Chapter 1
Annie Gilbert woke up as the sound of the alarm clock filled the room. She groaned. "Stupid clock," she muttered as she went back to bed.
I have to do something about that clock, she thought aloud.
As she was about to drift back to sleep, the blaring sound of the clock woke her up again.
"Bloody hell!!!" she cursed as she smashed the clock across the room. She smiled dreamily as she heard the shattering sound of the clock, and then she remembered.
"Holy shit!! No! No! No!! Not today," she screamed as she sprang out of bed.
It was her first day at work at Steel Cedar Incorporation. She had recently gotten a job there as the Secretary to the CEO.
I wonder what he is like, she thought as she dashed into the bathroom and was out in a minute. That was the quickest bath she had had in history.
It was 7 am already, an hour before the start of work.
She stared at herself in the mirror and admired her dress. It was a gift from her father on her birthday.
"You can do this, Annie, you've got this," she said to herself. She stood in the mirror one last time and smiled to herself.
She picked up her bag and left the apartment.
"Good morning, Mr Howard," she greeted.
Mr Howard lived opposite her. He was a sweet old man with a beautiful heart.
"Good morning, Annie darling, ready for your first day at work?" he asked.
"I'm so excited," she replied.
"You should be. You deserve it," Howard said. "Hey, you better hurry, you don't want to be late on your first day."
"Bye, Mr Howard, see you soon," she said as she walked towards the bus station.
The bus station wasn't far from where she lived, so in less than 20 minutes, she was already on her way to work. She got onto the bus and sat close to the window, her thoughts were filled with what her schedule would be like and, most importantly, what the CEO would be like.
Rumours have it that he wasn't the nicest person to work with, and she prayed silently that she hoped to have a pleasant and peaceful day during her work with her boss.
The sound of the bus horn diverted her away from her thoughts; she realised that she must have zoomed off with lots of thoughts in her head, apologising to the driver and the passengers. She alighted from the bus and waited at the zebra crossing line, and when it was green, she smiled before heading to her company.
Outside the building of her new place, where she would have to spend the rest of her life until she retires, except that her boss was unbearable for her. Taking in a deep breath and realising her breathing, putting on a fake smile, she walked into the company.
She was met with new employees like herself who were busy introducing themselves. She didn't know if she belonged, or if she was good at making friends but she wanted things to be different this time around.
A slight tap on her shoulders jolted her, and she quickly turned around to meet the smiling face of a pretty lady.
"I'm sorry if I startled you, you must be the new Secretary. Hi, I'm Esmeralda. You can call me Esme. I work as an Architectural designer here."
"I'm Annie, nice to meet you," Annie said while exchanging handshakes with the lady.
"I love your outfit, it's lovely. Where did you get it from?" Esme asked.
"Uhm, sorry, my dad bought it for me as a gift last year, so I didn't get to ask the price from him," Annie answered.
"Ohh, Daddy's girl huh?” Esme teased her, and Annie flushed. "You are welcome anyway; I hope you last long here. I could use a friend around here."
"What do you mean?" Annie asked curiously.
"Oh, never mind. See you around, Annie," Esme said as she dashed back to her office.
I hope you last long here; Annie couldn't stop thinking about what Esme said.
What does she mean? Is there something wrong here? Annie thought. She knew the CEO wasn't one to mess with, but she didn't know that it would be that bad.
Soon, a lady arrived and addressed them about the rules and regulations before leading Annie to her corner and giving her the files left over by the former Secretary.
Annie smiled softly and thanked the lady. She began her job hoping that today would be a bright day.
A few minutes later, Annie stood in awe as she saw this man walk past her. She couldn't stop staring.
Oh my Gosh!! He's beautiful, she thought.
The man arrived at her corner immediately after she stood up. He walked with pride as his eyes scanned her for a fleeting second.
His physique was like that of a Greek god. His movement was swift and agile. He had a very large build and was brawny. His eyes were as blue as the sea, it was the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen. His eyebrows were bushy. His beauty was quite remarkable. He had short, wavy black hair. Beardless but beautiful. His lips were alluring. Never had she ever met a man with such alluring lips as Damien's. He was handsome and had a charming smile when he smiled. He looked smoking hot in his blue suit, a perfect match for his eyes.
She was still in that state when the telephone on her desk rang.
"Steel Cedar, how may I...." she was interrupted
"Get me my coffee," came the deep husky voice of Damien from the other side. She felt a cold chill run down her spine.
"Yes, sir," Annie said as she dashed out to get the coffee and in no time she was knocking at his office door with a tray of hot coffee and a hamburger. She had been informed earlier by a lady who went to get her coffee that he loved his coffee with a hamburger.
