The coffee spill
7:
55 AM.
Me, Lin Xi, running like a crazy woman in the lobby of Lu Group Tower, the tallest and most terrifying building in Shanghai.
"5 minutes late on your first day, Lin Xi! You're fired before you even start!" I yelled at myself, hugging a tray with 10 cups of Americano.
My 3cm heels - my only formal shoes - squeaked on the marble floor that was as slippery as glass.
In front of the Jade meeting room, two buff assistants opened the door.
"Bring it in, quick! The CEO is here!" one whispered, panicking.
I nodded and pushed the door with my back.
And that's where disaster struck.
The room was dead silent. A long table with 20 directors in expensive suits. And at the end, on the highest chair, sat a man.
I only saw a glimpse - black suit, black shirt, a glittering watch, and a face that... oh my God.
Handsome. Too handsome to be human.
But I had no time to admire. My foot tripped on the carpet.
"WOAH!"
10 cups of Americano flew.
And with 100% accuracy, the biggest cup spilled perfectly on that man's suit and pants.
Silence.
Deadly silence.
All directors held their breath. Someone whispered, "You're dead, intern girl..."
Thick black liquid flowed from his perfect black suit onto the white marble floor.
The man slowly lifted his face.
His eyes. Eagle eyes, pitch black, cold as ice on a mountaintop. He stared at me expressionless. Not angry, not yelling. That was the scariest part.
I trembled. The tray in my hand fell with a thud.
"S-sorry! Sorry, Sir! I didn't mean to! I'll replace it! I'll clean it!"
I immediately knelt, took a tissue from my pocket and tried to wipe his suit. My small hand touched his hard thigh.
Suddenly his hand caught my wrist.
Big. Warm. Rough.
My heart stopped.
"Don't touch," he said. His voice was deep, low. Perfect Mandarin with a thick Shanghai accent. "Stand up."
I stood with weak knees.
He stood too. Towering, maybe 6'1". He took off his wet suit and threw it to his assistant without looking.
Underneath, his black shirt clung to his body. Broad chest, wide shoulders. I could see his muscle lines.
"Your name?" he asked again, still holding my wrist. His grip didn't hurt, but I couldn't escape.
"Lin Xi, Sir. New intern in the translator division... first day..."
"Lin Xi," he repeated. His thin lips moved slowly saying my name. "Age?"
"22, Sir."
"22 years old, clumsy, and brave enough to spill coffee on the CEO of Lu Group on day one." He finally released my hand. There was a red mark on my wrist. "Do you know how much that suit costs?"
I shook my head with tears starting to well up.
"More than your intern salary for a year."
I almost fainted. "I... I'll pay in installments, Sir..."
Suddenly, for the first time, the corner of his lips moved. Not a smile. Like... amused.
"Meeting over," he said suddenly, making all directors gape. "Everyone out."
"But Mr. Lu, the quarterly report..." an old director protested.
"OUT," he said softly, but the whole room was empty in 10 seconds.
Only me and him remained.
A meeting room as big as a basketball court now only had us. The cold AC pierced my skin.
He walked around me slowly, like a tiger observing its prey.
"You know, Lin Xi, for 10 years I've led this company, not a single person has dared to spill anything on me."
He stopped right behind me. I could feel his breath above my head. The scent of cedar wood, coffee, and something expensive and masculine.
"Why are you trembling? Scared I'll eat you?"
"I-I'm scared of being fired, Sir..."
"Fired?" He chuckled softly. The chuckle made my hair stand up. "No. I won't fire you."
I looked up with hope.
"On the contrary. Starting tomorrow, you move. You're not in the general translator division anymore. You are my personal translator. Your desk is inside my private office, 88th floor. Working hours 7 AM until I go home."
What? Personal translator to the CEO? That was a dream position! Salary 10 times an intern's! But... inside his private office? Just the two of us?
"B-but Sir, I'm still an intern... I have no experience..."
"I will teach you," he whispered, now in front of me again. Only 20 cm between us. I had to look up to see his face. "Experience doesn't matter. What matters... you caught my attention."
Those words made my cheeks red as a tomato.
"7 AM tomorrow. Don't be late again. And..."
He took a black tie from his wet suit pocket, and with a slow motion, tied it around my wrist that he had just held.
"Wear this. So you remember who your owner is from now on."
I stared at the expensive tie wrapped around my hand.
My owner?
Before I could protest, he walked out, leaving his scent and coffee traces on the floor.
At the door, he stopped without looking back.
"Oh yeah, Lin Xi. You don't need to pay for that suit. Replace it with overtime with me every night."
The door closed.
I stood alone in that giant meeting room, with the CEO's tie still warm wrapped around my hand, with a heart beating like war drums.
My first day as an intern.
And I just... triggered the instinct of the most feared devil CEO in Shanghai.
