BILLIONAIRE CEO: BENEATH THE ARROGANCE

Chapter One: A Familiar Face in a New Place

She was feeling very optimistic that day, she woke up at 5 am, made breakfast, and left her apartment at exactly 7:30 am, her interview was by 8:30 that Monday at the renowned Kyros Studios. She had her best friend, Logan to thank for the major interview she was about to attend, although she was never going to tell him to his face.

With a bright smile on her face, she entered her grey Honda Accord and began her journey to Kyros Studios, it was a 30-minute drive from her apartment, and she had gone there thrice to 'scope the place out' like she would always tell Logan. When it was about 7:45 she decided to stop at a Café to get her good luck charm, a glass of mocha.

It was her first time at that café, the interior of the café was astonishing from the tables to chairs to the countertops and the stylish wooden board menus. The café gave off an earthly feel and the aroma of coffee. She immediately loved the café, she ordered a cup of mocha, one to take in the café and one to go.

She was smiling at the coffee guy, his name was Kevin, she could tell from the name tag. Kevin was a sociable guy, as he didn't hesitate in striking up a conversation with her as he made her coffee, she enjoyed talking with him, and she gladly sat down on the stools in front of the counter and continued her conversation with Kevin.

"Do you think you'll be coming here often, Jasmine??" His tone was pleasant, his voice wasn't hurried, and he had a very bright smile

"Depends on whether or not, you'll keep working here" Jasmine smirked, she knew she sounded overly flirtatious, but for someone who knew how to make mocha just the way she loved it, why not? They continued chatting, and just as she suspected, he was a college student studying art, Jasmine wasn't surprised, he knew exactly how to express himself.

Seconds later, the loud sound of glass shattering turned the focus of the café to a man and a waitress in the café, several feet away from Jasmine's seat. The man was undoubtedly attractive, with sleek wavy jet-black hair, he had dark shades on, and he looked extremely wealthy, from the way he stood, to the way he dressed. A black Giorgio Armani tuxedo, with a white turtleneck, and a pure silver pendant dangled on his chest, and he had this menacing aura about him.

"I'm sorry Sir, I didn't know I brought the wrong order" The waitress on the other hand was in a red-black checkered shirt and light blue jeans. She looked like she was going to cry at any second, the man towered over her and it was clear that he was pissed. The café became eerily silent.

"You didn't know?" his deep bass voice filled the café "You didn't know?? It was black coffee, no cream, no milk, no sugar, it was plain black coffee" His voice grew louder "How on earth could you have messed that up"

"I didn't know I brought-"

"Are you that empty-minded, or your brain's storage has been exhausted, it was a black coffee, all you had to do was pour it into a cup, you had no other orders, and yet the simplest and the only order you were given, you still managed to f**k it up" His voice became menacing, the waitress broke down and started crying, the onlookers pitied her, some sided with man. Jasmine was one of the onlookers who pitied her, and not only that, Jasmine was enraged.

"It's honestly not that big of a deal, she has already apologized, let it go," Jasmine said as she confronted the man, when she did, she realized he was tall, Jasmine was 5'6, and the man in the tuxedo was over 6 feet.

"I didn't realize I was talking to you," He said with spite and furrowed brows. The last thing he needed was for busybody to enrage him further, today started wrong for him, he woke up at 3 am for no just cause and couldn't sleep anymore, he spent the rest of the early hours of his morning, working… it was a terrible decision; since he fired his secretary, his workload had quadrupled, he was almost regretting his decision. The main reason he wore shades was because he had eye bags and his eyes were red.

"I didn't realize you could talk since all you do is yell and whine like a baby" This was not what he needed; this was the last thing he needed. With an exasperated sigh, he gave her a glare, a cold death stare, one that would have made most people run away, Jasmine wasn't like most people.

"It would do you good if you would mind your business, woman, not everything concerns you" His eyes grew darker and his voice deeper, everyone thought he was becoming more menacing, he was just getting stressed out, after all, this was the last thing he needed.

"It would do you good if you try to be good to others, it was a mistake, she apologized, let it go, what more could you want from her?" Jasmine was staring at him, dead in the eyes, this was her problem with overly wealthy people, their wealth blinded them to their humanity.

He couldn't even deal with this woman right now, he had to be at his office in less than 15 minutes, and whoever was going to be interviewed to be his secretary, he was simply going to hire them, his workload was weighing him down. With another sigh, he picked up his car keys and headed for the door.

"That's right! Keep walking, Bully!" He hated that word; he hated that word with passion the loud bang of the door startled everyone in the café. Jasmine wasn't one of them, she felt accomplished, a good deed had been done, which meant she was one good deed closer to making the world a better place.

The waitress was grateful, and Kevin was pleased with her, she stood up for his coworker, that was the only time something like that had happened in their café. The euphoria of her little victory quickly wore off when she checked her watch, time had flown by, and it was 8:01. She took two mocha in plastic cups and left the café hurriedly.

She was disoriented when she arrived at Kyros Studios, she didn't even take time to look at the building as she normally would. It was a beautiful piece of architecture worthy of the best architectural firm in North America. From the Victorian Era-styled gate to the lush gardens, the building looked more like a hotel than an office.

The Kyros building or The Kyros as it was widely known was a famous work of art, it was A storey building, a pool behind the building, gardens in front, and gazeboes strategically placed surrounding the main building. The main building was a marvel to look at, it was a cantilever kind of architecture, with a concrete and black combination of colors. The interior of the building was nothing short of spectacular, with rosettes carved into the ceiling, chandeliers and paintings of famous artists were hung on the walls, alongside famous architectural buildings. Jasmine didn't stop to marvel at any of it, it was already 8:21, she had 9 minutes left.

"I'm Jasmine Sullivan, here for the interview for the post of secretary to the Chief Executive **Officer of Kyros Studios" She had recited that line and she executed it perfectly to the receptionist. The receptionist had been expecting her, after all, without a secretary, her boss had become crankier, she called her boss and notified him of his potential secretary's arrival, after getting his approval, she smiled.

"Right this way, Ma'am" The receptionist beamed, she just hoped Jasmine would get hired, it would be better for her. She led Jasmine to the private elevator and told Jasmine to enter. "It would take you to his office directly, he's expecting you"

Jasmine became extremely nervous, the moment the door closed, she had heard that he was a hard man, disciplined, strict, a no-nonsense kind of man, her doubts crept in as she thought, she was underqualified for the job. Her heart sank when the elevator dinged, the doors slid open and she could see the door to the CEO's office right in front of her. The door read;

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

KYROS STUDIOS

KIERAN A. REYNOLDS

She knocked twice, and waited until she heard a cool, deep, oddly familiar bass voice telling her to come in, she slowly opened the door, walked in, closed the door behind her and looked at him, her mouth hung open and his brows furrowed, a very familiar expression.

"YOU!"

"YOU!"