Mr. CEO's Executive Secretary

"Find her right now!"

Tristan De Clarion roared, his voice echoing in the entire office. This gorgeous man is red from face to neck, as he can't wrap his head around the embarrassment he experienced.

His assistant and childhood friend, Jacob Brown, standing next to his table trembled in fear. He can easily tell that his Boss is fuming mad.

It was supposed to be Tristan's wedding, but his bride decided not to show up. The De Clarion family waited at the venue for almost two hours, but even the shadows of the bride's parents are nowhere to be seen.

It was an arranged marriage. A deal between Frederick De Clarion – Tristan's grandfather and Philip Williams – Vernice's grandfather.

Although Philip already passed away almost 18 years ago, Frederick still wanted to pursue the deal. According to the old De Clarion, 'I owe Philip that much'.

When he was nine years old, Tristan got hospitalized for aplastic anemia. He was confined inside a private room for almost two years in the pediatric ward of Bree's biggest hospital.

With the money they have, they worked with the doctors in finding a bone marrow donor for him. They looked both locally and internationally for the right candidate.

However, after three months of searching, they were still unsuccessful. Out of frustration with the condition of his grandson, Frederick stepped out of the hospital and went to the park in front of it.

As if it was fate's way of helping them out, another man sat on the same bench and they started exchanging stories. "I can try and get tested, maybe we're a match," Philip volunteered.

Frederick's glum face brightened after hearing his newfound friends' words. They then rushed to the hospital and Heaven blessed them with a positive result. That is how Philip became Tristan's bone marrow donor.

A few months before the young De Clarion was released from confinement, a huge fire broke out in the hospital. His parents, who were sleeping in the VIP lounge, got locked up and failed to escape.

Tristan lost his parents at a very young age and it was his grandfather who raised him ever since, with the help of Jacob's father and De Clarion's loyal butler – John Brown.

Frederick De Clarion is a multi-billionaire, owning De Clarion Empire with tons of subsidiaries, in Bree City. The Empire is also an investor in lots of different companies in Bree, in its neighboring cities, and even abroad.

Tristan's father, Triton, was Frederick's only son. As the couple passed away early, Tristan became Frederick's sole heir.

Now that his grandson is the CEO of the company, Frederick can't help but worry. He is worried for the future of the company and his grandson as well.

Frederick has heard of Tristan's escapades. Jacob would often share stories about his friend and boss with his father, and John will then pass the story on to the old De Clarion.

Tristan is a known womanizer among eligible bachelors, not just in Bree but also in neighboring cities and abroad. He makes use of women as bed warmers.

Among all those he was linked with, none of them can even be considered potential wives or can even be labeled as serious girlfriends. It has become his hobby to switch from one woman to another, at least once every two weeks.

"Boss, I received a report of Vernice's departure from Bree City. She left two hours before the wedding," Jacob informed him. He just came back after looking into Vernice's whereabouts.

Tristan turned around to face his assistant and Jacob flinched instantly. "Where was she headed to?" he asked in a flat tone, blowing smoke from the cigarette he just lit.

"According to the report, she's bound to Dale. She arrived there three hours ago."

Tristan clenched and unclenched his fist after hearing this. He pressed on his nose bridge before sitting on his swivel chair.

'How dare she? I accepted her despite looking like she was made of plastic surgery. But she has the guts to shame me?'

Tristan thought to himself while looking at the outside view from his office's floor-to-ceiling window.

Although the wedding was not announced and only a few of their relatives were invited, it was still shameful to be ditched. Fortunately, no media was brave enough to make a report on the failed wedding, as all media companies in Bree are well aware of the consequences if they do, so they did not dare.

"Make sure she won't have it easy there," Tristan instructed.

Jacob nod at him in response and bowed to leave. He got work to do and one of them is to deal with Vernice, the only woman who had the nerve to go against his boss.

Tristan took his cigarette case, grab another stick, and lit it up. He was playing with its smoke while eyeing the Newton balls on his table. He still can't figure out why Vernice stood him up on their wedding day.

No matter how he thinks about it, it was a favorable deal for the woman. Even before they got engaged, she was already given fifty million dollars for whatever expenses she has. A few days after that, a 10-carat diamond Cartier ring and documents for a villa under her name were sent to her.

'What more does she want?'

Tristan was distracted by the sudden ringing of his phone. "Tristan! The doctor's on his way here, your grandfather fainted," the voice of a middle-aged man echoes thru the line, it was John.

