Chapter 6. 365 days

"You must sign a contract unrelated to my company or your position."

"What then?"

"You have to stick with me for 365 days and be my slave," he trailed off. "In a good way."

Hearing those utterances drove Madeleine's mouth to open as she tried her best to absorb it. She wanted to ask a further question, but Mr. Harrington took the chance first.

"I'll give you one million cash, aside from your monthly salary, which is fifty thousand dollars."

That made her even more shocked, completely wordless. The thing she feared the most had now begun, and she may not ask him directly the reason behind those matters; she knew very well that she should just agree for the sake of money. 

Of all the things she'd been accomplishing now, her mother's treatment was paramount, and she could only do that if she accepted the offer and stayed.

"The choice is yours, Ms. Nevia," Mr. Harrington said as he gave her a severe tone. "You are still my assistant whether you reject my offer or not."

"I accept it. No objection, Mr. Harrington," she quickly answered without thinking twice.

She was now in the life of an enslaved person, being controlled by another person with no free will of her own. Not many people would accept something like this, but it was what Madeleine wanted to do, even if she lost her pride and dignity for her mother's sake.

When Mr. Harrington stood up and put on his pants with his unbuttoned shirt in just a few minutes, he strode toward the sideboard cabinet while Madeleine remained on the sofa, waiting patiently. 

He returned with a paper in his hand seconds later and gave it to her.

"It doesn't state the terms clearly, but it says you can ask for any amount of money from me anytime if you want it so badly. I'll provide you with everything you need." he paused briefly before looking at her again. "But the deal is a deal. You have no right to entertain anyone for 365 days, or else you'll pay me back for transgressing the rules."

With that said, she quickly put on her clothes and nodded to him to show enthusiastic approval. 

He then walked toward her, cupping her face like memorizing every inch of it. His right hand moved to her nape and gently grabbed her hair. Madeleine slightly tensed up as her mind went into aggressive mode; she wasn't someone who liked being touched by other people, except for this man who was giving her nothing but incurable desire. She didn't understand how she could trust him enough for this because they barely knew each other for two days.

"I know how much you want that, Madeleine. That's why I'm going to make sure that every step you take will lead you nowhere but success," he clarified as his hand traveled to her majestic face, caressing it softly down to her lips. Then he lifted her chin to make her look at him. "No boyfriend, no fling with someone, and you're not allowed any guy friends. Got it?"

She nodded again, feeling slight pain on her scalp as he tugged the strands lightly. He removed his hands and turned around, heading to the table, and poured some water on the glass. "Chill out, Madeleine."

He turned around once more, giving his secretary the water and the other documents that needed to be signed to get started. "Care to tell your remarks?"

"I have no complain, Sir," she quickly acquiesced, looking directly into his eyes. Shortly, she signed the paper without hesitance, and no matter how numerous thoughts circled her mind, she set it aside and hoped that everything would fall into place as she wished.

THREE hours have passed since the two decided to return to Descartes Company and proceeded to their respective task. This was her first day; this is why Madeleine was still striving to learn the rules and regulations enacted in their firm. Mr. Bright and Mrs. Sivanna Rene, the Supervisor, were in charge of assisting and teaching her about her role and daily routine as a Person Assistant of the CEO.

The task wasn't arduous to understand, but the pressure kept penetrating her soul, which made it hard for her to stay collected. Nevertheless, no amount of negative sentiment could obliterate her avidity to cure her mother's illness, and that's the oath she would never stop pursuing.

Soon as the learning session ended, she decided to rest. Still, instead of acquiring peace of mind, she got nothing but apprehension, especially when she tried to recall the scenario of how she agreed to the CEO's offer. How could she ever say no to someone who is too serious in the matter? She silently hoped that the upshot of signing the contract would offer her nothing but success.

Currently, she was brooding solemnly in her chair, whereas the CEO was occupied conducting a meeting in the conference room with his employees.

In the middle of introspection, someone knocked on the door enough to seize her interest. "Come in."

The door burst open, revealing the man wearing a black suit, who seemed professional in how he was clothed. She couldn't quite pinpoint why, but it felt strangely inadequate seeing his handsome face and deep eyes filled with an ineffable spirit like he wasn't a good man despite his looks.

The man strode toward her with a smile and halted in front of her table; then, he lent his hand before he greeted, "My name is Ellison Sebastian, the Chief Operating Officer of Descartes Company."

She was flabbergasted when she heard those words. As far as she knows, that position is the second command to the CEO, which means it's one of the highest position. 

However, she quickly regained herself and shook his hand firmly. "Madeleine Nevia, nice to meet you, Sir."

"Call me Mr. Ellison; everyone does." his eyes were fixed on hers for a few seconds but soon moved elsewhere. 

"So, you are his new personal assistant, right?" he put his hand on both sides of his pocket, still gazing at her.

Madeleine was trying hard not to fidget under his intense stare. "Yes, Sir."

"I see." he nodded. "I came here to give you this paper. Kindly sign that and return it to my office." he reached out his left hand to her and gave her an envelope.

"Alright, Sir." 

"Good. I hope you're aware of your work under the CEO, and when he's not around, I am in charge of overseeing every aspect of your job. Do you have questions regarding what you must do today?"

"Nope," she answered truthfully.

Mr. Sebastian looked at her with a smirk, straightened his posture, and before he walked away, he uttered something which made her a bit uneasy.