A NIGHT WITH THE CRAZY CEO

Chapter 1

•BRIANNA•

I was at my workplace, a restaurant, where I was working an afternoon shift. I was in the kitchen, watching my colleague and my best friend, Cherry, running around in the kitchen while trying to put something together for the customers to eat.

"Are you sure you don't need my help, Cherry?" I asked her for the umpteenth time.

"Yes, Bri, I'm sure. I don't want Mrs. Manager to yell at you if she sees you assisting me." She replied and returned to cooking while I sat, quietly watching her do her thing.

"Brianna! Why are you sitting around instead of taking customers' orders?!" I heard the manager's loud voice, and I shivered in fear. I was in trouble.

"Oh shit! This is not going to be good." I thought as I braced myself for what she would say. The manager hates it when we, the employees, sit around when there are no customers in the restaurant. She prefers it if we keep ourselves busy by doing some resourceful things.

But we need rest too, don't we? She gets to sit in her air-conditioned office while we run around serving rude customers. It's not fair.

"The restaurant is almost empty, and I have attended to the people here, so I thought I would rest for some minutes," I replied, nervously answering her question.

"We don't rest while working here! How many times will I tell you that?" She snapped like a rabid dog.

"Sorry, ma'am." I apologized even though I didn't mean it one bit.

"Some important customers just came in; attend to them and take their orders. Be on your best behavior." She said it with an authoritative tone, and I nodded politely.

"Yes, ma'am," I replied.

I took my notepad and pen, then walked out of the kitchen and over to the new customers occupying one of the tables.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen. My name is Brianna, and I'll be your waitress for today. What will you be having this afternoon?" I asked the two breathtakingly gorgeous men with a professional smile. If I were one of those girls who swoon over handsome men, I would be drooling like a high school girl.

"I would like to have a plate of pasta Carbonara with a bottle of your best red wine." The first guy said, and I bobbed my head. I jotted it down and faced the second guy, waiting for him to tell me what he wanted to order, but he kept mute.

"What would you like to have, Sir?" I asked the other guy as I began to feel impatient, but he kept quiet and acted like I wasn't talking to him. I was about to say something when the first guy told me to get the quiet man the same thing he ordered but that they would share the bottle of wine.

I bobbed my head and returned to the kitchen to get their order. I told the cook what they ordered, and he began to prepare it. After a few minutes, their order was ready, so I arranged everything on a tray and went to serve them.

As I walked back to their table and got closer, I tripped over my leg, and all the contents in the tray flew in the air. Some of the creamy pasta fell on the quiet guy as he sat just a few feet from where I fell. I gasped in shock as he stood up angrily, and I knew that I was in deep shit. His face looked comical, and if I weren't in trouble, I would have laughed.

•ADRIAN•

I furiously got up from my seat when the hot pasta burned my skin. I looked at my white shirt and saw that the pasta cream had stained it. I was already in a bad mood because my best friend, Manuel, forced me here to grab a bite while sorting out some crucial files. This clumsy waitress just had to ruin my mood. I walked over to where she was and dragged her up from the floor while holding her arm tightly, leaving red hand prints on her surprisingly flawless skin.

"Let me go!" The waitress yelled.

"Where is the manager?!!" I shouted angrily, ignoring her attempts to get out of my tight grip on her.

She wiggled and complained, but I tightened my hold on her. She was going nowhere.

Almost immediately, the manager came running out of a corner with a flustered look.

"Is this how the employees treat customers in this restaurant? With horrible customer service? I didn't employ you in my restaurant to turn it into this." I demanded from the manager angrily.

"No Sir, we don't treat customers like this... I'm sure it was a mistake; she must have tripped." The manager replied nervously.

"I don't want to hear shit. I want this lady out of this place right now." I said coldly.

"And I don't want to see her here the next time I come. If I do, consider your job gone." I said, and the waitress started shouting and protesting.

"You can't fire me because of a minor mistake! Don't you make mistakes too? I'll apologize if you want me to!" She shouted.

"Keep your filthy apology to yourself," I smirked at her. "And I don't make mistakes."

