Personal Assistant

Sylvie

I woke up to a dozen missed calls from Amy, and none from Antonio. I didn't expect any from him, nor did I expect the absence of my dismissal letter. I was already late for work and, quite honestly, I didn't even care about it one bit at the time. If I returned to work today, all I'd do was cause myself more pain. I spent seventy percent of my time at work with Antonio, and I wasn't sure I could bear looking at his face all day after what he did last night. 

I remained in bed, unwilling to leave even though my stomach was growling and begging that I feed it. I didn't have the appetite, nor did I have the energy to cook myself a proper meal at the time. I found the perfect solution, and I ordered food. Although I still had to get up and go to the door to pick it up, it was a lot more stress-free than cooking an entire breakfast. 

I turned around on the bed, and only then did I realize that I was still clothed in the dress Antonio had bought me. Enraged by that realization, I tore the cloth off my body, cursing and swearing at him as I ripped the fabric to shreds. Now I had realized that my friends had called me stupid for thinking that something could ignite between me and Antonio. He was a playboy, and I had clearly fallen victim to his irresistible charms. 

The ringing of the doorbell pulled me away from my thoughts for a while, and lazily, I rose to go and get my breakfast from the door. I hid my naked body behind the door before leaning down to slide the food tray inside as quickly as possible. This might as well be the last good meal I'll ever enjoy. After now, I will definitely have to pack back with my parents because I just can't see a future where I didn't lose my job. 

Not only had I caused a scene at the CEO's party, I had disrespected the COO as well. My fate was sealed, and all that was left for me was to go to the office, pick up my stuff and leave with my sanction letter. I ate slowly, and did my best to savor the food, but it just wasn't working. How could I possibly eat and enjoy myself when my life was on the verge of ruin? Finding another job that paid as well as Black Industry was almost impossible. They were one of the top industries in the country, and I just couldn't escape their influence. 

"Damn it!" I screamed out loud in frustration. I was tired of letting Antonio control my life. I was fed up. Instead of staying holed up in my apartment all day, I mustered the courage to return to work. It didn't matter if I had been dismissed or not, my sole purpose right now was to confront Antonio about his crimes and say goodbye to Amy. I couldn't care less about anything at the moment. 

Hastily, I had my bath and got my hair and make-up in order. The bags under my eyes refused to disappear, and it was thanks to excessive crying from the previous night. I threw a pair of shades over my eyes before hurrying downstairs to flag down a taxi. 

It was a twenty-minute ride from my apartment to the company's doorstep, and I spent those twenty minutes rehearsing on how to confront Antonio and make him regret ever playing me. 

As I walked into the main building, all eyes turned towards me. Without a doubt I knew they had all heard about the party, and were probably disgusted with my actions. All of them worshiped Antonio and would definitely side with him in an argument, and that was exactly why their death stares and whispers mattered little to me. I used to think I was better than them simply because Antonio had used me for one month, but now I was certain that my condition was probably worse. 

As I approached my office, the stares got even worse and people didn't care to murmur anymore. I could hear their abusive insults loud and clear, but I didn't falter at all.

"She should be grateful he even invited her at all." One of the background voices said. 

"She slapped his date? What a bold bitch!"" Another voice cussed, but was ignored until I got to my office. 

Just as I'd expected, it was being cleared out, and Amy was inside begging that they didn't take my stuff. However, she was small and easily got shoved around by the heavy muscles that did the work. 

"Sylvie, you're back? Thank goodness!" Amy breathed a sigh of relief. But just like the rest, I walked past her, my face held up high, and my ears kept alert for more abusive insults. 

I stormed towards Antonio's office, and, without permission, stormed in. The face behind the desk wasn't Antonio's, and the name tag on the table read "CEO." My knees got weak the moment I realized what I had done, and I felt like breaking down into tears. If my sanction was still under consideration, now it was definitely approved. I was done for, and there was nobody to save me. 

"Sylvia Mulberry, right?" The man seated behind the desk asked, his voice deep and soothing at the same time. If he was really the CEO, then I was really speaking to Michael Black in person. He was a lot younger than I'd expected, and couldn't be more than a few years older than Antonio. 

Even though I was on the verge of losing my job at the moment, I couldn't help but admire the beauty of the man before me. His face was a symphony of well-proportioned elements, with cold brown eyes that seemed to peer into my very soul.

His chiseled jawline sported just the right amount of ruggedness, accentuating his masculinity, and his skin had a healthy glow for someone who had been in the Arctic for a while now. 

"Yes," I replied in a low, shaky voice. 

He glared at me, his eyes searching mine for something I really couldn't tell. A short sigh broke past his rosy lips, and gently he said, "You'll become my assistant from today henceforth."