5.0
Comment(s)
43
View
21
Chapters

Ethan Voss is a 34-year-old CEO of a billion-dollar tech firm. Polished, brilliant, and emotionally distant, he built his empire from the ground up-but at the cost of his personal life. Trusting no one and keeping relationships strictly transactional, Ethan has made it clear: no dating at the office. Then comes Noah Reyes, a 25-year-old fresh graduate with a sharp mind, quick wit, and a desperate need for a stable job. Hired as Ethan's executive assistant, Noah is everything Ethan didn't expect-warm, genuine, unfiltered, and annoyingly charming. Noah challenges him, teases him, and sees the man behind the title. As long days and late nights bring them closer, tension builds. A forbidden attraction threatens to crack Ethan's carefully curated world. But Ethan's past holds secrets, and Noah's struggling with burdens of his own-an estranged family, financial pressure, and a heart that's been broken before. When desire turns into something deeper, Ethan must decide: risk everything for love, or protect the empire he's built?

Power Lines Chapter 1 The Interview

The elevator doors slid open with a muted chime, revealing the thirty-fourth floor of Voss Technologies. Polished marble floors reflected the ceiling's recessed lights, and the quiet hum of productivity buzzed just beneath the surface. It was sleek, minimal, powerful-just like the man who owned it all.

Noah Reyes smoothed his shirt, adjusted the skinny tie he borrowed from his roommate, and stepped forward. His worn leather shoes squeaked against the marble, betraying his nerves. He approached the receptionist, who looked like she'd stepped out of a magazine-impeccably dressed, barely blinking behind her thin-rimmed glasses.

"I'm here for the executive assistant interview," Noah said, hoping his voice didn't crack.

She gave him a once-over, then tapped something on her tablet. "You're early. That's... rare. Take a seat, Mr. Reyes. Mr. Voss will see you shortly."

Noah nodded and moved to the waiting area. He sat stiffly on a modern couch that looked more like sculpture than furniture. His heartbeat pulsed in his ears. He wasn't supposed to be here-not really. He'd applied for the job half-seriously, never expecting a callback. He was a Communications major from Queens College, not Harvard. He had zero corporate experience. But desperation made people bold.

His phone buzzed. A text from his sister, Sofia:

"Did he call you in? Don't mess this up. Rent is due."

He sighed and tucked the phone away. No pressure.

Just then, the receptionist's voice pierced the air.

"Mr. Voss will see you now."

Noah stood quickly, nearly tripping over the stupid art-deco coffee table. He followed the receptionist through a set of double glass doors into a large corner office that looked out over Manhattan. The view was breathtaking, but the man behind the desk was even more so.

Ethan Voss stood when Noah entered. He was tall, broad-shouldered, dressed in a perfectly tailored charcoal suit. His hair was dark, swept back neatly, and his sharp jawline looked like it had been sculpted out of granite. But it was his eyes-cool, unreadable steel-gray-that held Noah frozen in place.

"Mr. Reyes," Ethan said, voice calm and precise. "Have a seat."

Noah did, clutching his portfolio like a shield.

"I reviewed your resume," Ethan began, glancing down at a sleek tablet. "You're young. No corporate background. A handful of internships. Yet you're applying for a position that requires managing my entire calendar, travel logistics, high-profile communications, and confidential documents."

Noah swallowed. "Yes."

There was a pause.

Ethan leaned back slightly. "Why?"

"I need the job," Noah answered bluntly, then quickly added, "But I'm also capable. I learn fast, I work harder than anyone you've met, and I don't crack under pressure."

A flicker of amusement-very slight-touched Ethan's face. "That's a bold claim."

Noah exhaled. "I've worked two jobs since I was sixteen. I took night classes to finish my degree. I've dealt with difficult clients in a law office who screamed at me over parking spaces. I'm not afraid of stress."

Ethan stood, walking toward the window. "You understand that this role requires discretion, loyalty, and complete professionalism?"

"Yes."

"That includes personal boundaries."

Noah frowned. "Meaning?"

Ethan turned, meeting his gaze again. "I don't date employees. I don't tolerate drama. If you can't separate business from emotion, this won't work."

Noah blinked. "Wasn't planning on seducing you, if that's what you mean."

Something shifted behind Ethan's eyes-something Noah couldn't place.

"I've dismissed five assistants in the last six months," Ethan said. "One leaked private emails. Another panicked during a board meeting. One simply cried too much."

"Yikes," Noah muttered.

Ethan's brow lifted. "Excuse me?"

"Nothing. Just... sounds like you're hard to work for."

Ethan studied him for a moment, then walked slowly back to his desk. "You're not wrong."

Noah held his breath as the CEO tapped his screen again. Then Ethan looked up.

"You're not the most qualified candidate, Mr. Reyes. But you are the most interesting. You'll start Monday. Seven a.m. sharp."

Noah blinked. "Wait... I got the job?"

"I don't repeat myself."

Noah stood, awkwardly extending his hand. "Thank you, Mr. Voss. I won't let you down."

Ethan didn't shake it. "We'll see."

Noah dropped his hand, face burning.

As he exited the office, he could feel Ethan's eyes on his back. Cold. Calculating. Curious.

He wasn't sure if he'd just won the opportunity of a lifetime... or walked into the lion's den.

