Chapter 4 Chapter Four.

♣︎Catalina pov♣︎

"Leave us, Svetlana."

The woman, Svetlana, doesn't hesitate.. she just dips her head in total respect and slips out. The door closing shut behind her.

It’s just us now. I swallow hard. I risk a glance back at him and almost flinch.

He hasn't moved. His eyes are still locked on me, tracking my smallest movements I make.

It’s beyond creepy.

But then, my brain does this annoying thing where it actually looks at him.

I mean, really looks at him.

The man is pure eye candy. He has this sharp jawline that looks like it could cut glass, a face so symmetrical it’s insulting, and dark, wavy hair that’s just messy enough to be intentional.

Yet, all that beauty is wrapped in a cold, bone-chilling aura that tells me to run for my life.

"Sit.." he commands.

My legs move before my brain can argue. I sink into the chair across from his massive desk, facing him.

The distance between us feels like a mile and an inch at the same time.

"What is your name?" he asks.

I blink, then clear my throat, "My name is... Lina Mendez."

"Age?" he says immediately after I finish.

"Twenty-five." I reply, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Why do you want this job?"

"Because I don't want to die of starvation?" I blunt out.

The words tumble out of my mouth before my filter can catch them.

My eyes widen in horror the second the air hits them. I bite my lip so hard, watching him.

His dark brows furrow, and for a heartbeat, I’m waiting for him to call security to throw me out into the New York streets.

My mission is over before I even found a single file.

But then... his lips twitch. He doesn't yell. He just smirks. It’s an expression that makes my stomach do a nervous flip.

"Starvation.." he baritone voice repeats. "A very... practical motivation."

He leans forward, crossing his arms over his chest. The movement makes the fabric of his suit pull against his shoulders.

"Most people who come into this office tell me they want to serve me. They tell me they have a passion for hospitality." He tilts his head, a stray lock of that wavy hair falling over his forehead. "But you? You’re just hungry."

"I'm honest." I snap back.

The moment the words leave my mouth, I want to physically reach into the air and pull them back.

Lina, shut up! I’m supposed to be a desperate, invisible girl from Spain. I need that money. I need to get into his weakness, not get kicked out before I’ve even seen the kitchen.

I bite my lip again, "I mean... I apologize, Mr. Thorne. I am just... in a very difficult position."

"I can see that.." he murmurs..

What does he mean by that?

He reaches out, picking up a silver fountain pen and twirling it between his long, elegant fingers. It feels like a threat.

"Tell me, Lina Mendez... if you are so hungry for this job, what are you willing to do to keep it?"

His eyes drop to my lips for a second, and my heart does an ugly kick against my ribs.

Does he know? Can he smell the lies on my skin?

"I'll do whatever the job requires.." I whisper.

"Where are you from?"

The smirk is still there, mocking me, like he’s enjoying the sight of me squirming in this expensive chair.

"I'm just one of the low-born girls here. My parents never told me where I came from..." I lie.

His amber eyes narrow just a bit, searching my face with an intensity that makes my skin prickle.

"Do you have a boyfriend...?"

I frown, my confusion momentarily overriding my fear. I want to ask him what my personal affairs have to do with this interview.

"Yes, I have." I say firmly.

Almost immediately, the smirk wipes off. The temperature in the room seems to drop as his expression turns back to that bone-chilling coldness it was when I walked in.

"If you want this job, Ms. Lina, you will have to stay here." he flatly says..

"Stay? Here?" I blink, my heart doing a nervous stutter. "Isn't it like a service or shift work?"

"No, it's a full time job. If you want this job, you will have to stay... in here."

I gulp, my mind racing. Sofia never told me this was part of the plan. Being under the same roof as this man 24/7 feels like a death wish for my secret mission.

"C... can I think about this first?" I stammer.

He doesn't reply immediately, he just stares. It’s that same creepy feeling again, like I’m standing naked under his gaze. It’s uncomfortable, intimate, and terrifying all at once.

"Why? Your boyfriend won't allow you to stay somewhere else?" he suddenly asks.

I sigh and nod, deciding to lean into the lie. Javier’s possessive ass isn't even in the same country right now, but he makes a perfect excuse.

"I will have to ask him. I mean, no sane man will allow his girlfriend to live under the roof of another man, yes?"

It was as if every word I said was gasoline on a fire. His expression hardens. Whatever I just said, it pissed him off beyond.

"I want you here tomorrow.." he sternly says.

I sit there, stunned. "I didn't say–"

"Tomorrow, Ms. Lina. If you don't come, you won't get this job."

He doesn't give me a choice. It’s an ultimatum, and as I look into those flickering amber eyes.

I feel the heat rising in my chest, a mixture of frustration and that stubborn pride I brought all the way from the farm.

He’s not just a billionaire, he’s a wall of pure arrogance.

"Qué hombre más arrogante y cabezota!" I mumble under my breath..

(What an arrogant, blockheaded man!)

"What was that?" he asks, his voice cutting through my internal rant.

"Nothing..." I force a nervous smile.

"You can leave now, Ms. Lina." he says, his attention already shifting back to the files on his desk as if I’ve already been dismissed from his reality.

And I thought you would never ask.. a wave of relief washing over me.

"Thank you, sir. See you tomorrow." I say, my voice sounding smaller than I want it to. "If I even come back here.." I add in a whisper that barely leaves my lips as I slowly push myself up from the chair.

I’m halfway to the door, my hand reaching for the cold metal handle, when his voice stops me in my tracks again.

"One more thing..."

I turn just enough to see him. He looks grim now, and his amber eyes seem to darken until they are almost black.

"Nothing goes unseen by me, under my roof. And that means the city, too.." he says, his gaze pinning me to the spot, a cold shiver racing down my spine. "So be careful... Kitkat."

My blood freezes. Kitkat?

"What did you call me?" I ask, my eyes widening.