Chapter One: Her World, His World

A wise person once said about love, 'we live in a universe that's ruled by chaos and chance, where all it takes is one moment of ill fortune and all of our hopes and dreams would go right down the shitter'. 

Zoey flicked her thick-rimmed eyeglasses, fetched her wallet, took out some cash, and handed it to the taxi driver in front. "Thank you for creasing your forehead at me for the last thirty six minutes of my life! Don't do that again because you looked like Vecna. That's all. Bye! And, ohh. Keep the change!"

When she opened the cab's door, she readied herself to run for her life, clutching tightly to her backpack's straps on her shoulders. "I am an aries! I am always ready for battles! Yah!" Zoey screamed as she launched herself to sprint so fast. And, she absolutely had never done that before. She ran so fast like there were some psycho serial killer on the loose and chasing down her ass.

Zoey can now see the magnificent Chevalier tower, just thirty more seconds of running like a madman. "Ohh! Ohh, my god!" She exclaimed when she almost hit an old woman walking opposite her direction. She stopped running just to apologize. "I'm so sorry!" She even bowed her head at the old woman afterwards. 

But unfortunately, when she turned around again, her whole body already crashed at the tall man in front of her, much to her sheer surprise. The impact was so painful for her yet the man still managed to finish talking to someone on his phone before cursing out loud. "What the bloody hell!"

Zoey walked past him only to see that the man's hot coffee in a plastic cup had spilled all over his obviously expensive three-piece freaking suit. "Holy mother Theresa!" Zoey searched for her hanky and tried wiping the coffee stains out of the man's expensive suit. "Ohh, my god. I'm sorry, sir. I didn't see you." But the man only pushed her hands away so rudely. 

"So, is it my fault now? And, don't touch me. Just pay for the dry cleaning because I don't really have the fucking time to go back to my penthouse right now." Zoey's mind went black when the man laid out his hand in front of her, silently asking her for some cash which she don't have at the jiffy, not to mention the fact that the man's suit looked so expensive, she bet it would cost her so much to get it dry-cleaned. 

Zoey became agitated. She bit her lower lip thinking of ways to get out of that situation until she suddenly thought of using her old yet never-out-of-trend trick. "Wait, sir. What's that? Is that a Demogorgon flying in the sky?" The man, who was sporting some huge sunglasses on his eyes, immediately removed them before looking at the direction Zoey's little finger was pointing.

Zoey laughed and without wasting any more seconds, she ran as fast as she could again, away from the man and towards her destination. The man felt that and immediately looked back at Zoey. "Wait. Hey! Hey! Hey! Where are you going? Pay for this!"

"Sorry! I can't afford to pay for that!"

The man suddenly started chasing Zoey right there and then. "Tell that to the marines, witch! You wasted my precious damn coffee and ruined my favorite suit! I won't forgive you!"

Zoey shouted as well when she noticed that the man was really tailing her after she looked back at him. "Ohh, my god! Go away!"  

"No! Come here! I'll tear you to pieces!" 

Zoey's breathing becomes uneven by the minute. Luckily, she reached the Chevalier Tower before her lungs could finally give up on her. Resting for a second, Zoey's hands grasped her knees. "Whew! That was close."

"Witch in a black polo and skirt!" Zoey's eyes widened upon hearing that. She looked behind her again only to see that the man was still very persistent to finally get a hold of her. 

"Ohh, my god. Shit, shit." Zoey cursed again and again and had no choice but to finally enter the Chevalier Tower. She sprinted towards the reception area while panting so hard. Her face was so red from all the running and clearly losing her poise if she ever had one. "Hi. Uhm, I'm Zoey Veera Lavigne. I have an interview for the executive secretary position right now, so. . ahh."

Zoey looked back again. And, lo and behold. The man entered the building as well, much to her sheer befuddlement. "Damn." Zoey felt like crying right now. But, she still has a job interview to pass because it would literally define her future for the next few months. "Tell me which floor will the interview be held on?" Zoey asked as she looked back at the woman standing behind the reception desk again. 

