Chapter 7

ALAS woke up extra early that day and took his time getting ready. He slipped into a perfectly tailored suit that fit him like a glove—one that brought out all his best features and made his whole presence feel even more commanding. He looked so effortlessly handsome that anyone who laid eyes on him would surely stop and stare. He ran his favorite Brazilian wax through his hair to get that neat, polished look, then finished off with a spritz of his go-to perfume. Damn, he looked so good, he almost had to admit it to himself.

He just wanted his aura to be at its best, so he’d feel confident later when he finally saw Yna. It was her first day of work, and he was genuinely excited to see his childhood friend again.

He headed straight to his office. “Lydia, are the documents ready?” he asked—formal, but not overly strict or serious.

“Yes, Sir. They’re on your desk,” Lydia replied, glancing up at him. “There’s something different about you, Sir. You look even more handsome than usual these past few days.”

“Really? Of course I do. Didn’t I tell you yesterday that someone will be filling in as my secretary while you’re on leave?”

“Yes… but what’s so special about her? Why are you looking so sharp and smelling so good today?” Lydia teased him with a grin.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I just need to look presentable for work.”

“Sure you do… I think you’re falling in love, Sir,” she said playfully. “I’ll just have some coffee outside. See you later.”

“I am not, Lydia,” he denied, though a small smile tugged at his lips. “Take your time.”

MEANWHILE, Yna got dressed with absolutely no enthusiasm. She had no choice—she had to go through with the deal. She slipped into a soft peach dress and paired it with elegant heels. She put on just a touch of makeup and loosely curled her ash-blonde hair.

She wasn’t excited to meet her new boss, but from what she’d read, he was supposed to be handsome… and she was determined to find out if the rumors were true.

Her Dad was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. “Good luck on your first day, Yna.”

“Thanks, Dad,” she replied flatly, heading straight for the front door.

She drove quickly to the office building, parked her car, and stepped inside. Head held high, she walked confidently down the hallway. Many people stared—everyone else was in formal business wear, while she was in semi-formal attire. She couldn’t have cared less. She approached the front desk.

“Where is Alas’ office?”

“Good morning, Miss. Are you looking for Mr. Dela Merzcid?” the staff asked politely.

Yna rolled her eyes. “Obviously, that’s the same person, isn’t it?”

The staff forced a smile. “I’m sorry, Miss.”

“If I were your boss, you’d already be fired. You don’t even know your own boss’s name,” she snapped, though she knew it was uncalled for. She was just in a terrible mood, and the staff happened to be in the way.

“We usually call him by his last name, Miss. It won’t happen again,” the staff apologized quickly, afraid of getting in trouble before the day even started.

“Whatever. Just tell me where his office is,” Yna sighed, calming down a little.

“Take the elevator up to the 20th floor.”

“Okay, thanks.” Yna walked toward the elevators, feeling a little guilty for snapping. She really wasn’t cut out to be a boss—she’d probably fire everyone over the smallest mistake.

Yna knocked gently on the door—she may be stubborn, but she still had respect.

“Come in,” a man’s voice called out. She turned the knob and stepped inside. A man was sitting in a swivel chair, facing the window while talking on the phone.

“Lydia?” he asked, assuming it was his secretary.

“I’m not,” Yna replied bluntly.

He spun around to see who was there. “You—” he started, shocked for a split second before quickly regaining his composure. He knew exactly who it was—the childhood friend he’d been waiting for… but the woman standing in front of him looked nothing like the girl he remembered.

Yna frowned, pointing to herself. “Me?” She walked over to his desk. “Why are you so surprised? Do I look ugly?” she asked, clearly offended.

He shook his head quickly. “Ah—never mind. Anyway, who are you?” he asked, furrowing his brow.

“It’s my first day of work. Aren’t you going to welcome me?” she said sarcastically.

“Really? Then introduce yourself first,” he replied calmly.

Yna rolled her eyes, her shoulders slumping. “Do I really have to?” she sighed, clearly annoyed.

“Of course. You’re my employee now—so I need to know who you are, right?” he said, leaning back comfortably in his chair.

She felt a sudden wave of dislike toward him. “Yna. That’s all.” She rolled her eyes again. “Now—where’s my desk? What’s my position? How much will I be paid?” she fired off all at once.

“I’ll tell you all that later. Proper introduction first.”

“Tss!” she scoffed, rolling her eyes again. He listened quietly, doing his best not to laugh at her attitude.

“I am Yna Maria Cortes. The only heiress of our family. We come from one of the most well-known families in the country. There, happy?” she said, lifting her chin proudly.

“Okay. And what about your work experience?” he asked with a teasing smirk.

Yna froze, suddenly feeling guilty for no reason. Her mind jumped to all sorts of embarrassing thoughts she couldn’t explain. She winced. “I… I don’t have any.”

“Alright, enough of these silly questions. Your desk is right there.” He pointed to a small, neat desk painted soft peach. “You’ll be my personal secretary starting next week—Lydia is going on maternity leave soon.”

“No way. I want a managerial position. Being a secretary sounds so boring and tiring,” she protested. She was used to getting exactly what she wanted, after all.

He shook his head slowly. “If you don’t like it, you’re free to leave. I’m not wasting my time on this nonsense… But—what about your inheritance? Are you willing to lose it?” he reminded her calmly.

Yna shrugged, remembering the agreement she’d signed with her father. She couldn’t afford to lose her inheritance, and doubling it was out of the question if she backed out now.

She turned back around. “Fine. I’ll work as your secretary. But don’t think you can boss me around the way other secretaries are treated. I’m not some cheap person you can control.”

“We’ll see about that. If you think you’re impossible to manage, you’re wrong. No one has ever tried to defy me… and no one ever gets away with it,” he said with a confident smirk, locking eyes with her.

“I’m not afraid of you. Now—how much is the salary?” she asked, trying to sound unbothered, hoping to get under his skin. Little did she know, she’d be the one caught off guard.

“Twenty thousand pesos a month.”

Yna shrugged, clearly unimpressed. That wasn’t even enough for one of her usual shopping sprees—she easily spent fifty thousand every time she went out. “What? Is that all a secretary is worth? That’s practically nothing!”

He let out a small laugh, shaking his head. “That’s not nothing, Yna. It’s a perfectly decent starting salary. You’ll get raises up to fifty thousand, plus plenty of bonuses if you do a good job.”

“Really? But the raise will take long, won’t it?” He nodded. “I can’t live on that amount.”

“Then you’re welcome to go home now.” He stood up from his chair as his phone rang again.

“Where are you going?” she asked, surprised.

“I have an emergency meeting. So… do we have a deal?” He smiled, amused by her reaction.

“Deal.” She plopped down heavily on her new chair.

He walked over and handed her a small booklet. “Here.”

“What’s this?” she asked, already annoyed again. She knew exactly what it was, but she refused to admit it.

“It’s the company handbook. Everything you need to know is in there. You need to memorize all of it, okay?” he said casually.

“Are you crazy—” But he was already walking out the door, too busy to answer. “Handsome but so arrogant. Tss!” she muttered. She opened the booklet and started flipping through the pages. She wanted to scream—over fifty pages she had to memorize. Were they all out of their minds?