Chapter 3 DAMN IT

"Kimmy, this is the agreement document requested by Mr. Nicholas. Please finish it promptly because he will be checking it today," Stevan said as he handed several documents to Kimberly, who was walking towards her office.

"All right, sir."

"Kimmy, this is Mr. Nicholas's schedule that you'll need to handle for the next few days. Please check and pay attention to it," this time Nancy from the planning division handed her a meeting agenda book.

"Okay, ma'am."

"Kimmy, and this is the list of investors you need to contact immediately."

"Understood!"

Kimberly entered her office with a somewhat irritated feeling. She roughly placed the stack of documents she was carrying on her desk, causing some papers to fall onto the floor.

The clock had just struck eight in the morning, but the man she knew as the CEO intentionally seemed to annoy her. Just becoming a secretary, why did she have to endure this kind of ordeal?

"Does he think that just because he's a boss, he can order me around like this? Ugh! Isn't this too much? How am I supposed to finish this stack of documents in a single day? He's insane!" Kimberly muttered.

Grumbling, Kimberly continued to work on the tasks given by Nicholas. She felt that what her new boss had assigned her this morning was incredibly frustrating. How could he give her so many tasks with such tight deadlines?

As she was working on her tasks, the intercom on her desk suddenly buzzed. Kimberly hurriedly picked it up.

"Come to my office right now!"

"All right, I'll be there shortly," Kimberly replied, and with reluctant steps, she made her way to Nicholas's office.

Inside, she saw the office owner engrossed in reading neatly organized documents on his desk.

"You're actually very handsome, Mr. Nicholas. I wonder how your parents managed to have such a good-looking child like you. Especially when you're so serious like you are now. But being handsome alone isn't enough when your attitude is so irritating."

Kimberly stared intently at the man in front of her and then asked, "Is there something I can help with?"

"After lunch, join me for a meeting outside the office," Nicholas said without taking his eyes off the stack of documents he was reading.

"B-but, Mr..."

Nicholas shifted his gaze and folded his arms across his chest. "Why? Is there something wrong with what I said?"

Kimberly shook her head gently. "But, didn't you just instruct me to finish all these documents so they can be checked promptly?"

Nicholas raised an eyebrow. "So what? What's the problem now? Are you protesting that you can't finish them today?"

Kimberly merely shook her head once.

Then, Nicholas checked his wristwatch, which perfectly encircled his wrist. "You still have 300 minutes from now before we go to the meeting this afternoon. I believe that's enough time for you to complete your tasks."

Kimberly swallowed hard. Although her heart rebelled, she couldn't refuse the man's command. What authority did she have here? As a subordinate, her duty was to obey without question, right?

"All right, then. I'll ask for permission to leave for now. I will work on all the deadlines today." Kimberly then directed her steps toward the exit.

"Crazy person!" Kimberly whispered. "Does he think I'm a robot who can complete all the tasks he's given me right now?"

"KIMBERLY! Stop muttering. Do you think I didn't hear that, huh? Do you want me to add more to your workload?"

Kimberly jumped in surprise when Nicholas unintentionally overheard her muttering. Grimacing quickly, Kimberly left the room.

"Fiuhh..."

Kimberly breathed a sigh of relief while clutching her chest.

"Just wait for my revenge; someday, I'll make you crazy about me, Nick!" Kimberly muttered.

****

Nicholas had just arrived at one of the construction consulting offices to discuss an important project his company was working on. Over the next few months, there were indeed many deadlines he had to meet. Not to mention the reevaluation of the cooperation agreements with major investors that he also had to review. That's why he needed a personal secretary to help organize all his agendas neatly and accurately.

"We've previously held a meeting with Mr. Kenzi in London. According to him, the planning and execution of the Royal Penthouse construction project need to be reviewed by Mr. Nicholas first."

Nicholas listened attentively, his fingers lightly stroking his chin, and his head nodded several times. From the look in his eyes, it was clear that he was carefully analyzing everything his interlocutor was explaining, as if not wanting to miss a single piece of information.