"I'll be on my way!" Tristan answered before ending the call. He then stood up, pressed the cigarette stub on the ashtray, and strode out of his office.

"To the family villa," he told Jacob as he passed by him. He headed straight to the elevator and down to the basement.

Jacob opened the door of the Maybach. Once his Boss is in, he closed it and slipped into the driver's seat. He quietly started the car and drove to De Clarion's family villa.

"Where is he? " Tristan asked John as soon as he arrived. The butler gestured toward his grandfather's room and he immediately followed.

"Why are you here?" his grandfather asked when he saw him come to his room. "Instead of coming here, you should have tried finding your bride," he coughed.

John helped Frederick sit up, placing a pillow on his back to make it comfortable leaning on the headboard. He then passed to him his cup of favorite tea.

"She already left for Dale. I must have scared her.." Tristan snorted. His grandfather's brows creased as if puzzled as to what he meant by his words. "I called her the other day, I told her this is no dream wedding she's getting herself into. I told her it was all for show and that I'm not as nice as people think."

Frederick shook his head, typical of his grandson. "I doubt she'd be scared by those words alone. According to her grandfather, she's no pushover even at a young age, I doubt you'd freak her out just because you said those dumb things to her," the old De Clarion stated, clicking his tongue and shaking his head at his grandson. "It was her father who came to me and asked about the wedding," Frederick then sipped from his tea while glancing at his grandson. "Lawrence told me of his Father's dying wish, but they just came back to Bree from Dale, that's why he can only visit me two months ago. I met Vernice, and although she seems far from his grandfather's description, she looks like she's a good girl. Someone who can easily control you," he chuckled.

He wants to find someone who can put the reins on his grandson. But unfortunately, just as he thought he found the right girl for him, she ran away.

He was disappointed, to say the least, but Frederick still wants to find her and maybe convince her again to marry Tristan.

'This old, stupid kid needs to get tied, the sooner, the better.'

Pak!

A loud, slapping sound was heard in the living room of the Williams Villa in Dale.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Lawrence shouted, glaring at his daughter with his bloodshot eyes.

Vernice trembled in pain as she held her cheek, starting to feel the burning sensation from the slap. Vernice gave her father a steely look before dropping her bag to the floor, "Do you want me to get stuck into that marriage? I don't even know that man! I haven't even seen him except the pictures you sent me! Are you out of your mind?" she lashed out.

Her father grabbed her by the wrist. "The De Clarions already gave you money, a ring, a villa, what more do you want? Do you have to know the guy?" Lawrence asked, tightening his grip on his daughter. "You don't need to see him, do you? Tristan had already told you, it was also clear to him that this was all a setup. You won't be obliged to play the role of his wife. Why did you still run away? You could have gotten more from this! You could have saved our company completely!" her father snarled.

Lawrence was furious at his daughter's ignorance. They could have taken advantage of having a De Clarion for an in-law, but this daughter of his was so stupid that she decided impetuously and ran away from the wedding.

"Honey, calm down," Esme pulled her husband away from their daughter. "There's no use getting mad over this. After what happened, I doubt Tristan would still want our daughter to be his wife. Let's just make use of what was given to her," she proposed.

Lawrence glanced at her before turning his attention to Vernice. "How can I have someone so stupid for a daughter?!" he snapped before pulling his arm away from his wife and sitting on the couch.

"I'll give you half the money Tristan gave me," Vernice told her father. "I'll also give you the documents for the villa. I can't live there anyway, since it's in Bree. You can sell it if you want, but I'm keeping the ring!"

She ran up the stairs and to her bedroom after telling her father everything she wanted to say to him. Lawrence shook his head in frustration, while Esme could only let out a sigh.

They really couldn't tell Vernice what to do. She never listened to them. She already disagreed with the idea after they told her about it. But Lawrence insisted and now she ran away after getting that much from Tristan.

"If only Yssabelle was alive, I wouldn't have to settle with her!" he sneered. Esme's reaction turned sour after hearing that name.

'Why can't he forget her?' she thought to herself.

Esme was a mistress. Yssabelle and Vernice were only a year apart when they were born. Lawrence broke up with Esme even before he found out she was pregnant.

Rose, his first wife, knew of Esme and her daughter, but she never stopped Lawrence from taking responsibility for them. It was Lawrence who decided to cut their ties.