The woman was eyeing her face and neck, obviously mocking her, as she gave Zoey her own visitor's pass. "Tenth floor, H.R. department." Zoey forced a smile on her face after she accepted the pass. A gnawing, painful feeling she always tried to bury deep inside her heart resurfaced, which she didn't need to feel right now. 

"What's with those dark patches on her skin? Are those contagious?"

"Well, all I know is she looks like a freak." Then, menacing laughter filled the air. 

Zoey gulped the pain and shook her head. She ignored what she had just heard and just pulled down her long skirt and fixed her long sleeve polo to cover more of her skin as if that would really help. Then, she focused on her upcoming interview, completely forgetting the man that was just chasing her down a while ago. 

When Zoey reached the tenth floor, she took some deep breaths first before walking out of the elevator. She had prepared a small speech in her head thinking of many excuses to say why the bloody hell she was late for two minutes. 

She walked towards the human resources department and sat in the waiting area for another two minutes before a woman walked toward her. "May I help you, ma'am?" 

"Hi. I'm sorry, I'm late. I'm Zoey Veera Lavigne. I am one of the final applicants for the executive secretary position. I was just caught in the traffic. So, yeah. Am I still qualified to take the interview right now?"

The woman smiled warmly upon hearing her name. "Of course, miss Lavigne. I just got a call from our big boss, the C.E.O., Mr. Dionysus Chevalier, that he is already expecting you now at his office. Just go straight to the eighteenth floor now." Zoey blinked at that, not believing her ears after the woman pointed above. 

"Really? But. ." She asked as she stared at the long queue of female and male applicants seated inside the interviewing room through the glass wall. It seems that the final reviewing process will also be held in that same room based on the email that was sent to her.

So, why the bloody hell she was being summoned to the C.E.O.'s office all of a sudden? Is she in trouble? 

Now, she sensed something was awfully wrong. Nonetheless, she nodded at the woman like she had no choice at all. She can't just walk away because that is not what she calls professionalism. "Alright. Thank you." Zoey absentmindedly trudged back towards the elevator and stepped inside.

She didn't even have the time to notice the disgusted glances of some employees looking at her face and her body again. She was just too focused on figuring out what the bloody hell was wrong that her guts and instincts were repeatedly ringing their warning bells inside her head. 

Her mind was still wandering somewhere else when the elevator dinged, indicating that she had already reached the topmost floor, exclusively for the chief executive boss of the most successful, multi-crore company in the whole world, specializing in different businesses any man could think of.

And, when the elevator doors opened, Zoey could utterly feel like it was some sort of a gate opening her way to hell. Unlike the previous floor from where she came from, the whole eighteenth floor doesn't have any rooms and doors. This means the whole floor was the big boss' office all in all. 

"Ooh, wow." The interior design amazed Zoey a little bit, yet her mind cannot fully appreciate the beauty of her surroundings when her heart was booming loudly against her chest. She checked the facts in her mind while walking around, searching for where the bloody hell was the infamous Mr. Chevalier right now.

She had searched for him on the internet. Yet, the infamous Mr. Chevalier, ruling the largest empire of companies in the world, seemed to be a very private person. There was no single picture of him everywhere online. Not even on paparazzi articles and pages. That's why she doesn't know what he looked like in person. But, she was still very excited to meet him even though she now has a bad feeling about this. 

Zoey suddenly stopped moving when she sensed some movement behind her. Then, she heard heavy footsteps coming her way. Right there and then, she froze on the spot, like a freaking mannequin on display in a boutique shop. "Welcome, Miss Lavigne." 

That deep-seated voice that emerged behind Zoey made her gasp because it sounded so awfully familiar. She wanted to move her head, to confirm her suspicions. So, when her almond eyes finally caught a glimpse of the man behind her, she was very terrified to the core. Especially when the man walked past her and sat behind the big boss' table in front of her. "I believe we have met earlier, haven't we?"

The man was the same man whom she had bumped into a while ago! The man whose coffee spilled all over him because of her carelessness. 