"You can't fire me. You're not the boss of me." She said with a smirk of her own, and mine grew wider.

"I own this restaurant, pumpkin. I can hire and fire any fucking body as I please." I flashed a wicked grin at her, and her face turned pale.

I dropped her hand, and the manager dragged her from where I was. The manager said some things to her, and whatever the manager said made her look sadder.

She went to a room at the back and came back outside in a different outfit with a bag some minutes later. She looked angry, and I got confused when she walked toward me instead of outside the restaurant. My confusion didn't last long as she stood before me and kicked me in the groin when I least expected it. I doubled over and cupped the place where she kicked me. A pained groan left my mouth.

"I have nothing to lose since I got fired already. Good riddance, motherfucker." She hissed and ran out of the restaurant without looking back. I stood there like someone in a trance and watched her run out of the restaurant, still surprised that she could kick me in the most delicate part of my body.

"I'm very sorry about that, Sir... She can be crazy sometimes..." The manager was apologizing when I straightened my spine and walked out on her.

I stomped out of the restaurant, almost limping as I still felt pain in my groin. She had surprisingly strong legs.

"You know, you shouldn't have fired her... It must have been a mistake." Manuel stated when we got to the car. I glared at him, and he snapped his mouth shut immediately, but I heard him snicker. He knew better than to exchange words with me when I was angry.

"It's all your fault. If you didn't force me to come here, I would have been in my office and not have gotten kicked at in my dick". I accused him out of annoyance, but he just cackled.

•BRIANNA•

I ran out of the restaurant, close to tears. That handsome idiot had to get me fired because of a simple mistake. But I gave him a piece of my craziness, which made up for me getting fired. I ran for minutes without stopping to rest and only stopped when I got to my house. Immediately I got home; I wiped my face with the sleeve of my dress before plastering a fake smile on my face. My little sister, Mariana, can be very inquisitive, and it would be worse if my mom were there with her to ask the question, and I didn't want them to find out what happened. I wasn't too sad because I still had another part-time job: a bartender at a club at night.

I walked into our poor-looking house. It looked normal, but everywhere was quiet, so I guessed my sister was not back from school. She was one of the reasons I wanted to work harder; I didn't want her to end up like me, a high school dropout without a college degree. The other reason I was working was to get the money to treat my mom, an anemia patient, and I didn't want my sister and I to lose the only family we had left.

I walked up the stairs to my mom's room to find her asleep on her old, rusty bed. I wished she was never diagnosed with anemia. Everything would have been better than it is now. I sighed deeply and got into bed with her. Whenever I felt down and sad, getting close to my mom calmed me down, every time.

Chapter 2

•ADRIAN•

I was working on my laptop in my office when my assistant came in with the coffee; I asked her to get it for me over twenty minutes ago. I glared at her as she walked towards my desk and noticed she was shivering like a cat that had just gotten out of water.

"What the hell took you so long?" I asked her in anger.

"The queue at the cafe was very long, so I had to wait in line until it got to my turn." She answered with a nervous smile.

"Couldn't you tell whoever the fuck was in charge that I am the one that wants to drink the coffee?" I asked again.

"I'm so sorry, Sir." She apologized, already close to tears. She must be very timid because I haven't said or done anything.

"Give the damn coffee to me," I demanded and held out my hand, and she gave it to me with shaky hands.

I brought the plastic cup to my lips and took a sip of it but immediately spat it out. The coffee was already cold and wasn't even the type I told her to get for me. I flung the cup of coffee at her, and before she could blink, the cup's content poured on her.

"Is this what I ordered for, and why is it cold?" I asked.

"I'm so sorry, Sir. I thought that was what you ordered, and the elevator stopped working for a little while, so I had to wait for it to work again." She replied with an apologetic look.

"I don't give second chances, you started working yesterday, and you're already making mistakes... That won't continue."

"I'm very sorry, Sir. I apologize." She begged.

"Keep the apology to yourself because you're fired already," I stated coldly, facing my laptop again.

