Chapter 1

Nikita Shea pushed open the door to the presidential suite. It was dark inside, so she reached out to turn on the lights. Before she could do so, a man wrapped his arm around her waist and pinned her to the wall.

Amidst the darkness, the only thing she could feel was the warmth of the hand on her waist. It was so fiery that it was as if the air would combust from the heat.

Nathaniel Foster had been away on a business trip for half a month. It looked like she would be in for a rough ride that night.

He pressed his lips to hers, taking her breath away. She rested her arms by his neck, unable to breathe. When her legs were about to give out on her, she instinctively wrapped her arms around his waist.

Nathaniel didn't even bother taking her to the bed. He pinned her down and had his way with her right then and there. When they were done, he carried her to the bathroom.

Her mind was in a mess from the lust and passion. It was only when the water from the showerhead trickled down on her that she snapped to attention. She turned the shower off and reached up to take her necklace off.

Nathaniel stopped her and fixed his gaze on the necklace. His tone was a little chilly as he asked, "Do you need to be so anxious over such a cheap necklace?"

The chain's design had long since gone out of fashion, and it was made out of 925 silver. It wasn't worth anything and was fragile—it couldn't come into contact with water, or the chain would oxidize. However, Nikita treated it like it was a treasure. She'd worn it for years, but it still looked brand new.

She took it off and carefully placed it somewhere safe. Then, she said in a low voice, "I'm used to it."

Nathaniel sneered. "Do you need to treat something so worthless with such care?"

Nikita fell silent. After a few seconds, she wrapped her arms around his neck and said softly, "Let's continue, Mr. Foster."

His expression turned frosty. He could tell that she didn't want him to ask any more questions. When he bit her lips again, he couldn't help being rough. She whined softly in pain, but her moans were soon smothered by a long kiss.

Nikita tried her best to relax. She was about to say something when she heard a phone vibrate. She glanced sideways to see a familiar name on the phone screen—Gigi.

Nathaniel broke away from her to answer the call. Amidst the sloshing of water, Nikita vaguely heard a woman's sweet, gentle voice. "Nathaniel…"

She lowered her eyes, knowing that Nathaniel wouldn't return anymore. She quickly showered and wrapped a towel around herself.

Nikita only left the bathroom after Nathaniel was done with the call. He was already in his suit, looking cold and aloof. It was as if nothing had happened between them. He said briskly, "Make sure the details for tomorrow's meeting are on my desk before 9:30 am."

He left without waiting for Nikita to say anything—not that she had anything to say. She was the chief secretary of the CEO's secretariat department. Though she and Nathaniel had been fuck buddies for the past three years, she'd always been professional when it came to work.

In Nathaniel's words, she was low-maintenance, and he didn't need to fuss over her. It didn't seem like she had any other strengths aside from that. To him, at least, she was no match for Regina Lane.

…

The following morning, Nikita delivered the necessary documents to Nathaniel's office. She walked past the secretariat department on her way back to her desk, and she heard the envious chatter through the ajar door.

"What's there to be shy about? We all saw Mr. Foster holding your bag for you today!"

"Exactly! When are you guys going to make things official? We've never seen Mr. Foster look so gentle before. You're definitely going to be the boss' wife in the future!"

Nikita pushed the door open without saying anything. The door creaked slightly, but it didn't interrupt the conversation. She saw her colleagues circling Regina, making her look like a spoiled princess.

Regina was blushing as she smiled shyly. She said, "Mr. Foster and I are just childhood friends. It's a habit of his to care for me; don't get the wrong idea, everyone."

She frowned slightly and asked in a lowered voice, "But you guys all say that Ms. Shea and Mr. Foster—"

Nikita cleared her throat, interrupting Regina. Silence descended upon the office. She asked coolly, "Have you all completed your work?"

Regina's expression became uneasy. She said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Nikita. We were just chatting; it won't affect our work. Please don't be mad."

Nikita turned to look at her. Regina was pretty, and her looks were right up Nathaniel's alley. She was also youthful, dressed in a simple white T-shirt, a denim skirt, and canvas shoes. Her every action exuded vitality—it was something that only someone truly youthful could have.

However, she seemed like a university student who had accidentally come to the wrong place, especially since she was amidst employees who'd all been postgraduate students and were now attending to senior executives.

Nikita had no intention of picking on Regina. When she saw the aggrieved look on the latter's face, she said distantly, "We're at the office. It would be better for us to address each other per our titles."

This was a basic requirement for everyone in the secretariat department, but Regina didn't know that. She apologized again. "I'm sorry, Ms. Shea. I was just…"

She glanced behind Nikita as she spoke, and her expression became even more aggrieved. In the next second, Nathaniel said indifferently, "Regina's just getting started in the workplace. There's a lot she doesn't know, so you'll need to guide her step by step."

Nikita turned around. She parted her lips to speak, but Nathaniel had already looked away and strode past her. He handed Regina her work badge. "You're so scatter-brained. If you lose this again in the future, you'll have to come and get it from me yourself."

His tone was much softer than it had been before. He'd no intention of putting any distance between himself and Regina, even with everyone in the secretariat department watching him.

She looked up at him and smiled while nodding obediently. "Thanks, Nathaniel. I won't forget in the future."

Nikita lowered her eyes, not wanting to linger. Still, she didn't miss Regina's position, which was indicated on her work badge—personal assistant to the CEO. It was an important role.

Regina's résumé had long since arrived at Nikita's desk. She'd graduated from a regular university, and her major wasn't an important one.

Even if she'd continued with her postgraduate studies, her overall qualifications were still way below the Foster Corporation's standards.

Yet, there she was. She was supposed to be an intern, but there wasn't a timeframe for her internship. Nikita had known about this for some time now—Nathaniel himself had made the call, so she had nothing to say.

Nathaniel spoke to Regina for a while longer, his tone gentle and tender. After that, he glanced at Nikita before leaving the office. She understood what he meant and followed him, pushing her thoughts aside.

When they were a distance away, Nathaniel said, "Gigi's still young. You need to care for her a bit more."

His tone was back to being cold and distant, which was what Nikita was used to. She nodded. "Yes, sir."

She returned to her office to see Regina standing there. The latter played with the hem of her shirt and bit her lip.

Then, she explained, "Mr. Foster and I are just childhood friends, Ms. Shea. Please don't get the wrong idea about us. He and you are…"

Her words were immature and laughable. Nathaniel had never bothered hiding his relationship with Nikita, but no one dared to say anything about it.

Now, however, Regina was putting on a hesitant act while exposing the truth. Nikita's expression darkened as she asked, "What are you trying to say?"