Chapter 4: Office Secrets
1702 Words
Tuesday morning. 7 AM.
Blackwood Tower felt different.
Or maybe I was different.
Adrian was already at his desk when I walked in. Same suit. Same coffee. But his eyes did something when he saw me.
They softened. For half a second. Then the mask was back.
“Morning,” he said.
“Morning.”
“Sit.”
I sat.
He slid a folder across the desk. “New client. Pitch meeting at 10. I need you in there.”
I opened it. Tech startup. Worth billions. “Why me?”
“Because you’re good at taking notes.” A pause. “And because I want you there.”
The way he said it made my face hot.
We spent the next 2 hours prepping. Side by side. No one could tell anything had changed. Except us.
At 9:55 we walked to the conference room.
The meeting went well. Too well.
The client loved Adrian. Loved the numbers. Loved the vision.
And halfway through, Adrian said, “Ava, can you pull up the Q3 projections?”
I did. Smooth. No fumbling.
After, the client shook my hand. “You’re a great assistant, Miss Bennett.”
“Thank you,” I said.
Back in the office, Adrian closed the door.
“You did good,” he said.
“Thanks to you.”
“No.” He came around the desk. Stopped in front of me. “You did good because you’re good.”
My heart was pounding. “Adrian, about last night”
“Don’t.” He held up a hand. “Not here. Not now.”
Right. Office.
I nodded.
His phone buzzed. He glanced at it and his jaw tightened.
“What?” I asked.
“Nothing. Board meeting in 30.”
The board meeting was normal. Boring. Numbers.
Until it wasn’t.
“Adrian,” said Mr. Carter, the oldest board member. “We need to discuss personnel.”
Adrian leaned back. “Go ahead.”
“We’ve heard rumors. About you and your assistant.”
The room went silent.
I stopped breathing.
“What rumors?” Adrian asked. Voice flat.
“That you’re... involved.” Mr. Carter looked at me. “That it’s unprofessional.”
Adrian didn’t even look at me. “Is there a policy against dating employees?”
“No, but”
“Then there’s nothing to discuss.” He stood. “Meeting adjourned.”
He walked out.
I followed, face burning.
In the hall, I caught up to him. “Adrian, wait.”
He stopped. “What?”
“They saw us. At the gala. Or heard about the hospital.”
“Probably.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Ava, I don’t care what they think.”
“But I do. This is my job.”
“And you’re the best at it.” He looked at me. “Don’t quit because of them.”
“I wasn’t going to.”
“Good.” He checked his watch. “Lunch. My office. 12:30.”
12:30.
He ordered sushi. We ate at his desk.
“So,” I said. “That was awkward.”
“Yeah.” He took a bite. “You okay?”
“I’m fine.” I wasn’t. “Adrian, what are we doing?”
He set his chopsticks down. “What do you want us to be doing?”
“I don’t know.” I was honest. “I hated you three weeks ago.”
“And now?”
“I don’t.”
He nodded. “Me neither.”
Silence.
“Can we take this slow?” I asked. “At work we’re boss and assistant. After 6 PM we figure out the rest.”
He smiled. “Deal.”
The rest of the week was... normal.
Well, normal for us.
Coffee. Meetings. Late nights.
But now there were looks. Small touches when no one was watching. A hand brushing mine when he passed me a file.
Friday. 6 PM.
“Come on,” Adrian said. “We’re leaving.”
“Where?”
“My place. I made dinner.”
“You cook?”
“No. I ordered dinner. But I’m calling it cooking.”
I laughed.
His penthouse again.
He’d actually set the table. Candles. Wine.
“Wow,” I said.
“Don’t get used to it.”
We ate. Talked. Laughed.
After, we ended up on his couch. Watching a movie. Not really watching.
“Can I ask you something?” I said.
“Sure.”
“Why did you hire me? Really?”
He was quiet for a long time. “Because I was angry. I wanted to see you squirm.”
“And now?”
“Now I can’t imagine the office without you.” He turned to me. “Is that bad?”
“No.” I leaned into him. “It’s not bad.”
He kissed me. Slow.
No rush. No audience. Just us.
Monday hit hard.
Rumors were everywhere.
Whispers in the hall. Looks from the secretary.
I pretended not to hear.
Adrian pretended too. But I could see it bothered him.
At 3 PM, HR called me in.
