Falling in love with my Arrogant Boss

Chapter 8

Amber's POV

"Good morning, Mr. Perault," I greeted him, my voice trembling slightly.

He continued to stare at me with a fiery glare, his eyes filled with anger. I tried my best to hold my ground, but it felt like my breath was being sucked out of me and my heart was pounding in my chest. Still, he remained silent. I took the opportunity to study his tired, bearded face, noticing the dark circles under his eyes and the disheveled state of his hair. He definitely didn't look like your typical CEO; instead, he resembled a bitter old man. His frown only added to his unpleasant demeanor.

Interrupting my thoughts, his deep voice boomed, causing me to jump in surprise. "What's good in the morning, Miss Miller?"

I quickly composed myself and stammered, "Sir Phil, I'll—"

"Don't you dare call me by my nickname or my name. We're not even close. Call me Mr. Perault. Let's be formal," he interrupted, his expression stern.

"Okay, Mr. Perault," I replied, my voice barely above a whisper.

I wanted to apologize for what happened last week, even if it's just a small gesture. I thought maybe it would be a kind thing to do. However, after his harsh treatment today, I quickly changed my mind. "Just forget it; my apology would be pointless."

He was still angry and was not even looking at me as he focused on his laptop. The nervousness I felt earlier has faded away, and the pounding in my chest has calmed down. I can't tell if it's because I'm scared of the man in front of me or if it's just because it's my first day as his secretary.

"Would you like some coffee?" I ask tentatively.

Out of nowhere, he spins around to face me, his gaze piercing and his jaw clenched tightly. He resembles a fierce tiger, ready to strike. It's quite intimidating. Why couldn't he have a more pleasant demeanor, even when he's angry? At this moment, he looks like he's aged fifty years, despite being only thirty-seven. "Are you deaf or stupid, Miss Miller?" he angrily asked.

"My apologies, Sir Phil."

"I specifically told you not to address me by my name because I despise you even more! Leave and bring me my coffee!" he commands authoritatively. Annoyed, I promptly exit his office, and the morning instantly becomes a downer. I wish I could drag the time so I can finally go home.

I head towards the pantry, a small room next to Sir Phillip's office. The word on the street is that Sir Phillip and James have their lunch here every day. Maybe I'll send James to lunch early today so I don't have to deal with him. I already grabbed my meal from the cafeteria I passed by.

James taught me Sir Phillip's coffee preferences. I grab a cup and add the coffee and sugar, remembering that Sir Phil doesn't like creamer. The electric water kettle is empty, so I go to the water dispenser to fill it up, but it's also empty.

I look around and see a gallon of water in stock, but it's too heavy for me to lift and put in the dispenser. I sigh in frustration. Making coffee is already stressing me out. I have no choice but to go back to Sir Phillip's office.

I knock three more times and slowly open the door. Sir Phillip immediately looks up from his reading, probably company reports. He frowns when he sees that I have nothing.

"Where's my coffee, Miss Miller?" he asks, staring at me intently.

"Mr. Perault, can you help me lift the gallon? The water dispenser is empty now."

"What on earth?" He abruptly stood up and slammed his hands on the table. I shut my eyes as the table shook from the impact. "How dare you give me orders!? Let's get one thing straight: I'm the boss and you're the subordinate! So don't you dare try to boss me around! I want my coffee on this table within five minutes... or else I'll fire you, even if it upsets my own father!" he exclaimed angrily. He sat back down at his desk and focused on the reports in front of him. With a frown, he began typing on his laptop. I felt foolish just standing here by the door while he completely ignored me.

"I'm not giving you an order, Mr. Perault. It's a simple request," I said firmly, causing Mr. Perault to react. Our eyes locked, but I met his gaze with a touch of frustration. I noticed his clenched jaw and fists tightly gripping the table. I couldn't bear it any longer. Without hesitation, I nodded, turned around, and made my way out the door.

"Damn it!" I overheard Sir Phillip mutter as the door finally shut. He must be really furious again. He always knows how to hit below the belt. He could have simply refused to help me; why did he have to call me a slave?

I returned to the pantry to continue brewing coffee. I decided to give it a shot and try lifting the heavy gallon. No matter what happens, I'll give it my best. I took out the empty gallon from the water dispenser and struggled to bring the full one closer. I wiped it clean with a tissue before attempting to lift it, but it was too heavy for me. I tried again, but it was still a challenge. Suddenly, the door swung open, and an annoyed Sir Phillip stormed in. I was taken aback as he swiftly grabbed the full gallon and placed it in the water dispenser.

"This is the first and last time I'll do you a favor, Miss Miller! Next time, use your common sense! We have utility personnel in this company. They should be your first point of contact, not the owner. Is that clear?" He didn't say another word to me and stormed out of the room. The door slammed shut, and I closed my eyes, bowing my head to the sound it made.

"Damn, this place is like hell," I muttered as it finally slipped out. It was a relief to have some sort of insult to cling onto. But hey, at least he had a tiny bit of conscience, even if it pained him to speak.

I started brewing some coffee, and as soon as it was ready, I hurriedly brought it to Sir Phillip's office. I knocked on the door once more and entered. He completely ignored me, engrossed in his laptop. Carefully, I placed the coffee cup on the table.

"Here's your coffee, Mr. Perault. I'll just check your schedule for today," I said, but he didn't respond, still fixated on his laptop. Talking to him felt like talking to the wind, like talking to a complete fool.

Well, it's probably for the best that he stays quiet. Only evil seems to come out of his mouth.

I returned to my desk, grateful for Mr. My Hermit Boss. I opened up the laptop to check his schedule for the day. No meetings were scheduled, neither in the office nor outside the building. Suddenly, the intercom buzzed, and I quickly answered.

