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CHAPTER 1: UNATTAINABLE.

If there was a word capable of describing Leonardo White, the word would be: unattainable. Inaccessible. Although there were also a lot more words with which to describe him: arrogant, cold, despot, cruel, wasteful... and the list went on and on, but, from Emma's experience, she did not consider him to be a bad man, on the contrary: she found him to be a nice man.

Every time the woman told someone that she had been saved from being fired by Leonardo White, the first reaction, was disbelief. ‘Leonardo White, the coldest man in Canada, saving someone other than himself?’ they would say, as if it was inconceivable that he would do a good deed. ‘It must be a matter of luck,’ she had been told more than once.

Emma wondered what Leonardo White's reputation was due to, but no one seemed to have the courage to answer it directly, the only she knew about the subject, was that he was the son of the owner of the company where she worked, he was twenty-seven years old, single and would be there visiting the company for about three months, or something like that, she had not listened too well to the conversation she had eavesdropped on from two other secretaries.

"I still don't believe it" The voice of one of her companions brought her out of her musings. "Leonardo White saved your skin".

"It's been a week already, Sofia," Emma snorted, rolling her eyes at the pile of papers she had to go through, she was beginning to hate her job, "I think that's enough time to get over it".

"Of course it isn't! Don't you understand?! Leonardo White is a stupid bastard! He doesn't help here, he, on the contrary, makes it worse for you! Haven't you wondered why since he arrived the secretaries have had twice as much work? He does it intentionally".

"Are you serious?"

"Of course I'm serious! Do you think everything they say about him is unfounded?!"

"Well, he treated me pretty well," Emma murmured, shrugging her shoulders, "Maybe he's the kind of person you have to know how to deal with".

"Emma, from what I heard, you threw hot coffee on him, all over his expensive suit, what's with the ‘knowing how to treat people’? One good treatment and he's already washed your head?"

"It's not that he washed my head with a ‘good treatment’ it's just that he did absolutely nothing wrong to me... I can't hate him the way you guys hate him".

"Don't tell me you like Leonardo".

"What the hell are you talking about, Sofia? I barely know him! I've seen him like... like twice!"

"It's just that since I see that you defend him so much, I assumed that..."

"You are not supposed to be working, ladies?" Sofia's speech was suspended when she heard that male voice suddenly sound, it was not necessary to turn around to realize that it was Leonardo who was there.

Sofia didn't turn around, but she grimacingly instructed Emma to hold up some papers and pretend to work. She didn't know if she would scold Emma, but it was all too likely to happen.

"Yes, sir... that's what we are working on," she answered, finally turning around and facing him. It was as if beauty and evil were inseparable allies trying to seduce her, because if not, how to explain that Leonardo White was so attractive and at the same time, so evil? Sofia knew stories of other secretaries, stories that out of sheer caution she would not tell Emma unless it was horrendously necessary. ‘I hope not,’ she said to herself.

"Working with what?" He approached the plump woman, his face smudged with coldness, for an instant, Emma told herself that what others told her about him was true, but those thoughts were reduced to nothing when he gave her a warm smile, along with a hand movement that she reciprocated so awkwardly that she felt ashamed of herself.

"Yes, sir, we are working, almost finished".

"You know..." With his hand, Leonardo also made a gesture to know the woman's name.

"Sofia," she said, very reluctantly.

"Sofia," he tested the woman's name, glancing out of the corner of his eye at Emma, who seemed to be very focused on some papers, although he knew that due to the zero distance that separated them, she was listening to the conversation he would have with her friend. "Look, Sofia, there are many things that I dislike... but I choose to be calm about it, but there are some things that are simply unacceptable, like the one you just did".

Sofia stirred, trembling. Emma swallowed saliva from her position, she did not raise her eyes, she felt afraid to do so.

"I don't know what you're talking about, s-sir..."

"No? Don't you know?" A smile sealed itself on that perfect face, showing Sofia that his teeth were just as perfect as his face. ‘Leonardo White is a stupid bastard! He doesn't help here, he, on the contrary, makes you worse! Haven't you wondered why since he arrived the secretaries have had twice as much work? He does it intentionally’, do these words sound a little familiar to you, Sofia?"

The woman froze, as did Emma from her position.

"I-I... sir, allow me to exp-pl..."

"I don't want an explanation from you," he interrupted her sharply, looking at her from head to toe, "With what courage do you call me stupid when you look like this?" Emma clenched her fists, she wanted to intervene, but she knew she shouldn't, not if she wanted to keep her job, the fact that he had helped her once, was not the indicator that she had a special position over the others. "What you said, is completely unacceptable, you are insolent, you don't know me, and I have never wanted to meet someone who... looks like you look, how do you know I am all those things? You just heard a rumor and took it upon yourself to disperse it for no reason? And, I'm fully aware that if I hadn't had the joy of hearing what you said, you would go with your false face to pretend to like me".

"S-sir... I, I really didn't… I didn't mean that, it's just..."

"You are fired, Sofia".

Emma's gaze became so clotted as if those words had been directed at her, she could barely react, when Leonardo approached her.

"And you, Emma, please stand up".

The woman gave a trembling look to her companion, who was still not processing correctly the fact that she had been fired from the company where she had worked for more than ten years. Her voice had left her, all she could hear inside was the screaming of her own mind, uncontrolled, hysterical, she could not see herself getting a new job.

"Emma, from now on, it is my pleasure to inform you that you will be working in my office" Emma didn't process it, neither did Sofia. "Did you hear me?"

She nodded slowly, swallowing saliva, her half-opened lips and quick eyes revealing that she couldn't get over her surprise. Her? A simple secretary working in the boss's son's office?

"Well, if you heard me, come on".

"B-but is it now...?"

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow, then an indecipherable smile was etched on his face.

"If not now, then when? Come on, tomorrow I will transport your things to my office, for now I just want to show you the protocol that runs my way, come on," he insisted.

Emma left the papers in their place, her hands trembling as if exposed to the most violent cold in all the land, her eyes again fell on Sofia, she did not know how to feel, her companion was just as tremulous and perplexed as she was.

Finally, Emma walked to the door, behind Leonardo White.

This was the event that would trigger a chain of events for which Emma was not prepared.

She had no idea what it meant to get closer and closer to a man like Leonardo.