Lilac’s POV

As I stood in the tiny kitchen of the rundown apartment I shared with my brother, I avoided his gaze and poured some scrambled eggs into two plates already containing flimsy pieces of bacon.

“Aren’t you late for work?” Benjamin asked. “You don’t look like you’ve showered.”

I sighed and slid his food across the table to him. “I’m not going in today. You’re finishing classes early today, right? Wanna go with me to go see mom?”

Benjamin’s eyes lit up at the idea and my heart ached for him. He wasn’t as lucky as me to get the opportunity so often. In fact, it had been up to two weeks since he last saw her, only able to communicate via phone calls.

“Yes!” Sebastian grinned. “I’m so lucky my professor fell sick— Uh… Not that I’m happy or anything, I hope he gets better soon…” I snickered at his attempts to resolve his statement. “But it’s so nice to finally get the chance to see her.”

“I know, Seb.”

My phone on the table rang with a notification and I picked it as I chewed. It was Millie.

Millie: Not coming today?

Me: Nah. I’m a bit drained.

Well, to be honest, it was more of mental fatigue. I would be able to function fully if I went in for my shift, no issue. But I just didn’t want to deal with anyone today.

Millie: Alright. Jayce needed an extra shift anyway so I’ll let him know he can come in.

Millie: What about your application to Silvercrest. Any word?

Me: I was rejected.

Millie: Oh.

Millie: I’m sorry, babe. I hope you’re not too disappointed.

Me: No.

Yes, I was. But I wasn’t going to admit that. It was weird and pathetic that I was getting this butt hurt over a job rejection. Even weirder because I’d anticipated it. I guess disappointments just hit me a lot harder than I’d thought.

After my brother left for school, I didn’t bother doing anything actually useful. I just crept into my bed and slept off for the rest of the morning.

My sleep was not as fitful as I thought it would be. I guess I really needed the rest. Rest was not something I could afford ever since I found myself plunged into the constant need for money. But just this once, I let myself go.

That afternoon when I woke, I decided to go for a walk. I thought the fresh air would do me a lot of good and it really did. I managed to take my mind off everything I’d been handling lately.

I didn’t realize I’d gotten to the city park until the sound of dogs barking and birds chirping pierced through my thick bubble of relaxation. It really was such a nice noon, evident by the number of people who decided to come out today.

I found a nice bench and sat on it. Usually, my phone would be in my hands immediately, tapping and scrolling away, but today, I decided to be a functioning member of society instead of a phone addict and immerse myself in nature’s environment.

I had no idea how long I spent watching people come and go, and children and their beloved pets play, but when I finally picked my phone again, the time told me it was nearly an hour. As I unlocked it to check if I had any texts, a notification caught my eye—an email notification.

It was weird because I only got emails for professional reasons and wasn't expecting anything of that sort. Still, I went to check it, but just as my finger was going to tap on the email when the sound of commotion halted my movement.

My head whipped up in the direction of the sound and the cause was immediately identified. A small crowd had gathered around something, or maybe someone. I couldn’t really see anything around the tight crowd but also I wasn’t particularly interested in finding out what was going on. It didn’t seem like a threat anyway so, back to my business.

Except I hadn’t even gotten the chance to continue what I was doing when a voice reached my ears. A voice I couldn’t forget even in my dreams, a voice that was deeply familiar in ways there wasn’t any reason to be. I looked up again and there he was, standing in the midst where I could see him through where the crowd had parted.

Ryke Kolynsky.

My traitorous heart fluttered as I took in his appearance across the distance. Tall and imposing, the man stood out starkly from the bland crowd in an attractive designer suit that covered his body like it was second skin. He drew all eyes and attention to him as if he owned this damn place, blonde hair beautiful in the sun in the way that matched his ruthlessly handsome face.

What the hell was Ryke doing here? The city park didn’t seem like a place someone like him would visit casually given his status. I should have noticed that the crowd surrounding him consisted mostly of paparazzi photographers and fan women. And three burly, suspicious looking men who were probably his bodyguards.

The bodyguards, I scoffed at because I get it, he’s a CEO, super important man, basically a celebrity. But really? Three bodyguards? I snorted to myself at how absurd it was.

