Alessia Ford, an ambitious young woman disillusioned by her family's betrayals, leaves everything to rebuild her life far from her past. She lands a job in the financial empire of Nathan Drake, a billionaire with an icy charm and a fearsome reputation. Alessia, with her sharp mind and natural audacity, intrigues Nathan from their first meeting. But why does this man, used to dominating the business world, seem troubled by a simple employee? While he proposes an arranged marriage for mysterious reasons, Alessia accepts, driven by the need to protect herself from her own family demons. However, as soon as she settles into the luxurious Drake villa, she realizes that Nathan hides much more than a simple financial interest behind this contract. What is he trying to escape or protect? Why do menacing glances fall on her at every gala? Between corporate secrets, all-consuming jealousies and a budding love, Alessia will have to discover the truth before the stakes of this contract become completely beyond her control.
Chapter 1 Chapitre 1
The pouring rain hammered against the coach windows, a monotonous cadence that seemed to underline the tumult in Alessia 's mind. She stared at the landscape passing by behind the fog formed on the window, a mixture of gray and green under a threatening sky. She had left her hometown in the early morning, leaving behind her familiar streets and now foreign faces. His decision, although carefully considered, carried the bitter taste of bitterness and betrayal.
The argument with his family a few hours before still resonated in his head, each word, each accusation, like a blade that sank a little deeper.
"You are selfish, Alessia , totally ungrateful! » his mother had shouted, her face red with anger.
"Maybe, but at least I won't spend my life trying to meet your impossible expectations anymore," she retorted, her voice trembling with suppressed rage.
His father, sitting in his worn leather chair, said nothing. As always. Her silence, this weapon so subtle and yet so brutal, weighed heavier than all of her mother's invectives. It was this silence that had widened the gap between them over the years, a chasm that no words could bridge.
When she slammed the door of the family home, her heart beat wildly, not from fear, but from a strange exaltation mixed with anguish. She had just burned the bridges, and yet, a wind of freedom was already blowing in her mind. She was no longer Alessia Ford, the docile girl always ready to bend. She was becoming something else, someone else.
His arrival in the city took place in torrential rain, like a chaotic baptism into this new chapter of his life. She had taken refuge in a small cafe to look through the documents for her interview scheduled for the next day. Nathan Drake's financial empire. Just the name commanded a certain respect. Nathan Drake, the icy charming tycoon, whose reputation as a business shark made even the most daring people shiver. She had never seen a single photo of him in the media; he was as discreet as he was influential. This mystery intrigued him as much as it intimidated him.
She had landed this interview thanks to her impeccable record, but also, she knew, thanks to a mixture of luck and nerve. There were many applications for a position at this company, and rumors had it that Nathan Drake chose the finalists himself. Why had he withheld her name? A question that would remain unanswered, at least for the moment.
The next day, dressed in her carefully pressed gray suit, Alessia entered the lobby of the Drake Building. Everything about this place exuded wealth and power. The immaculate marble columns, the sparkling chandeliers, the employees in perfectly tailored suits... She suddenly felt very small, like an intruder in a world that was not hers.
At reception, a coldly beautiful woman guided her to an elevator, barely giving her a glance. Alessia felt her sweaty hands against her briefcase, but she raised her head, determined not to show any weakness.
The elevator doors opened on the 37th floor, and she was immediately greeted by an assistant who asked her to wait in a meeting room. The minutes passed, each second making the already tense atmosphere a little heavier. Then the door opened, and he entered.
Nathan Drake.
He was not at all what she had imagined. She had expected an older man, perhaps slightly paunchy, with the kind of smugness that those with too much power often display. But Nathan Drake was the complete opposite. Tall, slender, dressed in a perfectly fitted black suit, he gave off an almost oppressive aura. His gray eyes pierced like a blade, cold and calculating, but gleaming with formidable intelligence. His face, although severe, had a beauty that could have belonged to an ancient sculpture.
He sat down opposite her without a word, opening a file which he looked over quickly. The silence that followed was almost unbearable, but Alessia refused to look away.
"Miss Ford," he said finally, his deep voice echoing through the room like the whisper of a storm.
She nodded slightly, unable to say a word.
"Your record is impressive," he continued, finally raising his eyes to meet hers. "But this raises a question. Why you? Why here? »
His tone was neutral, almost disinterested, but there was a hint of challenge in his gaze.
Alessia took a deep breath, trying to control the frantic beating of her heart.
"Because I can," she replied, her voice surprisingly firm despite the tension.
A fleeting smile appeared on Nathan's lips, a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"Able, you say? » he whispered, leaning forward slightly.
The conversation continued, each word a subtle duel, each question a test that Alessia was trying to pass. But there was something else, something she couldn't name. An electric tension, a current that seemed to flow between them, invisible but undeniable.
At one point, Nathan suddenly stood up, walking around the table to approach her.
"Do you know what it means to work for me, Miss Ford? he asked, his tone low and almost intimidating.
Alessia sat up instinctively, refusing to buckle under the pressure.
"That means I'll have to be better than everyone else," she replied, her gaze boring into his.
He stared at her for what seemed like an eternity, then nodded slowly.
"You start Monday. Don't be late. »
And just as abruptly as he had entered, he left the room, leaving her alone with her thoughts.
As he exited the building, Alessia felt a strange mix of triumph and apprehension. She had gotten the job, but at what cost? Nathan Drake was no ordinary man, and working under him would be anything but an ordinary experience.
The rain had stopped, but the sky remained heavy with dark clouds, an omen of what awaited. And yet, despite everything, she couldn't help but feel a certain excitement. A new start, a new challenge. The jungle was waiting for her, and she was ready to fight.
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