Chapter 1

I stepped into the café with a bright smile on my face. Positivity radiated from me as I joined the line to order my drink. After placing my order, I chose one of the many empty tables and took my time admiring the cozy atmosphere and delightful aroma that always filled the shop. It was a mere five minutes before I heard my name.

"Order up for Carmela!" Steve, the barista, called out.

I stood up and marched towards the counter. Without hesitation, I grabbed the first cup of the three placed in front of me, confident it was mine.

But just as I was about to turn around, I felt a large hand on my butt cheek. My freakin' butt cheek! My heart raced, and in an instant, my left hand slapped a face as I spun around.

Silent curses erupted from the customers, and I couldn't help but smirk when I saw the red imprint of my palm on the face of the maniac.

But in a blink of an eye, my sense of power and rage evaporated when I looked into his eyes. It was like staring into a brewing storm, dark and terrifying. My knees grew weak, and I gulped down the lump in my throat as his eyes followed the movement before locking onto mine again.

"That's... for the booty slap!" I screamed, trying my best to look and sound intimidating. But everyone in the room knew I was far from it.

He took a threatening step towards me, and I did my best not to retreat. His eyes still trained on me, he finally spoke.

"You see, I don't appreciate it when a nobody touches me and takes ownership of what is mine."

The way he said that stung, especially being labeled as a mere "nobody" by someone who didn't even know me personally.

Feeling anger bubble inside me, I unconsciously squeezed the cup of coffee, slowly spilling its contents over my hand and burning my skin.

But the temperature rose quickly when he bent forward, leveling his face with mine. This time, I had no choice but to step back to create some distance, just so I could breathe.

"And I don't appreciate people accusing me of nonsensical things like you, for accusing me of 'slapping' your nonexistent butt," he said, his words right in my face before he snatched the cup of coffee from my hand and smashed it on the floor.

He then straightened and looked over my shoulder. "I thought you knew that I don't want anyone touching what's mine," he said with a hint of disappointment in his voice before leaving everyone in the room amazed by the bizarre scene that had just unfolded.

"This won't happen again, Mr. Steele!" Steve, who had been behind the counter all this time, screamed back at the most arrogant person in the world.

As seconds ticked by, I could feel my face burning with embarrassment now that everyone in the shop was staring at me.

That guy had humiliated me in front of everyone and even body-shamed me.

"Ma'am, you took the wrong cup," I heard a man say. I turned to look at him, trying my best to keep my cool.

"And he didn't booty slap you. He did." The man pointed behind me, and when I turned to look at the real cause of the commotion, my eyes widened when I saw Ashton, my best friend.

The handsome guy looked at me with pleading eyes, knowing he had gotten himself into trouble. He knew I wasn't going to let him slip away easily, not until I had the chance to beat the hell out of him.

"I... I swear I didn't mean to," he stuttered, his hands raised in a sign of surrender.

I took slow, heavy steps towards him, my eyes shooting glares and daggers. If looks could kill, he'd be dead meat by now. I kept advancing as he tried to back away.

"Of course you didn't. Now come over here and give me a hug," I said in a low tone, keeping my voice calm to at least act civilized in front of these people.

"How about some other time, Carm? I am... I am running late..." His words were cut off when his back hit the table, causing a noise, but nobody cared anymore; they all went back to minding their own business.

"Come on, dude, let's just forget about what happened," he pleaded. But we both knew I couldn't just forget. I don't forget that easily.

I shook my head and smiled wickedly at him, leaving him no choice but to drop his arms to his side and close his eyes tightly, waiting for the sentence I was about to give him.

"Go on, give me your best... shot!" he cried out the last word in pain as I punched him in the stomach and stepped on his foot, not caring that I was wearing three-inch stilettos.

