The Personal Assistant of Mr. CEO

In the city of Las Vegas, day and night, the tall buildings shine with their lights open and people crowding on the streets. There is no second that the place is not busy as everyone works and gossips all day long about the tabloids plastered on almost every block where one of the most famous bachelor business tycoon can be seen. His sharp deep blue eyes that are comparable with an eagle and his captivating lips that will make any woman lust for his kissable lips, makes most of the woman swoon over his feet.

He is none other than Donavan Montenegro. A well known 187 cm tall and incredibly handsome successful businessman who is known for being a good man in terms of both business and personal life. He is the man who can be found in the thirty-ninth floor of the Montenegro Building, one of the tallest buildings in the middle of Las Vegas. With all of his good qualities and success in life, it is inevitable that he will gain tons of attention and attract many gossips such as that he has a relationship with his assistant that does not hold anything but lies composed by malicious eyes and lying mouths.

Standing tall in the middle of the modern designed room while looking over the city from his huge window wall in his office is Donavan in his branded pants and suit which defines his muscular body.

His attention is grabbed when a knock is heard and enters a gorgeous woman who is currently being rumored with him.

"What is my schedule today?" He asks as he grabs the file that she is handing over to him. It is again another financial report that they discussed in the previous meeting and needs his signature.

"Sir, today you have an scheduled interview meeting with the applicant for my replacement," Olivia, his secretary, responds at him which makes him abruptly look back at her and dismayingly gives back the signed file to her.

Leaning on the side of his table he asks, "When is your betrothal?"

"After two months!" Olivia excitedly exclaims back at him as an answer.

Sighing, he stands up properly and starts to walk out of his office to head towards the meeting room with Olivia following him. "Well hopefully we can get someone who is worthy enough to be your substitute," he says as they enter the elevator.

Olivia is a treasure in his company. She is competent, efficient, punctual, professional, and friendly. In short, she is a perfect assistant who is already resigning from her work because of her upcoming marriage. Though he likes her to stay, he cannot be selfish and do that as everyone should have a chance to live their life in the way they want it.

"Sure there is," Olivia answers with a huge confident smile that makes Donavan look at her with a frown before he speaks, "You are so confident to answer me. You truly want to leave me, huh?"

Her eyes widens in panic as she looks back at him intently as she responds, "Oh no! That is not what I meant! You understand the reason behind my resignation, right?"

"Yes of course! You are getting old so you yearn to get wedded already," he jokes which makes the both of them laugh which echoes on the close door of the elevator.

"The old man spoke," Olivia teases back with a sarcastic face, trying to hint him about something.

Donavan raises his eyebrow before he asks in surprise, "I am younger than you?"

"Oh yes! A year younger!" She exclaims and they both laugh again before she continue, "and may i tell you, you are not getting any younger,"

"Yes, but I am still strong and vigorous," he replies, which makes them both grind.

The elevator then opens up and with a straight face, they go out and walk directly to the meeting room. On the corridor, they pass by through the long queue of applicants which already makes him feel tired upon the amount of applicants he must interview.

"Here is your coffee boss. Need anything else?" Olivia asks after she places the cup of coffee on his table.

"Get lost" he jokes as he shoos her away but she only laughs and turns around to do her own work. She already calls one of the secretaries and assigns her to call each of the applicants for an individual interview.

Donavan shakes his head as he looks at her retreating figure before he looks through the file of applicants on his table while waiting for the applicant to come in. Olivia is actually his first assistant. Since the moment he became the CEO of the Montenegro Corporation, she has been with him for barely six year and she is already like a sister to him.

Interviewing should be Olivia's work but he takes over today as he wants to interview and pick his new personal assistant himself because her competitive personal assistant is being married to his best friend soon.

Aaron is a year older than him, like Olivia. Aaron became acquainted with her upon visiting Donavan and courted her for more than a year until he succeeded and they became lovers for three years, and now they are finally getting married. Aaron proposed to her a week ago, thus he must find a replacement for her before their marriage because after marriage she will be a full time housewife. Afterall, who needs to work if the one they are marrying is also another one of the billionaire bachelors.

**************

Breathing deeply in nervousness among the applicants is Nathalia Sanchez. She is seated in the long queue of line for the interview for CEO's personal assistant of the Montenegro Corporation. She looks in front and when she sees that they are not calling for anyone yet, she goes to the bathroom but not before telling the one in front and behind her on the line where she is going.

She looks at herself in the mirror and starts to fix herself. She retouches her makeup and puts on some face powder and light lipstick before she straightens out her black knee length skirt and cream colored short sleeveless blouse. She also rotates her ankles for a while as it starts to get sore from the two inches black high heels she is wearing.

When she becomes satisfied with her appearance, she goes back to her chair and that is when she gets mesmerized by the rear of the man walking in front.

'Oh! He looks elegant. Is he going to be my boss? He also looks familiar. Nevermind, I am here for work.' She thought to herself as she looked at him before shaking her head to bring her thoughts back to reality.

After a few minutes, a woman walks in the room with a coffee in her hand before she comes out and another woman starts to call the name of each applicant. Seconds pass by into minutes and her anxiousness increases the longer it takes, especially that she is already waiting there for an hour.

