10
1889 Words
Nicole woke up at around five in the morning. She wanted to go back to sleep because, aside from staying up late due to the endless nagging last night, several parts of her body were sore, likely from the beating she received from the family of Judas.
Nicole let out a muffled groan and squeezed her eyes shut when a sharp pain shot through her left arm as she stretched. The wound on the side of her lip stung as well. She rolled her eyes at nothing in particular when she remembered that she had an errand to run today with her grumpy boss for some business-related matter.
Now she had another problem—how was she supposed to face her boss looking like this? Her body ached, and her face was bruised, with a cut on her lip.
Nicole let out a deep sigh and forced herself to get up from the thin mat she had been sleeping on. Her body was already in pain, yet she had to endure lying on something as hard as the floor. Well, there was nothing she could do about it. If she dared to bring home a new mattress to replace this ancient hand-me-down mat, her aunt Norma and her cousins would surely go into a fit of rage. Their cruelty knew no bounds—she wasn’t even allowed to have a simple candle to light up the dark storage room she lived in, let alone an actual lightbulb.
"Lord, I'm sorry. I'm not complaining, but maybe You could bless my aunt and her children with a little kindness? Just enough to make my life a bit easier? Thank You."
Nicole whispered her morning prayer. It was better to speak softly—if any of her relatives heard her, she could be in trouble again. She had to be careful, or else she might end up with more bruises and wounds. The few she had now were already worrying enough, especially since she had no idea how she would explain them to her boss. He was there last night when her cousins humiliated and attacked her outside the store, so he might already be suspicious.
After getting herself ready, Nicole tidied up her sleeping area. She frowned when she noticed the expensive phone her boss had given her the night before. She had completely forgotten about it.
A smile crept onto her lips as she picked up the phone and browsed through the gallery, where she found a few pictures of her boss.
"Hmm, who would've thought? You're actually really handsome. If only you'd smile more and stop being so grumpy, you’d pass as a heartthrob."
Nicole spoke as if talking directly to her boss’s photo. Her smile quickly disappeared when she realized what she was saying. She wasn’t fantasizing about her boss, was she? No, of course not. She just found him attractive. That was all. He was handsome, yes—always grumpy and irritable—but still good-looking and, well, somewhat kind in his own way.
"I wonder if he has a girlfriend?"
Nicole muttered to herself. A second later, she vigorously shook her head, annoyed at herself for even thinking about it. Here she was, wasting time daydreaming about her boss instead of doing her chores.
Rolling her eyes, Nicole shoved the expensive phone deep into the cardboard box where she kept her clothes. She had to hide it—who knew what her wicked cousins would do if they found it?
By eleven in the morning, Nicole had finished all her chores, including preparing lunch for her lazy cousins, who had just woken up from their long sleep. It was a good thing she had finished early; when she entered her aunt's house, she noticed that Aunt Norma was already out, likely at the eatery where she worked. She hadn’t been able to ask for permission to be away for a few days for the business trip with her boss, so she decided she would just inform her cousins instead.
Exhausted, Nicole slumped onto the rough floor of the storage room she lived in. She barely had time to catch her breath when she heard a soft ringing from the phone she had hidden earlier. Groaning in frustration, she dragged herself toward the cardboard box and retrieved the phone, her heart pounding when she saw her boss’s name flashing on the screen.
She quickly answered the call, breathless.
"Hello—"
"Why the hell aren’t you picking up the goddamn phone, Lorenzo?"
Her boss’s furious voice boomed from the other end of the line. Nicole gulped nervously before responding.
"Eh-eh, sir, s-sorry. I was just busy with the house chores, so I—"
"What the hell is more important than your job? I told you to get ready early!"
He cut her off, clearly exasperated. Nicole could imagine his nostrils flaring and his ears steaming in anger.
"O-okay, sir! I-I'll hurry up and get ready. Just a moment, please!"
Without waiting for his response, Nicole quickly ended the call. Despite her aching legs from all the morning chores, she forced herself to move as fast as possible.
She finished getting ready in just thirty minutes. She was in such a rush that she didn’t even bother responding properly to her cousin Luciferia, who had angrily ordered her to get her a glass of water.
Nicole had no time to argue. She sprinted back to the storage room, grabbed a plain white T-shirt and a pair of faded jeans—she didn’t have time to pick out anything else, and besides, she didn’t own any other decent clothes anyway.
