Chapter 03

KATE

I... It was the stranger from that night.

Oh, my God.

I was so dead.

I could see the tattoo on his chest through the few buttons he'd left undone. That was enough to convince me.

It was him.

Zayden Whitmore?

How?

I rubbed my forehead and pressed my lips together.

I felt like crying.

I just hoped he wouldn't recognize me.

“Mr. Whitmore,” my boss said, immediately getting to his feet and jerking me out of my thoughts.

Zayden gave him a brief nod.

“Let's go to the conference hall. I want everyone present.”

His voice was deep, calm, and firm.

My boss nodded. “Of course.”

He turned to me. “Come with us.”

I slowly stood up, still struggling to process everything.

We followed Zayden out of the office. By the time we reached the conference hall, almost everyone in the company was already there.

The room was filled with anxious faces and quiet whispers.

Zayden walked to the front and looked around at everyone before speaking.

“My name is Zayden Whitmore. I believe you all know me.”

His eyes swept across the crowd.

“I am the new owner of this company, and effective immediately, I will be taking over as CEO.”

My stomach twisted.

Hearing him say it made everything suddenly feel real.

The company I had worked for was no longer in the hands of the man who built it.

It belongs to Zayden Whitmore now.

The most feared man in the city.

When he didn't look in my direction, I lowered my head and used my hair to cover half of my face.

Right now, all I could do was pray that he wouldn't remember me or look too closely at my face.

Every passing second felt like hell.

I was beyond relieved when the meeting finally came to an end. I slowly began sneaking out like a thief.

Then—

“Kate.”

Mr. Bennett, my former boss, called.

I froze.

“Mr. Whitmore needs you in his office. Now.”

I cursed under my breath.

---

A few weeks later...

I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, weaving past people and bumping into a few of them along the way.

By the time I reached the elevator, it felt like it was taking forever.

I kept pressing the button, even though I knew it wouldn't make the elevator arrive any faster.

“Come on already,” I muttered impatiently.

“Oh, God!”

I would have to use the stairs, and that would take forever.

Since I started working for Zayden Whitmore, running had become part of my daily routine. No matter how early I woke up, I somehow never managed to get to work before my boss.

I hurried up the stairs, nearly twisting my ankle several times. By the time I reached Zayden Whitmore's office, I was already sweating, and my legs were trembling.

Even my clothes were rumpled.

I stopped in front of his enormous office door, adjusted my dress, tucked a few loose strands of hair behind my ears, and glanced at the coffee in my hand one last time.

There were three things I had learned since becoming Zayden Whitmore's secretary.

Never make him wait.

Never make him repeat himself.

And never make him angry.

Unfortunately, today wasn't looking good either.

I took a deep breath and walked inside.

“G-good morning, sir,” I stammered, placing the coffee on his desk.

I had never figured out how to stop stuttering in front of him.

His presence was always suffocating. Always intimidating.

My life had been hell since he took over the company, and the rumors I'd heard about him hadn't helped either.

My hands were trembling, my heart was racing, and beads of sweat had already formed on my forehead.

He checked his watch and continued scribbling something on his notepad.

“Today?” he asked calmly, without even acknowledging my presence.

I glanced at the tablet in my trembling hands.

“Eleven a.m. meeting with Mr. Bryan regarding the investment proposal. You also have a pending approval for Finance.”

I sucked in a breath and continued.

“There's also a dinner request this evening from Ms. Edwina Peterson. She requested an off-site meeting in a quieter, more relaxed setting.”

He slowly raised his head and looked at me as though I'd made a mistake.

My legs began trembling in my heels.

Why wasn't he saying anything?

Had I read his schedule too slowly? Or had I spoken too quickly?

God!

Please!

“Decline,” he finally said.

I raised my brows.

Decline?

What was I supposed to decline?

“S-sir... w-what should I decline?”

He stared at me.

“Figure it out yourself.”

He picked up the coffee and brought it to his lips.

I watched him take a sip.

Then, without warning, he spat it back into the cup.

His face hardened.

He slowly placed the cup on the desk, his fingers resting against the handle, before lifting his cold eyes to me.

“Who made this?”

I froze.

My lips parted, but no words came out.

Oh, this was so not going to end well.

My fingers tightened around the tablet in my hands.

“I... I did, sir.”

His eyes narrowed.

“You made me hazelnut coffee?”

He struck the desk with his index finger.

“Every single day. Coffee. Black. No sugar. No cream. No flavor. Is that too hard to comprehend?”

