“You must think very highly of yourself,” Willem drawled, “to demand to speak with me, even knowing I’m in the middle of a meeting.”

At hearing their CEO speak such words, all of the executives in the room quaked in their seats and privately wondered who indeed would be brave and stupid enough to do such a thing. Willem de Konigh might be known as a class act all around, but the people who worked for and with him knew that his courteous manners were but a mask for his perfectionist streak.

From the other end of the line, said brave and stupid girl asked innocently, “Are you in a meeting?”

“No. I’m not in a meeting.” He delivered the lie without hesitation and ignored the way his executives gaped at him.

He knew what they were thinking, of course. Willem de Konigh, Netherlands’ most infamous workaholic, was taking time out from his meeting to enjoy a personal phone call. The Financial Times would shit itself if it learned about this.

“I’m glad,” Serenity was saying with a sigh. “I really need someone to talk to.”

The troubled note in Serenity’s voice made him frown. “What’s wrong?” He rose from his seat as he spoke and gestured for his executives to continue without him before turning towards the adjoining door.

Leaving the conference room, he went back to his office, and when the door swung shut behind him, he commanded, “Talk.”

Serenity rolled her eyes at the order. “Do you really expect everyone to jump and do your bidding at all times?”

“Talk.” Willem had no time for pleasantries. The longer he talked to her, the more he was convinced that something was seriously wrong.

Serenity let out another sigh. “It’s nothing, I----” A scuffle, and when she spoke again, it was like she had her hand cupped over the mouthpiece, as if Serenity was preventing someone else from hearing her. “I have to go, it’s---”

In the background, Willem heard a distinctly male voice ask jovially, “Well, my beautiful ice princess? What’s it to be? Yes or no?”

The call ended.

Willem stared at his phone incredulously. What the fuck?

A sense of foreboding struck him, and acting on his instincts, Willem switched his computer on, keyed in his password, and accessed the real-time footage of his company’s cameras. With a few clicks, he was able to tap into the CCTV cameras installed on Serenity’s floor.

Serenity showed up on the screen, blonde hair plaited, her slender body sheathed in a long-sleeved turtleneck wool dress. She looked her usual, stunning self. His gaze narrowed at her pale, strained face. She also looked like she was facing hell.

Willem switched the volume on.

A young, dark-haired guy was perched on the side of her desk, and despite the charming smile he wore on his attractive face, there was no doubting the abrasiveness of his words as he half-whined, half-threatened, “It’s just one date, Serenity. Take pity on me. Just one date before your internship ends. Everyone’s going to think you’re cruel and cold-hearted if you refuse me in front of all of them.”

* * *

She should have told Willem about this, Serenity thought while doing her best to ignore the fact that her head trainer had somehow turned her desk into his personal chill space.

As she listened to Wayne tell the other interns about his plans for his date with her, which he was absolutely sure would happen tonight, Serenity wondered if maybe it should have been the other way around.

Maybe she should have told everyone about Willem instead?

Even now, she was still confused, having never encountered this kind of problem before. When Daniel had still been alive, she had been homeschooled. And when Melanie had taken her in, she had been placed in a boarding school exclusively for girls. Nothing in her life had involved boys – nothing except for Willem, that is, and he was so different from Wayne.

Willem, despite being who he was, had never used his power or money to intimidate her. But Wayne had. From the very start, he had made Serenity feel guilty for not returning his interest in her. Every day, she had to suffer his ogling, play deaf to his suggestive words, and dodge his teasing attempts at copping a feel. And every time she did all that, she would wonder if she had herself to blame, wonder if there was something she had said or done that would make Wayne treat only her and no one else in such a manner.

The answer was no, of course, but Serenity was too naïve to know this.

Wayne, however, was not.

He had taken one look at the sixteen-year-old and knew that he had to have her. She was beautiful and pure, the proverbial Sleeping Beauty just waiting to be fucked.

As far as Wayne was concerned, he was that person, and he had systematically taken steps to ensure it. First, he had dealt with the other male interns. He had seen it in their eyes that they saw the same thing he did. Her innocence, her dislike of causing trouble – to the point of letting others take advantage of her – Wayne knew if he didn’t make his move soon, the others would. To keep the coast clear, he had made certain the younger men understood that he had first dibs on Serenity and that he wouldn’t hesitate to kill their chances of working for DKE if they tried to get in his way.

