Chapter 2

I watched as Chloe stood up, bowing her head and apologizing frantically. She looked at me and jerked me forward to apologize, but I was too mortified to speak.

"Which of you is my assistant?" His voice sent a shiver down my spine, cold and sharp.

Chloe nudged me forward, and I glared at her as I stepped up, noticing that he wasn't the only one who heard me spitting out nonsense. The management team were also behind him as he scrutinized the entire building, pointing out things to be changed and removed. My face burned with embarrassment as they all stared at me blank-faced.

"I'm your assistant," I whispered, lowering my head, and bracing myself for the inevitable consequences.

"When you're speaking to me, you talk louder and more audibly," he demanded, not giving me a chance to respond. He turned to the woman beside him with a notepad. "Is this how they leave their work and gossip? Make sure this never happens again."

"Yes, sir," the woman said, bowing slightly.

His hands gestured for me to move forward. Meekly, I walked toward him, standing just a few inches away. His strong cologne hit my nose like a strong wave, leaving me out of breath.

"What's your name?" he asked, his piercing gaze locking onto mine.

"Tessa," I paused, my voice barely above a whisper. "Tessa Mills."

"Follow me." With that, he turned his back on me and walked away. I stole a glance at Chloe, who chuckled a little, her eyes flashing with amusement.

I stared at his back, fuming with anger. "Such a cocky bastard," I thought. Did he not remember my face, or was he just feigning ignorance?

"Such a jerk," I scoffed, but too loudly, as he stopped and slowly turned to face me.

"Did you just scoff, Miss Mills?" 

My composure kicked in as I raised my chin, our eyes meeting. He was so gorgeous. Why did he have to be such a jerk?

"I was just reacting to something on my phone," I said, awkwardly swaying my phone.

"You're on your phone instead of focusing on what's happening? Such unethical behavior," he muttered, his voice a low growl. "And my father said you were one of his best assistants. Not seeing many unique qualities here."

"Focus on your work so you won't get fired, Miss Mills," he said, turning away from me. "I'm not as lenient as my father." With that, he started walking again. The rest of the team stared at me with mockery and disdain, and I bit back another scoff.

My legs ached as we moved to the top floor. Why was it necessary for me to follow him around? When we finally stopped at the CEO’s office, he started addressing us. "You can take your leave now, adjust everything I've changed today, and send the changing reviews to my office." As I turned to leave with the others, he pointed at me. "You, follow me."

And with that, he walked into his office. I checked the time; it was already 1 PM.

"Did this jerk just use about four hours to change irrelevant things in the company? Why do I even have to follow him around? My feet hurt."

"Sir, is there anything you need?" I stood at the front of his desk, his head already buried in his laptop.

"Yes, coffee. Black, no sugar."

"Yes, sir." I began moving to the coffee machine at the far corner of his large, exquisite office when he raised his head.

"Not from there. I need the one from the last floor, the one in the reception area."

"But sir, that’s for guests and staff, and it's way downstairs."

He raised his eyebrows. "Are you questioning me? Firstly, you come late to work, then you spend all your time gossiping, and now you can't do a simple task?"

I bit back another scoff. Did he just say "simple task"? "Very sorry, sir. I'll get your coffee right now."

He didn’t respond.

I wanted to murder him, such a cocky bastard. If not for the elevator, I'd be doomed to climb all the way downstairs. 

The elevator gave me time to think about the coincidence of my one-night stand becoming my new boss, and an arrogant one at that.

I wanted to scream. He was so good in bed. Why did he have to be this cocky? Why does he have to be my boss? Why did I have to be his assistant?

My bruised arm brushed against someone in the elevator, jolting my mind back to Damien. The bruise was still quite visible despite the excessive makeup.

"Why did I even allow him to beat me like this for so long?"

My thoughts kept coming as I made his coffee absentmindedly, unconscious of the time I had spent there. I began to panic, knowing he would rub it in my face how slow I was at my job.

The elevator was occupied since it was lunchtime, and I had no choice but to use the stairs. Carrying his coffee cup and mug on a tray, I tried frantically not to spill it.

"Finally," I breathed as I reached his office. I took a deep breath and walked in. He ignored my existence as I dropped the tray on the table.

Picking up the coffee cup, he brought it to his lips and stopped. "This is cold already. Make another one."

I wanted to pull my hair out as I tried to calm myself by breathing in and out. "Sir, I have documents to work on and have wasted most of my time today doing nothing."

He cut me off. "And whose fault is that?" His eyes met mine, and I gulped, saying nothing as I reached for the tray. He added, "And when you're done, analyze and edit these documents." He dropped some files on the table. As his hands moved, my hands slipped, and the coffee cup fell, spilling on his suit. The coffee now a searing stain on his expensive suit.

"Shit!" I exclaimed, rushing to get a towel from the far end of the office. Falling to my knees in front of him, I attempted to wipe off the stain from his suit.

In my haste and embarrassment, I didn't think the situation could get any worse until I realized I was furiously rubbing the towel against his groin.

I averted my gaze, feeling a heated blush spread from my face down my neck as I caught a glimpse of the noticeable bulge in front of his pants.

I immediately stood up, bowing my head and muttering, "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry." I hurriedly packed the tray and attempted to leave when I felt a strong grip on my wrist.

He growled as I stood still, my back to him.

"Where do you think you’re going, Miss Mills?"