"Come in," Damien commanded. She heaved a deep sigh before she went in and placed the coffee and hamburger on the table.
He was working on his laptop when Anna walked into the office. Not glancing at her, he picked up the cup of coffee she had placed on the desk, took a sip, and spat it out immediately.
"Holy shit!! What is this!!" Damien asked angrily, "What did you just serve me?"
He was fuming in anger.
Annie was perplexed and wondered what was wrong. She had never been yelled at in her entire life, and she couldn't quite picture where she had gone wrong or what had happened.
"That's coffee, sir. Is something wrong?" she replied amidst fear.
"Wrong? Is something wrong? Really? Oh, I'll show you what is wrong here," he sneered, trashing the coffee into the waste bin close to him.
Annie couldn't place her head as to why he was reacting that way.
"The next time you'll serve me coffee like this, I promise that I'll empty it on you. For God's sake, how many times do I have to tell you guys that my coffee must be served at not less than 70°c and without sugar!! Also, I don't like onions in my goddamn hamburger!!" Damien yelled.
Annie stood in shock. She trembled at the threat he made. How could he be so arrogant, callous, and mean at the same time? She thought. He was worse than the gossip she had heard about him; he was the devil himself.
No one had told her what to do and what not to do when she got here. She only met a lady who introduced the buildings to them and showed them their various offices, nobody ever mentioned what the boss liked or didn't like.
"I'm sorry, sir. It's my first day here. No one told me anything. I'm sorry. I promise it won't happen again," Annie pleaded.
Annie was shocked as he ignored all her pleas; she watched as he picked up the telephone and called someone.
"James! My office now!" Damien ordered the person at the other end of the phone.
She was scared as he slammed the phone down, without glancing at her. The atmosphere in the room was tense, she had no idea who James was. Her thoughts went to the security he saw on her way up.
“Am I getting fired?” she asked herself as she wandered off.
In no less than four minutes, James entered the office at the sight of him. Damien rose angrily and lashed out at him.
"You had one freaking job to do and you failed. How incompetent can you be, James?"
"I… I'm so sorry, sir," James stuttered.
"Shut the fuck up, you bollocks. You are fired. Get out of my office, you two. Now!!!" Damien screamed.
As they were about to leave the office, he called out to Annie.
"Hey, you, yes you. What's your name again? You know what, I don't bloody care. This is going to be the last time. It better not repeat itself," Damien warned her.
"Y…yes, sir. I promise it won't happen again," Annie reassured amidst fear. She was visibly shaking.
She grabbed the tray and dashed out of the office.
Annie had run to the restroom and cried her eyes out. She had never been humiliated before in her entire life.
Seconds became minutes, but the stream of tears wouldn't stop. She was scared of working with him, she was also scared of making any mistakes.
She was lost in thoughts that she didn't notice when Esme walked up to her and pulled her into a hug. Esme knew at this moment that the best thing to do was to try to console her.
"Forget about what he said. He is probably in a bad mood today. Don't change your mind about this place yet."
"Is this what you meant when you said 'I hope you last long here?" Annie asked as she was curious to know what she meant earlier on. "Is he always like this?"
"He's a really cool guy. He's friendly and has a kind heart," Esme said, but Annie rolled her eyes in disbelief. Esme wasn't ready to see Annie quit like others. She had a good feeling about her.
"He doesn't look friendly to me. He's arrogant and mean. I can't do this anymore. No one has ever spoken to me in that manner before," Annie said angrily
"He is, trust me. He's just… never mind," she sighs. "This is what you have to do to be on his good side. Be here on time, make sure his coffee is set just the way he likes it, and schedule all meetings before time; he doesn't like to be late for a meeting. Don't say a word unless he asks you to. He likes it when his employees look smart and active."
Annie listened to Esme advise in awe. She wondered what the next few months would be like working for him with all these conditions.
"Are you two, you know, dating or something? You seem to know everything about him. Besides, how are you so close to someone like that?" Annie asked as she became even more curious to know about their relationship.
"I've known Damien for years now," Esme answered. "We met in college, and we've been friends since then. He can be difficult, but he has a sweet soul. I know that for a fact. You'll like it here."
"I don't think so," she shrugged.
"I'll talk to him, okay? Trust me," Esme said with a smile. “Now wipe your tears and let's get back to work before we get our asses fired.”
Annie wiped her tears, braced herself, and they both went to their respective duty post. She hoped that the rest of her day wouldn't get any worse than earlier on.
