Once in his apartment, which was quite luxurious, as she had imagined it, Leonardo offered her to go up to his room to chat, but Emma refused, saying that she would feel more comfortable chatting on the sofa, she did not know if he had proposed her to go up to his room with ulterior motives, but she supposed that a kiss would be born, then one thing would lead to the other, and Emma believed that it was too soon for that, for that reason, They were both on the sofa in that place, he was leaning on her shoulder, he had told her a couple of anecdotes, a couple of kisses had been given between them, kisses that had almost ended in something else, but that Emma had avoided, and at that moment, they were in a sepulchral silence, he seemed to have run out of anything to say, he held her feminine hand and caressed it, looking towards an indeterminate point, Emma decided to take advantage of that opportunity."Leonardo... I was thinking about... that I want to go to work for the company..."H
PROLOGUE: LEONARDO WHITE.The news that Leonardo White would be coming to pay a visit to the company had been one that had not been unheard of for at least two full weeks.There wasn't a secretary who didn't talk about it, or who wasn't intensely happy about it. Emma still did not fully understand it she did not understand it at all. She had too many doubts about Leonardo's visit, first of all, she did not even know who Leonardo White was, she was so disoriented."I guess I'll meet him soon," she said to herself, as she walked.She raised her hand so that it would be possible for her to see the time. Ten past seven in the morning. She quickened her pace, almost running, if she could find herself in shoes a little more comfortable, she would allow herself to run, too bad those high heels they required secretaries to wear, didn't even allow her to walk properly. It had always seemed to her, unfair in the fact that such an annoying emphasis was placed on women being groomed, without even
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, si
She had not finished processing it, and perhaps she would not finish processing it for the rest of the days to come. Two weeks had passed since she had gone from being just another secretary to being Leonardo White's exclusive secretary, and she still felt the same bewilderment as the time he had announced himself.At the time, she had wanted to refuse him and tell him that she did not want to work in his office, but that would be hanging a noose around her neck; seeing how cruelly he had fired Sofia, she had found herself almost unable to refuse the order he had given her. Because he had not asked her, Leonardo White had not asked her to be his exclusive secretary, he had ordered her, and he seemed to have gone to her just to say that, but to her friend's misfortune, he had listened to her words.Everyone was talking about it, everyone was saying that Emma had become a closer secretary to Leonardo White, not even Emma herself knew what that implied, the only difference from her previ
The days were getting harder and harder, heavier and heavier, there was not a moment in which she did not regret having to be Leonardo White's secretary.She could say: "to accept to be his secretary", but that's where it was: she hadn't accepted to be his secretary, he had just gone to order her to be his secretary, and as a result she had three times the work she had when she was a simple secretary, just another pawn in a huge company.Three weeks had passed since she had been his secretary, and calmness had been her most dangerous enemy: she did not have a second of peace, huge and trapping dark circles were drawn under her haggard face, at his request, she had to arrive hours earlier, she did not even understand the reason for that order: She arrived at the company and there were only him and her and very few employees, so few that a hand was necessary to count them, during the period in which both were almost alone in the company, the only thing that Emma received, were uncomfort
It was the most precious car her faded and worn eyes had ever seen, it wasn't even within her capabilities to imagine how expensive it had been, maybe it was a number she couldn't even pronounce or write.Leonardo had asked her to get out in front of him, Emma did so, although when she reached her boss's car, she slowed down, giving a glance to the blond, who smiled at her, it was a barely perceptible gesture, so much so that she attributed it to a hallucination due to the deep tiredness she felt."That skirt is a little short for you, Emma, don't you think so?" The woman's hands trembled when she heard him say that, her serious face, agitated by a blush, turned tremulously towards the man, the blue of Leonardo's eyes seemed to want to undress the soul of the secretary, who didn't say a single word. "I asked you a question".The woman hesitated what to answer, she remembered the times when she had thought that skirt was a little tighter than the others, but she had paid little attenti