I hadn’t realized I was still staring till a pair of irritated green eyes snagged on mine and I jolted in my seat. Ryke caught me staring. Blushing, I ducked my head into my phone and tried my hardest to shrink my body to become as unnoticeable as possible. But it was too late. Ryke had seen me.

Amidst the noise, a screech pierced through the air, shrill and damn near hurting my ears. A voice followed immediately after, “Ryke, you bastard!” Looking to see who it was, I spotted a woman I hadn’t noticed before. Big red locks spilled elegantly over pale shoulders and a jewelry-adorned neck. She too, I noted, was dressed as expensively as the man beside her.

I couldn’t hear Ryke’s response because while whoever the woman was screamed for the entire place to hear, Ryke still had the decorum to speak in a calm, lowered tone. He could only be heard by the people near them. A shame. I really wanted to be in on the drama.

The two continued arguing heatedly and I was only able to gleam bits and pieces of what it was about. Ryke looked really annoyed, perhaps because the woman was making whatever this was a big deal and a public affair.

They went on for a little longer until the woman yelled, “Show me then! If the so-called woman is here, freaking show her to me else everyone here will know the real Ryke. Nothing but a dirty liar!”

Immediately, Ryke’s eyes snapped to mine again and I frowned in confusion. Why was he looking at me? I wanted to move out of that fierce gaze but it felt like I was pinned by it. Ryke’s expression changed from vexation to something smoother, calmer, as if he’d come to a decision about something in his mind without voicing it.

The man moved, marching through the grass till he got to me and, shocking me, stretched out a hand. Everywhere was quiet as it had been since the moment he got here except now, all the attention was on me as well. Uncomfortably so.

“I’ve been waiting for you. Come on, let’s go.” Ryke said, his deep voice sending butterflies through my stomach.

“What…?” I managed to croak, still in shock.

“The business meeting? At the cafe down the road, don’t tell me you forgot. Come on, let’s go.” Green eyes stared unmoving at me but in the depths of them, I could see desperation. He needed me to play along with whatever this was.

“O-Okay.” I took his hand that was still stretched out and he pulled me up. He let go immediately and I found myself missing the warmth of his grip, but I forced myself not to dwell on that and joined Ryke as he started to leave.

The crowd and paparazzi immediately began to follow but Ryke’s bodyguards took their places around us and Ryke called out, “No one follow me or I will be pressing charges.” Without even looking back, he adds, “That includes you too, Samantha.”

***

As I stood in front of the cafe Ryke led me to, which coincidentally was GoldenSpoon, the cafe I worked at, I couldn’t help but feel like this was some sort of strange dream. About a week ago, I had never met this man. Ryke Kolynsky was an untouchable piece of the world I lived in, someone so apparently perfect he was out of the reach of ordinary people like me.

So the fact that I was here, standing with him in front of my workplace … yeah that sounded like something my mind made up and fed to me as a dream. Maybe I was still at home sleeping.

“Are you alright?” I asked softly, despite my inclination to not care and hold a grudge about my interview he botched.

Ryke, who I realized had been staring at me with a strange look in his eyes, snapped out of his daze and nodded. “Yeah. Sorry for dragging you into all of this. I just…” He dragged a hand down his face. “I had to get away from her.”

I bit down the urge to ask for context and nodded solemnly like I completely understood and sympathized with him. Distantly, I registered the feeling of warmth around a part of my body. My attention was so caught up in Ryke that I’d completely forgotten—we were still holding hands.

Red flushed in my cheeks at the realization. I froze, stuck between wanting to yank mine out and not doing anything about it. I didn’t want to see his disgusted reaction. The way he flinched away from me a week ago in that empty hallway as I tried to clean his clothes replayed humiliatingly in my mind, so yeah.

But unfortunately for me, I couldn’t stop my fingers from twitching and the taller man looked down, finally noticing our conjoined hands.

Ryke immediately let go and my heart sank a little at the speed with which he did. He really couldn’t wait a moment to get away from me, huh? Still, I couldn’t help but notice he’d squeezed before doing so. It was such a miniscule movement that I frowned, unsure if I’d imagined it. But no, he’d squeezed my hand before dropping it. I was sure of that.

The sound of Ryke’s deep voice clearing his throat caused me to look up at him. “Sorry again, and thanks. And uh, you should check your email.”

