His Private Secretary
1471 Words
Chapter 2 :
Elara
I stared at the photograph until the words on the back blurred.
Protect her, Lucien.
My fingers tightened around the edges.
Who had written those words?
And why had Lucien Evander been given a photograph of my mother?
More importantly…
Why had someone told him to protect me?
“Miss Seraphine?”
I jumped.
The woman in the cream suit was standing beside me again.
She held out her hand.
“Mr. Evander asked me to take you upstairs.”
I looked toward the elevators.
“Upstairs?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
She hesitated.
“The executive floor.”
My stomach tightened.
“Why?”
“Mr. Evander didn't explain.”
Of course he didn't.
Apparently, explanations weren't something billionaires were required to give.
I slipped the photograph into my handbag before following her.
The elevator doors opened.
We stepped inside.
As the doors closed, I glanced at my reflection in the mirrored wall.
My dark hair was slightly messy from the morning rush. My blouse had a tiny coffee stain near the sleeve, and I was still wearing the inexpensive heels I'd bought specifically for my first day at Evander Holdings.
I looked nothing like the women who probably worked around Lucien Evander.
I wasn't polished.
I wasn't wealthy.
And I certainly wasn't prepared to discover that my new boss apparently knew my dead—or missing—parents.
The elevator stopped at the forty-second floor.
The woman stepped out.
I followed.
The executive floor was completely different from the lobby.
It was quiet.
Almost unnaturally quiet.
Dark wood lined the walls, enormous windows overlooked the city, and every piece of furniture looked expensive enough to buy my entire neighborhood.
The woman stopped outside a large black door.
“Mr. Evander is inside.”
She handed me a folder.
“Your employment documents.”
I looked at the folder.
“Wait. I'm actually his secretary?”
She smiled faintly.
“Apparently.”
Then she walked away.
I stared at the door.
My heart pounded.
I knocked.
“Come in.”
His voice was low.
I opened the door.
Lucien was standing beside the enormous windows with his back toward me.
He had removed his suit jacket.
His white shirt was rolled at the sleeves, revealing strong forearms.
For a moment, I forgot why I was angry.
Then I remembered the photograph.
“Sit.”
I remained standing.
“I'd rather stand.”
He turned.
His eyes immediately dropped to my handbag.
He knew.
He knew I had the photograph.
“You found it.”
It wasn't a question.
I crossed my arms.
“You dropped it.”
He walked toward me.
“Give it to me.”
“No.”
His eyebrows lifted.
“No?”
“No.”
“Elara.”
The way he said my name was dangerously calm.
I held his gaze.
“Who is the little girl in the photograph?”
Silence.
His jaw tightened.
“That's not something you need to know.”
“She looks like me.”
His eyes flickered.
“She is you.”
My breath caught.
“What?”
Lucien looked away.
The room suddenly felt too cold.
“That photograph was taken twenty-three years ago.”
I stared at him.
“I was one year old.”
“Yes.”
“Then why don't I have it?”
“Because your mother gave it to me.”
I couldn't breathe.
“My mother knew you?”
“She knew my family.”
I shook my head.
“That doesn't answer my question.”
“It answers enough.”
“No, it doesn't!”
My voice echoed across the room.
Lucien's expression hardened.
“You should be careful about the questions you ask.”
“And you should be careful about the secrets you keep.”
Something flashed across his face.
Anger.
Then admiration.
It disappeared so quickly that I wondered if I'd imagined it.
He walked toward his desk.
“Sit down.”
I reluctantly sat.
He opened a file.
“Your position will be private secretary to me.”
I stared at him.
“Private?”
“You'll manage my schedule, meetings, correspondence and personal appointments.”
“Personal appointments?”
“Yes.”
I frowned.
“That sounds more like an assistant than a secretary.”
“Then consider yourself my assistant.”
“You changed my entire job description in less than five minutes.”
“I changed your salary too.”
He slid a document toward me.
I looked down.
My eyes widened.
The salary was almost four times what I had expected.
I looked at him.
“This is too much.”
“No.”
“It is.”
“You're worth it.”
My heart skipped.
The words sounded almost intimate.
I quickly looked back at the document.
“Why are you doing this?”
He didn't answer.
“Is it because of my parents?”
Still nothing.
“Mr. Evander—”
“Lucien.”
I stopped.
He leaned against the edge of his desk.
“If you're going to work for me, you'll call me Lucien.”
I swallowed.
“Okay… Lucien.”
His gaze lingered on my face.
Something about the way he looked at me made my skin heat.
Then he looked away.
“You'll start immediately.”
I stood.
“Where's my desk?”
“Outside my office.”
I blinked.
“Outside?”
“Yes.”
“So I'll be sitting there all day?”
“You'll be close enough to hear me when I call you.”
“That sounds convenient for you.”
“It is.”
I rolled my eyes.
He almost smiled.
Almost.
Then his expression changed.
“There's one rule.”
I looked at him.
“Never enter my private study.”
I glanced toward another door inside the office.
“That one?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I said so.”
I narrowed my eyes.
“That sounds suspicious.”
“It isn't your concern.”
He walked closer.
“Some things in this building are better left alone.”
His voice had changed.
It wasn't a warning anymore.
It was a threat disguised as advice.
I nodded.
“Fine.”
I turned toward the door.
“Elara.”
I stopped.
His voice was softer now.
“Don't trust anyone in this company.”
I slowly turned around.
“Anyone?”
“Anyone.”
“What about you?”
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then his eyes met mine.
“Especially me.”
Later that evening
I sat at my desk staring at the city through the glass wall.
My first day had been nothing like I'd imagined.
I'd expected spreadsheets.
Emails.
Meetings.
Instead, I'd discovered that my boss knew my mother, possessed a photograph of me as a child and somehow seemed to have been expecting me.
I opened my handbag.
The photograph was still there.
I turned it over.
Protect her, Lucien.
I stared at the handwriting.
Something didn't make sense.
If Lucien had been protecting me all these years…
why had I never known about him?
My phone suddenly vibrated.
Unknown number.
I answered.
“Hello?”
Silence.
Then a man's voice whispered:
“Stay away from Lucien Evander.”
My blood ran cold.
“Who is this?”
“You don't know what your father did.”
The call ended.
I immediately called back.
The number was unavailable.
My hands trembled.
Then I heard footsteps behind me.
I turned.
Lucien was standing at the entrance to his office.
His expression was terrifying.
“Who called you?”
I stared at him.
“How did you know someone called?”
His eyes moved to my phone.
“Because I heard you.”
I stood slowly.
“Someone just threatened me.”
Lucien's entire expression changed.
“Give me the phone.”
I handed it over.
He checked the number.
His face went completely still.
“What is it?” I asked.
He looked at me.
“Nothing.”
“Don't lie to me.”
He stepped closer.
“Elara, go home.”
“I thought you said I shouldn't trust anyone.”
“I said go home.”
“Why?”
He didn't answer.
Then his phone rang.
He looked at the screen.
Something in his expression made my stomach drop.
He answered.
“Speak.”
A man's panicked voice came through the speaker.
I couldn't hear everything.
But I heard one sentence clearly.
“Sir… someone broke into the old Seraphine house.”
Lucien's eyes immediately found mine.
And for the first time since I met him…
I saw genuine fear in his eyes.
“They're looking for her.”
My heart stopped.
End of Chapter 2.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD