Years later...
Today was one of the days that frightened Ethan the most. He had been anticipating this moment for so long, eager to get it over with. It took two years, four months, two weeks, five days, three hours, fifteen minutes, and ten seconds to prepare for this outing. Yes, he kept count because of how important this occasion was.
His father had retired from the company, stepping aside to monitor its activities, and instructed Ethan to take over his empire. However, he refused to allow the succession to pass down to his elder sister. Ethan had his own enterprise, which was doing well, and he was a powerful billionaire. Although not totally independent, his father still insisted on supervising his activities despite having no official linkage with them. But Ethan dare not oppose or refuse his father’s strategy. It would only end badly, so he let the sleeping dog lie.Gathering his courage, Ethan made up his mind to announce the termination of his connection with the company and everything owned by his father. He wanted to be independent and away from his father's unappreciative sight. With his heart pounding in his chest, he headed for the office, where he had a huge press conference. One that might get him into trouble or out of it.
If you live life afraid and never try what you want, you would never achieve those things. Ethan was fearless and it took him years to permanently break the shackles of his father Noah. * * * Brandon Daniel met his demon of a boss in the most unfavorable and rude way. For some reason, which was tagged private, the wealthy Ethan had fired his long-time secretary, and the news about seeking a replacement traveled like wildfire. Brandon was just one of the many candidates gathered at the reception of the Wings's headquarters, fidgeting at the thought of securing an opportunity for the job. The tall building provided some protection from the cold November wind, but that was pretty much the only good thing about the situation. They were being ignored, with the security guards simply monitoring them from afar, and the receptionist kept telling them to hold on, that the interview would soon begin. A process that was supposed to be handled by the Human Resources department was said to be Mr. Ethan's protocol for the day. He was going to personally interview all the candidates. By the looks of the long queue of desperate people seeking the position, it would take forever for him to finish. It was a painfully slow process.“It’s useless,” someone in the large crowd grumbled. “They’re not going to come out and actually attend to us. We’re wasting our time. Who are we kidding that Wings would give us an equal opportunity for the position? They might have already handpicked a professional secretary trained abroad and just decided to put up this show called the hiring process to fulfill all formalities.”
Others were nodding, all looking dejected.
Brandon frowned and crossed his legs, practicing his presentation even more critically. He refused to give up that easily. He wouldn’t let these lazy and scared people discourage his long-term dream and zeal of becoming a worker at Wings. That was the reason he scrambled to the headquarters as soon as he heard the news, irrespective of having the thinnest opportunity of getting the job due to his lack of experience and, well, other personality defaults.
“Come on, guys.” Brandon stepped forward. “We just need to be more patient. I am pretty sure they will remember us as soon as it gets to our turn. This is a huge franchise, and they might be occupied with pressing things,” he said, looking at the other candidates.
There were about fifty of them, which was a little disheartening, but Brandon didn’t let it show on his face. His dad always said that to make people believe in something, you needed to look like you believed in it yourself, and Brandon knew it was true. “We can’t get discouraged after days of preparing for this opportunity and hours of waiting," he encouraged.To his relief, the others seemed to become uplifted enough by his words of encouragement. Brandon felt the same. He suggested they stage a small protest about not being taken seriously and being ignored. Although a terrible idea for people who came to seek something and were now fighting where they came to get help, they really did deserve to be listened to after hours of waiting.
They gather in circles and started chanting. Surprisingly, people paid little to no attention to them like they were invisible. Gradually, their shouts started attracting attention. Security guards approached them, demanding that they stop disrupting people’s work and either leave or wait until the company had the time to attend to them. "Take this crappie elsewhere," the guard barked. “We won’t leave until we are attended to!” Brandon said. “Tell whosoever is in charge that it is unfair to make people leave other important engagements for an opportunity they weren't even given a chance to prove themselves for. I mean, who fixes an interview and doesn't hold it? What a disrespectful asshole!" He should have kept quiet and allowed someone else take the lead. The other candidates made approving loud noises, clapping him on the back. Encouraged, Brandon shouted louder, “They won’t ignore us! They can’t do this to us—”“What’s going on here?” said a cold voice.
The hush was instant.
Brandon turned and met piercing black eyes.
He’d never seen black eyes before, except in scenarios involving the supernatural. But these were thick black, not the usual dark brown.
It took him a moment to wrench his gaze away and see the man those eyes belonged to.
