Chapter 1

After Adrian set his fountain pen back into the holder, he said coldly, "Grace, you caused a huge mess last night. After you got Mr. Hamilton drunk, he ended up in the ICU. His secretary called me 17 times this morning just to yell at me."

I shrank back a little. "Mr. Blake, that's why I want to redeem myself..."

Then I heard what he was really thinking. "I didn't answer a single call. Just hearing my phone vibrate stressed me out. But Mr. Hamilton did sign the contract, and the company saved 20 million dollars. She really is good at her job!"

Adrian opened a file without changing his expression.

"Starting today, you're being promoted to my Executive Assistant. Your salary will triple, and you'll report directly to me."

As soon as he finished speaking, the office door opened.

The Vice President, Ethan Grant, walked in.

He smiled as he looked at me.

"Mr. Blake, I just heard you promoted an administrative clerk to Executive Assistant? Ms. Sutton only has an associate degree. She's been here for just eight months and hasn't even gone through a performance review. I'm afraid the others won't accept your decision."

Adrian looked up.

I thought he was about to shut Ethan down, but then I heard his thoughts again.

"Can you stop standing so close? Your cigarette breath is making me sick. And why do you always look so serious? You're making me nervous."

But Adrian only said calmly, "This is my decision. I don't need to explain it to you."

Ethan turned to me with a smile.

"Ms. Sutton, now that you're the Executive Assistant, I have a tough assignment for you next week. Everyone knows Mr. Carter from Summit Realty is impossible to deal with. He won't talk business until you've drunk enough to satisfy him. Our last PR manager quit because of him."

He patted my shoulder. "Since Mr. Blake thinks so highly of you, would you be willing to attend the dinner with Mr. Carter?"

"The last eight people who drank with Mr. Carter got so drunk they had to be carried out. Ethan is obviously doing this on purpose!" Adrian's face darkened as he thought to himself.

I took a deep breath and smiled at Ethan. "Sure. I'll attend Mr. Carter's dinner."

Ethan left with a satisfied smile.

The moment the door closed, Adrian suddenly stood up.

I heard his irritated thoughts.

"You're actually going to Mr. Carter's dinner? If something happens to you, who's going to drink for me at these business events?"

But all he asked was, "Did you sign up for your health insurance?"

"Yes."

"Good."

He sat back down, turned on his computer, and said, "I'll have Accounting send you a clothing allowance. Don't wear those cheap outfits and embarrass me."

What he was really thinking was, "I don't want people looking down on her or picking on her because of what she wears. My employees should always look professional."

That same night, 80,000 dollars was deposited into my bank account.

The note simply read. "Clothing Allowance."

My hands shook with excitement as I stared at the amount.

Three days later, I followed Adrian into a private club, wearing a custom-tailored business suit.

The private dining room was filled with cigarette smoke.

Michael Carter from Summit Realty sat at the head of the table, surrounded by four or five middle-aged businessmen.

"Hello, Mr. Blake. Have a seat."

Michael slapped the table as he told the servers to take care of Adrian.

Six crystal glasses were placed on the table.

Instead of red wine, they were filled with a mix of whiskey and vodka—a notorious combination that could get someone drunk in no time.

Michael smiled as he pushed one of the glasses toward Adrian.

"Mr. Blake, this is our first time working together. You have to show me some respect. Finish this glass, and everything else will be easy to negotiate."

Adrian rested his fingers lightly on the glass as he thought, "I'm doomed. Just the smell makes me want to throw up. Last time I only took one sip and spent 40 minutes throwing up in the bathroom. But if I don't drink, he'll think I'm disrespecting him. The deal will fall apart, and that bastard Ethan will definitely use this against me."

Everyone at the table was watching Adrian.

Michael only smiled.

At that moment, one of Ethan's people sitting quietly in the corner raised a phone and aimed the camera at Adrian.