I’ve met him a few times,” Gen admitted, ignoring the burning heat of his stare still lingering in her mind.

Kaitlin smacked her forehead. “Duh, of course you did. That’s how you got the job, Kaitlin. I interviewed with him last week… Was he, like, super intense with you?”

Gen risked one last glance back at the conference room. He clenched his fists briefly before pulling his attention away to speak with someone else at the table. They turned the corner, and Gen finally felt she could breathe again.

“Yes, he was very intense with me,” she said quietly.