THE CEO’S COLD SECRETARY

CHAPTER 2:THE DEVIL'S AGREEMENT

The VN Company building isn't just an office; it is a monument to power. The marble floors are so polished so that Enna can see her own pale reflection. As the double teak doors of the interview room is opened, the scent of sandalwood and the cool air from the central air conditioning greteed her like a slap in the face.

In the center of the spacious room sits the man who had ruined her night: David Johnson.

David isn't sitting like a normal person; he is enthroned. His stripping figure, covers in a custom-made black suit, radiated authority. As soon as their eyes meet, Enna's body stiffened. Her heart beating so hard that her ears rings. The man she had called "a roadblock" the night is the owner of this empire. The young CEO, known as a master planner—a man capable of buying or destroying a person's life with only once the snap of a finger.

The three other interviewers beside David seems to shrink. They lowered their heads, not daring to breathe loudly, as if the oxygen in the room belonged to David alone. However, Enna takes a deep breath, forcing her legs to move forward despite feels heavy tin.

"Sit down, Miss Vale," David's with low voice but echoed in every corner of the quiet room.

David twirled a gold pen in his long fingers, his eyes never leaving Enna's face. "Usually," David begins in a lazy, disdainful tone, "interviewees come with expectations. Not with a plan to destroy the CEO's strategic documents before they even get a chance to shake my hand."

The room suddenly silent. The HR staff begins to glance at each other, their faces is pale. They are ready to call security to evict Enna.

Enna clenched her fists under the table. She knows she is pressed, but she won't let her pride be dropped . She looks up, meeting David's dark eyes with reckless courage. "And usually," Enna replies, her voice calm but sharp, "a CEO won't stand in the middle of a public street like a mannequin if he doesn't want to crashed."

The silence that followed those words are tense. Someone in the corner even accidentally dropped their pile of papers because surprised. How dare this woman

interview under pressure

David isn't angry. Instead, a dangerous thin grin appears in his lips. He is starting interested. So far everyone who enters this room has only two faces: face fear that trembled, or flatterer who has pretense. But Enna? She stay to stand up with her eyes blazing resistance.

"Interesting," David muttered. He begins flipping Enna's application file roughly. "Your resume is very competent, Miss Vale. But your records are... untidy . You change jobs frequently in short . Why? Do you have a temperament problem, or you are not good at your job"

Enna felt her chest congested. Imagine of her past, about her patner work who sly and a boss unmorals, flashed in her mind. David is playing with her psychology, trying to peel back her defenses in front of so many people.

"I left because the environment did not support professionalism," Enna answered briefly.

"Professionalism?" David chuckled, without humorless . "It says here that you quit your old job after slapping your boss in front of a big client. You think that's professional?"

Enna's blood boiled. She remembers how the man's dirty hand had tried to grope her thigh under the dining table that day. The entire room stared at her like she was an uncontrollable monster.

"I slapped him because he didn't know how to place his hands in the right place," Enna's voice trembled with holds anger. "And if it happens again, I will do the same. I have no regrets for protecting my pride."

. David is silent. He stars at Enna for a long moment, searching for any lie , but all he found is stubborn integrity.

"All of you, get out."

David's command makes the other interviewers rushing out, as if the room will exploded if they stays a minute again. The door shut, leaving only Enna and David in a suffocating silence.

David stands from his oversized chair and slowly circled Enna like a wolf assessing its prey. His footsteps on the marble floor sounded like a death bell.

"You're too emotional for this cruel world work , Enna Vale," David said right next to her ear.

Enna didn't flinch. She turns, staring at David from a very close distance. "And you... you're too cold to be called human, Mr. Johnson. You see people not as individuals, but as numbers on your financial report"

A flash of anger and attraction crashed in the air. David is provoked. No one had ever dared insult him so openly Yet, strangely, a part of him feels challenged. Enna is an anomaly in his plastic world that boring.

. David returned to his desk and reviewed Enna's objective data. Perfect grades in college, fluency in four foreign languages, analytical skills is good, and a track record of exceptional discipline. Despite her chaotic life, Enna is a truly brilliant diamond.

"Why does a woman like you seem to be walking this world alone, Enna?" David asked, his voice a little more human, but still cold.

Then, without warning, David throws the file at Enna. "You're accepted."

Enna gasped. All her tense muscles seems weak in a moment. "What? After all this... you approve me?"

"Don't misunderstand" ,David leaned back in his chair, staring at Enna with a predatory gaze. "I don't hire you because of pity. I hired you because I want to see... how long a woman with 'principles' like you can survive on my battlefield before you destroy and ask me forgiveness."

Enna swallows hard. She knows this isn't a normal job. It is an invitation to hell wrapped in luxury. "We'll see who survives, Mr. Johnson."

As soon as she stepped out of the VN Company building, Enna's legs trembled . She leaned against the pillar of the large building, breathing in the hot air outside. She has gotten the job, but she feels like she has just signed a contract with the devil.

Drr... Drrr...

Her phone vibrated in her pocket. It is from the hospital.

"Hello? Yes, this is Enna..." Enna's voice faded as she hears the explanation from cross there. "operation? Now? But the cost..."

Enna closed her eyes tightly. The numbers that hospital staff mentioned equivalent with his a year salary. Her mother, the only reason she is still alive, is on the verge of death. The big medical costs and mounting bills seems to be suffocating he neck at that moment.

She nearly collapsed into the busy sidewalk. She wants to cry, wanting to scream at this unfair world, but she hold all . She roughly wiped away a tear that almost fall.

Enna looks up, gazing at the towering top of the VN Company building, proudly clawing at the city skyline.

"Whatever happens... I have to survive in there," she whispered hoarsely but filled with ambition. "Even if I have to face that demon every day."

Inside the top-floor office.

David Johnson stands in front of the glass wall, watching Enna's small figure walk away on the sidewalk below. His personal assistant, Michael, enters with a questioning expression

"Sir, forgive my rudeness, but why did you accept her? She's clearly dangerous, temperamental, and unruly. She can ruin your reputation."

David doesn't turn around. He stars at his reflection in the mirror and muttered under his breath. "Precisely because she's dangerous, Michael. This world has become too quiet. I need a distraction... and that woman is both the most beautiful and the most deadly distraction that has ever entered my office."

David smiled , a smile that doesn't reach his eyes. "And for the first time, I feel like my life will never be peaceful again, starting today."