When Williams Corporation was still a big shot at Bree, Yssabelle, her eldest daughter, was kidnapped. She was only 7 then. The kidnappers were asking for 100 million dollars for ransom.

Lawrence met with the kidnappers at Bree Port. But just as he was about to get a hold of Yssabelle, the police arrived.

The kidnappers fired shots and so did the police. Yssabelle was in the middle of the crossfire. Before Lawrence got her, she was shot and fell into the sea. Unfortunately, they were unable to find her, and Yssabelle was declared dead after two weeks of searching.

Up to this day, Lawrence still doesn't know who called the police or how they found out about the kidnapping, and why they suddenly showed up at the meeting place. If it weren't for them, Yssabelle, Rose, and even her father would still be alive. He wouldn't have lost his beloved wife and daughter.

When Philip Williams learned of his granddaughter's demise, he suffered from a heart attack and died on the spot. Two years after Yssabelle and Philip's death, Rose followed.

Rose stopped eating and had a hard time sleeping when they lost their daughter until she succumbed to depression and ended her own life. At her funeral, Esme showed up with their daughter, Vernice.

Whenever Lawrence recalls the past, he can't help but shed a tear. Esme noticed this and started sobbing. "You still can't forget about them..." she muttered before following her daughter upstairs.

Esme opened the door of her daughter's room and saw her sitting on her bed, crying. "You did the right thing!" Esme told Vernice as she approached her.

"That Tristan doesn't love you and you don't have feelings for him. Even if he's the richest man in Bree, his money won't save you from sadness!" she told her.

Vernice looked up, slowly reached out for her mother's hand, and squeezed it lightly. She knows everything, how she and her mother were unwanted.

She knows how her father still can't forget the other two people who had already passed away. She knows of her mother's sadness and despair. And she was thankful that her mother would not let her suffer the same predicament.

"I'm leaving for Lys with Hans, Mom," Vernice told her, sniffing. Hans is her long-time boyfriend. They have been together for seven years.

She first met the man when she was in college. She was studying Fashion Design at that time and Hans was a Finance student. It was love at first sight.

"Go!" Esme urged her. "You don't even have to let your father know!"

Vernice's eyes widened for a moment, she was surprised after hearing what her mother said. She never expected that she would be supportive of her.

She wanted to ask Esme why she was letting her go. But she was also scared that her mother might change her mind, so she did not bother.

Esme helped her daughter as she started packing. She doesn't have that many clothes at home, since she has been living with Hans for two years now. But there is still other important stuff that she needs to take with her.

"Here," handing Esme a thick envelope. "The bank card with 20 million is there, as well as the documents for the villa," she told her.

"It's up to you whether you give it to Dad or keep it to yourself."

She finished packing her stuff and peeks outside her room. As soon as she was certain her father wouldn't see her, she made a run for it. Vernice did not even bother kissing her Mom goodbye.

She started her car as soon as she was inside and drove to Hans' office. "Why are you here?" he asked, surprised.

"Pack up, we're leaving," she tells him, smiling widely. Hans creases his forehead at her. "We're going to Lys, you can start your own financial company there, I have the money," she informs her boyfriend, and the man's face cracks into a broad smile.

"Are you sure about this?" Hans asked, glancing at Vernice in the passenger seat. They are now on their way to Hans' apartment to pack up his clothes and gather all the necessary stuff.

Vernice reaches out for his hand and leans on his shoulder. "Yes, it's only you that I want to spend my life with. Let's start now," she giggles.

Hans tightened his grip on Vernice's hand, kissing the back of it. He's happy about it too. Although he does not love her that much anymore, he is still happy that she is willing to do anything for her. Vernice, however, is unaware of his feelings for her.

---

"You can leave now," Tristan pulled his arm from under the woman's head. It was only two in the morning. He slowly got up from the bed and grabbed a cigarette from his back pocket before picking up the towel and wrapping it around his waist.

He went straight to Hotel Zeus after his last meeting, for dinner and a sweet night. Tristan is with Agnes, a popular actress and model in Bree.

The woman is known for climbing the beds of high-ranking people to get what she wants, and her most recent target is Tristan. "Can't I leave in the morning?" she said, almost in a whisper, while stretching her arms out.

Tristan glances at her and his expression turns sour. Whenever he recalls that she's been with different men, he feels disgusted. However, he can't resist the temptation.

When he first saw her, he knew he must have her. The young De Clarion had her checked anyway and she is free from any communicable disease, she is safe.

