The heavy oak door of the private lounge clicked shut behind Cierra.
The sound of the lock engaging echoed like a gunshot in the quiet room. The thick walls completely severed them from the music and chatter of the gala downstairs.
The room was dimly lit by a few amber wall sconces.
Carlisle stood with his back to her, staring out the massive floor-to-ceiling windows at the glittering Manhattan skyline.
Cierra stood frozen by the door. Her hands twisted the expensive silk of her rented dress, her knuckles turning white. She didn't dare breathe too loudly.
Carlisle slowly rotated his wrist. The heavy crystal whiskey glass in his hand caught the light. The ice cubes clinked against the glass, the sharp sound grating against Cierra's frayed nerves.
He turned around. His eyes slowly dragged over her dress, his lip curling in disgust.
"You always did like to dress up in things you couldn't afford," Carlisle said, his voice a low, mocking drawl. "Still wearing your vanity like a cheap perfume, Cierra."
The insult hit her right in the chest. Cierra's defense mechanisms flared to life.
"And you're still hiding behind a suit," Cierra snapped back, her voice shaking only slightly. "You can buy all the Tom Ford you want, Carlisle. It doesn't wash off the arrogance."
Carlisle's eyes darkened to pitch black.
He set the whiskey glass down on a side table with a hard thud. He closed the distance between them in three long strides.
Cierra instinctively scrambled backward.
Her lower back slammed into the edge of a long banquet table covered in a towering pyramid of champagne glasses.
Carlisle didn't stop. He stepped right into her personal space, planting both of his large hands on the edge of the table, trapping her hips between his arms.
His broad chest was inches from her face. The scent of bergamot and expensive cedar wrapped around her throat, choking her.
Carlisle leaned down. His warm breath brushed against her ear.
"You told me I was a parasite," Carlisle whispered, his voice dangerously soft. "You said I would spend my life begging for scraps from people like you."
Cierra's chest heaved. The sheer physical dominance of his body pressing her against the table was making her dizzy.
She ducked her head, trying to slide under his left arm to escape.
Carlisle anticipated it. He shifted his weight forward, his thigh brushing against hers, completely blocking her exit.
In her panic, Cierra threw her right arm back to brace herself.
Her hand slammed into a full, unopened bottle of champagne sitting on the edge of the table. The heavy green bottle didn't just tip over. It tumbled off the edge, the heavy glass striking Carlisle directly against his thigh. The cork popped from the violent impact, spewing pale gold liquid all over his dark trousers before the bottle finally clattered to the marble floor, shattering into jagged pieces.
The room went dead silent.
Cierra stared in absolute horror at the dripping fabric. Her hands flew to her mouth.
Carlisle slowly looked down at his ruined leg. Then, he lifted his head. A terrifying, cold fury radiated from his eyes.
"I-I'm so sorry," Cierra stammered, her voice cracking. She grabbed a linen napkin from the table and immediately dropped to her knees, reaching for his leg.
Carlisle's hand shot out. His fingers clamped around her wrist like a steel vice.
He yanked her back to her feet. Cierra let out a sharp cry of pain as her shoulder wrenched.
"This suit is bespoke," Carlisle said, his voice dropping an octave. "It cost eighty thousand dollars. Tell me, Cierra, does your little Instagram hustle pay enough to cover that?"
Cierra's face drained of all color. Eighty thousand dollars. She didn't even have eight hundred.
She bit the inside of her cheek until she tasted copper.
"I... I am a little short on cash right now," she whispered, the humiliation burning her throat. "Please. Give me some time."
Carlisle released her wrist. He pulled a silk square from his breast pocket and wiped his fingers, as if touching her had contaminated him.
"I'll give you a deal," Carlisle said coldly. "Lumina needs a new Social Media Marketing Director. You will submit a flawless, data-driven pitch to my office by tomorrow night."
He stepped back, crossing his arms.
"If the pitch is perfect, the debt for the suit and my wasted time is forgiven. You might even get the contract."
Carlisle tilted his head, his eyes narrowing. "But if it's garbage... I will enact a one-million-dollar penalty fee for damages, and I will have my legal team send a demand letter to every single brand you've ever worked with. I will bankrupt you publicly."
Cierra stared at him, her heart sinking into her stomach. It wasn't a job interview. It was an execution. She was an influencer who took pretty pictures; she didn't know how to build corporate data models.
But looking into Carlisle's merciless eyes, she knew she had no way out.
"Fine," she whispered.
Carlisle's lips curved into a cruel smirk.
"Then get out of my sight and get to work."
Cierra snatched her clutch from the table. She practically ran for the door, fleeing the room like a hunted animal.