“Miss Bennett,” the HR lady said. “We need to discuss a complaint.”
My stomach dropped. “What kind of complaint?”
“Unprofessional conduct. Favoritism.” She slid a paper across. “Someone reported that Mr. Blackwood is giving you special treatment.”
The $10,000. The hospital. The dinners.
“I didn’t ask for any of that,” I said.
“I believe you. But we have to investigate.”
I told Adrian after.
He was furious.
“Who filed it?” he demanded.
“I don’t know. Anonymous.”
“I’ll find out.”
“Don’t.” I grabbed his arm. “Please. If you go nuclear they’ll think it’s true.”
He looked at me. “Ava, I won’t let them fire you.”
“They won’t. Because we’ll be professional. From now on.”
He didn’t like it. But he nodded.
For the next week we were cold at work.
Boss and assistant. Nothing more.
It was torture.
After hours it was different. Dinner. Walks. Talking until 2 AM.
But at work, walls.
Wednesday.
Adrian called me into his office.
“Sit.”
I sat.
“I found out who filed the complaint,” he said.
“Who?”
“Margaret. From accounting. She’s been here 20 years. Thinks she should’ve gotten your job.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Nothing.” He sighed. “You were right. Going nuclear makes it worse.”
“So what now?”
“Now we wait. And we keep doing our jobs.”
Friday night.
I was working late. Alone on the 43rd floor.
Footsteps.
Adrian.
“You’re still here,” he said.
“So are you.”
He sat on the edge of my desk. “Ava, I hate this.”
“Me too.”
“I hate pretending I don’t care about you.”
“Me too.”
He leaned down and kissed me. Right there in the office.
When we broke apart:
“If anyone walks in” I started.
“Let them.” He stood. “I’m done hiding.”
Monday.
All hell broke loose.
Email from the board.
Subject: Mandatory Meeting. 9 AM.
Adrian and I walked in together.
The whole board was there. Plus HR. Plus legal.
“Mr. Blackwood,” Mr. Carter started. “We’ve received evidence of a relationship between you and your assistant.”
Adrian didn’t deny it. “Yes.”
The room exploded.
“Do you understand the liability”
“Yes.”
“Do you understand this is inappropriate”
“Yes.”
“Then what do you intend to do about it?”
Adrian looked at me. Then at them.
“I intend to keep her as my assistant. And I intend to keep dating her.”
Gasps.
“If you have a problem with that,” he said, “you can fire me.”
Silence.
Mr. Carter sighed. “Adrian, you’re the CEO. You can’t be fired.”
“Exactly.” He took my hand. Right there. “So. Any other questions?”
No one spoke.
“Good. Meeting adjourned.”
He walked out. Pulled me with him.
In the elevator:
“You’re insane,” I said.
“Probably.” He kissed my forehead. “But I’m not losing you because of office politics.”
The fallout was immediate.
Emails. Gossip.
But also... respect.
Because Adrian didn’t back down.
And because I kept doing my job. Better than anyone.
Two weeks later, the rumors died down.
People got used to it.
Boss and assistant. Who were also dating.
One month after the board meeting.
Late night. Office.
We were the only ones there.
Adrian came around my desk. “Come here.”
I stood. He pulled me into his arms.
“Ava,” he murmured. “I need to tell you something.”
“What?”
“I don’t hate you anymore.”
“I know.”
“I love you.”
My breath caught. “What?”
“I love you.” He pulled back to look at me. “Stupid, terrible timing. But I do.”
Tears. Again. With him I cried a lot.
“I love you too,” I whispered. “Even though you’re infuriating.”
“Even though you cost me 40 million dollars?”
“Especially because of that.”
He laughed and kissed me.
The next day, he changed my title.
From Executive Assistant to Chief of Staff.
Double the pay.
“You can’t—” I started.
“I can.” He shrugged. “I’m the CEO.”
“Adrian”
“Ava.” He cupped my face. “Let me take care of you.”
And I did.
Six months later.
Blackwood Tower. 43rd floor.
I’m in his office. Not as his assistant.
As his partner.
In work. And in life.
The $10,000? Paid back. Mom’s treatment worked.
The rumors? Gone.
The hate? Gone too.
Hating him was my full-time job.
Loving him? That’s my career now.
And I’m never quitting.
End of Chapter 4
- Writer
