What’s Wrong With My Secretary?

The Silence Between Us

The morning after the gala felt heavier than any Monday Belle had experienced at Anderson and Co. The city outside her window was still the same, sunlight reflecting off glass towers, streets buzzing with energy, but inside her chest, something was different. The memory of last night clung to her mind like the faint scent of perfume on her dress. Nathan’s hand on hers. The warmth in his voice. The moment it all shattered when his wife appeared.

She told herself it was nothing, just a dance at a company event. Still, every time she replayed the night, her heart betrayed her.

By the time she arrived at the office, the usual rhythm of the building had already started. The front desk was alive with greetings, the faint hum of printers filled the air, and the scent of coffee drifted through the corridor. Yet when Belle stepped into the executive floor, she felt the difference immediately. Nathan’s door was closed. His assistant’s desk was empty, except for a new file labeled “Investor Reports.”

She set down her bag and tried to focus on her tasks. Her computer screen glowed with unread emails, but her thoughts kept slipping. Every sound from Nathan’s office made her pulse quicken, every silence made her wonder if he was thinking the same things she was.

By noon, she still hadn’t seen him.

It wasn’t until nearly one in the afternoon that his voice broke through the quiet. “Miss Rivera.”

Belle straightened instantly. Nathan stood at his office door, his expression composed but distant. “Could you bring me the quarterly data sheets from accounting? The ones we discussed last week.”

“Yes, Mr. Anderson,” she said quickly.

The formal tone stung a little. There was no warmth, no trace of the man who had smiled at her on the dance floor. She reminded herself that this was how it was supposed to be. He was her boss, and she was his employee. Nothing more.

When she entered his office with the reports, Nathan didn’t look up immediately. His desk was spotless, as always, the view behind him stretching across the skyline. He gestured toward the folder. “Leave it there.”

Belle placed it carefully in front of him, hesitating for just a moment. “Is there anything else you need, sir?”

He finally looked up. Their eyes met for the first time that day. For a second, she thought she saw something flicker behind his calm exterior—guilt, maybe, or confusion, but it vanished as quickly as it came.

“No, that will be all,” he said. “You can take your lunch break.”

She nodded and left the room, her chest tightening with a feeling she couldn’t name.

By the middle of the week, the distance between them had become routine. Nathan spoke only when necessary, always formal, always brief. It should have made things easier, but somehow it hurt more. Belle buried herself in her work, arriving early and leaving late, trying to keep her thoughts away from what could never be.

On Thursday afternoon, an email arrived from the HR department announcing an upcoming conference in Chicago. Anderson and Co. would be sending a small team to present new financial proposals to a group of investors. As Belle scanned the message, her breath caught on one line.

Lead Delegate: Nathan Anderson

Personal Assistant: Belle Rivera

Her stomach dropped. She stared at the screen for several seconds, rereading the words. Out of all the assistants, why her?

An hour later, Nathan called her in. He stood by the window, hands in his pockets, his reflection caught in the glass. “I assume you saw the itinerary,” he said without turning.

“Yes, sir.”

“It’s a three-day trip. I expect full professionalism. Prepare the files I requested by tomorrow, and coordinate with the travel department for our flight schedule.”

Belle nodded, forcing her voice to remain steady. “Understood.”

“Good. You may go.”

She left quietly, but her thoughts were anything but calm. Working beside him every day was already hard enough. Now they would be alone, away from the office, surrounded by unfamiliar faces and long hours.

Friday morning came too quickly. The trip to Chicago began with a flight at dawn, the city barely awake as they boarded the company jet. Belle sat by the window, her hands folded tightly on her lap. Nathan sat beside her, reading through a set of documents, his attention sharp as always. The hum of the engine filled the silence between them.

“Have you ever been to Chicago?” Nathan asked suddenly, not looking up from his papers.

Belle shook her head. “No, sir. This will be my first time.”

“You’ll like it,” he said. “It’s a city that never slows down.”

There was a pause before she spoke again. “You seem to travel often.”

“It comes with the job.” His tone softened slightly. “You’ll get used to it.”

For the first time all week, his words didn’t feel like orders. They felt human. Belle looked at him, studying his profile against the morning light. He looked tired, not in a physical way but as if carrying a weight that never left him.

When they arrived in Chicago, the company car took them to a luxury hotel downtown. The staff greeted Nathan by name, a sign of his frequent visits. Their rooms were on the same floor, just across the hall from each other.

“Meeting starts at two,” Nathan said as they stepped off the elevator. “Rest for a while, then meet me downstairs.”

Belle nodded. “Yes, Mr. Anderson.”

The meeting that afternoon went smoothly. Nathan was confident, composed, his voice steady as he presented the company’s vision. Belle assisted quietly, taking notes, organizing files, and making sure every detail ran perfectly. Watching him work reminded her why she had admired him in the first place. He was brilliant, but it wasn’t just that, there was a kind of control in him that drew people in.

After hours of discussion, the presentation ended successfully. The investors were pleased, and Nathan’s calm smile returned. “Good work,” he told Belle as they walked out of the conference room. “You handled the preparation well.”

“Thank you,” she said, her heart lifting slightly.

They walked through the hotel lobby together, the soft murmur of music filling the air. When the elevator doors closed, silence settled between them again, but it wasn’t uncomfortable this time.

Back in her room that evening, Belle stood by the window overlooking the Chicago skyline. Lights shimmered below, and the hum of the city felt alive. She thought of Nathan—how he looked when he spoke to investors, how his eyes softened for just a moment when he thanked her.

A knock on her door broke her thoughts. She opened it to find Nathan standing there, dressed casually now, without the formality of the day.

“I wanted to make sure you had everything you need for tomorrow,” he said.

“Yes, I do. Thank you.”

He nodded but didn’t move. The hallway was quiet, the air between them thick with unspoken things.

“You did well today,” he said finally, his voice lower now. “You’re learning fast.”

Belle smiled faintly. “I have a good teacher.”

Something in his eyes changed at that, a flicker of warmth that disappeared too quickly. “Get some rest, Belle. Tomorrow will be another long day.”

She nodded. “Good night, Mr. Anderson.”

“Good night,” he said, his voice almost gentle.

When the door closed, Belle leaned against it, her heart racing. She knew she was already too close, standing on the edge of something she couldn’t afford to feel. But deep down, she also knew the truth she couldn’t say aloud.

She didn’t just admire him anymore.