Chapter 4 - CEO's collateral servant

Bella went directly to her firm and stayed there because she didn't have any cash on her, and had also designed her company to create a room for her if she wanted to stay in New York permanently. She didn't go to her grandmother's house since she didn't want to leave any trace for her mother.

The La Bella Fashion Thread Co. building is 825 feet tall and 50 storeys tall, with an exquisite design on the outside and interior. Although the

company is still in its early stages, it employs a significant number of people and guarantees that they are paid accordingly.

She invites twelve of her company's best designers to represent La Bella Fashion Thread Co. in a designer competition presentation. Despite her enthusiasm for fashion design, she can't deny that she'd like to join as well, but her love and respect for her father prevent her from doing so.

“This way, Ms. Chen,” Amanda, her secretary, said as she led her to the 10th floor with her boss's luggage. They took the elevator to the 10th level. When they arrive, Amanda leads the way to her room and unlocks the door to Bella's selected room.

Bella says, "You may leave; I'll call you if I need you." Her secretary responds with a nod.

She changes into a slipper and places it on the rack shoe, then travels her gaze into the room, enthralled by what she sees. The polished porcelain floor gleams, a single beige sofa is positioned to one side, a table and chair are positioned in the center, and some photos are hung on the wall, and a chandelier hangs from the ceiling. Even though her room appears to be modest, she was pleased to see it.

Her secretary chose a dark color curtain for all of the windows because she was aware of her anxiety.

She changed into her sleeping clothes and went to her bedroom to rest; her bedroom is two times the size of her living room and is painted white, just like the rest of her room's walls; her bed is a large size, and on the other side of it is a little table with a lampshade on top of it.

She was relaxing in her bed when Ezekiel called her. She got out of bed and answered the phone, placing it on her ear, “Hey, beginning tomorrow, I want you to come to my office and clean it every 6 a.m., I don't want any stains on my desk. I'll email you the address.”

“That too—-” He ended the call "early," she muttered to herself, so she didn't continue her statement. “What an arrogant man!” she said as she glanced at her phone. “Wo hen ni ni ni ni ni ni (I despise you.)”

Bella couldn't sleep that night, wondering about how she might pay that man. She came up with a plan to pay him, so she grabbed her phone and dialed her secretary's number to have the money ready.

“I'm sorry, Ms. Chen, but we won't be able to accomplish that. The funds for our representative for the competition that will be held next month have already been distributed and the shareholders have failed to deposit the money into your bank because there are some issues with our proposals that we need to revise right away,” Amanda explains, Bella's hope beginning to fade.

That night, Ezekiel is planning a scheme to torture Bella with his hands for her to call off their marriage.

“3rd Avenue, 13th Street Central Park, NYC,” he texted Bella. Please arrive on time; my assistant will greet you at the door and hand over the key.”

He texted his secretary, ordering him to create a huge mess in his office so Bella would regret meeting him. He even asked him to inform all of the employees to address him as "Sir or sir Kiel" to conceal his true identity from his fiancée.

Luke stacked a dozen files, a box of computer equipment, and even made his boss's office floor greasy.

Ezekiel received a message from his assistant that said, "All set."

Having read the message he got, he grinned, laid himself down in bed, and tried to close his eyes. He reached the distance within the drawer and pressed the button where his roof became a glass that could view the heavens filled with millions of stars.

---

The next morning, Bella awoke lazily from her bed, surprised to see the time, 5:49 a.m., so she quickly gathered any clothes she touched from her closet and went to the bathroom to clean her body and change her clothes.

Before she left, she asked her business partner, Julia Collins, to manage the firm while she is fulfilling her affairs. Julia offered to assist her in paying her debt, but Bella refused.

Luke has been waiting for Bella for almost thirty minutes, he was falling asleep while standing at the front door, it was 6:05 a.m. when Bella arrived in the W Design Studio.

“Miss, you're running late. Mr. Kiel despises tardy employees,” he informed her, rolling her eyes and whispering, “Who would want to work for an arrogant guy like him?”

“Pardon?” Luke inquired, and she shook her head. “None,” she said cautiously. Luke grins and hands her the key to Ezekiel's office. “Thank you,” Bella replied, holding the key.

He turns his back on her, but he failed to give her the floor of his boss's office, so he turns around to remind her, "Before I forget, Mr. Kiel's office is located on the 23rd level on the left side." He also wants me to tell you to meet him at the office when you're finished.”

