Page 3 of What Comes Around

“Your role here is simple in theory and brutal in practice,” he said. “You exist to tell me no. You exist to stop my company from bleeding money on ambition disguised as vision. You will challenge people who earn seven times your salary.”

I nodded once.

“What are your expectations of me?” I asked.

“Precision. Integrity. Independence. If you agree with everyone in a room, you are useless to me. I am a perfectionist with little tolerance for emotional inefficiency. I need someone who does not require reassurance, supervision, or approval.”

“And if I disagree with you?”

His eyes sharpened.

“Then you better be right.”

Fair.

“And what can I expect from you?” I asked.

A flicker of interest passed through his eyes.

“I protect what I invest in,” he said. “And I always get what I want.”

Then a sound cut through the silence.

A low, heavy snort.

I glanced toward the corner.

The massive Cane Corso had shifted on his plush bed, releasing a slow, almost bored exhale before resettling his head against his paws. His eyes slid shut again, body relaxing as if he had already decided I was irrelevant to his threat assessment.

Knox followed my gaze.

“This is Titan,” he said calmly.

I looked back at the dog. “He doesn’t seem particularly curious.”

“He isn’t,” Knox replied. “If he stayed awake, you’d have a problem.”

A corner of my mouth twitched despite myself.

“Nobody is permitted to give him any food or treats,” he added.

The instruction landed abruptly.

I nodded once. “Is he friendly?”

“No,” Knox replied. “He’s a highly trained security tool. He won’t attack without being provoked.”

I believed him.

He stood from the desk and stepped closer, stopping at a respectful distance. I was not easily intimidated. But standing in front of him, even in heels, I only reached his chin.

“You will report directly to me. I don’t micromanage, but I do observe. If I stop observing you, it means you failed.”

I nodded.

“Welcome to Sinclair Enterprises, Ashley.”

He used my first name deliberately.