After that, he had dealt with the female interns, isolating Serenity from everyone else by constantly praising her beauty and her work, knowing it would piss the others off and prevent them from making friends with his ice princess.

He wanted her alone and vulnerable, wanted her to feel that in the end, all she had was Wayne.

But Serenity had proved to be a lot tougher than he expected. She had not seemed to mind that the male interns avoided her or that the female interns disliked her guts for being pretty and perfect.

Too bad for her, Wayne thought, he was also a lot more persistent than most men.

Still perched on the edge of Serenity’s desk, Wayne studied his target smugly, knowing he had successfully backed the younger girl into a corner. Even if she said no to him now, the others would be quick to jump on her. If he were patient, it would only be a matter of time before guilt would make her say yes.

Bending forward, Willem tugged at a loose blonde lock, trying to make Serenity look up at him. “Are you really going to ignore me forever?” he whined. His back to the door, Wayne was unable to see the glass doors of the training center silently sliding open and the CEO of the company walking inside.

Everyone in the center was shocked into immobility, and all they could do was watch in horrified fascination as the Dutch billionaire walked straight to where their head trainer was.

“It’s just one date,” Wayne cajoled. “If you give me a chance, I think you’re going to enjoy yourself more than you expect.” He wetted his lips as he spoke, unable to keep himself from imagining how he would enjoy the date as well. As soon as he had this pretty filly in his car, he would place his hand on her lap and finally get a feel of those beautiful long legs of hers. She would struggle, of course, but that was expected. Girls always played coy. But in the end, they wanted what men wanted. A rough fucking---

Dimly, Wayne heard someone behind him say his name, the sound interrupting his pleasurable thoughts and at the same time causing Serenity’s head to shoot up. Wayne saw her blue eyes widen in shock, and teeth gnashing in irritation as he wondered who the hell had the balls to interrupt him, he straightened and turned around.

Wayne whitened.

Willem de Konigh smiled pleasantly at the younger man, now quivering in terror like a wimp. “You’re fired.” Without taking his gaze off the bastard, he commanded to Serenity, “Come here, Ms. Raleigh.”

Wayne was beside himself with fear now. Goddammit, the boss knew Serenity’s name! How the hell did that happen? Who the hell was she?

Feeling faint and dizzy, Serenity slowly stood up, her nervousness making her limbs stiff and her limp more pronounced as she moved around her desk. But just as she was about to take a step towards the billionaire, she found herself beset with fear and worry. Had she done the right thing, telling Willem about her problem?

As if reading her mind, the billionaire slowly took his gaze away from the head trainer. Blue eyes met blue once more – hers filled with anxiety while his was filled with strength.

Am I worth all this trouble, her eyes silently cried out to him, and Willem was torn between wanting to strangle her and wrapping her in cotton wool until she was mummified by it.

What a beautiful, blind idiot.

A part of him wanted to shake some sense into her. How the hell could she still doubt her worth? Did she think he would do this for anyone? Willem was vastly tempted to shout all of this to the younger girl, just as he used to drag his sisters over the coals when they were teenagers. He probably would have if he weren’t aware of the exact reason why Serenity was like this.

If only he could pay to raise Daniel Raleigh from hell, Willem would have given up half his fortune just to kill Serenity’s father all over again.

Conscious of the way Serenity was trembling violently, Willem knew there was only one thing to do.

He silently offered his hand to the girl.

He did this, knowing it would make waves, knowing that it would cause everyone to talk, and that after this, his and Serenity’s lives would never be the same again.

He did this, for her.

Serenity slowly took his hand.

His fingers closed over hers, and then he gently but firmly placed her behind him before facing the head trainer.

Wayne started to babble. “I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t know she was your girlfriend---”

“She’s not.” He knew what he had to say next would change everything, but he also knew he had no choice. “She’s the younger sister of the woman I’m dating, and someone I’m personally grooming to work closely with me when she graduates.”

As the full import of the billionaire’s words became clear, Wayne blindly gripped the edge of the table to keep himself from falling. How the hell did this happen, he thought wildly. His mind immediately sought for an explanation that would not lay the blame on his door, and like any true bully, Wayne turned to Serenity accusingly. “You set me up! You flirted with me, led me on---”

Willem’s jaw clenched. “I suggest you cease speaking nonsense if you know what’s good for you, Mr. Coleridge.”

But Wayne was already lost in his misery, and all he wanted was to make Serenity feel the same. “You’re a goddamn tease,” Wayne spat.