“What?” Check my email? That was such a random statement, I stared dumbly for a while, trying to grab the sudden change in topic.

“Your email?” Ryke chuckled, his green eyes soft as he watched me. Weird. “You should check it soon.”

“Oh. Right. Yeah, I will.” Jesus Christ, this is so awkward. I thought. Then I remembered something.

“How do you know my name?” I asked. That wasn’t all but I didn’t have the courage. I wanted to ask why the way he said it felt so familiar. I wanted him to explain to me why a feeling so hot and right ran down my body and tugged at something deep in my memory at the sound of it falling from his lips.

Ryke smiled, something undecipherable with a strange hint of sadness. “Do you really not remember?”

A frown etched itself into my features. “Remember what?”

“Nevermind. I’ll see you tomorrow, Lilac.”

Ryke left me standing in front of the cafe watching Millie who long since noticed our presence and had been watching us with a shocked look on her face. I didn’t get why she was shocked, just like how I didn’t get what Ryke meant by he’ll see me tomorrow. Nothing had made sense in the past few minutes.

But I remembered Ryke’s words to check my email, something that coincided with what I was about to do those moments in the park before he brought his drama over.

And when I did, there sat an email from Silvercrest waiting for me.

Dear Lilac,

After careful consideration, the hiring team has decided to extend an offer to you for the position of “Personal Assistant” to Mr. Ryke Kolynsky. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the candidate originally selected has had to part ways with the company, and we believe you are a great fit for our team.

Will you be available to start tomorrow?

***

At first, I couldn’t believe my eyes. What sort of unimaginable luck is this? Is it supposed to be a prank? These were the thoughts that ran through my mind as I stared at the email back at home that afternoon. I’d read it over and over again, unable to believe that somehow this entire thing had ended up in my favor.

It made no sense. Somehow, magically, the person they hired had to be let go the very first day on the job and I was apparently the next best candidate?

Hell no.

But, the very next day, I was walking through Silvercrest’s bustling departments as Helen, the hiring manager, took me on an orientation tour round the offices. Yep. I’d replied to the email that I was available to start, texted my boss at Golden Spoon cafe that I was quitting, and showed up at Silvercrest as was required of me.

Whether it made sense or not, I was going to be a fool to let this opportunity pass me by. My life was strange but slowly and surely, I was getting used to the fast-paced style the universe was adapting for me.

“And finally, here is the big boss’ office,” Helen said as we finally came to a stop in front of a huge door. Of course, we were on the private floor and hallway I’d accidentally been on that fateful day last week.

Helen opened the door and I held my breath as it swung wider and wider, expecting to see the man on the other side. But it was empty, merely a well-decorated office space most likely for an assistant. Which was me. So this was my office.

My eyes glittered as I took the space in. My own office. Seriously, how was my life real?

There was another door which I guessed led to Ryke’s actual office, and sure enough, as we entered, there Ryke Kolynsky was, bent over his desk writing something.

My heart rate picked up at the sight of him which was weird and annoying, but I ignored it.

“Good morning, sir,” Helen greeted, and I followed suit. “Good morning, Mr. Kolynsky.”

Ryke kept writing for a moment and when it seemed like he was done, he finally deemed us worthy of his time and looked up. His expression was bored as it took the both of us in, barely changing when he saw me. It was as if our meeting yesterday never happened.

But really, what did I expect? Just because we’d met, he should treat me familiarly? I rolled my eyes at myself in my head.

“Good morning.” Ryke greeted in return.

“This is your new assistant, Miss. Evans.”

Ryke nodded. His eyes met mine and held, undecipherable. “Welcome. I take it you’re starting today?”

“Yes, Mr. Kolynsky,” I nodded. And that was it. Just like that, my life had turned around.

***

I was finally allowed to settle into my space in the lobby outside Ryke’s office. I had a computer to myself. God, I’d never even owned so much as a laptop, but now, I could get one million of them if I so wished because goddamn my pay was obscenely high. I still couldn’t believe ten thousand dollars was going to be sitting in my empty account by the end of the month. Not until I saw it with my own eyes.