"Sir... Please forgive me. The mistake won't repeat itself," she said, already crying.

"Of course, it won't. Get out of my office... NOW." I yelled, but she just stood there and continued crying and pleading.

I picked up the telephone on my desk and put a call across to security. They got to my office within a few minutes, and I ordered them to get the wailing banshee out. I stopped them when they were about to leave my office.

"Stop by her office, pack her belongings, and throw her out of the building along with them. I must not set my eyes on her in these premises ever again." I said to them. They nodded and resumed dragging her until they were out of my sight.

I picked up my telephone again and called my secretary, informing him to get me a new personal assistant as soon as possible. After that, I got back to work.

•BRIANNA•

I woke up early this morning, tidied up the house, and cooked breakfast for my mom and younger sister. When I was done, I climbed up the stairs and woke Mom to tell her that breakfast was ready so she could freshen up and come downstairs. I also went to the room Mariana, and I shared to wake her up to prepare for school.

"Morning, sis." Marie greeted me when she woke up.

"Morning. How was your night?" I asked.

"It was good; how was yours?" She responded, and I gave her a response. Then she strolled to the small conjoined bathroom to take her bath.

I returned to the kitchen to pick up my phone, which I had left on the counter earlier. I turned it on to find a missed call from my best friend, Cherry, and immediately called her back.

"Hey, best friend. How're you doing?" I heard her voice from the other end.

"I'm fine, Cherry... How was your night?" I asked her back.

"I'm fine too. Sorry about yesterday. I was swamped, so I haven't called to ask how you've been doing since then." She stated.

"I've been good. Besides, it wasn't your fault, but that stupid man's. At least I still have one more job left; that should count as something." I replied with a shrug.

"Well, what if I tell you there's something you can do?" she asked chirpily.

"What is that?" I quizzed.

"Have you heard of A.C. Organizations?" She asked.

"I don't. Am I supposed to know about them?" I replied.

"Oh my gosh! This is why I told you to know what's happening around you. Why have a phone when you wouldn't even use it? It's supposed to help you know things!" She snapped.

"Well, A.C. Organizations is one of the biggest industries in the world, and the headquarters needs a personal assistant for the CEO." She explained.

"Wow? Are you sure I stand a chance, though? Because you know my level of education." I stated, feeling unsure.

"I think you should give it a try first. Also, have faith, even if it's just a little bit." She said like the optimistic person that she was.

"Well, it doesn't hurt to try. Thanks for the info, Cherry." I stated, thanking her.

"No problem." She spoke. "Now stop whatever you're doing because the interview starts at 8:30 a.m., and this is 7:45. You should run along now."

"Yes, mummy," I replied with a chuckle.

"I'll send the address to you now. Get ready!" She said and hung up.

About a minute later, my phone rang, and I saw she had sent the address.

I exited the kitchen counter I had been sitting at and ran to the room. I saw that Marie was already dressed and about to head downstairs for breakfast.

"Where are you rushing to?" she asked as I glided to the bathroom.

"I want to take my bath. I'm almost running late for work." I replied.

"Oh, okay. I'll be going to school immediately after eating, so bye!" She called out, and I heard her walk out of the room.

I took my bath and came out of the bathroom. Next, I went to the wardrobe and started rummaging through it, looking for a suitable dress for the interview. I found a manageable black pencil skirt and a white polka-dot shirt that goes along with it. They had some wrinkles, so I quickly ironed them out a bit.

After dressing up, I brushed my hair and applied lip gloss. Then, I went to where I kept my shoes to see a flat black shoe that went well with my dress. I didn't even remember buying the shoes.

I looked at myself in the mirror and nodded when I was satisfied with my appearance. When I finished dressing up, I took out my credentials from where I kept them and put them in my bag alongside my phone and a few dollar notes.

I checked the time to see that I was almost running late, so I ran down the stairs to the living room and saw Mom eating in the kitchen. I told her I was going out and didn't wait for her reply before running out of the house.

Immediately I got outside, I took a cab straight to the address Cherry sent me, and after some minutes, we arrived at the destination. I got out of the cab and paid the driver.