Willem cracked his knuckles.

“You won’t get away---”

Wayne never saw the fist coming his way. It was too fast and too powerful, and the next second he was knocked down and lying flat on the floor.

Willem raised his hand, and with just a simple gesture his security team rushed inside, having been stationed outside the training center, watching through the office’s windows while they waited for their cue to interfere.

Willem nodded at the trash on the floor. “Take him out, and make sure he’s blacklisted from every establishment connected to DKE.”

“Ja, meneer.”

Willem’s grip on her hand suddenly tightened, making Serenity look up.

“You’re alright?” he demanded abruptly.

She nodded.

“We’ll talk in private.”

She nodded again, knowing that the less she said, the less she was prone to making any mistakes. From now on, after what Willem had said and done, all eyes would be on her, just like it was for the billionaire.

She expected him to take her to his office but instead they made their way to the basement parking lot, the chauffeur opening the passenger door of the limousine as soon as they stepped out of the elevator.

The first few minutes of the ride were spent in silence, Serenity unable to take her gaze off the billionaire’s coldly furious profile.

When he spoke, it was just one word.

“Talk.”

This time, she didn’t even think of hedging.

She talked.

As she unburdened herself, she could feel her mind becoming more chaotic, and she hated it. This was not her – this terrible, shaking, terrified, helpless mess – she didn’t want to be like the old, weak, selfish Serenity again.

When Serenity finished speaking, Willem said harshly, “Don’t cry.”

She bit her lip hard.

Everything in him wanted to haul her into his arms and tell her it would be okay. But he knew if he did, he would be lying. “He was harassing you, Serenity.” She whitened at his words, but he didn’t let it get to him. “And you were letting him.” She let out a small cry, but he didn’t let it get to him either. “Don’t hide from the truth, dammit.”

The anger in the billionaire’s voice made Serenity want to curl into a ball and weep. “I’m s-sorry---”

“You should be.” He clenched his fists in an effort to keep his hands to himself. “Because the next time, I might not be there to put a stop to things.” Images tormented him, of Serenity suffering a worse fate in another man’s hands, and he sucked his breath in sharply. “I need you to listen to me very carefully, engel.”

Blue eyes made blurry with shock and pain met his.

“You must make a choice sooner or later, and I think now’s the best time to make your decision.” Before she could ask, he said heavily, “You need to choose if you really want to live or not.” Even as Serenity jerked at his words, he forced himself to continue. “I know what you’ve been through, and I know that a part of you still blames yourself for what happened to your father.”

He took another deep breath. “But I also know you’re not stupid enough to believe that you really are at fault. He made his own decisions, and they were the wrong ones. He chose to turn his own child into a pawn to further his own dreams. He chose to kill himself instead of facing up to his mistakes. He chose to abandon you.”

Slowly, Willem took the girl’s hands in his. They felt small and cold, and the chains that he had wound around both their souls tightened at the knowledge. “It’s your turn now, Serenity. Whether you like it or not, every time you choose to let someone walk all over you, every time you let someone turn you into a victim, you’re choosing to give your life away. You’re choosing to let your father still dictate your life all the way from the grave, and if that’s how things will always be – then why the hell did you even break your own leg in the first place?” He tightened his hold on her hands, and his voice turned low and savage as he demanded, “Why in hell are you even asking me for help if you’re only going to throw away your life over and over?”

She didn’t answer him and instead bent her head in silence. A few seconds later, and he felt it, her tears falling onto their clasped hands.

“I’m sorry.” But this time, the words weren’t just an apology. They were a promise that she would live.

Willem’s chest tightened. Pulling his hands away, he tipped her chin up, and something inside him ripped open at the sight of her tear-streaked face. He wiped the tears away with care, conscious all the while of the way Serenity stared at him like he was…everything. The knowledge was both a burden and a treasure, and Willem couldn’t help thinking that he, too, had made a choice today. He wasn’t fucking sure what it was or what it meant. The only thing he knew was that it was damn important because…this girl had become important to him.

Too important for their own good.

“Will you promise me something,” he heard himself ask.

A fragile nod.

“If you ever choose to leave me, don’t just…go away. Let me know. I won’t ever stop you, but just…tell me.” As he spoke the words, Willem knew then that a part of him had accepted it could not always be like this between them forever.

“I will.” And it seemed that Serenity had realized the same thing.