His voice rose with every word.

“I... I'm sorry, sir.”

“No, you're not fucking sorry. You don't listen to instructions. You never improve. You're so daft, so slow-witted.”

“I'm sorry, sir. P-please.”

I bit my lip and stared at my shoes, fighting back tears.

How could I have forgotten that he hated hazelnut coffee?

I slowly raised my head and noticed some employees standing up to peek at us. A few were whispering to each other.

Great.

Just great.

“Come here, you!”

I froze.

“S-sir?”

“I hate repeating myself.”

I slowly moved toward his desk.

My heart felt as though it had stopped beating. I took one step, then another, forcing my trembling legs to keep moving.

His eyes followed me the entire time.

He didn't say anything.

He simply watched me with that cold expression, his gaze never leaving my face.

I finally stopped in front of his desk.

He stared at me for a moment before tightening his jaw.

“Are you sure you like your job?”

I nodded slightly.

“I didn't see anywhere in your CV where it stated that you were dumb.”

“I... I love my job, sir.”

He stood up and walked toward me.

With every step he took, I felt smaller.

By the time he stopped in front of me, it was as though my soul had left my body.

I felt completely empty.

“Grab my suitcase and come with me.”

He turned and walked out.

I heaved a sigh, grabbed his suitcase, and hurried after him like a puppy chasing its owner.

He walked so fast that I practically had to run to keep up.

Then he stopped on the main office floor.

“You!”

His voice was calm, but there was something icy beneath it.

A male employee immediately straightened in his chair.

“G-good morning, sir.”

“I can see you're making personal calls during office hours.”

The man quickly pulled the phone away from his ear.

“S-sorry, sir. I was just—”

“It seems you want to spend more time with your children.”

The employee's face went pale.

“No, sir. That's not what I meant.”

“What is your name again?”

“James Scott, sir.”

Zayden adjusted his cuff.

“James Scott. Make sure your resignation letter is on my desk before the end of the day.”

“Sir?”

James shot up from his chair.

“Please, sir. I can explain.”

Zayden didn't even slow down.

“There's nothing to explain.”

He walked away, and I hurried after him.

“Sir... please!”

James's voice followed us, but Zayden didn't turn around.

We finally reached the parking lot.

I swallowed hard before calling out to him.

“Sir.”

He stopped.

My fingers tightened around my notebook, and my heart began thudding violently in my chest.

“I know it's not my place, but... I don't think firing him was necessary.”

Zayden slowly turned around.

His brows drew together as he folded his arms across his chest.

“Is that so?”

I nodded weakly.

“He was wrong to make a personal call during work, but perhaps you could give him a warning instead of firing him immediately.”

His eyes narrowed.

I hesitated, but when he didn't interrupt, I continued.

“I know he violated company policy, but that doesn't mean dismissal should always be the first response. His wife is scheduled for surgery tomorrow. If you dismiss him today, he might not be able to afford her treatment. Finding another job could take weeks or even months.”

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

I could feel my heartbeat in my throat.

“I understand that rules matter,” I continued carefully. “But if every mistake results in dismissal, people might become too afraid to make decisions or admit when they've done something wrong.”

His gaze remained fixed on me.

“You're finished?”

I immediately lowered my eyes.

“Yes, sir.”

He let out a short, humorless breath.

“You've been here for three years or more. I don't know, and frankly, I don't care. Yet somehow, you still haven't learned what your job is.”

My cheeks burned.

I swallowed.

“I was only trying to—”

“I didn't ask what you were trying to do.”

I fell silent.

His eyes moved over me coldly.

“You're my secretary. Your job is to manage my schedule, follow my instructions, and do the work you're paid to do.”

He paused.

“If you don't like the way I run my company, you're free to submit your resignation before the end of the day.”

My fingers tightened around my notebook.

My eyes widened.

“I... I didn't mean—”

“I don't care what you meant,” he interrupted.

His voice remained calm, which somehow made his words worse.

“You spoke. I heard you. Now don't make the mistake of thinking your opinion carries more weight than my decision.”

I lowered my eyes.

“Yes, sir.”

He turned toward the car, and I followed a few steps behind him.

Just as he was about to get in, he stopped and glanced at me.

“Don't wear that cologne to work again. It smells cheap and more like a bad day.”

With that, he got into the car.

I remained standing there, too embarrassed to say anything.

The car pulled away, splashing water onto my clothes and leaving me standing in the parking lot, stained and humiliated.

I stared after it, my mouth hanging open.

Was this man even human?