Chaapter 3

Karina’s hope of living a peaceful life at the company was shattered within hours. She never imagined Adel’s comment about becoming Saka’s secretary would actually come true.

Now she was in the CEO’s office. She thought she was being called in to receive her permanent employee contract. But instead, she was also appointed as his secretary.

“Why did you choose me, Sir?” Karina asked, gathering her courage.

Saka casually slipped one hand into his pocket. He really liked this version of Karina: powerless and under his control. “Because I want to make you suffer.”

Karina looked up. Again? Saka wanted to ruin her life even more? How much more broken did she need to be? Her hands clenched tightly on the hem of her skirt.

“The secretary’s salary is three times that of a regular staff. Do you really not need the money?” Saka assessed her coldly. “You need the money, don’t you?”

It was true. Everything Saka said was true. She needed money—badly. If she wanted a better life, she needed to earn more.

Apparently, Saka could trap her easily with just one word: money. Karina skimmed the contract and signed it without thinking twice.

She wasn’t even thorough enough to read the fine print on the last page.

“If you break the contract early, you’ll be fined five times your total earnings while working at Delux,” Saka said as he took the signed document from her hands.

Karina’s eyes widened. “What? That’s basically slavery!”

“Then you should’ve read it. But you already signed it, so you can’t back out now.” Saka smirked.

Karina took a deep breath. Just because of money, she was blind! She should’ve thought harder before becoming the secretary of her ex-boyfriend—someone who wanted to see her suffer. But what’s done is done.

“Alright,” she said quietly, defeated.

Saka stared at her more intensely.

Feeling the weight of his gaze, Karina slowly stepped back. “Your clothes are really unpleasant to look at. Nothing branded. You must’ve bought them at a flea market.”

Karina blinked. She looked at her own clothes. Once again, Saka was right. Most of her clothes were second-hand.

They had belonged to someone else before her. She bought them to save money. Instead of wasting it on fashion, she’d rather spend it on groceries.

“I’ll buy new clothes tomorrow,” she said softly.

“You’re that poor? You can’t even afford decent clothes?” Saka sneered. “Don’t embarrass me as your boss.”

He then walked away, leaving Karina to close her eyes in shame. Oh God...

~~

Because of that contract, Karina was not just a secretary—she was also a maid.

Now, she was in Saka’s home.

She took in the sight of the massive three-story modern house.

It was breathtaking, filled with far more advanced appliances than she’d ever had at home.

Karina shook her head, realizing she had spaced out for too long.

She had to prepare Saka’s clothes for tonight. She couldn't forget she had to accompany him too!

She stepped into Saka’s walk-in closet. There were so many neatly arranged shirts and suits.

Shoes, watches, ties, belts—everything Saka owned was branded.

“Wow.” Karina shook her head, quickly selecting a shirt. It still had the label and price tag on. Judging by the price, it was shockingly expensive.

No wonder most leaders wear branded things to show their status.

But she noticed something odd: there wasn’t a single item of women’s clothing. “Why isn’t there anything of his wife’s here?” she murmured, remembering the gossip about his wife, Aruna.

"Karina, hurry!"

At the sound of her name, Karina quickly stepped out, carrying the clothes—only to be stunned by the sight of Saka wearing only a towel.

His upper body was completely exposed in front of her.

“S-sorry, Sir. I didn’t know,” Karina turned away quickly. Her eyes had caught the perfect sculpt of his abs, and her cheeks began to flush.

“Hand me my shirt,” Saka said flatly, holding out his hand.

Without turning, Karina handed him the clothes, then walked slowly toward the door.

“Where are you going?” Saka asked.

Karina stopped. “I’ll wait for you outside, Sir.”

“Hm.”

She took that grunt as his answer.

So she waited, tapping her foot on the floor.

She once again looked around the grand house that only Saka and Aruna lived in. There were a few maids, but they left by nightfall.

“KARINA!” Saka shouted from inside, jolting her.

She rushed back in.

“What—?”

“Help me,” he cut her off, standing in front of a mirror.

Karina stepped closer, her nerves spiking. At this distance, she could smell his fresh cologne. She tiptoed to tie his necktie neatly.

Then she picked up the jacket from the bed and helped him into it.

“All done,” she said, only to realize Saka was watching her intensely through the mirror.

“You’re going out dressed like that?” he asked abruptly.

“I’m coming too?” Karina asked, confused.

“Who else would accompany me if not my secretary?” he snapped. “Or would you rather pay the penalty and quit your job?”

“No, Sir,” Karina said, holding back her frustration. “I’ll get ready now.”

~~

“Ugh…” Karina exhaled, exhausted.

She had been with Saka almost 24 hours straight.

From his house to every meeting at the office. She really hoped she could go home this evening—she needed her rickety old bed to rest her aching back.

“What’s next on my schedule?” Saka suddenly asked, prompting Karina to stand straight.

“You have a business trip to Hong Kong, Sir. The flight is scheduled for this evening,” she explained. “You’ll be traveling with your assistant, Ronald.”

Saka frowned. “You’re coming too.”

“But I don’t have a passport or visa, Sir,” Karina quickly replied.

“You do,” he said firmly. “Since you signed the contract, all your documents have been prepared, including your passport, visa, and insurance.”

“But I—”

“Are you arguing?” Saka’s voice dropped lower as he stepped closer. Karina instinctively backed away. “I don’t like disobedience.”

He trapped her against the wall.

“S-Sir,” Karina whispered. She was scared. This side of Saka was terrifying.

He completely intimidated her. His tall, muscular frame easily boxed her in.

“Don’t do this,” she pleaded.

“Why not?” Saka asked. “You like flirting with men, don’t you? I heard you even tried to seduce the marketing manager.”

Karina looked up. “No. I never flirted with anyone,” she defended.

Where did such a rumor come from?

She thought now that she had left the Administrative Division, those baseless accusations would stop.

But Saka just scoffed. He grabbed her chin. “Just admit it. You like getting men’s sympathy.”

“I may be poor,” Karina said, trying to push his arm away, “but I’ve never seduced anyone for sympathy—or anything else.”

“Tell me the truth. How many men have you seduced in this office?”

Karina frowned. “I already told you, Sir. I’ve never flirted with anyone. You can speculate all you want, but I will never admit to something I haven’t done.”

Saka fell silent for a moment before suddenly pulling her waist closer. “Don’t lie. I know who you are. You used to jump from guy to guy, didn’t you?”