Perfect secretary material

''Have nothing to say?" Niklaus raised an eyebrow. When she did not respond, he stepped back from her before thrusting his hand inside his pockets, ''That proves my point then.''

''Well,'' Bella nodded, ''You are right.''

He tilted his face to the side as if he was trying to decipher what she was telling him.

She stepped towards him as the corner of her lips tugged up, ''I am manipulative. Not a liar but yeah I like to manipulate things and people when they don't go my way. So Mr. Niklaus, you still have a chance to reconsider whether you want me to work for you.''

His eyes narrowed ever so slightly before he said, ''I am not going back on my words.''

She smiled, ''Just in case anything happens, don't say that I didn't warn you,'' She extended a hand towards him, ''Happy cooperation."

Niklaus raised a brow before shaking her hand with two fingers.

The corner of her lips twitched. Was he treating her like a virus?

Ugh... This world really has its weird way of working. She got slapped first and now she was being treated like a deadly virus. These were very foreign experience to her.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked as they walked out of the place.

"Mean by what?"

"When you say 'just in case anything happens', what do you mean by that? Do you intend to seduce me in future?" Niklaus said it like he was praising the good weather.

She was rendered speechless, "No, I meant if your mother-in-law, your future wife, your father-in-law, if any of them are dissatisfied by your decision, then don't say that I didn't warn you. I meant it like that."

What she left unsaid was that if they come after her and try anything, then she won't sit back and watch.

''Oh.''

Bella's mouth opened and closed. What did he mean by oh?

But since he looked so casual about it, she let it be. Even if anything happens in the future, she might not be in this world by that time and in worst case, she will just throw the responsibility to him. Not that she did not warn him already.

She was not sure if she would be able to handle her temper around that woman, the Female lead's mother who slapped her.

…

Bella stretched her body and she moved the swivel chair to the side, peeking in the direction of the adjacent office room. But the opaque glass prohibited her from getting a proper view.

She did not expect she would start working from today.

''Done with the work, Miss Ashton?"

She turned to look at the source of the voice. It was the man whom she earlier saw beside Niklaus in his office room.

But she was unable to know his name because of her shock after seeing Niklaus there, ''You are…?" She pushed herself to her feet knowing that the man's position must be important for him to lurk in the CEO's office.

Lucas raked his fingers through his hair, ''The charming and most handsome man in the office,'' he extended his hand towards her.

''I see,'' Bella looked at his hand indifferently.

Lucas's lips twitched, ''I am the Vice-President of Trident Empires. You can call me Lucas,'' It was very much unlike him to let anyone call him by his name at the workplace but the woman seemed to be someone close to Niklaus.

As much as he knew his friend, it was rare for someone to bring such expressions on his frigid face.

So, it was not a bad idea to take this gorgeous lady under his heavenly wings. In any case, profit will be his.

Bella gave her hand and shook his hand twice before she nodded, ''Vice President Lucas.''

Lucas' lips parted, ''I just told you that you can address me as Lucas.''

Bella nodded again, ''Yes, Vice President Lucas.''

''You…'' Lucas speechlessly stared at her emotionless face.

Such temperamental secretaries…. are they in trend these days? From where did Hannah pick this one?

The more he looked at her, the more she looked like Niklaus's perfect secretary material.

''Are you very idle lately, Vice President Lucas?"

Lucas's head whipped in the direction of the voice and he saw his friend standing near the door of his office room, ''Uh… I just got off work. It looked like Miss Ashton needed some help so I assisted her in that,'' he waved at Niklaus, ''I'll see you tomorrow. I have some plans so I will be off now,'' Without giving him a chance to respond, he turned around and left.

Bella pursed her lips. When did she ask him for help?

''What help did you need?"

She turned only to be greeted by the sight of Niklaus' handsome face. At some point, he had come to stand right behind her and now that she turned around, her back was leaning back on the office desk while his body seemed to be towering over her.

Unlike his huge office, this place appeared to be smaller and maybe that's why she found it a bit stuffy in this position.

She avoided looking into his blue eyes, ''President,'' she greeted him.

Niklaus frowned, ''I have a name.''

Bella blinked, ''What?" Her expression morphed into something like 'Are you kidding me?'

''You can call me what you usually do.''

Why is everyone so hung on 'call me this, call me that'? Bella massaged her forehead, ''Mr. Niklaus, this is my workplace and here, you are my Boss. It's only proper for me to address you how the rest do.''

His frown got deeper and he opened his mouth to say something but he closed it again.

Bella looked at his quiet face. Perhaps he got her point this time. With that thought in mind, she was about to step to the side but he placed his hand right next to her hips on the desk and she was somewhere trapped in between his hand and the other side of the desk.