"Miss Miller, get in my office!" Sir Phillip barked angrily before abruptly hanging up. Here we go again. I held my breath. Less than an hour had passed since I last entered, and already I could feel my energy draining from being around our grumpy hermit.

"Replace my coffee. It's too sweet. Can't you even make a simple cup of coffee, right?" Sir Phillip snorted.

I followed James' instructions on the amount of coffee and sugar to use. I couldn't quite figure this man out; he just seemed perpetually annoyed. I didn't bother complaining and took the cup back to the pantry. I brewed another one, this time with less sugar.

I brought the freshly brewed coffee over to Sir Phillip's table and set it down in front of him once more. When he didn't say anything, I left him and went back to my own table. I started organizing the files on my desk, but I hadn't even finished when the intercom suddenly rang again. Without hesitation, I answered it right away.

"Miss Miller, come back in!" he exclaimed. Just like before, he abruptly hung up the phone. I immediately made my way back into Sir Phillip's office.

"Replace my coffee again; it needs more sweetness!" he snapped, his attention still fixed on his laptop as he typed away. I raised an eyebrow at him, even though he wasn't looking at me. Letting out a sigh, I picked up the cup of coffee once more. This was my second attempt at brewing it. I added a little more sugar, hoping that this would be the final test. It was just coffee, but I had a feeling that lunch would be the real challenge in getting the perfect blend. I returned to Sir Phillip's office and placed the coffee on his table.

"Here's your coffee, Mr. Perault," I said, turning to leave. He was still engrossed in his laptop.

I went back to my table and resumed organizing the files when suddenly the intercom buzzed again.

"Come here!" Sir Phillip called out.

As I walked in, he immediately demanded, "Add a bit more sugar." Irritated, I muttered to myself, "I'm just making coffee; how hard can it be? It's not like I'm doing clerical work!" Frustrated, I clenched my fists and took a deep breath. I reluctantly picked up the coffee cup and headed back to the pantry.

"God, please forgive me," I quietly prayed as I gathered the sugar and coffee, placing them on the tray. I poured hot water into the cup and added it to the tray. Balancing the tray carefully, I entered Sir Phillip's office. He didn't even glance at me, completely engrossed in his laptop and typing away.

"Here's your coffee, sir," I said, holding out the tray. Sir Phillip looked at what I was carrying and scowled when he noticed the cup without coffee.

"What the hell, Miss Miller! Do I have to make my own coffee now?" he exclaimed.

"Because I can never get it right according to your taste. Maybe if you made it yourself, sir, it would be perfect," I replied softly, making sure he could hear me.

"Seriously? I didn't hire you to be my boss!"

I muttered under my breath, feeling completely defeated. I couldn't seem to figure out how to please my boss anymore. Taking a deep breath, I placed my hand over my heart, trying to calm myself down. When I finally looked up, I noticed that Sir Phillip had stopped yelling. "Just get out!" he shouted at me.

Without wasting a second, I left his office and quickly made my way back to my desk. I was on the verge of tears because dealing with my boss's unpredictable mood was really tough. I took a moment to compose myself and got back to work. Lunchtime was approaching, and thankfully, Sir Phillip didn't bother me anymore. He only left the room twice to use the restroom. And every time our eyes met, I could sense his lingering anger toward me. Maybe he still hadn't moved on from whatever I had done. I wondered if he was just brewing his coffee.

As lunchtime arrived, I wasn't sure if Sir Phillip would even eat. I decided to call the intercom and ask if I could order some food. He gave me the go-ahead to order something. About thirty minutes before lunch was served, I placed Sir's food in the pantry. I called the intercom to inform him that the food had arrived. I didn't wait for him to leave the room because I was starving. I headed down to the employee canteen and had my lunch there instead of eating in the pantry.

I joined Ma'am Megan, Maya, and James in the canteen. We had a pleasant conversation, and it made me happy to be in their company. They greeted me warmly, and I shared my experience with them.

Maya said, "Sir Phil is awful for putting you through this, Amber. He doesn't even appreciate your beauty."

James responded to Maya, "I don't know about Sir Phil; maybe he's blind. Amber's charm is invisible to him. His anger consumes him."

"You know, Amber, history tends to repeat itself. Sir Phil will end up falling for the secretary again, and that secretary is you!" Ma'am Megan teased, but I just laughed it off.

"He's not my type," I told them, hoping they would drop the subject.

"Yes, Ma'am Megan, there's a significant age gap between them. They could practically be uncles now," James chimed in.

"Just move on from Sir Phil, Amber. The woman will definitely go after him. He used to be very attractive. Now he's just a sad version of himself. And when that happened, he and Amber were a perfect match. Age is just a number," Maya concluded.

I overheard the conversation of the three individuals, and it reminded me of a picture I had seen of Sir Phillip before he experienced heartbreak. It's true; he is undeniably attractive. After finishing my meal, I returned to my table and resumed working. As time passed, Sir Phillip occasionally gave me tasks, and I still found them enjoyable even after an hour. Finally, it was time to go home. "Congratulations to myself for surviving day 1," I thought happily. I waited for Sir Phillip to leave his office before packing up my belongings. He didn't even say goodbye to me, making me feel like an invisible presence.

- - -

After what felt like an incredibly long day, I was finally ready to hit the hay when James' cellphone, which he had given me for Sir Phillip's call girl, unexpectedly started ringing. I debated whether or not to check the caller's identity, but ultimately decided to answer the call.

To my dismay, it was Sir Phillip on the other end of the line. Seriously, why does he always choose the exact moment when I'm about to go to sleep to bother me? Will this torture ever end?

"Um, hello, Mr. Perault?" I reluctantly greeted.

"I need someone to keep me warm tonight," Sir Phillip's deep voice interrupted. Before I could respond, he hung up the phone.