Chapter 1

Chapter 1

A New Morning

The city was waking up to the sound of car horns and the murmurs of early commuters, while Olivia hurried across the lobby of Cross Global, balancing a stack of files in one arm and a steaming cup of coffee in the other.

Her curly brown hair bounced behind her with every step, and her glasses kept slipping down her nose—she pushed them up quickly with a trembling finger.

It was her first few hours as the new executive assistant to a CEO she had never met, but she’d heard enough to know he wasn’t exactly… easy to deal with.

She straightened her back, took a deep breath, and tried to look composed—though her hands betrayed her with their faint tremor.

But fate didn’t even give her a second breath.

Just as she turned to avoid bumping into someone, she collided with a solid wall of muscle—or rather, a man.

The coffee flew up in slow motion before spilling all over an expensive dark suit.

Olivia gasped, stumbling back as the papers in her arms scattered across the floor.

Her eyes froze on the brown stains soaking into the fabric.

Then she looked up—slowly—and her breath caught.

It was him.

Ethan Cross.

Her boss.

And a man no one ever dared to cross.

“I–I’m so sorry,” she stammered, her voice barely a whisper. “I didn’t mean to—”

His jaw clenched. His gaze was sharp enough to cut through steel.

“Are you stupid?” he said in a low, razor-edged tone.

Her face burned red. She crouched to pick up the files, her voice shaking.

“I swear I didn’t see you—I’ll clean it up right away—”

He took a slow step closer.

“So this is what HR calls competence? Spilling coffee on the CEO?”

She froze, unable to answer.

“I can’t believe they thought hiring you was a good idea,” he muttered coldly.

At that moment, a man in his mid-thirties walked up—stylish suit, calm smile, a folder in hand.

Edward Gray, his long-time friend and the operations director.

“Morning, Ethan,” Edward said lightly. “Looks like you’ve met your new assistant.”

Ethan turned to him, disbelief flickering in his eyes.

“My what?”

Edward’s smile faltered a little. “She was appointed while you were away. HR’s recommendation.”

Ethan’s eyes slid back to Olivia, traveling from her messy hair to her shaking hands.

“My assistant?” he repeated, voice dangerously calm.

Olivia swallowed hard. “Y–Yes, sir. I was assigned three days ago.”

He gestured toward the coffee-stained suit, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

“Fantastic. Promising start.”

Without another word, he turned and walked away—his scent lingering in the air, his footsteps echoing against the marble floor like a steady heartbeat of authority.

Olivia stood frozen, unsure whether to cry or laugh at her own disaster.

She knelt down to gather her papers and whispered under her breath,

“Perfect… it’s been five minutes, and he already hates me.”

---

She tried to keep her eyes down as she walked through the executive corridor.

Almost everyone in the floor had already heard about the coffee incident, and whispers followed her like a shadow.

“That’s the girl who spilled coffee on the CEO!”

“Poor thing… first day and she’s doomed.”

“She won’t last a week.”

Olivia clenched her jaw and forced a faint smile, pretending not to hear.

When she entered the small office next to the CEO’s, she found Margaret, a woman in her forties with sharp eyes behind narrow glasses.

“Morning, Olivia,” Margaret said dryly. “Heard your day’s off to a… lively start.”

Olivia gave a nervous little laugh. “You could say that. Not my best first impression.”

Margaret chuckled without humor. “Anyway, that’s your desk. The files that need reviewing are there, and Mr. Cross’s meeting schedule is on the computer. Try not to turn this place into a war zone too.”

“I’ll do my best,” Olivia murmured, cheeks flushed.

Margaret stepped closer and lowered her voice.

“Piece of advice—don’t try to get his attention. Ethan Cross never forgets a first impression.”

Olivia could only nod, watching as Margaret left.

Silence settled around her like a heavy fog.

She sat down slowly, ran her hand across the polished desk, and whispered to herself,

“You can do this… just focus.”

But she didn’t know that behind the glass wall, Ethan stood by his window, watching her with unreadable eyes before turning away without a word.

---

Olivia sat at her desk, pretending to work, but her mind was far away—stuck on the inevitable moment she’d have to face him again.

Every sound outside made her heart skip a beat.

Then came the intercom call.

“The CEO wants to see you. Now.”

She froze. Then stood up so fast her chair scraped the floor.

Grabbing her notebook, she walked toward his office, her pulse hammering in her ears.

At the glass door, she took a deep breath and knocked gently.

“Come in,” came his cold, steady voice.

She pushed the door open.

The office was breathtakingly elegant—wide, bright, intimidating.

Floor-to-ceiling windows flooded the space with morning light.

And at the center, behind a massive desk, sat Ethan Cross—fresh shirt, calm demeanor, and that same distant chill in his gaze.

“Close the door,” he said, without looking up.

She obeyed quietly, stepping closer.

Finally, he looked at her. His eyes scanned her face like he was reading a report, not a person.

“So,” he said flatly, “you’re the new assistant.”

“Yes, sir. I was hired while you were away.”

He leaned back in his chair, expression unreadable.

“Tell me—do you make a habit of causing chaos wherever you go?”

Her cheeks flushed pink. “No, sir. I promise it won’t happen again.”

He gave a cold half-smile.

“I hope not. My company isn’t a training ground for beginners.”

She hesitated, then lifted her chin slightly.

“I’m not a beginner, sir. I just… had a really bad morning.”

His brows lifted ever so slightly, and for a split second, there was something in his eyes—curiosity, maybe.

Then it was gone.

“We’ll see about that,” he said curtly.

He pushed a stack of files across the desk.

“These are last week’s reports. Review and summarize them. Two hours.”

“Two hours?” she blurted, startled.

He didn’t even look up.

“Did I say three?”

Olivia swallowed hard. “No, sir. Two it is.”

He nodded once—dismissively.

The meeting was over.

She left quickly, clutching the files like a lifeline.

Ethan watched the door for a moment after it closed, his gaze still and unreadable—then turned back to his papers without another thought.

---

An hour later, Olivia’s fingers were trembling as she typed the final lines of the summary.

She exhaled in relief and hit send on the internal email system.

Then froze.

Her heart dropped.

She hadn’t sent it to Ethan Cross.

She’d sent it to every department in the company.

“Oh my God…” she whispered, staring at the screen in horror.

Her name was glowing proudly in the company-wide inbox.

And at that very same moment—

Ethan Cross opened his email.