Her gaze was lost, set on a non-existent place in the street, neither of them had said too much, she could feel how from time to time Leonardo looked at her, but said nothing, although he seemed to do so, he seemed to want to talk, but gave up every time he was going to execute, she for her part, did not speak because of the deep throat pain that the nausea had caused her, she could not feel more ashamed, not only had she fallen like a sack of tubers on the shoulders of her boss, but she had almost vomited on him, she wanted to eliminate her own existence.He didn't seem too upset, not upset at all really, or upset about what had happened, although Emma couldn't get it out of her head that he was just pretending and was actually disgusted by having to deal with her."Do you live alone, Emma?" he asked, breaking the extended silence that had formed between them.She looked at him, if she wasn't mistaken, he had asked her that before. He was aware that it was the second time he had done
The place where she lived, was a rather humble one, there was not much to show off, and, as she had very bad luck for the places where to live, and that's why she had to move a lot constantly, she never worried about the proportionate decoration of her living place, anyway, almost nobody ever went there, in fact, Leonardo was one of the few people who set foot in that place. Emma didn't have many friends, and the few she did have, were not invited to her house."Sorry for the mess," she said to her boss, who was looking at everything in complete silence. It was only when she stood in front of Leonardo at that moment that she realized how small she was compared to him. And she was not a small woman, in fact, she stood out in stature with the rest of her friends."There's no mess here," he observed, laughing, "Are you feeling better, Emma?""Yes, sir," she replied, not quite knowing how to behave, never believing that not inviting anyone to her apartment, even her own mother, would ever
Once in his apartment, which was quite luxurious, as she had imagined it, Leonardo offered her to go up to his room to chat, but Emma refused, saying that she would feel more comfortable chatting on the sofa, she did not know if he had proposed her to go up to his room with ulterior motives, but she supposed that a kiss would be born, then one thing would lead to the other, and Emma believed that it was too soon for that, for that reason, They were both on the sofa in that place, he was leaning on her shoulder, he had told her a couple of anecdotes, a couple of kisses had been given between them, kisses that had almost ended in something else, but that Emma had avoided, and at that moment, they were in a sepulchral silence, he seemed to have run out of anything to say, he held her feminine hand and caressed it, looking towards an indeterminate point, Emma decided to take advantage of that opportunity."Leonardo... I was thinking about... that I want to go to work for the company..."H
CHAPTER 31: LEONIDES.He knew that Emma felt an uncomfortable pressure on his shoulders every time they both went out holding hands, the looks of everyone stuck on them, were like needles that hurt Emma, he had told her to avoid gestures like that -even though everyone knew that she and Leonardo were in a relationship, and who did not know it, suspected it in a huge way-, but he did not like to ever obey what she asked, and he did it intentionally, because it was all about that plan he had devised weeks ago: to make Emma feel so uncomfortable in that company, that she would choose to leave on her own, so that she would be safe from any man who sought to seduce her, because he knew that if he told her directly: "Emma, I don't want you to work here anymore" and then explained his reasons, she would be angry because of his jealousy.Leonardo caressed Emma's hand as they walked, causing a smile to appear on the girl's lips. The blond opened the door where the meeting was taking place, he
CHAPTER 30: A MEETING.He had never ever experienced a feeling like that, that sweet but suffocating sensation in which a specific person did not leave his head, in which that person danced around the corners of his mind incessantly, in which that person appeared in his dreams. Never in all his life had he experienced a desperate and almost sickly longing to have someone close to him, that that person would not leave his side; he was Leonardo White, the most coveted bachelor of that city, and he could surely say that one of the most coveted bachelors of that country, he could have any woman he wanted, however, a woman as simple as Emma, kept him in insomnia, in constant anguish, Leonardo did not know how jealous he could become, until he found himself in danger of losing her, the most rational part of him told him that that danger was a false one, that he would not lose her, but there was a part of him - a very strong one - that screamed at him that yes, anyone else was capable of loo
CHAPTER 29: POSSESSION.Emma blinked repeatedly, looking at Leonardo from head to toe, her brow furrowed, she turned away from him, swallowing saliva with an ocher sensation in her mouth."W-what?""That you'll never see that guy again, Emma"."Of course I'll see him again, he's been my friend for like twelve years," she told him, angry, not only for his behavior, but for the behavior he had had when Liam had been there, she had not liked at all that her friend had been treated that way, especially when Liam was such a sweet man, who would have gotten along very well with Leonardo, if he hadn't attacked him, "Why did you treat him like that?""Emma, I arrived with food for both of us, I took time from where I didn't have, just to see you, you have no idea how desperate I was to see you, and I arrive to find you with... a guy giving you a cookie in your mouth? How did you want me to react?""You shouldn't have talked to him like that, he's my friend"."Why do you seem to care more abou