She was still brushing her long hair when she heard the phone ring again. She quickly answered, knowing exactly who it was.
Her boss’s annoyed voice greeted her. He simply told her that he was already waiting outside, at the exact spot where he had dropped her off last night.
Panicked, Nicole grabbed her comb, stuffed it into her bag, and dashed out of the house as fast as she could.
Nicole was greeted by the sight of CEO Shawn Alexander Montefalco, dressed impeccably and looking sharp, though his face was set in a deep scowl. He was leaning against his luxurious car, his piercing gaze directed straight at her. For a moment, she felt self-conscious about her outfit—compared to how polished he looked, she didn’t even seem fit to be a maid.
“Hurry up and get in the car, we’re late!” he snapped impatiently.
Nicole immediately obeyed, though she couldn't help but frown when he got into the car first.
“So ungentlemanly. Other handsome men would at least open the car door for a woman,” she muttered under her breath while opening the door herself.
She mentally scolded herself for even thinking such a thing. Why on earth did she expect him to open the door for her? Who was she to him, anyway? She was just his assistant. Even if he had a crush, it certainly wouldn’t be on someone like her.
She rolled her eyes at the ridiculous thought but quickly composed herself upon realizing that her boss was staring at her with a furrowed brow.
“Uhh, sir? Is there a problem?” she asked hesitantly.
Shawn averted his gaze and scoffed.
“Why are you letting other people hurt you? You’re not a child anymore. You should be able to defend yourself. You claim to be a summa c*m laude, right? Then you should know better by now.”
Nicole froze, stunned by his words. So he had seen what happened last night.
Forcing herself to smile, she tried to brush it off.
“H-huh? What are you talking about? Are you okay, sir?”
His sharp glare shut her up instantly.
“I can see all your bruises, so don’t bother hiding them,” he said coolly before starting the car.
Nicole wasn’t sure whether she should try covering her face or just let it be—after all, he had already seen the bruises. In the end, she chose the latter and silently looked out the window.
After a few minutes, she suddenly remembered something and nearly smacked her forehead. She had forgotten to find a suitcase for the clothes they had bought yesterday! It would be embarrassing to mention it to her boss now—he might think she was being careless with her job.
Feeling uneasy, she subtly glanced toward the back of the car, where the shopping bags had been. Panic shot through her when she saw that they were gone.
“If you’re looking for your clothes, I already had them packed. I asked my maids to do it. I figured you were too beaten up last night to take care of it, and I didn’t want us to be late. Looks like I was right.”
Her boss’s voice cut through her thoughts, and he even glanced at her from head to toe.
“Those people who hurt you last night…”
Nicole turned to him, noting the serious expression on his face as he focused on the road.
“Who are they?”
“P-po?” she stammered, confused as to why he was asking.
“I said, who were the three women who attacked you? I saw what happened at the store last night,” he said, exasperated, even rolling his eyes.
Nicole fell silent. She hadn’t planned on talking about it—why did he even care?
“P-po?” she repeated dumbly.
Her boss shot her a sharp look, and she swallowed nervously before finally answering.
“M-my cousins, sir. I live with them…” she admitted reluctantly.
Shawn went quiet for a moment before nodding slowly.
“They always treat you like that?” he asked, gesturing toward her bruised face.
Nicole simply nodded.
She noticed him shaking his head slightly, his expression darkening as he sped up the car. His reaction puzzled her, but she chose to remain silent.
The rest of the drive was spent in silence until they arrived at an open field. Nicole’s jaw nearly dropped when she stepped out of the car, greeted by the strong wind and the loud noise of what appeared to be a private helicopter. The name "H. Montefalco" was boldly displayed on its side.
She had never been on a helicopter before, and a mix of excitement and fear washed over her.
A smiling man, who seemed to be around the same age as her boss, approached them. He and Shawn exchanged a few words before instructing some people to load their luggage onto the aircraft.
A few moments later, the same man approached Nicole, helping her board the helicopter and securing her with a seatbelt and a headset with a microphone.
She sat quietly, waiting for takeoff—until her eyes widened in shock as she saw her boss climbing into the pilot's seat.
Was he trying to get them both killed?! Why did he have to drag her into this? Was he planning to have an assistant even in hell?!
Panicking, Nicole frantically tried to remove her seatbelt.
Shawn’s voice suddenly came through her headset, making her nearly jump in her seat.
“Don’t be scared. I’m a licensed pilot, Miss Lorenzo.”
- Writer
