From hating his boss to fake dating him. What could go wrong?
Secretary Andrew is the perfect secretary. Intelligent, resourceful, and beloved by the employees. While his boss, Sir Allen-the CEO's son, is cold, anti-social, and has the emotional cap...
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Love has always been a foreign concept to Allen Lopez. He neither received it nor sent it, even as a small child. Its absence in their household made him wary of love. Besides, the constricting expectations of his parents threatened to drown him. Every move, every step, every accomplishment, every failure, everything was printed on his back in big and bold letters. He got placed under a magnifying glass for everyone to scrutinize. The pain and the anxiety distracted him.
But funny how love works sometimes.
In the case of the burdened heir of Lopez Co., it arrived in the form of a newly graduated secretary who just made a costly mistake.
"Even an uneducated infant would not make such an error," Allen exclaimed, furious at his secretary. "You do not put such high numbers in a business case for an exploratory project. This sets high expectations not only for both of us but also for the team. When I asked you to get this done and approved, I did not mean to create such impossible figures just to get it done."
He glared at his secretary who stared at his feet and bit his lower lip. Allen's shoulder sagged. This was getting nowhere. He took a calming breath as he expected another headache to arrive soon. He was just about to let his secretary go when the young man flashed a small smile and offered an apology.
"I recognize my mistake," he replied, bowing his head for a moment before smiling again. "Thank you. I should've known better not to create such burdensome expectations for a fledgling project. I apologize again. Should you not need anything else from me, I'll let myself out."
After a beat, he took Allen's silence as a response and left Allen's office. The doors shut and he was left alone. He sighed and tapped his fingers on a pad of sticky notes. He glanced through the glass pane beside his door. He could only see the bookshelf that separated his secretary and the team.
He went out, ignored the vacant seat of his secretary, and waited in front of the executive elevator. But the elevator had been stuck on the 6th floor for some time now. He was getting impatient, only to realize he forgot his sticky notes. He had intended to retrieve it but stopped short on the threshold of their office main entrance.
Secretary Andrew's muffled sobs reached Allen's ears. "I'm so useless," he cried out between sniffles. "I know I'm not suited for the job, but I didn't expect to make such a mistake." He sniffled again and blew out his nose. "Maybe everybody's right, and I shouldn't be here. I mean look at me compared to all of you. I'm not even improving!"
That was not true, Allen wanted to say but could not. Secretary Andrew had already vastly improved compared to his first day.
"That's not true at all," Sonna's cheerful voice enveloped Andrew's sniffles. "You couldn't even add numbers on a spreadsheet before and now you're doing the boss' business cases. That's a big deal. And forget that grumpy tyrant for looking down on you."
It was not Allen's intention to belittle him. He was just... He let out a heavy sigh. He expects his team to be as competent as him. His secretary should grow exponentially if he wants to stay by his side. And never be questioned why a person without the right academic credential was hired. It was this exact trait that made him...Secretary Andrew.
