9. The Audacity of His Forwardness

Jacob’s POV

Rather than navigating the intricate networks of my professional realm, I found myself inexplicably drawn to Rima’s image on my monitor. There she was, every subtle movement spellbindingly captured by the subtle security camera nestled above my office door. My fixation, bordering on obsession, strayed into the territory of a voyeuristic stalker.

Under normal circumstances, my surveillance of personal assistants was a strictly professional exercise, a bulwark against time wasted on frivolous smartphone activities or any suspicious undertakings that could become a looming threat. This vigilance was born from a bitter experience, a system devised and implemented a year after the birth of my firm.

Back then, despite our small but dedicated team, we were steadily eclipsing our major competitors, pulling in the big fish from the corporate ocean of Toronto. Our surge in popularity was largely driven by a series of groundbreaking marketing campai