CHAPTER 28: JEALOUSY.Liam noticed the expression in the stranger's eyes, but Emma seemed not to. The girl wiped some of the pieces of cookie that had fallen on her clothes, and stood up, with a soft smile she walked towards Leonardo, who had remained static in his position, as if he was unable to believe his eyes, he blinked hard, as if by doing that, he would get that guy he didn't know, to leave the place where Emma lived.The girl walked towards Leonardo, opening her arms, giving him a hug that he did not even reciprocate, as he remained static, in his place, looking at Liam, who challenged him with his eyes, he did not even know why, Leonardo did not understand what that guy was doing with Emma, and Liam did not understand who that guy was and why Emma had hugged him and kissed him on the cheek, both men were in a mixture of doubts, Emma did not even realize that the looks of both seemed to battle without any reason."Leonardo, dear, I'm so glad you're here" The smile didn't leav
CHAPTER 27: LIAM.Three weeks had passed since Leonardo had fired those two secretaries, and if Emma had known the consequences that this would bring, she would have insisted on not having them fired; everyone in the company pointed an accusing eye at her, everyone told her that it was her fault that those two innocent girls had been fired, but no one told her directly, because, according to what Emma had heard, everyone was afraid that she would go to Leonardo to tell him about it. It seemed crazy to her how she went from being a nobody in that company, to being one -not to say the most- of the most hated ones there, cruel looks she met at every corner, if she needed help, and Leonardo was not by her side, nobody offered it, but to her joy, he was always by her side, even, to a point somewhat... suffocating for Emma."I'm quite a romantic man when I fall in love" she remembered his words, a smile tore from her face, she couldn't say she was lying, in a month, she had received the lov
CHAPTER 26: RUMORS.She had asked him for the discretion he didn't want to keep. "Why is it necessary to keep it a secret?" Leonardo had told her, he wanted to shout it everywhere, he wanted everyone to know that she was his girlfriend, so that no one would dare to try to seduce her, but Emma, still thought it looked too bad to be his boss's girlfriend, for that reason, she had asked him for just a couple of weeks. "Just wait a little, just a few weeks" she had told him, although he had noticed himself in complete disagreement he had agreed not to tell anyone, but that didn't stop his behavior from being the inappropriate one, at least there: kissing, caressing, almost in front of everyone.It was not even necessary to tell anyone that they were more than secretary and boss, because Emma had the idea that assumptions were circulating, everything was too obvious. A week and already what she had wanted to keep secret, was on everyone's lips, people looked at her differently. Whenever Le
CHAPTER 25: ONE MORE.Leonardo tilted his head carefully, fixing his gaze on an indeterminate point."If she had been one more, I wouldn't have brought her to this place, dad," was the only thing he answered, without looking at his father, a man who was quite well-built despite his age, "Don't you think so?""It makes sense," the man admitted, "But I don't know what tactics you are starting to use now, Leonardo".The blond gave his father a withering look."What do you mean by ‘tactics’? Do you believe all those rumors about me too? Because fuck, everything does believe all that shit, first Emma believing those rumors, the stupid secretaries at your company spreading it around, and now you, my father, believing them?""Leonardo, we both know these are not just rumors"."These are things that happened years ago, Dad, and you know they did, so why is it so hard to believe that I changed? Damn it, have you ever seen me doing the same thing again?""No, but...""Exactly, I stopped being l
CHAPTER 24: FAMILY.In her head, she replayed over and over again what had happened, too much in such a short time.Leonardo had told her that she didn't have to go back to work anymore, and long before she could even object, he had told her that she had to go to his parents' house to meet them.Emma had been stunned, meeting the White family? She wouldn't even know how to react, it was very likely that her nerves would suffocate her immediately Leonardo's father asked her any questions, but he had insisted, even though she had told him it was too soon to go to his family. "I went to yours," he had told her, winning her the conversation and ending up convincing her. "I'll get you a new raspberry colored dress, mom loves that color," she kept remembering Leonardo's words as she looked at that new dress, there had been too many in too short a time, she felt it wasn't something she could handle, she wasn't used to men gifting her with so many things, ever. She had the feeling that once s