Snapping back to attention, I quickly turned on the computer, wondering what my tasks were supposed to be for that morning. I hadn’t been told anything by Helen and so I planned to just focus on organizing Ryke’s own tasks for the day. Maybe I should go into his office to ask if there was anything he wanted me to do…

I snapped my eyes shut at that, heart pounding stupidly from just the thought of being alone with him in his office. When I opened them again, my computer had booted up completely.

Just as I went to pull up the browser so I could log in to my email, I heard Ryke call, “Miss. Evans,” from within his closed office.

Okay. Here we go.

I got up, tugging my pencil skirt that had ridden up my thigh down. It was so short, almost tiny and toeing the lines of inappropriate, but it was the only one I owned. My small collection of clothes consisted of casual outfits and even though I had nothing else, I didn’t intend to wear this every single day. But at least for my first day, I had to show up in the dress code — business attire.

I hovered outside Ryke’s door, unsure of whether I was to knock. Eventually, I did, and after a muffled ‘Come in.’, I pushed open the door and stepped inside, closing it behind me.

“You called, sir?”

Ryke leaned back in his chair, frame highlighted by the floor to ceiling windows right behind him. The aura this man exuded in that simple position was so powerful, it was insane. His gaze was intense and I felt the urge to look away, but given what I knew about him, I wasn’t going to give him the chance to perceive me as weak.

“I’ve been waiting for my morning coffee for thirty minutes since you arrived. Did Helen not inform you of your duties?”

My eyes widened. Shit. She did, I’d completely forgotten. Only an hour here and I was already slipping up.

“She did. I-I’m sorry. I’ll get on that right away.”

Ryke frowned, replying, “I expect you to stay on top of your responsibilities, especially as a new hire. There’s no room for mistakes in this office.”

I grimaced. “Understood, sir. How do you like your coffee?”

Ryke’s eyes held mine for a moment, then slowly, purposefully, they dragged down my face to my neck, my body, lingering for seconds too long so I felt my face begin to burn. Then, those green eyes flitted back up to mine and he leaned forward and propped his head up on his hand.

“I like it sweet, Miss. Evans.”

Nodding hard, I swung on my heels and left the office as fast as possible, unable to stay there one second longer. To make matters worse, even as I had my back turned to him as I fled, I could still feel those eyes burning a trail across the back of my body.

The air conditioning on my side of the office was on full blast, but my body still felt overheated from his actions, sweating as I searched for a mug. That’s how insane I felt, how I was coming to realize that Ryke could unravel me with just a few words.

At least, by the time I found where Ryke’s mugs and cups were kept, I had cooled down. Still, red remained in my cheeks. How unlike myself I was acting, just because a man decided to look me up and down. Maybe I needed to get laid. It’s been too long, I was basically a virgin once again.

I’d set the coffee beans into the machine before I went searching for a mug, so I didn’t have to wait long for it to finish processing. My years of working as a barrister at GoldenSpoon kicked into gear and soon, I had a fully made cup of coffee on the tabletop. I grabbed a saucer and set the mug in it, then made my way back into Ryke’s office.

Ryke stopped what he was doing as soon as I walked in, focusing that laser attention of his back on me again. I moved closer to him, leaning over the table to place the drink in front of him. As I pulled back to stand properly again, Ryke’s eyes jerked up to mine, guilty, like they’d been looking at something they shouldn’t have.

Confused, I blinked at him, but he didn’t say anything. He picked up his mug and took a sip. For whatever reason, I felt nervous about him tasting my coffee. Ryke wasn’t the first person I’d made coffee for. It used to be my job till literally just yesterday and I didn’t give a shit about my taste as long as it met GoldenSpoon’s standards.

Yet here I was, watching every one of Ryke's reactions to the drink.

“Hm,” he hummed. “This is good; really well made. The taste is almost familiar, though,” Ryke raised an eyebrow at me.

I smiled bashfully. “If you’ve ever frequented Golden Spoon, that might be the reason why. I used the cafe’s techniques because I used to work there.” Bringing up GoldenSpoon reminded me unnecessarily of that moment between us yesterday in front of it.

“Really?” Ryke’s eyes lit up at this information. But, his expression shifted into a confused frown. “Wait. How come I never saw you?”

“I worked in the kitchen. It’s the cashier who handles the customers most of the time unless I needed to serve a table, and… no offense, but I’m assuming you wouldn’t eat in a public place like that. There was no way you could have seen me.”

