1. A New Beginning

I made my way up to the Fifteenth story of Adams Corp. I was nervous as this was the most important day of my life. It was my first day as the new assistant of Ivan Lewis Adams. New York's most eligible bachelor who also happened to be the CEO of this prestigious company. As the elevator started to move, I felt ill.

Don't get me wrong. I was extremely excited about the opportunity. I was somehow selected among the most competitive and attractive group of people with extremely high qualification. Anyone would kill to have this job. I am a fortunate woman. However, the main reason for my discomfort was that I'd be working closely with Ivan Adams.

The man, the myth, and the legend. Rumor has it he is an enigma, completely untouchable and extremely hard to work with. Why did I want to work with him, you ask? Well, you see, my dream is to be one of the next executive board members in this outstanding establishment. Since I don't have too many experiences in the world of business, I figured I start from the bottom and work my way up. Even if it means I'll have to survive the wrath of the dragon himself.

So here I am. After giving myself a 20-minute session of pep talk in the morning, I was ready.

"You must be Miss Young, the new assistant. My name is Cheryl Johnson. I am sir's former secretary. You'll be taking over my job," said the woman who greeted me.

"Pleased to meet you, Ms. Johnson. I look forward to learning everything from you," I offered her a polite smile.

"Very well, follow me to his office please so you can be properly introduced," she said.

Going right to business, huh.

I tried to keep my composure as we walked through the elegant and beautiful Lobby. Will I really be working here? I hope my outfit was sophisticated enough.

We went inside the CEO's lavish office, and my eyes were blessed by the likes of the infamous Ivan Adams. There he was, standing by the window in all of his glory. He was wearing an expensive suit that was tailored to perfection. His black hair was slicked back, and he had a pair of grey eyes that glowed with high intelligence. He was quite handsome with a sharp nose and jaw. He looked at me intently. His expression was stoic.

I suddenly felt a chill. The aura surrounding him was just so...cold.

Calm down, Ariel. He is just a man. Do it for your future. I scolded myself for being nervous.

"Good morning, Ivan. I want to introduce you to your new assistant, Miss Young," Cheryl said.

Ivan looked me up and down and furrowed his eyebrows. I wish I could read his mind.

"I see," he said in a deep and husky voice. "She is a bit young, isn't she? Are we positive that she'll be able to handle the volume of my workload?"

Excuse me....what does my age has to do with anything? Besides, I'm 24 years old, not a teenager. He doesn't look a day older than 30 anyways.

I cleared my throat. "I will assure you I'm very qualified for this job, and I will do my best to prove myself at this company."

"Is that right," he smirked. "Very well then, I have a task for you. You may leave now, Ms. Cheryl."

"Yes, Ivan," she said and left in a hurry.

"A task?" I asked.

"Yes, a simple task to prove yourself worthy. Now go into the waiting area in the lobby and report to me what you see," he said and sat down on his chair.

I wonder what exactly I'm looking for out there, but I had to follow his order. I went inside the waiting room and saw a woman sitting on the couch. She was absolutely stunning. She didn't acknowledge me as she was too busy taking selfies on her phone.

I didn't see anything or anyone else, so I went back to his office.

"Well?" he asked.

"There's a woman with long blonde hair sitting on the couch," I said.

"Good," he paused. "Your next task is to go and get rid of her. Her name is Katie Mckinzee."

"Excuse me, sir, wouldn't that be kind of rude to tell her to leave? She might be waiting a long time," I asked hesitantly.

"Are you questioning me, Miss, young?" he stared at me with those intense grey eyes. Fuck...I am already messing up.

"Nno...no sir, of course not!" I stammered.

"Good, since this is your first day, I'll let it slide. Now, do as I told you and get rid of Kate Mckinzee," he said.

"What...what should I tell her?" I asked.

"Be creative, and don't be afraid to be a cold bitch. That's the only way you'll survive in this company," he said with a grim expression on his face.

Wow, what an unpleasant man...I said it in my head. My future is not looking too good.

I stood next to the woman and cleared my throat. She finally looked up.

"Um...excuse me, Miss Mckinzee? I am afraid Sir is not available at the moment. So, I'll have to ask you to leave," I said and gave her my best smile.

Her beautiful face contorted into an ugly frown. "I am sorry what? What do you mean he is not available? I've been waiting for him for almost 15 minutes. Tell Ivan to get his sexy ass out here, RIGHT NOW!"

Shit, this is going to be harder than I thought.

I cleared my throat and looked directly into her eyes. "I am sorry, Miss Mckinzee, I am afraid I can't do that. Sir is very busy, and he will be pre-occupied for the whole day today, so maybe you should re-schedule your meeting? I am sure he will be happy to meet you another time. By the way, I absolutely adore your hair! You are so pretty," I said. I wanted to stroke her ego so she would go soft on me. Judging by her change of demeanor, it was a success.

"Fine, I will call him later," she got up and stormed out.

Phew...mission accomplished. I headed back to the office.

"Well?" he asked.

"She left. She said she would call you later," I said and grinned.

"Nice job. I suppose you passed this test. Now go get me some coffee, no cream or sugar," he said and dismissed me.

I exhaled and left the office. Being around him was a task itself. He was just so...cold. I don't know how I would survive the rest of my career working with this man.