Zoey tried to enunciate anything, just anything, as she took two steps backward and almost tripped behind her. But, nothing came out of her mouth. Seconds later, the man started removing his coffee-stained coat and polo, all the while flaunting his ripped muscles in front of Zoey. It was also the substantial time that Zoey noticed how gorgeous the man was. His face was just impeccably handsome. 

"Pardon me. Someone on the streets spilled my coffee on my suit. That's why I ordered a new one from my retiring secretary. It might take a minute or two. Do you mind if I stay naked like this? I don't have anything to put on right now."

Zoey's mouth kept opening and closing, like a fish trying to breathe out of the water. The man seemed talkative, terrifyingly talkative. "I'm sorry. I haven't introduced myself yet. I am Dionysus Zephyr Chevalier. The C.E.O., owner and founder of Chevalier Group of Companies. Pleasure to meet you, Miss Lavigne."

The way Dionysus' eyes glinted in menace silently told Zoey that she was really wrong to abandon him on the streets. It was like she just heard a bomb exploding right beside her ears, making her hear a deafening flat line at the same time. 

"Miss Lavigne. Are you deaf? I said, take a seat." 

"Huh?" Zoey suddenly snapped back to her senses.

"I said, take a seat. That's the third time I said that already."

"You're kidding me!" Zoey had finally said something comprehensible but rather hilarious. Dionysus Zephyr Chevalier blinked at that.

"I'm sorry? What? And, don't shout at my office." Zoey laughed, like she had lost it all while pointing at Dionysus' face. 

"You can't be him. You can't be Mr. Chevalier. He's old. I knew. Nice job to get back at me, huh? Where is the real Mr. Chevalier? Did you knock him out somewhere?" Because of that thought, Zoey tried roaming around, finding the real Mr. Chevalier. Yet, she found nothing. She came back in front of Dionysus with a fully embarrassed expression, wanting the floor to devour her right there and then. 

"So, what now?" Dionysus asked, crossing his arms across his massive chest. Zoey cleared her throat and still blabbed in front of Dionysus. 

"You can't really be him. Besides, what are you doing on the streets if you're the C.E.O.? Shouldn't you be on a luxurious limousine or something? While being ushered by some bodyguards with lots of muscles and little brain? I mean, you're so rich, right?" 

The sound of the clock ticking on the farthest corner of the wall was the only thing that could be heard for the next few moments. "You watched too many movies in your childhood, miss Lavigne. Do you even know why I preferred my face not to be known in public? Because in that way, I can still roam the streets like a normal guy. And, who said that I am old? I'm just thirty six!" 

"Thirty six? Thirty six is old. You're nearing forty. Just four more years and you will have so many fine lines and wrinkles all over your face." Zoey just can't stop talking back. Being sarcastic all the time was really normal for her. It was like some sort of defense mechanism on her side. 

Dionysus sighed and pointed at the elevator's direction. "Get lost! Now! How dare you talk to me like that when you still haven't apologized for what you did earlier!" That was a wrong move for Dionysus because Zoey felt her bitchiest self had been turned on at that exact moment.

"I already said sorry after I bumped into you. I said sorry again while I was running away from you."

"Well, for the record, those apologies are not sincere." Zoey was left rather speechless. 

"What? Then, how do you want people to apologize to you? Like begging on their knees and asking for your mercy? Is that it?"

"Of course not. I didn't mean it that way! Why are you attacking me like that? Do you still want this position or not?"

"The hell with my application! I don't want to work with a childish boss like you!"

Dionysus literally looked like he was taken aback at that. That was the first time someone called him that way aside from his grandfather. And, it was very infuriating for him. He stood up and pointed at himself angrily. Now both of them looked like two raging bulls ready to crash into each other.

"Childish? Huh? Who's childish? Me? I'm childish? How can you say that when you barely knew me!"

Zoey pointed at Dionysus' face. "That! That is being childish! Instead of interviewing me, you want us to fight over something that I didn't intend to happen! If I knew you are the infamous C.E.O., do you really think I would bump into you just to ruin your suit?"

"Yes! I think you did that on purpose!"

"What the hell? Are you being serious!" Zoey strutted towards Dionysus. "Take that back!" 

