The elevator chimed softly as Emily Lane stepped onto the 25th floor of Diamonds HQ, the soft click of her heels echoing down the corridor lined with minimalist artwork and flowerless, sculpted decor. The air here was always chilled, always scented faintly of citrus and power. She passed the HR wing and gave a brief nod to the receptionist before slipping into the back office reserved for internal personnel reviews.
She hadn't meant to micromanage the shortlist. That was HR's job. But after what had happened with Reuben—and Tiana's sharp-edged dismissal of all things sentimental—Emily felt more invested than usual.
And wary.
Tiana didn't just dismiss people. She erased them.
The hiring manager, Sandra, was already sorting through a thin stack of printed résumés when Emily entered.
"Morning," Sandra said, giving her a curious look. "Didn't expect you down here."
"Just checking in on the driver shortlist. I'd like to review a few profiles personally before we send anything to Ms. Kings."
Sandra nodded. "Sure thing. We've narrowed it down to six. Mostly experienced, all clean background checks, luxury vehicle familiarity—pretty standard. A few from private security, a few from hospitality, and one from freelance transport."
Emily took the folder and sat down at the corner desk. One by one, she began flipping through the résumés. Notes in the margins. Reference calls. Some faces were forgettable even before she finished reading the first page.
Until she turned the fourth profile over.
She stopped.
There he was.
Dylan Haven.
Age: 28.
Experience: Freelance private driver, former logistics supervisor, security clearance, zero incident report.
Application photo: Attached.
She stared.
And then stared harder.
It wasn't just that he was handsome—though he was. Sharply structured jaw. Slight stubble. Eyes that looked like they'd seen too much and trusted too little. But it was more than that.
It was the expression in the photo. Controlled, self-contained. Like a man prepared for war, even if all he was doing was applying to drive a car.
Something about him unsettled her. She skimmed his work history again, frowning.
"He's… intense," she said aloud, without meaning to.
Sandra glanced up. "Who?"
"Dylan Haven." Emily tapped the photo. "He's different."
Sandra leaned over to look. "Oh, him. Yeah, we debated that one. Very qualified. His references all speak highly of him, and he passed our preliminary checks. A little quiet during the phone interview, but professional. Very serious."
"Does he know who he'd be driving?"
"Only that it's a high-profile executive. He hasn't been told about Ms. Kings directly yet."
Emily studied the résumé again. The clean lines. The lack of fluff. Every word felt sharpened, like it had been whittled down to its essence.
Then she looked at his handwritten application note, attached on the back of the final page.
I'm not looking for glamour. I'm looking for work I can take pride in. I know how to be invisible when needed, and I don't waste people's time. I show up, do the job, and leave the emotions at the door. That's the kind of employee I am. That's what I offer.
There was something almost chilling in how emotionless it read.
And yet… something familiar too.
Her thoughts drifted to Tiana—how cold she'd been after Reuben. The way she spoke of emotions like weaknesses, how she dismissed love with the same tone she used to cancel meetings. But this wasn't the same. Dylan wasn't indifferent because he was above feeling.
He was guarding something.
"Are we interviewing him in person?" Emily asked.
"He's coming tomorrow. 9 a.m. He's on the short list."
Emily hesitated.
Short list. That meant there was a real chance he could be the one Tiana ended up with—sitting in the front seat, day in and day out, just like Reuben had.
And that thought didn't sit right.
Not because Dylan was unqualified.
But because he wasn't.
Because someone like him—a man with that jawline, that posture, that storm in his eyes—was the kind of man Tiana didn't trust… but couldn't always resist.
Emily had seen it before.
She flipped the page again, almost compulsively. On the back was a small footnote: "Currently caring for a sick parent. Schedule flexibility appreciated."
So he was loyal. Committed. Driven.
All things Tiana found useful. Dangerous, even.
Emily set the folder down.
"I want to meet him before Tiana sees this," she said quietly.
Sandra blinked. "You think she'll disqualify him?"
Emily shook her head. "No. I think she'll hire him. And that's the problem."
Sandra raised an eyebrow. "Because he's good?"
"Because he's a complication."
She left HR ten minutes later, walking back to her office with Dylan Haven's profile tucked neatly under her arm.
All afternoon, she tried to work—emails, meetings, updates—but her mind kept circling back to that photo, that sentence: "I leave the emotions at the door."
The irony wasn't lost on her.
Because she could already feel hers creeping in.
That night, Emily sat in her apartment, curled up on the sofa, tea cooling on the table beside her. Her laptop was open, and after a long moment of hesitation, she typed his name into the search bar.
Not much came up. A few outdated LinkedIn posts. An old review from a client on a transport app: "Punctual. Quiet. Excellent driver." One picture from a charity car event three years ago—Dylan beside a restored Bentley, wearing sunglasses and looking like he wanted to be anywhere else.
She stared at it for a long time.
She should've closed the laptop and gone to bed.
But instead, she imagined him walking through the glass doors of Diamonds HQ. Meeting Tiana. Standing tall, saying little, watching everything.
Tiana would test him. She always did. She'd push his patience, challenge his confidence, look for a weakness. But Dylan didn't seem like the type to crack.
And that made him even more dangerous.
Because Tiana didn't fall for charm. She fell for control. For mystery. For quiet strength wrapped in steel.
And Dylan had all of it—without even trying.
Emily sighed, shutting the laptop and leaning her head back against the couch.
She didn't know what worried her more: that Dylan might get hired…
…or that if he did, someone in that office was going to get hurt again.
And this time, it might not just be the driver.