In front of me stood a tall, glamorous building with glass making almost every part of it. I walked into the building and went straight to the receptionist's desk.

"Good morning, miss." I greeted the beautiful lady sitting behind the receptionist's desk with a polite smile.

"Good morning; how may I help you?" she asked, looking away from the computer in front of her to look at me.

"I came across an ad that there is a vacancy for the post of personal assistant, and I'm here for the interview," I responded, my smile not wavering.

"Oh, alright. Take the elevator to the 4th floor and when you step out of it, turn to your left and go to the first office you see. That's where the interview is being held." She replied professionally. I thanked her and walked to the elevator. I pressed the button to the 4th floor, and the doors slid closed. It started moving, and I patiently waited for it to reach the 4th floor.

The elevator was dinged, and the doors slid open when it got to the 4th floor. I stepped out of it and headed where the receptionist lady told me to go. I got there and was shocked at the number of people waiting outside the supposed office for the interview. I found a place to sit and planted my butt on the chair. It seemed I was going to be there for a while.

Chapter 3

•BRIANNA•

I sat for about fifteen minutes before I was finally called upon. I got up, straightened my clothes, and walked into the office.

I was dumbfounded by what I saw when I stepped into the room. The man who fired me yesterday sat on a swivel chair behind a mahogany desk. He was seated majestically and pressing his phone like he didn't have a care in the world. He was so engrossed in whatever he was doing on his phone that he didn't notice that someone came in.

He finally looked up after some minutes, and my breath somehow got caught in my throat. I momentarily forgot how to breathe and stared at him like a dumbo. I couldn't stop my eyes from wandering over his physique.

He had dirty blonde hair, bushy eyebrows, hazel eyes with grey flecks, a pointed nose, small pink lips that looked kissable, and a neatly trimmed beard. I didn't have the time to check him out yesterday because of his display of assholery.

"Are you done checking me out?" he asked, a smug look on his face. The moment he asked that question, I snapped out of my daze. His eyes raked all over my body, and my body warmed up under his intense gaze. I cleared my throat, and he instantly looked up at my face, his eyes growing wide when he saw me.

"You!" He shouted. A look of familiarity crossed his features, and then anger completely took over.

"I'm sorry. Do I know you?" I asked in pretense.

"Are you not the crazy bitch that kicked my dick yesterday?" He quizzed, looking like he would descend on me any moment from now.

"No, I'm not. I don't know what you're talking about." I responded, feigning innocence.

"Oh, cut it out. Who are you deceiving?" He said with a scoff as he rolled his eyes.

"Fine... I'm the one." I admitted in defeat.

"Ha! I knew it was you," he exclaimed, a look of triumph on his face.

"Whatever. You got me fired, remember? " I snapped at him, and he rolled his eyes like he was fed up hearing my voice.

"And I will do it again and again without getting tired." He said, and I bit my tongue, trying to keep my response to myself.

He spoke up again when he saw that I wasn't going to talk back.

"What are you doing here anyway?" he asked, waving off the earlier topic.

"I'm here for the interview. I just wasn't prepared to meet an asshole here." I stated, damning all consequences. "By the way, where is the interviewer?"

"Isn't it obvious? I am the interviewer and the CEO of this remarkable industry." He spoke proudly, squaring his shoulders like an arrogant peacock.

The moment he said that it was as if the air conditioner in the room stopped working, and I began feeling hot from the inside of my body. If he was the CEO like he said he was, then it was evident that I would never be able to get the job.

Maybe, just maybe, I would stand a chance of getting the job if I apologized for everything I did to him.

"I'm sorry about the other day. It was a mistake; I didn't mean to." I said, mustering my best apologetic voice. He looked taken aback for some seconds before the expression on his face became unreadable, and I couldn't fathom what he was thinking.

"Wow, seeing you apologize is so shocking. Apologizing does not look good on you." He said it in mockery, and I sighed.

"Can we just forget about yesterday? Let's start this interview or send me out if you want to do that." I said tiredly.