"No!"

"I said, take that back!"

"I said no!"

"Childish!"

"Ugly witch!" 

Something ticked off inside Zoey again. She reached for Dionysus' hair and didn't care anymore if he was the most powerful man on earth or on the whole universe. She knows she is ugly but no one should always bully her because of that. She had enough. "Ouch! What are you doing? Take your hands away from me! Let go. I'm warning you, Miss Lavigne!" Dionysus said while pushing Zoey's hands away. 

But, Zoey held her ground and didn't back down. That's why Dionysus was left with no choice but to pull Zoey's hair as well. "Argh! Let go of my hair!"

"You let go first!" 

But, none of them let go of each other and just continued testing each other's strength against one another. 

The two of them continued their petty fight until someone cleared her throat behind them, and it was Dionysus' retiring secretary. She looked very surprised at the scene that unfolded before her eyes. "Ahm, is this a bad time, sir Dio? Because the suits and coffee you ordered have finally arrived."

"No, Amanda. Actually, I was about to assess Miss Lavigne's application. Please, Miss Lavigne. Have a seat. Now." Dionysus demanded, obviously telling Zoey to finally let go now. "Alright. If you let go, I'll let go as well. How's that sound? Come on, witch. I'm getting impatient here." 

Zoey waited for a few seconds before moving away from Dionysus and Dionysus did the same as well. After that, Dionysus cleared his throat, sat down and gestured at the vacant seats in front of his table like nothing happened between the two of them just a while ago. "Sit." 

Zoey obliged and she sat down like a robot. Then, Dionysus opened up the folder in front of him, which contained Zoey's curriculum vitae and cover letter, as well as her accomplishment reports for the past years. 

"Hmm. Let's see." Dionysus coughed first because his throat hurt from all the shouting they did. "You're twenty six. Born in Miami, raised in London. You are fluent in both Spanish and English. And, you attended Queen's Gate School, but you dropped out at the age of sixteen because of bullying?" Zoey sighed. She knew what was coming. "Hmm, Miss Lavigne? I know I have made my H.R. supervisor that educational background wasn't so important for me for Amanda's replacement. But, you know what? I changed my mind. So, you can now leave." 

"Alright." Zoey nodded, looking like she had accepted her defeat just like that. Or, Dionysus thought so. Because when Zoey stood up and walked towards Amanda, Dionysus instantaneously knew what she was about to do. "Hey. Amanda, right? May I help you with that?" Zoey snatched the hanged suits on hangers from Amanda's hand and tossed it towards the couch.

Afterwards, Zoey also snatched the plastic cup of hot coffee from Amanda's other hand again. Zoey turned around and looked back at Dionysus with a sly grin on her face.

"Hey. Stop that, witch. Don't do that." Dionysus stood up, with a dead warning on his tone but before he could do anything, Zoey had leisurely poured the hot coffee on all his suits, making sure each and every part were drenched in brown liquid. 

"Oops. My hand slipped. I'm so sorry." But, Zoey doesn't look so sorry at all. "¡Adiós, mi amigo!" Right after, Zoey dropped the plastic cup on the floor then made a 'fuck you' sign on her middle finger, directed it towards Dionysus' direction before she sprinted towards the elevator as fast as she could before shouting so loud as if she was being chased down again by some psycho killer. 

"Jesus H. Christ. Should I call the security, sir Dio?" The old woman asked worriedly but Dionysus' eyes never left Zoey until she stepped inside the elevator and pressed the 'closing' button.

"No. No need." Dionysus calmed his anger down by taking a deep breath. "Just get me another suit and forget about the coffee. Get me a bottle of scotch instead." Dionysus murmured, seething in utter rage. When his secretary was gone, Dionysus' phone rang and he answered it right away. "Sebastian."

"Are we going to teach that woman a lesson, boss?"

"No. Leave her alone for now. I will still think about it." 

"Alrighty." 

After that call, Dionysus leaned his head at his chair, closed his eyes and crumpled all Zoey's files with his fist, as if he was literally crashing Zoey just by using his hands. "Should I destroy her, or should I not?"