"I need this..." she told herself while her daughter's face flashes to her mind.

The flush skin of her daughter who is having a fever flashes to her mind. It is a great thing that her daughter is a sweet and caring one that she let her leave for an interview today. Although today is a weekday and there is a school, Nathalia calls the school to let them know that her daughter, Izabelle, is having a cold.

Nathalia just shakes her head as she remembers the cause of Izabelle''s cold. Last night, Izabelle and her husband had a lot of fun in the amusement park and they ate ice cream. Thinking of how Justine spoils her daughter makes her doubt if it is a good thing or not as he gives all Izabelle's wishes especially when Izabelle is using her puppy face.

Justine Stevens. A smile forms on her lips as she is reminded of when they first meet each other. He is a new student during their tenth grade. Though he is a very silent person and not friendly, he is remembered by many as he transferred to their school in the middle of the school year. Not to mention that he is a clever student who always impressively obtains high exam results.

At first, Nathalia and Justine were merely acquaintances until a day comes when Nathalia leaves her notebook in their classroom and she sees Justine standing on the side of the window while peeking outside with a smirk on his face as if he is alone in his own world. Curiosity fills Nathalia's mind that she slowly walks quietly towards him and secretly looks over his shoulder in a tip toe to see that Justine is actually staring at their english instruction like a girl gazing over their crush. Nathalia smiles and keeps on standing beside him for over five minutes and yet he has still not felt her presence yet. Tired of waiting for him to notice her, she taps her shoulder which makes Justine look at her in shock and panic.

With a raised eyebrow and teasing smile she asks him if he has a crush towards their instructor, but as she has expected he denies it. Because who among male species would straight out answer that they like their male instructor? However, as much as he wants to deny it with his words, the blush on his face and reddening of his ears gives him away.

Nathalia subtly laughs as she tells him that she has been standing there for more than five minutes and that she sees everything, thus he cannot deny it any longer nor make some excuses. In the end, he just bows his head and begs her not to tell it to anyone, which she of course gives her word that she will not as it is not her habit to interfere in people's business.

Secrets strengthen bonds between each other. A saying which is proven to be true as since that moment, Nathalia and Justine became best friends. They both became so close with each other that others even teased them that they are dating, which they are definitely not.

On that day, she discovers his secret that even his own family are not aware of. Together, they became each other's shoulder to lean on and that is why when Nathalia gets pregnant with another man, Justine did not hesitate to marry her and take responsibility for her child.

Years pass and before she knows it, they are already married for about five years. Their story is not a sweet romance but more of a companionship and responsibility, it can show as she is not even using his surname. Up until this day, it is still her maiden name which she is utilizing.

She is still lost in her own thoughts as gratitude for meeting Justine overwhelms her once more upon their memory that she did not realize that she has already been called by the secretary until the one behind her pokes her. Sitting upright, she looks up front as she hears the woman with a stern face, repeating her name.

"Ms. Nathalia Sanchez , follow me!" The woman exclaims and without any second thoughts, she stands up, straightens her clothes, and follows the woman in front of the room.

Taking a deep breath, she lightly knocks on the door before she opens it. The room is enormous with two sitters black leather couch on both sides of the oval glass coffee table and a single black leather couch above it. A few pieces of magazine on the table, while beside the huge glass window is a long table with six chairs lining up on it and a bookcase on the wall. Across the bookcase is Mr. Montenegro's wooden table and a swivel chair.

As soon as she enters inside, the first thing Nathlie sees is a man sitting in the swivel chair with his arm resting on the table while he intently looks at her.

His face defines nothing but business with the seriousness of the aura that he gives off. He looks tall, powerful, and the outline of his face is firm but not rough which makes him incredibly handsome. But what captivates her the most is his blue eyes that seem to be piercing into ehr soul.

They are both staring into each other. Stock in that place as if the time has stopped for the both of them, or at least that is what Nathalia feels while staring at the man that looks like a man sent from heaven himself.

Nathalia is pretty sure that she will stare at him more and embarrass herself if the door didn't open again and the secretary outside who is wearing a black pants and suit did not enter. Now that Nathala gives time to look at her, she observes that the secretary is actually beautiful, especially with her small chin and rosy lips. She walks straight to the man and gives him her curriculum vitae before she leaves the room once again.

Taking a deep breath and pulling herself to focus on her job interview, she greets him while still standing in front of his table. "Good morning sir!!

Nathalia then swallows the invisible lamp on her throat out of nervousness despite the fact that it is not her first time attending a job interview. In fact, she has been a secretary before until a month ago when she gave her resignation letter after her boss taunted her during work for three months.

Memories of the past events in her former workplace still hunts Nathalia sometimes during her sleep.

For three months, she will observe those uncomfortable stares that her boss will give to her and his subtle touches that make her want to vomit in disgust. For the last three months she is working there, she is able to tolerate those things for the sake of her work, and with use all of the excuses she can use to somehow avoid those occurrences. However one day, more work is given to her and unspokenly forces her to have overtime.

