Chapter 5 - TWO HEARTBROKEN ENEMIES TEAM UP.

SUMMER.

I stared in disbelief at Rihanna casually ending someone's innocent career.

I knew her father held immense power, but I had no idea she was this vicious.

Sensing my stunned glare, she turned to me with a smirk. "You owe me one."

I kept my eyes narrowed, still skeptical.

"Look," she paused, her expression softening with a flash of genuine guilt and grief. "I just realized that instead of picking fights with you, I have much better things to do....like stalking Felix and making sure he isn't cheating on me."

I squinted at her.

She let out a dry laugh. "Trust me, Summer. I'm really not plotting anything against you. Why shouldn't we work together as women?"

I rolled my eyes. "And you only realized this after making my life a living hell for two entire years?"

She swallowed, blinking back guilt. "Well... then let's call it even."

A small smile played on her lips.

"So what's your plan now?" I asked seriously.

She pouted. "I don't know yet. I'll reach out to you tomorrow."

Lifting her cocktail glass, she signaled for me to join her. "To finding out what our men are really up to... and stalking them."

I hesitated for a fraction of a second before joining in, tapping my glass against hers.

"And to ruining their peaceful little lives," I added.

For the first time that night, a genuine laugh escaped us both.

---

The next morning, I arrived at Kingston Enterprises with a fresh glow on my face.

Looking up at the towering glass skyscraper, I stepped into the grand lobby with my head held high.

Heads immediately turned. People stared. I was usually praised for my soft beauty, but today I was dressed for war—a sharp, high-waisted short skirt and a tailored blouse that hugged my figure perfectly.

When I arrived at the executive recruitment floor, I was instructed to wait in a private lounge with another top applicant.

The moment I opened the door, I froze in shock.

Sitting on the leather sofa, crossing her legs like a queen, was Rihanna.

"Yes, girl!" Rihanna smirked, eyeing me up and down. "I knew you'd get the invite. That skirt is everything."

"What are you doing here?" I whispered frantically.

"I decided to follow my own advice," she giggled low. "I found out Felix's executive secretary wasn't that bob-haired bitch after all, so I pulled a few strings with my dad's contacts and had the position opened up. I'm taking over Felix's team today."

A laugh bubbled up in my chest.

Across the hall, the head HR officer handed us our security badges, her eyes scanning our seductive attire with obvious jealousy. She kept eyeing our faces as if trying to place where she had seen us before, but seeing our VIP clearance passes, she quickly escorted us to the top floor with utmost respect.

Before splitting up, Rihanna and I exchanged a subtle, victorious wink.

---

The moment I stepped onto the top floor, the Chief Director swarmed me with frantic instructions.

"The CEO is extremely quick to anger," he warned, walking so fast I had to jog to keep pace. "Speak swiftly. Be precise. Time is money to him, and he has zero tolerance for incompetence."

My palms began to sweat. Tell me about it. I was married to the man.

Stopping outside the former secretary's desk, the Director bombarded me with dos and don'ts.

"Always knock before entering. He detests tardiness, and—" He paused, his eyes briefly flicking down to my fitted skirt with silent judgment before clearing his throat. "He values supreme efficiency. Most importantly, he is in a foul mood today. Do not provoke him, or you will be fired on the same day you got the job."

I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded.

Before I could even sit down, he shoved a thick stack of briefing folders into my arms. "No time to settle in. They are in the middle of a high-stakes board meeting right now. Scan these immediately and get in there!"

I opened the folders and rapidly scanned the financial reports. Thanks to my sharp memory, I memorized every vital information within five minutes.

Rushing down the executive wing to the main conference hall, I reached for the door handle. Before I could turn it, the doors clicked open from the inside.

Muffled pleading broke the silence. A junior manager stumbled backward out of the room, tears welling in his eyes.

"If I ever hear you speak that sluggishly again, you will have only yourself to blame," a lethal, familiar voice thundered from inside. "Did you leave your brain at home?"

Levi.

I froze, my fingers trembling on the metallic handle.

"This is your final warning," Levi's cold voice continued, cutting through the suffocating silence. "I have zero patience left. Your one-month salary will be disbursed over the next five months. Get out."

The terrified manager practically scrambled past me into the hallway leaving the door open and revealing me standing there.

Swallowing my panic, I stepped into the room, and announced, "Apologies for the delay."

Every executive in the room snapped their heads toward me, their eyes wide with sheer horror for my life. They clearly assumed I was the sacrificial new secretary about to be slaughtered.

Ignoring their glares that I didn't notice at first... I walked straight to the head of the table and set the files down calmly, trying to hide the tremor in my hands.

Before I could present the first report, a low, sharp voice echoed through the silent room:

"Get out."

My blood ran cold.

"......"

"What did you say?" I whispered, caught completely off guard.

Several board members gasped aloud at my audacity to question him.

Levi slowly raised his head. His dark, piercing eyes locked onto mine—a look of absolute ice, unreadable and lethal.