Chapter 2

But right now, those beautiful eyes were ice cold, and our eyes locked accidentally. There was no mistaking it—he had to be Alex.

The hallway instantly fell into a deathly silence. I wanted to crawl into a hole and die. I instinctively shrank back.

"Mr. Carter," my coworker stammered.

I hurriedly lowered my head and mumbled, "Good morning, Mr. Carter," so quietly it sounded like a mosquito buzzing.

Alex gave a curt response, his face still cold, and started walking past me.

Just when I thought I'd dodged a bullet, he suddenly stopped. The next second, he turned slightly. His icy gaze landed on my face, like he was trying to see right through me. "Which department are you from?" he asked.

My mind went completely blank.

My team leader quickly jumped in to save me. "Mr. Carter, she is Emily Lane, the new hire in the planning department."

Alex didn't say a word. His eyes stayed on me for several seconds, making my skin crawl. Finally, he spoke, his tone flat and cold. "Have her come to my office later and give a report. I want to see what the new hires can do."

Then he turned and left without another glance. Leaving me standing there, totally at a loss.

My team leader patted my shoulder, looking sympathetic. "Don't worry. You know that project inside out anyway. Getting some face time with the big boss is actually a good opportunity."

Good thing, my ass. This was clearly him looking for a punching bag.

But I didn't dare disobey, so I forced myself to gather my materials and head up to the executive floor. I stood outside his office for a full five minutes, taking deep breaths, before finally knocking on the heavy door.

"Come in." His voice from inside was as cold as ice.

I pushed the door open and tried not to look nervous. "Mr. Carter, I'm here to give my report."

Alex sat behind his massive desk without even lifting his eyes. "Go ahead."

I swallowed and started going through the presentation I'd prepared. About ten minutes in, I felt my mouth was running dry and finally wrapped it up. "That's pretty much it, Mr. Carter."

The silence in the room was suffocating.

Alex flipped through my proposal, his face unreadable. After what felt like forever, he looked up. His deep gaze fixed on me. "Are you nervous?"

I nodded honestly. "A little."

Of course I was nervous. Who wouldn't be nervous facing a freshly dumped boss who was basically the devil incarnate?

He didn't respond. He tossed the folder onto the desk, his tone calm and indifferent. "Go to HR and complete your handover."

My mind exploded. Wait, was he firing me?

I panicked instantly. My eyes stung, and tears almost spilled again.

Could I get any more unlucky? Getting dumped was bad enough. Now my career was about to get axed too?

I rushed to plead my case, my voice already shaking. "Please, Mr. Carter, I know I'm not perfect, but I swear I'll do better. Can you give me another shot? I really, really need this job."

Alex ignored me, tapping away at the keyboard, probably sending an email.

Great. This was it. I was really getting kicked out.

The injustice bubbled up in my chest, and I couldn't stop myself from muttering, "Mr. Carter, can I at least know what I did wrong? If I'm getting fired, I'd like to know why."

Alex paused. He looked up at my red, watery eyes, one brow lifting slightly. For a split second, his tone carried a hint of helplessness. "Who said I was firing you?"

I sniffed. "Then why did you tell me to go to HR..."

He seemed to let out a faint chuckle, though it vanished just as quickly. "You spent that long explaining something so simple, but your logic was clear. Staying in the planning department would be a waste. You're transferring to the executive office. You'll be my assistant."

I blinked, convinced I'd misheard.

Alex turned his monitor toward me. As expected, it was an official transfer notice.

From an invisible nobody in the planning department to the CEO's assistant. This was a rocket ride to the top.

"Finish your handover this morning and report back this afternoon," he said, glancing at me. "Any questions?"

I shook my head so hard it could've rattled loose. A huge grin spread across my face. "No questions. None at all. Thank you, Mr. Carter."

He gave a quiet acknowledgment, then pushed the folder toward me. "Go and pack up."

I hurried forward, over the moon, and reached for the file. But the second my fingers touched it, it wouldn't budge.

I looked up in confusion and saw his hand pressing down on the folder. He was staring at my fingers, his brow furrowing a little, and his expression turned a bit weird.

"This manicure..." He paused, his voice uncertain. "It looks familiar."

My stomach dropped. I yanked my hand back instinctively.

The manicure was bright red, dotted with a few rhinestones. They were a bit gaudy, but that old man I was dating online insisted I get them and said they were festive.

Now, every time I saw them, all I could think of was that liar, and it just made me mad all over again.

"Well... it's the latest trend. Figured I'd give it a try." I laughed nervously, secretly vowing to tear these nails off the second I got home.

Alex stared at my hand for a few seconds, then at my face. His eyes darkened, unreadable. In the end, he didn't say anything, just waved me out.

By the time I finished the handover, it was lunch break.

I headed to the company cafeteria, my mood still swinging wildly. My appetite was off, so I ordered a salad.

Sitting down, I habitually pulled out my phone and snapped a photo of the salad. A bad habit I'd picked up over the past six months—every meal had to be documented.

After taking the picture, I instinctively tapped send—straight to my pinned contact: [Babe, I'm having salad for lunch. Miss you.]

Content, I picked up my fork and had a bite.

Wait, something felt off. Didn't I delete that online conman already? Then, who did I just send this to?

I almost choked on my salad, scrambling frantically for my phone. When I saw the screen, it felt like my brain short-circuited. My vision went black, and I nearly died on the spot.

The pinned contact was a pitch-black night sky. That was Alex. The boss I'd just added 30 minutes ago.

For convenience, the executive assistant had told me to pin the boss' contact and stay available 24/7. And I had completely forgotten.

"No, no, no..." I groaned, shaking as I tried to delete it. But that blue tick was already there—Alex had seen it.

I shut my eyes in despair. Just destroy me now. First day in a new role, and I'd already sent the boss a creepy love note. My career was over.

I was debating whether to draft my resignation letter or jump off a bridge when my phone vibrated. Alex had replied.