Ryke chuckled and shook his head. “I suppose.”

Now that he’d approved the drink, I guessed there was no need for me to wait around in there any longer. I could come back later to pick the mug and saucer. But before I could leave, Ryke spoke again.

“I’m glad I was safe this time.”

I blinked. “Sorry?”

“I’m not in the habit of repeating myself, Miss. Evans. But I said, I’m glad I was safe this time. You seem to have a frightful habit of spilling… liquids all over me.”

I blushed in embarrassment. He was right, but did he have to bring it up? But, frowning, I realized something. “Habit?” Wasn’t that a stretch? As far as I was concerned, I’d only ever poured something on him once because before that day, I’d literally never even met him.

Ryke stood up from his chair and circled around his table, walking slowly, closer and closer toward me. I wasn’t sure of what was happening, but I knew one thing. My heart skipped several beats, the poor thing pounding away in my chest and I felt very much like a prey being stalked by a predator, hungry. Gearing to devour.

“Yes, Miss. Evans. Habit.” My confusion must have shown all over my face because Ryke continued, now in front of and looking down at me, “You don’t remember? Say you don’t remember it, Angel.”

Angel?

I jolted, almost stumbling back.

As I stood there, shocked out of my mind, memories made blurry and forgotten by the alcohol that night came sharply into focus at the sound of that nickname.

Angel. Angel. Angel.

My eyes widened as I took in the beautiful face in front of me. The face that had been so distantly familiar for reasons I couldn’t make sense of. Except I knew why now.

--------------------

I swayed over the man. He was so sexy I could feel my panties dampen just looking at him. “Hi, Miss…” Fuck, even his voice was just as sexy.

“Lilac.” I supplied, the word slurred on my lips. “Just Lilac. And you?”

He grinned, “Ryke.”

---------------------

A club—dim lights, inescapable noise. The stench of booze and hot, sensual movements. Lips sliding. Green eyes.

‘Angel’ groaned hotly into my ear.

As if he could see where my thoughts had been, Ryke’s eyes burned with satisfaction and relief. And I swallowed hard as the reality settled deep into my bones. I made out, quick and dirty, with Ryke fucking Kolynsky in a club. I remembered, with humiliation, that I threw up all over him.

And now, he was my boss.

Lilac’s POV

‘Oh my God. Ryke?!” I gasped. “Wait, no, shit. I mean, Mr. Kolynsky. Shit, I am so, so sorry.” I was scrambling to gather myself and my thoughts.

As I stared into Ryke’s amused but intense forest gaze, I could not believe it. What. The. Fuck. What the hell do you mean I'd kissed and basically grinded all over to near oblivion was Bayview City’s hottest and richest bachelor?

Like I knew the man was definitely one of the upperclass wealthy men, Millie and I had already established that. But of all people, it was Ryke Kolynsky?! What sort of god did I please to have landed myself in such a situation, the situation being his lap?

This man had pulled ungodly sounds out of my lips. His hands, fuck, his mouth had been all over my body, and distinctly, all over my chest. I knew what his… what his… dick… felt like.

And now he was standing in front of me. Heat crept into my cheeks.

“Angel…” Ryke's voice was teasing and he stepped even closer now, fresh coffee breath alerting my senses. “Where did your mind go?”

“N-n-nowhere!” I had to tilt my head up to look at him. That's how close he was.

“Let me guess. You're thinking about how you…” He couldn't possibly know I'd been thinking about his dick… “Threw up all over me.”

Oh.

My eyes screwed shut and I groaned. How could I forget that? “Fuck. Ry- Mr. Kolynsky, I am so sorry. Were you okay? I hope I didn't ruin your clothes…”

“Not anymore than the coffee you poured the other day ruined my suit.”

Wow, there was no coming back from this. He was never going to let these two things go. I flung my eyes open to apologize again, grovel if need be, but my movements were halted when I saw his green eyes twinkle in the light.

He was just teasing me. Of course.

I huffed and looked away, not sure if I was pouting but not really wanting to fix my face. Ryke laughed, something beautiful and melodious that I had no choice but to look at him again.

Our eyes met and a silence fell between us. But one thought lingered in my mind.

Was he going to fire me now?

