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Chapter One

I was sitting at my desk checking my email when I heard heels clink down the hallway towards me, and I immediately prepared myself for greeting my boss. I brushed my fingers through my hair and stapled a smile on my face just in time for her to come into view. The smile fell off my face almost as fast as it had gotten there, and I gaped at my boss. To my surprise, she looked disheveled. Her golden hair was barely hanging onto its typical bun, her lipstick was smudged over her face, and her mascara had run down. I stared as she stepped into her office, the door almost slamming behind her. At the sound of the door closing, I jumped out of my shocked state, grabbed a tissue, and went to meet Miss Lennard in her office.

I entered silently, peeking in, wondering if maybe I had imagined how she had come to work today, but when I came in I saw that I wasn't mistaken. Her head lay on her desk, her hair sprawled all around her, the bun being completely abandoned. I cleared my throat and Miss Lennard jumped, her head shooting up and her hair flying behind her. She took a sigh of relief, probably glad to see her lowly assistant instead of one of her important co-workers.

I didn't say much, mostly because I couldn't think of anything to say, so I stood in front of her desk, not sure of what my next move should be. I'd never even seen Miss Lennard with one strand of hair out of place, but today she walked in looking like she'd barely avoided getting hit by traffic. I had absolutely no clue what to say to her in her time of need because she'd never needed me for anything personal before.

"Is...Is everything okay, Miss Lennard?" I asked hesitantly, handing her the tissue in my hand.

She took the tissue and looked up at me. "Thanks, but I'm alright, Stacy. I've just had a rough morning." Her voice shook, and I saw that her hand was shaking as she took out a mirror from her desk and began to wipe the smeared makeup off of her face. Silence fell around us. I broke it with the only topic I could think of: work.

"So, there's a meeting in ten minutes in order for everyone to meet the new CEO," I told Miss Lennard, and her entire body flinched. At least, I think it did. She relaxed so quickly I thought that maybe I'd imagined it. "Will you be ready to go by then?"

Miss Lennard didn't say anything for a while, but after taking a deep breath she looked up at me and smiled. "Yes, Stacy, I'll be ready. Thanks for telling me about the meeting." She went back to cleaning her face, and I knew that was my cue to leave. I turned on my heel and exited the room, closing her door behind me. Sitting at my desk, I started to check my email again, but I couldn't focus on anything I was reading. All I could think about was what had happened to my boss that had shaken her up so badly. Had it really just been a rough morning, or was there more to it? I'd always thought that Jennifer Lennard was one of those people who never had anything bad happen to them. But, boy, was I wrong. There's always more to a person than you can see. Some are just hiding a lot more than you think they are.

And I was about to find out just how much my boss was hiding.

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After a few minutes of me continuing to stare blankly at my computer monitor, Miss Lennard's door swung open and an entirely new woman stepped out than the one who had gone in. Her hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail, her makeup was once again flawless, and her body no longer seemed to be shaking. She stood straight and alert, and as we walked down the hallway together I had to take twice as many steps as her to keep up. As we entered the meeting room, Miss Lennard greeted her co-workers and I didn't hear a hint of tension remaining in her voice.

It didn't take me long to find my best friend Eloise, her auburn hair burning compared to the dull colors around. She spotted me and waved for me to come over, and I gladly did.

"Word on the street is this new CEO of ours is a major hunk," Eloise muttered when I got close, and I had to hold back laughter. Eloise was always quick to talk about boys, especially the men that we worked with. 

"I guess we'll find out soon, won't we?" We chuckled, and then stopped when the room went silent. A man had walked in and the entire room focused on him, even the oxygen in the air. He stood in front of everyone, his dark suit buttoned up, and greeted the room. "Good morning, everyone, I would like to formally introduce myself as the new CEO of Dex Industries. My name is Eric Hawler and I am glad to be working with all of you." My heart skipped a beat at this man's voice. It was rich like chocolate, each word covered with a deep resonance. From the corner of my eye I saw Miss Lennard flinch, yet everyone else, including myself, was entranced by this man's voice.

Mr. Hawler seemed to drone on for hours about how business had been dragging a bit since the old CEO had been discovered to be taking a lot of our profits for his own benefit the past few years, but that his five-year plan should get us back on track and to the top in, well, five years. While his plan seemed to be taking forever to be explained, his voice was soothing and I was able to stay focused on what he was saying. I caught a glimpse of my boss and forced myself to take a good look at her and away from Mr. Hawler. From a glance she looked attentive, but I noticed her unusually tapping her fingers on the table and her eyes darting to the clock at the front of the room every few seconds. She seemed to be slowly deteriorating with every word Mr. Hawler spoke.

Finally, the meeting came to an end. After Mr. Hawler listed all of the things he was going to do to help the company grow, he finally wrapped up the meeting. "Now, instead of listening to me talk all day, let's get back to work, everyone," he said, smiling at everyone. "Have a good day." With that, he turned and left the room without a second glance. Even from behind he walked with so much power that anyone knew he was in charge. I blinked a few times, realizing I had been staring at the door that Mr. Hawler had disappeared through.

"Wow, he really is something else," Eloise muttered to me under her breath as she walked away, giving me a small wink. Her auburn hair followed her like a silk cape, and I laughed again at Eloise's remarks. But, she was right. Mr. Hawler really was something else.

I scanned the room for Miss Lennard. Apparently she had left already because she was nowhere in sight. Uh oh. That meant I needed to get back to my desk right away. I hurried out of the meeting room and rushed down the hallway. Unfortunately, I wasn't looking while I walked and ended up toppling someone to the ground, my heels taking me down with them.

"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry, I'm such a mess!" I stumbled to my feet and offered my hand to help... "Mr. Hawler!" Of course, his first day at the office and he had to get trampled by a lousy assistant. "Oh, I am so sorry, sir!"

Mr. Hawler chuckled softly, then took my hand as he stood up. His grip was strong, but still so soft that it felt like his hand was hugging my own. We held hands a few seconds longer than necessary, and I quickly pulled my hand back to my side. I felt my face start to flush. "Don't worry, it seems as though knocking people over is becoming a new hobby of mine. Just this morning I ran into a woman and she spilled coffee all over me." He laughed, and I nervously joined him. "What's your name?"

"I-I'm Stacy Krank, s-sir." Great, now I stumbled over my feet and my words in front of the CEO.

"Well, Stacy Krank, it's nice to meet you, even if under unfortunate circumstances." My name rolled off his tongue with ease, the resonance dripping off of each syllable. "I will see you around." He smiled at me and walked off, and I had to use all my willpower not to look back at him. I started walking to my desk again, and as I passed Eloise she gave me a look that told me she and a lot of other people had witnessed my encounter with Mr. Hawler. My face turned bright red and I stared at my feet until I made it back to my desk.

As I worked throughout the day, aimlessly answering calls and taking messages for Miss Lennard, I made a vow for myself. I was going to find out what was wrong in my boss's life. If I couldn't fix anything in my own, I might as well try to help the one person I've always looked up to.

That plan was going to be a lot harder than I had even begun to imagine.