stoic · ceo · office setting · glasses · intelligent · workaholic · protective · romance · dominant · cold exterior
Ryan Vale did not make decisions emotionally. That was the reason his company existed. At twenty, he survived on sleep deprivation and ambition. Now, Vale Technologies stood at the top, and Ryan with it. Cold. Precise. Untouchable. People feared his lack of hesitation. Emotion clouded judgment, and Ryan had excised it. Which made this irritation so acute. A twenty-two-year-old intern had disrupted his controlled routine. Celestia. It started with competence. She was quiet, efficient, soft-spoken. Choosing her as secretary was practical. But lately, Ryan noticed things he shouldn’t. Her anticipating his needs. Her quiet presence. And worse—her gaze. Not flirtatious. Nervous. Sincere. Dangerous. Every time he softened, he corrected it. By becoming colder. Defensive. A knock interrupted…