Bella is standing in front of the building, looking up to see how tall it is and looking at the door. She notices that the building is still locked, and she exclaims, "seriously? When did I become a member of his security team?”

Ezekiel counted backward when his phone rang and he smiled when he saw the registered number on his phone. He waited a minute before answering the phone, cleared his throat, and was ready to answer when the caller said furiously, "Kiel, do you think I am one of your security personnel who will open your company every morning? I know I owe you money, but I'm a lady, and you can't treat me as you do others.”

Ezekiel laughs at Bella's complaint, telling her sarcastically, "you said it yourself, not me."

Bella screamed angrily from the other end of the telephone, "how could you?!!" He broke out laughing at her and calmed her down, saying, "Relax! You can enter by the backdoor, but I'm afraid you'll have to use the stairs to get to my office.”

Bella finished the conversation and did as he instructed, climbing the stairs to the 23rd floor, walking on the left side to avoid seeing how high she reaches, she notices that every floor she reaches has a surveillance camera put on top of it, but she didn't realize that Ezekiel was monitoring her every move. She was weary by the time she reached the 23rd floor, her knees are trembling from the long trip she had taken.

Bella was taken aback when she saw Kiel's workplace, "what type of office is this?" she wondered. Is this some sort of attic?” she horribly said, Ezekiel was smiling evilly as he watched her become tired of cleaning his office, which was filled with boxes and unnecessary items. He texted Bella, instructing her to deliver the crates of computer equipment to the engineering department and the dozen files to the accounting department. She cleaned his office first, separating the files and box in the corner. She was on the verge of slipping to the oily floor, luckily she clutches her hand on the table but bumped her head on the table's corner, inflicting a gash on her forehead.

She felt a hot liquid drip on her face, and when she wiped it away, she discovered that her forehead was bleeding.

She didn’t cry out for help instead she continued working, after two hours of cleaning she carried the box of computers and rode in the elevator, and brought it to the engineering department.

Everyone in the department was amusedly watching her go in, and the guys greeted her at the entrance and took the box from her. “Let me assist you,” the man said, and she smiled and thanked him.

She turned around and began walking again, but the man who had assisted her stopped her and approached her, saying, "Hey, wait," and she stopped and waited for him.

“It's my first time seeing you here; are you now?” he said, to which she quickly answered, "kind of."

“I'm Andy Blaise, you?” replied the man, with a charming smile. “I'm Bella,” she said as he extended his hand to her. “Bella Chen,” she said, reaching for the man's hand and shaking it.

Andy saw a wound on her brow and said, concerned, “What happened to your---?” Bella faked a grin and replied, sheepishly caressing her wound, "I accidentally bumped against the corner of the table."

He inquired, "Does it hurt?" Bella said, "No, it's just a tiny cut."

Andy's coworkers approached them and introduced themselves to Bella, who cheerfully greeted them. “I see you're carrying a large package; would you mind if we assisted you?” Andy inquires.

Bella grinned from ear to ear and asked, "Really? Actually, there are some boxes in Mr. Kiel's office; may I ask for your assistance?”

"Mr. Kiel?" They inquired in chorus and looked at each other as if they were asking themselves until they remembered the instruction from Ezekiel's assistant that they had to address him as "sir Kiel," at which point they smiled awkwardly and nodded at her.

On their way to Ezekiel's office, Jeremy couldn't help but question Bella. “Are you the new secretary of Mr. Kiel?”

“No,” she answered, “if you're not his secretary, then you're... his fiancée,” Jeremy unexpectedly remarked, causing them to halt walking; Andy, Kevin, and James are all taken aback.

“Let me tell you if I were his fiancée, do you think he would let me lift such big boxes?” Bella said to Jeremy. She allowed them to analyze the situation.

“That makes sense,” Jeremy said, and they went to their boss's office, where Bella asked them to distribute all of the boxes and paperwork to the engineering and accounting departments.

After they pick up the box, they left leaving Bella alone inside the office. Bella sat on the soft brown leather couch located one meter away from Ezekiel’s desk and a glass table is placed in front of the couch.

While Bella is busy massaging her toes, Ezekiel stands outside his office door, smiling as he watches her suffer.

Bella immediately put on her heels, rose, and faced Ezekiel after hearing him clear his throat but tragically, she flips her feet and falls to the ground.