"If that's the case, the day after tomorrow, we'll start observing the construction project site. Please contact the development team so we can have a briefing at the office around 11 AM. Don't forget to prepare all the environmental impact analysis documents," the man in front of Nicholas nodded in understanding. They shook hands, and then he bid farewell, leaving Nicholas still seated, enjoying his coffee.

"Have you noted everything we discussed earlier?" Kimberly nodded confidently. "Yes, Mister, I've neatly recorded the resume you requested. I'll send it to your desk this afternoon," she replied politely.

Then, Nicholas stood up from his seat, glanced at his watch briefly, and spoke, "Well then, let's go." Kimberly followed her boss as he walked.

Driving at a moderate speed, this time they stopped at a restaurant on the outskirts of town. Kimberly thought that after the meeting, Nicholas would immediately return to the office. Because as far as she knew, her boss was not the type of person to waste time on something unimportant. But, in reality, he brought Kimberly along for a detour.

Still with a puzzled look, Kimberly got out of the car. Many questions were swirling in her mind, but she refrained from voicing them. "Why so quiet?" Nicholas asked after they entered a restaurant. "Hurry, take a seat and order your food," he instructed. However, Kimberly remained silent in her place and after a while, she finally spoke, "I thought we were going straight back to the office."

Nicholas picked up a glass of orange juice that was already on the table and took a sip first. Then, he chuckled softly at his secretary. Swear to God! Kimberly had never seen Nicholas smile so freely before. In her heart, she felt a surge of joy because, once again, everyone knew that Nicholas was a cold man. He never even glanced at passing employees, let alone smiled.

"Do you think I'm a cruel boss, letting my subordinates go hungry after working so hard? I'm not that kind of boss," he said.

Kimberly nodded without responding to Nicholas's statement. Then, they both ate in silence. Neither of them initiated a conversation. Until suddenly, someone's presence disrupted their peace.

"I thought fate had destined us to meet again, Kimberly Rayder. I've been looking for you tirelessly, and it turns out we meet here."

Both Nicholas and Kimberly's eyes turned toward the source of the voice, especially Kimberly, who was startled to see the figure in front of her. The figure she had been desperately avoiding.

With a bitter laugh, the man spoke again. "Is he your new boyfriend?" he said, pointing towards Nicholas.

Nicholas remained still, observing the man in front of him.

"Mario! Please don't disturb my peace!" Kimberly tried to maintain a composed appearance. "We're done, right? So I hope you can leave me alone now!" She gave the command with an unhappy expression. However, the man in front of her completely ignored her words.

"Don't think just because you have a replacement, your business with me is over," he said with a cynical smile. "It's not that easy, Kimberly Rayder. Remember that! It's not that easy." Then, when Mario's hand reached out to touch Kimberly's face unexpectedly, Nicholas blocked it, pushing it away.

With a sardonic smile, Nicholas spoke. "Please don't disrupt my lunch ritual, Dude. Regardless of your issues, if you want to argue, please do it outside!"

Mario grumbled in frustration upon hearing Nicholas's words. "You should think twice before defending the woman next to you."

Nicholas chuckled briefly, his shoulders lifting. "I don't think that's your concern. It would be better if you left before I called the restaurant staff to kick you out disrespectfully."

Mario glared at Nicholas and Kimberly alternately. "Just wait for your time, Kimmy. I assure you, you'll pay dearly for your actions today!" Then, Mario left, reaching for his phone in his pocket and appeared to be calling someone.

"I've found him."

After making sure the man who had disturbed them was gone, Nicholas resumed his lunch as if nothing had happened, behaving as though nothing was amiss. Kimberly, on the other hand, chose to remain silent while gazing at Nicholas's calm face.

Feeling observed by the woman in front of him, Nicholas spoke again. "I know I'm handsome, so there's no need to look at me like that," he said with a straight face.

Kimberly grinned, then pursed her lips after hearing Nicholas's remark. She didn't know her boss had such high self-confidence. "Are you always this confident?"

Nicholas briefly glanced at Kimberly's face, didn't answer, and chose to get up from his seat, leaving Kimberly still puzzled.

"Mr. Nicholas, wait for me!" Kimberly exclaimed in frustration as she hurriedly followed Nicholas into the car.