"Well, I could send you out of here, but I won't do that. Let me look at your credentials; you are the only one who came here dressed decently and not trying to seduce me." He muttered, and a smile broke out on my face.

I reached into my purse, handed him my credentials, and remained standing, taking in his facial features as he glanced through my credentials.

"I know I'm hot, but are you going to keep staring at me, or are you going to take a seat?" he asked arrogantly without raising his head to look at me.

I cleared my throat awkwardly before sitting on the chair opposite the one he was sitting on, which was divided by a polished mahogany desk. I sat quietly for a while, patiently waiting for him to say something, and finally, he did.

"According to what I see here, you didn't go to college, but your high school results were quite impressive; the teachers' and principals' feedback was also very good, which says that you were a brilliant student back in school. So, I have decided to give you a chance to prove yourself worthy of being my assistant." He stated professionally; any sign of the arrogant man from earlier seemed to have vanished into thin air.

I was overjoyed when he said he would give me a chance, but I kept a straight face, trying to keep my happiness at bay. If I succeeded in proving myself to him, then I would be able to get the money for my mother's anemia treatment in no time.

"You are to resume work by 8:00 a.m. tomorrow. If you are thirty seconds later than that, your chances of proving yourself will be at risk. I don't condone any form of tardiness. Do you get that?" He explained, then asked.

"Yes, Mr. Adrian," I replied.

"I will introduce you to the secretary, and you will get my schedule from him, go through it before coming tomorrow morning to get an idea of what my day looks like. Am I clear?" he uttered.

"Yes, sir," I grumbled.

"Hey. You don't get to talk to me like that. I am your boss now, and your employment lies in my hands. A slight form of unprofessionalism, and you'll be fired, you get that?" he asked tauntingly.

"Yes, sir," I mumbled.

"Good." He commented with a satisfied smirk that I wished to wipe off with a punch.

He picked up the telephone on the desk and called someone. After some minutes, a young man with brown hair and brown eyes came into the office.

"You sent for me, sir," he said after greeting Mr. Adrian.

"Yes, I did. Tell the other people waiting to be interviewed that I already picked the one I want, and give this lady my schedule on her way out. She is my new assistant." He stated.

"Yes, sir." The man replied calmly and left the office to carry out the orders.

I turned back towards the Boss to find him staring at me.

"I look forward to working with you, Miss Brianna." He uttered, stretching forth his hand to me for a handshake. I couldn't help but notice a mischievous glint in his eyes which made me shiver slightly.

"Same here, Mr. Adrian," I replied, shaking his hand with my own, which looked smaller than his. Immediately our hands touched, I felt sparks working up my body, and I squirmed. He must have felt it, too, as he immediately broke off the handshake.

"Well, you can go now. We shall meet tomorrow." He spoke. I got up and strolled to the door. I glanced at him one last time before I walked out without looking back.

I saw the man who had come into the office earlier and had just finished addressing the rest of the interviewees. When they set their eyes on me, they began murmuring among themselves, but I could hear them.

"I'm pretty sure she slept with him to get this job." One of the ladies said, staring right at me. She didn't even conceal the look of disgust she was throwing in my direction.

"Ugh, she's such a bitch." Another one uttered.

I decided not to pay any attention to their comments as I had already gotten the job, and they could do nothing about it.

After all of the interviewees had left, I went to meet the man.

"Hi there! Mr. Adrian said that you would give me his schedule." I said when I got to him.

"Oh yeah. Follow me to my office; let me get it for you." He replied, already turning towards the direction of his office. I followed behind him and waited outside while he went inside to get it.

He handed the schedule to me when he got out.

"Thank you," I said after collecting the notepad from him.

"You're welcome." He responded with a short smile. "Hope you have a good first day of work tomorrow."

I smiled at that and thanked him once again. Then, I went to the elevator to return to the first floor and leave the building.

•ADRIAN•

A sinister smirk appeared on my face as I watched her walk out of the office. She had absolutely no idea what I was going to do to her. She won't know what hit her when I begin to deal with her...