It was Monday—again.

That was her first thought the moment the alarm blared to life. Five in the morning. Time to get up.

Stretching lazily, Aileen made her way to the shower. The warmth of the water helped shake off the grogginess, and by the time she stepped out, she felt slightly more human. She dressed in high-waisted light blue jeans, a simple white T-shirt, and a black leather jacket that matched her ankle boots. Her hair, long and flowing with soft waves that reached her waist, was left loose, just as she liked it.

Since she was a child, Aileen had never liked tying up her hair. She loved her soft curls and hated breakfast with equal passion. By 6:30, she was ready to leave for work.

For the past four years, she had worked as the personal assistant to Krubscabia Campbell—the lead designer at the fashion company. And in all that time, she had never met Dominic, Krubscabia’s brother.

She knew he was the president of the company, of course, but had never seen him in person. Her only contact with him had been the occasional phone call when he needed to be connected with his sister.

There were countless rumors about him.

Some coworkers called him a monster—at least, that’s how one former employee described him. The story went that the girl had once been his assistant. Consumed by curiosity, she decided to spy on him, fascinated by the shroud of mystery that surrounded him. But things didn’t go as she had expected. Dominic caught her in the act. Furious, he had fired her on the spot.

What had she seen that was so terrible?

According to Katherine—the same former assistant, who now seemed desperate to damage his reputation—Dominic was hiding something. She claimed he wore a mask, or something like it, and referred to him as a monster.

Aileen, however, didn’t pay much attention to office gossip. What she did know, and took very seriously, was the warning her boss—Dominic’s sister—had once given her:

*“Under no circumstances are you to enter Dominic’s office. Not if you value your job.”*

It hadn’t sounded like a threat.

It had sounded like advice.