04.

Riely’s POV

I stopped by the cafe with a smile plastered on my lips; working for Aiden Russel was a dream come true, and now that it is actually happening, I couldn’t be happier.

I was here to share the news with Selina.

I met her at the counter taking orders from a few customers.

“For someone that got her heartbroken, you seem oddly excited… What’s up?” She asked with her left brow raised.

I let her finish with the last customer before stepping in.

“Guess what?” I exclaimed, barely containing my excitement.

“You hit the jackpot?”

I nodded, “Yes, kinda… but which?”

“You tell me,” she responded.

“I got the job at the Russel Company. I was offered the position to be Mr. Russel’s assistant.”

Selina's face lit up with a warm smile. "That's amazing, Riley! Congratulations! Tell me, is he hotter in person?”

I scoffed, “Oh please, he’s my boss… don’t go there” I warned and she shrugged.

She held my hand in excitement as we celebrated, but a familiar voice interrupted from behind.

Noel.

“I see you are after rich men now. Trying to seduce them,” he mocked with a hiss.

He just had to ruin the moment.

He had a smirk on his lips with his hands dipped into the pocket of his pants.

I felt angered and hurt but chose to contain it; he wasn’t worth it.

“You’re so cheap, Riley. I’ve always known you were a gold-digging slut, but I didn’t think—“

“And how is that your business?” I cut him off.

He hissed, his eyes glinting with malice. "You're pathetic, Riley. You think you can just sleep your way to the top?”

Selina cut him off, “That’s enough!” She intervenes.

I held on to her, shaking my head. I didn’t want her risking her job; Noel won’t hesitate to fire her.

“It’s okay, Selina; he’s not worth it.” I said, sending him a glare, “I’ll catch up with you later after work…. Excuse me,” I said, walking past him.

He wanted to humiliate me, and I wasn’t letting that happen.

The truth was, I was no longer sad about his betrayal; I was still angry, but he wasn’t worth me; I’ve come to realize that.

The next day was my first day at work, so I made sure to get ready and report as early as 7 am.

I wanted to make a good first impression.

As I walked to my office, I bumped into a well-dressed woman. She was a definition of sophistication, dressed in a sleek designer outfit that looked like it belonged on a catwalk.

She eyed me from top to bottom, her gaze lingering on my outfit. "So you're the boss's new favorite pet," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

My cheeks heated up in embarrassment, avoiding her gaze. “I apologize; I didn’t mean to bump into you. Please, let me…”

She sneered, turning away and leaving.

I bit on my bottom lip.

So much for making a good impression.

God, Riley!

“Don't mind her; she’s Elena, our top designer.

Super talented, but obsessed with the boss. And everyone in the company knows she wants to be the boss's girlfriend or future wife."

I raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Really?"

The colleague nodded. "Yeah, and you're her target now since you're the assistant, and you get to spend time with Mr. Russell almost 24/7."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not interested in bosses and rich people; they're all egocentric and spoilt."

Just then, Elena walked back holding a cup of coffee. She must have overheard our conversation, judging by the glare she sent my way.

I had badmouthed her man after all.

She marched to me, making my stomach churn.

She caught me off guard by throwing the hot coffee all over me, Even though it wasn't hot enough, I felt the pain of being humiliated.

“I am watching you, lowlife. Stay away from Aiden, or I will make sure your stay here doesn’t last. I can make your life more miserable than it already is.” she spat.

Tears accumulated at the brim of my eyes.

Before I could burst out, Mr. Russel’s voice interfered.

“Oh my god, Aiden, it’s good you came. This new assistant is crazy." She insulted.

She was clearly the one bullying me, so why did she say I was crazy?

She walked to him, “I mistakenly missed a step and spilled coffee on her, and I apologized, but she has been raining insults on me,” she lied.

“Miss Flynn, clean yourself up before going to my office.” He ordered before turning on his shoe and walking away.

My heart dropped.

I hope I don’t lose this job.

As I walked into his office, I met him at his table, engrossed in the papers he was working on.

I closed the door, walking further in with my head hung low, biting on my lower lip to fight back the tears.

Surprisingly he only gave me a few work-related advice and didn’t reprimand me.

He laid some precautions, emphasizing the last one, “Don’t mess up with Elena.”

I nodded, “But—“

He cut me off, “What’s your beef with Elena?” He asked.

“Nothing, sir. I am just here to do my job, and that’s all,” I responded, my voice a little bit shaky.

I didn’t miss a look of disappointment in his eyes, which made me wander in confusion.

He remained mute.

I expected him to stand up for Elena and be on her side, but to my utmost surprise, he didn’t; he only advised me to focus on my job and stay out of trouble.

Maybe not all rich folks are arseholes.

My second day at work was a bit hectic and tiring.

Mr. Russel has just called for an emergency meeting that lasted almost an hour.

His professionalism and authority impressed me, and I couldn’t help but stare at him in awe as he spoke.

I moved my stare from him as our eyes locked, shying away, but instead, my eyes met with Elena’s.

She sent me a glare to which I shrugged, focusing on the meeting.

“Excuse me,” Mr. Russell said with his phone placed on his left cheek as he walked out.

Elena stepped in as ordered by Aiden and wrapped up the meeting, everyone was beginning to head out, but she stopped me.

“You don’t fit me as Aiden’s assistant. I can see what you are after, Riley, and you won’t get it, not on my watch.” she spat.

“With all due respect, Elena, I don’t know what you are talking about,” I replied.

Hearing the sound of the conference door, Elena placed a hand on her cheek, breaking into sobs.

“What is the matter with you? Why do you have to be so violent? I am just trying to correct you,” she cried.

My brows drew together in confusion as I turned to meet Aiden’s figure.

Oh!

That makes sense.

She walked past me, nudging my shoulder and falling on Aiden. “You need to fire her.”

He avoided her touch. "I think I'm the one who decides whether to fire someone." There was a hint of hurt in her eyes as if she had heard something incredible.

"You should go back to your office." She wanted to say something but was frightened by his eyes, so she just glared at me before leaving.

“I’m sorry about that,” he apologized, catching me off guard.

I gulped a lump in my throat before walking past him and heading out.

Elena is hellbent on making my stay here miserable, and I wasn’t going to let that happen.

The rest of the day went by like a blur, a notification popped in on iMessage as I headed to my office.

*Hi, I wanted to apologize again for what happened with Elena earlier. Would you like to join me for dinner tonight? Let me know if you're free.*