Tristan De Clarion had been deprived of any sexual activity in the past two weeks and his stress had piled up ever since that chaotic wedding. He came across Agnes at Eden Bar and she happened to walk into his trap. He invited her to dinner and she readily agreed.

Tristan can't recall how many times they have done it in the past 4 hours, but now he is tired and he wants to rest. He can't do that if this woman is lying in bed with him, so he needs to get rid of her, as soon as possible.

Although he can just transfer to another VIP suite, he can't do that right now because Joyce is staying there, and she is more important than Agnes, so, between the two, it was Agnes that had to go.

Joyce is Tristan's childhood friend and savior. She saved him from drowning in their garden pond, months after he was released from the hospital. If it wasn't for Joyce, De Clarion Empire wouldn't have an heir right now.

He's been in an on-and-off relationship with her since he was 20, it's been 9 years and he still can't let go of her. There is just something about her that she doesn't want to lose, especially not to anyone else.

"If you don't go now, I won't see you again," he told her off.

Agnes rolled her eyes and gritted her teeth. 'Typical asshole womanizer', she thought to herself. But she still forces her body to stand up, regardless of the pain between her legs. He was a savage in bed.

"I'm leaving now," Agnes announced after taking a shower and dressing up.

Tristan turns around and nods toward the side table. "Take that card and buy yourself a new set of underwear," he orders. "The ones you're wearing are too skimpy, find something cute," and then he enters the bathroom, leaving the woman dumbfounded.

"Bye Dad!" Belle waves frantically at her father before she checks in. She is on her way to Bree to find the perfect job opportunity for her to support her family.

Belle finished at the top of her class. She was a student of Computer Engineering at a small university in Dale.

As soon as she got into college, she also joined an organization of white hat hackers, White Jacks, and she is deemed as one of the best in the group.

However, for the past five years, she still hasn't found the right job for her. She has applied to most of the companies in Dale and worked for two of them, but he only lasted for a year.

After two or three months at the company, she would lose all desire to work. She often ends up resigning, either out of boredom or lack of work growth.

In her past companies, she only ended up monitoring CCTVs inside the security office. It was very unchallenging for her and she always got into trouble with her supervisor, often caught dozing off on her desk.

His father felt sorry for her and knew that his daughter was good in her field. So when she found out that Bree was the best city for her to find an opportunity, he supported her.

Raymond helped Belle convince her mom, Lydia, to allow her to move to Bree and find a job there. It took months for them to finally convince her to let their daughter go.

Belle Roberts is the only daughter of the family. Her father is a fisherman and her mother owns a stall at the supermarket where they sell the fish her father catches. That is how the family gets by.

Although it was hard for them to send Belle to college, they managed to do so. Because of that, they can't just let her pass on the opportunities available to her, especially Raymond.

"Beeeeeeelle!" an ear-piercing welcome can be heard from across the street. She turned around to see Nathalie running towards her.

Belle hugged her friend tightly as soon as she reached her. "You're still very pretty!" she squealed, eyeing Belle from head to toe.

Nathalie is Belle's childhood friend. When the woman's parents died in a car accident, she moved with her Aunt to Bree and Belle hadn't seen her for years.

"Of course! I took after you!" she laughed, letting go of her friend.

"Where are you staying?" Nathalie asks as she helps Belle with her luggage.

She looks around for a cab and hails the first one she saw. "I booked a hotel before leaving Dale. I'll stay there while looking for a job. You help me find an apartment close to the company where I'll be hired," laying out her plans to her friend as they put her luggage in the trunk.

Nathalie nods enthusiastically. "How I wish you could just stay with me!" she pouts.

"Hmph! As if your scary Aunt would let me! You know she hates seeing pretty girls. What more if there's two of us?" then they both laughed.

With Nathalie's help, Belle didn't have a hard time finding the hotel she booked. When they got inside her room, Nathalie helped her get settled while catching up.

"So, where do you plan to apply?"

"De Clarion Empire!" Belle answers with a smug. "Well, that's my first choice, since the owner is my role model! But if I don't get lucky, I'll just check out the other companies."

She is confident in her skills and, based on her research, De Clarion got the best IT department in Bree. That is exactly what she is looking for.

Nathalie's phone rings before she can ask Belle about her other plans. After the call, she bid Belle farewell. Nathalie had to leave because the club she was working for needed a reliever and she was the only one who could go.