"You're lucky this needs to end now, but I'm not done with you yet. Man up and I'll see you later," I said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

I left Ashton in the coffee shop without looking back. I was beyond embarrassed, yes, but also glad that it was just Ashton who caused the trouble and that I was able to get even. I couldn't believe he pulled that stunt after a month of going missing in action. Anyway, it's the least of my concerns.

Running through the busy street of town, I arrived at the largest and most prominent company in the city. After showing my company ID, I was sent to the top floor, which took more than fifteen minutes to reach by elevator.

"This is where your table will be," I nodded, appreciating the new surroundings I would be working in.

Everything about this building was impressive—from the reflective floors to the chandeliers in the hallways, especially the exclusive top floor reserved for my boss, whose face was still unknown to me.

When I was called in for an interview, I knew I wouldn't meet the man behind this successful company. Instead, I was interviewed by the Hiring Manager, Cyrene Lopez.

I was awestruck by her beauty and impressed by her intelligence. She always smiled at me, and the ten-minute interview was neither uncomfortable nor nerve-wracking.

Although she hinted that she would hire me, I didn't get my hopes up. That's why I was so happy when the company contacted me right away to tell me I got the job.

I finished a Bachelor's degree in English about a year ago but hadn't found a job related to my field of study. I considered myself lucky to have worked and earned a little money to pay my bills at home.

But this time, it's different. Some people might think being a secretary is a low and unprofessional job, especially for someone who graduated with honors, but I believe it's an interesting and exciting job.

I'll get to attend meetings, schedule and reschedule appointments for clients, respond to emails, contact big-time bosses across the city, and witness deals being made and sealed with signed contracts. For me, it will be productive, knowing I've been part of it from beginning to end.

"If you have no more questions, I'll leave you to work then."

"When will I meet my boss?" I asked.

Ms. McCarthy, an old, grumpy-looking lady who happened to be my trainer, looked at me as if I had grown two more heads, making me feel odd.

"He's on his way. A piece of advice: keep yourself busy and focus on your work. Just don't get in his way, especially now that he's in a bad mood, okay? It's for your own good."

The old lady left me puzzled. When I was alone, I shrugged it off, thinking it was just a "welcome scare" for a new hire like me.

I put my bag down on the table and sat in the most comfortable chair on earth. I smiled brightly as I scanned the table. It had a computer, a printer, a few folders, and nothing more.

Boring, but I had plenty of things at home I could bring in to liven up my desk. I turned on the monitor, scanned through the files saved on it, and read them. There was no work for me just yet. The previous secretary had cleaned up before leaving the company.

She resigned for reasons unknown to me, and I wished to keep it that way. According to the contract, I would work here for six months as a trainee. If they liked my performance, they would extend my contract, and if I got lucky, I could become a regular employee.

With that thought in mind, I smiled inwardly, imagining myself still sitting here and making phone calls. One thing I'm best at—daydreaming. Imagining things my way makes me more excited and motivated to do my best and work hard.

But my smile faded as I remembered what Ms. McCarthy said. My boss was in a bad mood, and today was my first day. Having read many novels, I knew a big bad boss could easily fire an employee in the blink of an eye, so I had to make sure that didn't happen to me.

I stood up from my seat and went to the pantry on the right side of my boss's office to make him a cup of coffee.

"I didn't even get to drink mine," I mumbled to myself, and just like that, my anger for that arrogant man returned.

"The next time I see him, I'm going to gouge his eyes out and crush them with my own hands," I said to console myself.

I finished making the coffee when suddenly I heard a loud noise from outside. With the cup of coffee in my hand, I ran out, but another loud noise pierced the silence.

"Where the hell is the new secretary?!" I closed my eyes briefly and ran toward the man with his back facing me.

"Here! Sorry, I'm here!" I screamed while running.

I was a few inches away from him when he suddenly turned around and bumped into me, causing the coffee to spill all over him. I automatically prayed to God to wake me from this nightmare because I knew for sure I had just made my boss mad, and that meant I could probably lose my job.

Oh no, let me not jinx it.