I recalled Silvercrest’s employee manual and remembered its content clear as day because it had only been this morning since I read it. According to the book, it was a rule that employer and employee relationships were strictly forbidden.

I knew what we'd done was before I got hired, but I couldn't be sure. The possibility of me losing this job before I'd even started, my plans for a ten thousand dollar account balance, both flashed before my eyes and immediately, I would have done anything to resolve the issue before it became too big of a problem.

“I understand what we did that night…” I blushed again, “...that was very unprofessional of me, Mr. Kolynsky, but I swear it won't happen again.”

I don't know what happened, but as soon as those words left my mouth, it was as if cold water had been doused over a fire. Ryke’s nose flared and his expression shifted, mouth tense and brows drawing tight. The sparkle in his eyes extinguished.

“Really. Ever again?” Ryke gritted his jaw. “Wow, Lilac, I really thought we, I mean, I was hoping…” He trailed off.

Hoping what? Ryke pulled away completely, putting some distance between us so it felt like I could breathe away. But the next second, I missed his presence sorely. He didn't seem to have the right words and I couldn't shake the feeling in my bones that there was something I was missing.

But Ryke didn't say anything else, merely leveling me with his now distant and cold gaze. I guess it was back to normal now.

“Sir, I fully understand Silvercrest's employer-employee policies regarding sexual- Uh… romantic relationships. You can rest assured, I'm only interested in maintaining a completely professional relationship.”

As though something just clicked in his head, Ryke stared at me, unblinking. The look of cool nonchalance was completely wiped away, replaced now by confusion. “Policies?”

“Yes? The one written in the employee manual. Miss. Helen shared it with me this morning and I'd have brought up this entire issue, but I swear I didn't remember and—”

Ryke sighed, cutting me off. “It's fine, Miss. Evans.” It was back to Miss. Evans once again. No more Lilac. No more Angel. Something disappointed sank in my chest, missing the way my name sounded on his lips. “It happened before you joined Silvercrest so we can put that all behind us, can't we?”

“Y-yes, sir!” I nodded frantically. So I wasn't going to get fired. Thank the fucking heavens!

“Good. And one more thing. Not a word of this to anyone. Not to any coworkers and certainly not to Helen. Let's just pretend it never happened.”

“What never happened?” I asked, following along and blinking innocently.

Ryke smirked, “Exactly.”

I smiled at him but he didn't reciprocate, instead turning around to move back to his chair and start typing away on his computer. The strange atmosphere that lingered in the chilled office seemed to clear up immediately after this.

“What's on my schedule this morning?” Ryke asked.

Snapping to attention, I took out my phone and pulled up the calendar that was shared with me. “You have a meeting in twenty seven minutes with Delhouse Electricity Providers regarding the finalization of the power supply contract.”

“Move it an hour forward. Something's come up right now.”

I did as Ryke requested and promptly left his office.

***

The meeting was interesting as much as it was a learning experience. I sat at the head of the table beside Ryke and made notes on decisions as well as scheduling further meetings.

“Mr. Rodrigo, I'd like to assume you're joking.” Ryke sniped, cutting off the other man who'd been speaking. “Nowhere in this contract was such a term outlined and you expect us to make plans to accommodate this request in the future. Yes, you must be joking. A clown who thinks this is a circus.”

“M-Mr. Kolynsky, I assure you this is only t-to be expected. It's implied by the language used—”

“Follow standard procedures when writing contracts or don't bother working with us at all. Redraft this and incorporate this particular clause. We'll readjust our compensation offer and look through it again. Meeting dismissed.”

The way he handled these meetings, yeah I could definitely see why everyone thought he was an asshole. But the authority and confidence he exuded, I couldn't help but think it was sexy.

Considering our history, I probably shouldn't have been having such thoughts about him, daydreaming throughout the entire meeting as he pushed and pulled terms and conditions with the other party, but it was just a fact. Ryke was hot and there was nothing I could do about it.

Once we were back in the office again, Ryke called me into his side of it. A stack of sheets sat on his desk. No, stack wasn't the right word. A tower of sheets. I felt sweat break out on my temples.

He wasn't going to do what I was thinking, was he?

“These are the feedbacks we got from an ad campaign run by the marketing team last month. Create an Excel sheet and enter all this information correctly. I want no mistakes whatsoever.”

Ah, hell. He did.