Continue Reading

Other books by Barbie@joshua

More

You'll also like

The Billionaire's Blind Bride: No Mercy

The Billionaire's Blind Bride: No Mercy

Emma
4.3

I married Clive Harrington, the coldest billionaire in Manhattan, under a strict contract that forbade any emotional burdens. When I needed a high-risk surgery to save my sight, I checked into the clinic alone, hiding the procedure from a husband who saw me as nothing more than a legal asset. I thought I could handle the darkness in silence. But while I was blind and bandaged in my hospital bed, my biological mother called, screaming that if I didn't produce a Harrington heir by the end of the fiscal year, she would cut off the life-saving treatments for my disabled sister. I was crawling on the cold hospital floor, desperately feeling for a cane I had dropped, when I touched a pair of expensive leather shoes. It was Clive. He was supposed to be in London closing a multi-million dollar deal, but there he was, watching his "contract wife" groveling in the dark like a beggar. He didn't walk away in disgust. He carried me to a five-thousand-dollar-a-night VIP suite and sat by my bed, listening in chilling silence as another voicemail from my mother filled the room, calling me a "useless broodmare" who was only worth the trust fund disbursements my marriage secured. I expected him to remind me of Clause 34B or hand me divorce papers now that I was "damaged goods." Instead, I felt his thumb brush a stray tear from my cheek, his presence shifting from a statue of ice into a predatory shield. "I thought I was just currency to you," I whispered, my voice trembling behind the gauze. "Just an investment." Clive didn't answer with words. He picked up his phone and called his head of legal with a single, terrifying command: "Kill the Douglas family’s credit lines. Every debt, every lien—trigger them all. If they want a war, I’ll give them a massacre." As he leaned down to kiss my bandaged forehead, I realized the contract was dead. My husband wasn't protecting an asset anymore; he was hunting the people who had dared to touch what belonged to him.

The Scars She Hid From The World

The Scars She Hid From The World

REGINA MCBRIDE
4.6

The heavy iron gates of the Wilderness Correction Camp groaned as they released me after three years of state-sponsored hell. I stood on the dirt road, clutching a plastic bag that held my entire life, waiting for the family that claimed they sent me there for "rehab." My brother, Brady, picked me up in a luxury SUV only to throw me out onto a deserted highway in the middle of a brewing storm. He told me I was a "public relations nightmare" and that the rain might finally wash the "stink" of the camp off me. He drove away, leaving me to limp miles through the mud on a snapped ankle. When I finally dragged myself to our family estate, my mother didn't offer a hug; she gasped in horror because my muddy clothes were ruining her Italian marble. They didn't give me my old room back. Instead, they banished me to a moldy gardener’s shack and hired a "babysitter" to make sure I didn't embarrass them further. My sister, Kaleigh, stood there in white cashmere, pretending to cry while clinging to her fiancé, Ambrose—the man who had once been mine. They all treated me like a volatile junkie, refusing to acknowledge that Kaleigh was the one who planted the drugs in my bag three years ago. They wanted to believe I was broken so they wouldn't have to feel guilty about the "wellness retreat" that was actually a torture chamber. I sat in the dark of that shed, feeling the cooling gel on the cigarette burns that covered my arms, and realized they had made a fatal mistake. They thought they had erased me, but I had returned with a roadmap of scars and a hidden satellite phone. At dinner, I didn't beg for their love. I simply rolled up my sleeves and showed them the price of their silence. As the wine spilled and the lies crumbled, I sent a single text to the only person I trusted: "I'm in. Let them simmer." The hunt was finally on.

Chapters
Read Now
Download Book
Power Lines Power Lines Barbie@joshua Adventure
“Ethan Voss is a 34-year-old CEO of a billion-dollar tech firm. Polished, brilliant, and emotionally distant, he built his empire from the ground up-but at the cost of his personal life. Trusting no one and keeping relationships strictly transactional, Ethan has made it clear: no dating at the office. Then comes Noah Reyes, a 25-year-old fresh graduate with a sharp mind, quick wit, and a desperate need for a stable job. Hired as Ethan's executive assistant, Noah is everything Ethan didn't expect-warm, genuine, unfiltered, and annoyingly charming. Noah challenges him, teases him, and sees the man behind the title. As long days and late nights bring them closer, tension builds. A forbidden attraction threatens to crack Ethan's carefully curated world. But Ethan's past holds secrets, and Noah's struggling with burdens of his own-an estranged family, financial pressure, and a heart that's been broken before. When desire turns into something deeper, Ethan must decide: risk everything for love, or protect the empire he's built?”
1

Chapter 1 The Interview

14/05/2025

2

Chapter 2 First Impressions

14/05/2025

3

Chapter 3 Ghosts in Glass Towers

14/05/2025

4

Chapter 4 The Storm Beneath

14/05/2025

5

Chapter 5 Between the Lines

14/05/2025

6

Chapter 6 The Fire You Try to Hide

14/05/2025

7

Chapter 7 After the Storm

14/05/2025

8

Chapter 8 The Line Between Us

14/05/2025

9

Chapter 9 The Morning After

14/05/2025

10

Chapter 10 City Lights and Cracks Beneath

14/05/2025

11

Chapter 11 The Tipping Points

14/05/2025

12

Chapter 12 After the Storm

15/05/2025

13

Chapter 13 Quiet Fire

18/05/2025

14

Chapter 14 The Hearing

18/05/2025

15

Chapter 15 The Verdict

18/05/2025

16

Chapter 16 The Offer

18/05/2025

17

Chapter 17 Miles Between Us

19/05/2025

18

Chapter 18 Out in the Open

19/05/2025

19

Chapter 19 The Offer

21/05/2025

20

Chapter 20 In the Spotlight

21/05/2025

21

Chapter 21 The Legacy We Choose

21/05/2025