Ethan stood tall, his immaculate blue suit hugging his broad shoulders. His dark hair was finely shaped, and his heavy brows complemented his hawk-like gaze, making his presence rather unsettling. One could swear he was a model for some top agency—a sexy but intimidating model. Ethan was built like a Roman or Greek god. He might have been mixed-race or purely white, but his tanned skin suggested either too much sun or perhaps frequent spa visits. Either way, it achieved impressive results, making him appear anything but pale.The dimple on his chin was the only thing softening his appearance, but it served only to accentuate the hard, square line of his jaw and his straight nose.From the way he held himself, it was obvious he was someone important. He practically exuded power and money, but Brandon didn’t care and ignored all those attributes.To be honest, Ethan wasn’t well known as the owner of Wings. Wings was one of the biggest private companies in the country, and its internal s
He was brought to Ethan’s office. Or, to be exact, to the reception room outside his office. Then Brandon was told to wait. Which would have been fine if it hadn’t already been three hours.Brandon glared at the golden plaque on the door that seemed to mock him: "Ethan Asher, CEO." So, apparently, that dick was the CEO of Wings. That explained a lot. And now, Brandon was never going to get that job he had hoped for so much, the one that was supposed to help him take care of his pressing bills. If only he had known, he would have kept his mouth shut like the others. Look where being bold and vocal had gotten him. Nevertheless, he still couldn't stand being degraded. He has had his fair share of that experience and had sworn to his late mom that he would never be in such a position again, regardless of what or who.For Ethan to be the CEO and treat people like this, he must be a soulless leader with no remorse. People working under him must have seen heaven and hell while doing so.Wit
Brandon spluttered with indignation. Ethan had forgotten about him? But before he could say anything, the dickhead continued.“Considering your condition, you really needed this job. Sabotaging the only shot you had at getting it and antagonizing a major company is beyond stupid. I’m surprised by your lack of foresight.”Brandon’s chest tightened. He had known that instigating the protest was a little risky if he wanted to secure this job. But he never knew that the jerk he had been raw to was in charge of giving him that opportunity, or even an opportunity at all. He just messed it up.“Or was it supposed to be your strategy for getting my attention?” Ethan said, his voice dry and sarcastic. “Then I’ll have to say that you did a terrible job. I won't have street and untrained employees.”Brandon raged. He had prepared so hard in hopes of getting the job. Now that this douchebag was stating it clearly, Brandon realized the number of things the mouthwatering salary could have done for
Brandon left Ethan’s office, unsure whether to laugh or cry. Getting a job at Wings Group had really become a dream come true. He had never intended to stage a protest or force that jerk to acknowledge him, but the situation had turned in his favor. His simple goal was to go there, apply, interview, and maybe get rejected. But now, he was a personal assistant to the CEO of Wings Group, Ethan Asher—the exact opposite of what he’d wanted. Yet here he was, a PA to Ethan Asher, CEO of Wings Group.The trip to Human Resources turned out to be surprisingly welcoming. Brenda, a nice young woman with a lovely smile and curves, greeted him warmly. Somehow, in the short time between Brandon leaving Ethan’s office and finding the HR department, she already had the contract ready. In any other circumstances, Brandon would have flirted with her, but he was too frustrated now.“Wow, you got it done within a short time?” Brandon said, skimming over the contract.Brenda laughed a little. “When you w
Brenda grimaced a little. “He’s… a complicated one.” She smiled at him. “I see something different in you. This time around, this PA is going to get through and finish his contract. I believe in you. But a word of advice: make sure to stay almost invisible around him and don’t expect him to be different towards you or to tolerate mistakes just because you’re new. He doesn’t tolerate excuses.”“That’s very reassuring,” Brandon said with a chuckle. “But thanks for the warning. I appreciate it, really. You just saved me from getting fired. With all these heads up, I’m sure to do better.”Blushing, she smiled, looking slightly confused. “I’m not even sure why I told you all of that. I could lose my job.”Brandon grinned. “Who’s snitching among us? No one. He would never find out. Besides, I have a rare condition which doesn’t allow me to betray people who trust me.”“Really? And what’s the name?”“It doesn’t have a name yet.”“What a joker,” she chuckled.He really had never told on peop
Annoyed, Ethan said nothing, just laid a heavy hand on Brandon’s nape, and directed him towards the door unceremoniously, his touch like a burning iron.Suppressing the urge to snap that he was perfectly capable of walking by himself, Brandon took a deep breath, in and out. This wasn’t him. He wasn’t this easily annoyed guy. He had his cool.He was better than that. He should take the high ground and not let Ethan get to him. He could handle some attitude. He could handle being bossed around. He could even handle being treated like his opinion on his own clothes didn’t matter. He could suck it up and deal with it. After all, employees got this frequently. The difference was that he was a dick's employee. One who would make him cry wolf for humiliating him.As rough as this gets, he needed the money to take care of his needs, and it was a great employment opportunity that would change his life forever once he gets through it.Besides, it was not as if he had a lifelong stay here. He w
Brandon never knew that Satan had a sibling living on Earth until he met Ethan. He realized that Ethan was either ruling Hell with his brother or was totally in charge. Most times, he wished that Ethan would meet a terrible end and justice would be served in his afterlife. But, that would be a waste of energy because Ethan might be a reincarnation of someone from the afterlife. How could a human being with a conscience be so cruel? Or maybe it was just him. This one was soulless. No heart. No soul. Just a handsome, tall billionaire occupying a body. It was so hilarious when many people spoke kindly of him, talking about how he had helped them in life because he was involved in so many charity events and really did give back to society. Was he trying to maintain a good image while being a terrible human being? How pathetic! He should be proud of nature to the core. However, who would believe a servant over such an adorable master? People would see it as Brandon trying to make him l
“Did you give Brenda the job to finish?” Ethan asked as soon as Brandon walked into the office.Brandon replied, “No. I thought I should go ahead and finish it up since I already swiftly ran your other errands.”“Is that thick head of yours filled with disobeying instructions? Fucking give Brenda the job to do!” Ethan lashed out at Brandon.For the first time, Brandon felt like a success, having had the capacity to get under Ethan’s skin. He decided to continue pushing his buttons. “Sorry, Brenda that works at HR, right?”“Why would you ask me such a silly question?”“It gets confusing. Becky and Brenda.”Ethan retorted, “After months of working here, you are just unbelievable. Brenda works at HR and Becky is my receptionist. Have you gotten that into your thick skull now?”“Yes sir,” Brandon said, scowling. “I booked you the most luxurious hotel this time. I thought you need a change of atmosphere. I know it is not my place to object, but how could you finish the numerous condoms I g