She knows that her former boss has some silly stance which she finds harassing and disrespectful, but never did she think that he has an evil plan. The sun sets and it becomes dark as night falls. Her boss calls her inside of his office where she sees a bottle of wine and two glasses placed on the table; one is already filled with glass while the other one has not been used yet. There is also an ashtray beside the bottle, full of cigarette butts, a lighter, and another pack of unlighted cigarettes on the table between the two brown leather sofas.

With a pounding heart, she ensures to keep a safe distance between the two of them before she speaks, "you call for me, sir?"

"Indeed I did. Ms. Sanchez." Her boss says while sitting on the sofa beside the table with an ashtray on it. He lit a cigarette as he instructed her to sit on the other vacant sofa. He then poured a red wine on the empty glass before offering it to her, expecting her to have a drink with him.

"Sorry sir, but I do not drink" she says in an excuse. He looks at her for a while before he drops the glass in front of her that the glass makes a clunking sound once it reaches the floor while the wine spills over the floor, almost drenching her feet. He then stands up in front of her, he leans his arms between her over the sofa as he tries to kiss her. When she tries to resist, he holds her chin and forces her but she is able to knee him on his guts and shove him away before she hurriedly runs out of his office. She grabs her bag from the top of her table, runs towards the elevator, and evacuates the building.

The next day, she submitted her resignation and immediately quit from the company.

-------

Jewelries are nothing but a showcasing of money. A luxury. However, as soon as the next applicant enters the door of the meeting room, it is the eye-catching black narrow braid silk thread necklace with a circle pendant made of resin which catches Donavan's attention. The necklace is obviously not worth a million but it is a handmade product that shows one's sincerity. Inside of the clear resin are dried flowers where small words are formed using gold glitters: it says, 'Yours Only'.

His heart pounds as he recognizes that necklace. His secretary, Gina, comes inside and places the woman's CV on the top of his table and with immense urge to look into it, he immediately opens the file to see that the woman's name is Nathalia Sanchez. The name is very much familiar to him. The same name is similar to someone he knows, but the difference is that the woman in front of him is already married and has a child, or maybe he is just mistaken. Maybe they only look similar, after all fifteen years is too long that the woman he knows may have already lost the necklace and the woman in front of him may have found it instead. Nonetheless, he is not mistaken that it is the same necklace as it is the only one in the world because he is the one who made it himself. He spends many days studying how to perfectly braid the silk thread and mix the resin to make a great design like that. At first, as a thirteen years old child, he makes multiple failed attempts but he succeeds in the end.

He looks at the woman again. She has a pleasant heart-shaped face, gorgeous hazel eyes with perfect eyebrows, nice nose matched with plump lips, high cheekbones, cute dimples, and she has a black shiny straight hair that falls up to her shoulders.

He hears her greetings which pulls him out of his thoughts.

He clears his throat before he speaks, "Please sit down, Ms. Nathalia Sanchez. As I hope you know, I am Donavan Montenegro, the CEO of this company" he finishes as he motions her to sit on the chair in front of his table.

"It is nice to meet you, sir," Nathalia says with a smile.

"Nice to meet you as well. Your CV is very impressive, you have done well in your academics." Donavan compliments Nathalia after going through her CV.

Nathalia's eyes smile with her lips out of happiness and self pride. To be praised by one of the most known businessmen, it is a great honor.

Donavan looks at her for a while before his eyes go down to her neck where her necklace lays. He could not erase his curiosity about the identity of the woman, more specifically about her connection to the woman he knew fifteen years ago.

Taking a deep breath, he sighs before he has the courage to finally speak about something which will likely cross his boundary as a professional. "I have only one question which I will need your honesty, though I know that it is an irrelevant question. But I need to know."

Nathalia only stares at him while she waits for him to ask the question.

"Where did you get that handmade silk thread necklace that you are wearing?" He asks which makes Nathalia furrow her eyebrows in confusion. Indeed his question is irrelevant to the job she is there for. She looks into his eyes which is intently looking at her; it is evident that he is in deep need to know her answer but Nathalia wonders how that is any of his business.

Unconsciously, Nathalia's hand goes to her neck and holds her necklace as if to keep it in safety. For many years, she has been keeping it to herself in safety, never removing it just like she has promise.

Having someone look at it with desire or interest makes her feel like she is a thief or something. His eyes and question makes Nathalia feel like she has snatched the necklace from someone else even though it is really hers. It is a precious gift that her childhood friend gave her as a reminder about the love that he has for her and since then she has pledged to him and to herself that she will never remove it and will take care of it with everything she has. It is a symbol of his promise to her that he will marry her when the right time comes, but one question lingers on her mind, 'where is he now?'

Donavan creases his forehead when he sees how she holds onto the necklace and how she suddenly fazes out. Clearing his voice to gain back her attention, he says "Ms. Sanches?"

Blinking many times, she came back to reality and said, "yes sir, sorry! This necklace was given to me by my old friend when I was ten years old." She answers without catching her breath. After he listens to her reply, his face is erased from any expression.

His gaze is unfathomable; no one can explain what he is thinking as he abruptly picks up the phone on his desk. He press a number to call someone and Nathalia can vividly hear his voice as he speaks, "Olivia, come here"