My perfect secretaryyy

PROLOGUE The silence of her apartment was deafening as Jane sat on her couch, surrounded by the memories of her late boss, Charles Carter, CEO of CARTER Industries. It had been a week since he passed away, but the pain still felt like a fresh wound, piercing her chest every time she remembered the day he died. She winced, clutching her chest as if to stem the ache. She stood up and walked to the kitchen, her footsteps echoing in the stillness. She took a glass and poured herself a drink. As she raised it to her lips, she hesitated and looked at the whiskey in the glass cup which reminded her of the first drink she had with her boss, Charles. It was on a Thursday evening after he had just closed a big deal. He took out whiskey and poured two glasses of wine without asking whether she would like to drink. He handed one to her. Please, have a toast with me, he had said, with a warm and kind voice. Jane, short of words, was just smiling and clinked her glass against his. It was one of her favorite moments. She chuckled as she remembered this moment. Tears started rolling down her eyes again. She dropped the glass cup and went back to it with her eyes streaming with tears. Jane's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of her phone buzzing. She ignored it, not wanting to talk to anyone. But it buzzed again, and again, until she finally picked it up. It was Roseline, her friend and colleague. “Hey, baby girl, how are you doing?” Roseline's voice was gentle but concerned. Jane sniffled, trying to compose herself. I'm okay, Roseline. Just missing Charles." “I know, me too. He was an amazing person. But I'm worried about you. You've been shutting yourself away for two weeks. You need to get out, take your mind off things." Jane sighed, knowing Roseline was right. But the thought of going back to the office, not seeing Charles again, was too much to bear. He was like a father to her, a mentor and her boss. “I'll try, Roseline. I promise." After the call, Jane cleaned her tears, and walked over to the window, staring out at the city skyline. Charles had loved this view, always telling her to refreshen it is to view a city from the window. It brings beauty. As the sun began to set, Jane felt a sense of resolve. She would get through this, for herself and for Charles. She would go back to the office, face her colleagues, and keep working hard to keep the company prosperous. With a newfound determination, Jane turned away from the window, ready to face the challenges ahead. She knew that Charles would want to be strong, to keep moving forward. And she would, no matter how hard it got. As she walked back to her couch, she noticed the whiskey in the kitchen cabinet. She picked it up and drank it. This is for you Charles. I'll make you proud." She whispered. ___ It had been a week since Charles Carter died. His son, Austin Carter, walked over to the office. It was around 7 AM when he walked in. His intimidating height of 6'5 with broad shoulders commanded attention. The second his foot stepped in, everyone fell silent. The receptionist behind the counter nervously picked up the phone and whispered," He is here. As Austin walked towards the elevator, people parted ways, avoiding eye contact. He showed no emotions as he walked right past them and did not answer any of their greetings. He looked around, noticing that there had not been a lot of changes. It has been 2 years since he stepped into this company, and they still have the same furniture and posters, but they have changed the flowers. He walked past the empty desk of Secretary Jane, noticing it was empty. He had heard about Secretary Jane about how hardworking and punctual she was, and he expected her to be seated there by now. Immediately he entered his father's office, he reached out for his phone. Come up here, now.” He said to the manager on the other side. Immediately she dropped the call, Roseline became scared. In fact, she had been scared since she knew he was coming to the office. She has been working at Carter Industries for the past five years, three years as secretary before she became the Manager, and she has seen Austin only three times apart from seeing him on headlines and TV. The first time had been when she had only worked there for a week. He had been partying with his friends at that time. Police raided the party. He wasn't caught though, but photographs appeared on the news. His father wasn't pleased about it, so he cursed him out in front of the entire office. The second time was a year later, after the first encounter. This time around, he dressed like a decent person with his hair combed. A suit and a tie. He wanted to have a meeting with his father, but his father ignored him and asked the manager to attend to him. The third and last time was two years ago when she just became the manager. He had an argument with his father as he stormed out of the building. Nobody knew what the argument was all about, but all we know was that he has never visited his father's work since then. Now he is back again. The second she heard he was there. Fear gripped her. Jane hadn't resumed, and she feared he would want to ask why she wasn't there. She ran up to the elevator and took it up to the top floor. During the ride up she made sure she straightened her dress, fixed her hair before she walked out of it. As she walked to the main entrance of the office, she breathed before opening the door. You called? She said as she walked right in front of Austin. Austin looked up at her, his fixed on the dark-eyed woman with a curvy figure. Where is she? He demanded.