"Call me when you're free, okay? I'll treat you to lunch!" she tells Belle, planting a kiss on her cheek before leaving.

As soon as the door closed, Belle plopped down on the bed. She pulled out her phone and double-checked the information she researched about the Empire.

Getting hired would be a dream come true for her and she is already feeling ecstatic at the thought of going for an interview. 'I need to do well!' she mutters.

As it was already past seven in the evening, Belle called for room service to have her dinner. Afterward, she called her parents to let them know that she had arrived safely.

It took her two more hours to review all the important information she needed to score the position. After that, she decided to head to bed.

---

"We're hiring a new Executive Secretary for you today. We're also getting a few new additions to our IT department," Jacob reported while driving to the company.

"Hmm..." Tristan replied lazily.

If he was to decide, Jacob's enough as his assistant and secretary. However, senior De Clarion insists on getting an executive secretary.

According to his grandfather, Jacob will end up being a grumpy, unmarried man if he continues to do everything for Tristan. He should have someone to help him out.

"Do you prefer a male or a female secretary?" he asked again of his President before eyeing him from the rearview mirror.

Tristan looked at him as well, taking his eyes off his phone. "We should get a female secretary this time, so you can finally get a girlfriend," he chuckled. Jacob averted his eyes. He still can't understand why Tristan is so worked up about finding a girl for her.

"I already told you, I don't need one," he answered casually.

Tristan couldn't hold his laughter anymore. He tapped Jacob's shoulder, "You should tell your father that. Besides, you can only say that because you haven't found the right one yet," he added, shaking his head.

Jacob could only roll his eyes. He was fully aware of the fact that his father had been asking Tristan for help in finding her a girlfriend, but he never thought Tristan would take that seriously. He thought his friend only agreed just so his father would stop bugging him.

Tristan and Jacob were more like brothers. As Jacob's father started young with the De Clarions, he also helped Frederick raise Tristan together with Jacob. In some way, they are also indebted to this father-and-son duo.

"Let's eat breakfast first," Tristan told his assistant before stepping out of the car. They walked towards the entrance of the company and headed for the ground floor café in the building.

They were already a few steps in when Tristan stopped and bowed down. Although he looked disgusted, he still picked up the used tissue paper on the floor.

"Change the cleaning company," he instructs, and Jacob nods, immediately pulling out his phone and calling the person in charge.

If there is one thing Jacob knows very well about Tristan, it's that he wants everything done immediately, right there and then. He doesn't want things stalled and Jacob understands that perfectly.

Walking again and only a few steps away from the café's entrance, Tristan stopped again. He was looking at the entrance of the company building with a puzzled expression. When Jacob followed his line of sight, his jaw almost dropped.

From the building's entrance, a gorgeous woman enters. As Jacob stares at her, he realizes that the woman is none other than Vernice, Tristan's fiancé, the one who ran away on the day of their wedding.

He glances at his boss and notices that he is clenching his fist. He then turns around and enters the café, and Jacob follows.

They chose the table close to the café's entrance. Tristan sat on the chair facing outside, still looking at the mysterious woman.

"That's the line of applicants for the IT department," Jacob informed him. "I'll be handling the applicants for the executive secretary position."

Tristan did not bother to respond, as he lost sight of the woman. He is now busy looking for her again.

Just as he was about to lose his patience, he found her. She's standing right at the end of the line of applicants Jacob mentioned.

"Those are applicants, you say?" Jacob nods and looks in the direction Tristan is looking. "Then what is Vernice lining up there for? Is she applying to work for me?" he chuckles.

Jacob creases his brow. That was exactly what he'd been thinking since he saw her enter the building. 'After running away, why would she even dare to come back? Worst, she is even applying for a position at the De Clarion Empire.'

"Maybe she's out of her mind!" Jacob utters. It was supposed to be an inner thought, but he accidentally said it out loud. Tristan suddenly looks at him, brows knitted. "Sorry," he quickly says.

"Well, I must admit she's really brave but insane!" Tristan shook his head while adding sugar to his coffee. "Why don't we hire her as my executive secretary?" a playful smile appeared on his lips.

Jacob feels the drop in temperature to a few degrees, it is bone-chilling. He glances at Tristan but remains quiet. He knows he's serious about the suggestion.

Jacob again pulls his phone from his pocket to call the head of Human Resources. He informs them that Vernice Williams' resumé should be sent to his desk before he gets to his office.

'This girl is dead, so dead.'