Here's the thing about my interview. I lied on my resume. In the ‘Skills’ section, I listed Microsoft Office proficiency because according to my research, it was one of the requirements for being a personal assistant.

I was desperate, and to be fair, I didn't even think I would ever be here. But now, my dishonesty had come back to nip me in the ass.

I had no idea how to use Microsoft Excel for data entry, but no way in hell was I telling Ryke that.

“Yes, Mr. Kolynsky. And when do you need it by?” I asked, smiling like nothing was wrong as I gently picked up one of the stacks of sheets.

“In two days.”

My smile faltered. Two days? Those were three entire stacks he was giving me, there was no way I could complete them in two days. But I dared not complain. “Okay, sir.”

I came back for the remaining stacks one by one and returned to my side of the office with them. A YouTube video helped me out on how to use the software for data entry and immediately, I got to work.

Really, this task wasn't so hard, but the sheer amount of papers I had to work through was insane. If this was just my first day, what was my future going to be like? Whatever. Anything for that paycheck, I guess.

Even with this mountain of work, Ryke did not relent in delegating other tasks to me throughout the rest of the day.

“Miss. Evans, deliver this to the Human Resources department.”

“Miss. Evans, make three photocopies of this. Black and white, color isn't necessary.”

“Miss. Evans, I need coffee right now.”

“There's a meeting slated for tomorrow, isn't there? Move it till today so my schedule is free then. I have other things to put on there.” This one irked me the most. I had to attend yet another meeting that day and pause the data entry task for four good hours.

Fucking hell.

By the end of the day, I was wrecked. I sat in my chair with my head buried in my hands and I willed myself not to burst into tears. I would have, I was an easy crier, but I couldn't risk Ryke finding me in such a state.

It was six PM and everyone was going home already. Even Ryke had stepped out of his office, phone in hand and suit jacket resting on his arm. His face held a smug smile as his gaze went from me, to the undented stack beside me, back to me again.

And he smiled. The fucker smiled. I thought we were on amicable terms, I'd certainly never experienced any of the things his past assistants used to complain about. But this, this was certainly something very evil to do to someone.

“See you tomorrow, Miss. Evans.”

I smiled sweetly, plotting his death in my heart. “Goodbye, Mr. Kolynsky.”

As soon as he left, I collapsed back on my desk again.

Okay. I had a few things to do before I continued working for at least an hour longer and then I could leave.

Me: Millie!!!

Millie: Sup, babe

Me: My life is a FUCKING lie

Millie: Whoa

Millie: It's not like you to curse so hard. What's the matter??

Me: The man that I met and made out with at the club

Me: You won't believe who it was

Millie: LOL

Millie: Is it Ryke Kolynsky?

Knowing Millie, she definitely mentioned him as a joke because she knew he was my boss. I just had to see her reaction when I let her know that indeed, it was Ryke.

Me: Yes

Millie: Haha, very funny.

Millie: Like Ryke would ever be at such a dingy club made for poor people like us

Me: I'm not joking, Millie

I narrated everything from how I found out to how we decided to agree it never happened for the sake of my job security and Millie's responses ranged from ‘WHAT??’ to ‘OH MY FUCKING GOD’.. Basically, what I'd expected.

Me: Well, now you've finally got your update on Mr. Charming

Millie: This is so crazy

Millie: Genuinely like what are the odds?

Millie: I expect updates on what's going on between you two EVERY HOURS

Me: What're you talking about?

Me: There's nothing between us. I don't think he's attracted to me or interested anymore

Me: He didn't hesitate to ask that we pretend it never happened :(

Millie: Oh sweetie

Me: It's okay, really

Me: I'm content with watching from afar. Like literally every other girl out there

Millie: Except the difference is you get the chance to seduce him ;)))

Me: Haha stop, I don't have the skills for that

We rounded off our conversation, promising to meet soon and talk. Next, I texted my mother and let her know I wouldn't be able to visit. That broke my heart so much and I couldn't help but feel a little bit of resentment towards Ryke.

But ultimately, the money from this job would pay for her surgery bills if I could hang on for a few months, enough to say every paycheck. It was all for the greater good.

So Ryke could throw whatever impossible task he wanted at me. I wasn't going to quit. Not when I'd gotten the chance to be here in the first place.