The CEO's poor Secretary

HADES NARRATING A few years ago, my parents told me that everything they own they would leave to me, because, to them, I have more responsibilities and know exactly how to control the entire empire they built with so much effort and devotion. At first, I thought it was a bit unfair, because I'm not their only child; there's also Ryder. But since he is not a legitimate son, my parents preferred it this way. I felt a bit uncomfortable with the situation, but I didn't want to argue about it. Over the years, I started paying close attention to what my parents were saying and realized that my brother could not inherit my parents' empire, because he is a person who cannot control money; he is always involved in parties, casinos, bars, and brothels. Even though he has a girlfriend, he doesn't care. But all this made me think and realize that I had to mature too quickly. Of course, I don't mind much; after all, I have always been a reserved person. For years, I fought daily to mature and see the world with a more mature perspective, and it was thanks to that damned woman that all this happened in my life. I changed, grew even more, and became someone I never imagined I would become: a reserved, cold, calculating, unfriendly, rude man, and much more. It was by fighting daily that I managed to become stronger. My mother never imagined that all that could happen, but it did, and for me, it's fine. I became strong, and that's that. I was deeply immersed in my thoughts when I heard someone calling me. "Hades?" calls a female voice. As I look, I see it's Lúcia. "Sir, sorry to bother you, but I must inform you that your meeting is about to start." she informed me. "Thank you, I'm on my way." I say. She smiles gently and leaves my office. Then, I organized some papers that were on my desk, placed them inside the folder, picked it up, and calmly stood up from my desk. I walked to the door. This meeting is a bit more than important; I am about to finalize a major partnership with one of the most sought-after industries in the world. They came from South Korea to close this deal. As soon as I left my office, I walked through the reception area towards the meeting room corridor. On the way, I heard my brother. "Hades, brother." he said, coming up right behind me."Hey, Ryder." I say as I walk. "Is everything set with these people?" he asks. "If everything goes well, yes." I say. "What the hell got into you at this hour?" he questions. "I'm acting normally, you know me." I say as I keep walking. As we arrive in front of the room, I open the door and enter; he follows right behind. "Good afternoon, gentlemen." I greet them in Korean, to show them that I can also handle their language well. "Good afternoon, Mr. Hades." said Dong-Sun. "We were talking among ourselves while you were on your way here, and although we haven't heard your proposal, we've decided to accept the partnership right away." he said. My brother broke into a huge smile; he also understands a bit of their language, not fluently, but he understands a little. "Great, I am very happy that you accepted the proposal, even if you only read it on your computers." I say seriously. "It is an honor for us to join your company." said Chul-Moon. "Since you agree, can we sign the contracts?" I ask, and they nod. "I'm sure you won't regret it." said my brother. "We are signing this contract now, Mr. Ryder, because your brother's proposal is exactly what we were looking for, so we don't need to prolong this meeting. We know that our investment will be successful, both for us and for you!" said Dong-Sun. I am happy with the signing of this contract; it proves that my efforts are paying off every day. My brother kindly picks up the contracts and hands them to them to sign. Finally, he brings them to me so I can sign. I put my signature on it and ask him to sign as well. "All set." said my brother. I agreed with him, then I stood up, as did Dong-Sun and Chul-Moon. We approached each other and shook hands. "It was a pleasure to close this contract with you gentlemen." I say, and they smile. "The honor is ours." said Chul-Moon. "See you soon, we will be waiting for you at our company in Korea." he says with a brief smile on his face. I nod, then they leave the meeting room and my brother is already celebrating. "My God, we did it." he says, smiling. "It's a big step." I say, looking at the signed papers. I gather all the papers, place them inside the folder, and leave the meeting room with my brother beside me. "Our parents are organizing a celebration tomorrow at the Palace, so don't miss it!" I inform him. He walks behind me. "I won't miss it, especially since Mom doesn't throw these parties every day." he says, smiling. "And you always bring that gold-digging girlfriend of yours." I say as I walk. As I reach my door, I look at the secretary. "Tomorrow, go to RH and settle your accounts!" I say coldly, and she looks at me without understanding. "Sir, what did I do?" she asks. "I just fired you, Karen, what didn't you understand?" I ask, already feeling a strong tension. — "Sir, I didn't do anything." she says, her eyes filling with tears. "Of course, you were late and still did nothing." I say ironically. "But..." before she could say anything, I interrupt her. "Do what I said, I don't want you here anymore." I say nervously, opening the door to my office and stepping in. "What got into you, Hades?" Ryder asks. "Nothing's wrong with me." I say, heading towards my desk. "I just notice when people are irresponsible and don't do their job, it's as simple as that." I assert, and he sits in the chair in front of my desk. I sit down and look at him. "Look here, Ryder, I'll tell you one last time: I'm tired of your privileges. Either you learn to handle serious work, or I'll have to take back the shares I gave you." I say seriously, and he looks at me, confused. "I don't understand. If you're upset with your secretary, don't take it out on me!" he says defensively. "I'm not upset with anyone, as you say, but I'm tired of putting in all my effort every day, giving my all to make this company prosper, while you spend your time in casinos, parties, bars, races, and much more." I say, and his eyes widen, probably not realizing I know his every move. "What are you talking about?" he asks, pretending to be innocent. "Don't play innocent with me, because I won't fall for it!" I say seriously. "From today on, I'll be monitoring every step you take. I'm not going to sweat every day as I have been for the past four years running this company to support your luxuries while you wander around and play with life!" I let him know everything; I'm tired of carrying the load while he plays around. "Damn, I can't believe what I'm hearing." he says, pretending to be a victim. "I never do those things." he says, making me laugh. "Really? I can show you every piece of evidence I have!" I say angrily, and he stands up. "Okay, fine, I admit it." he says, running his hands through his hair. "I'll try harder, I promise." he says. "I don't want promises; I want to see how far you go." I conclude, and then he leaves my office. I know that now he will be thoughtful and pay attention to everything he does. I know how immature he is, and for him, everything is about partying and never thinking about his responsibilities at the company and in life! My thoughts were drifting away, but I quickly focused on filing the documents on the computer, with the signatures of the new contractors. I spent a few more hours dealing with other company matters until I sent an email to Lúcia, saying I wanted a new secretary, someone responsible, not someone who doesn't care about the job. I want responsible people, not irresponsible ones. She quickly replied, saying she would find a new secretary for me today, which I thought was great. Once I had resolved everything I needed to, I grabbed my phone and laptop, put them in my briefcase, and left my office. When I stepped out, Karen was packing up her things. I headed for the elevator, and as I approached, it opened. Inside was my brother, and surely he wanted a ride again. I took a deep breath and got in, pressed the button for the parking lot, and we rode in silence. As soon as the elevator opened, he told me he had lent his car. I didn't want to talk much, so I headed for my car. Noah was waiting for me; he opened the door, I got in, and my brother got in as well. We drove to our parents' house, about 30 minutes from the company if there's no traffic. After the drive, we finally arrived. We got out of the car and went inside. At that moment, I ran into Ruby. That woman never rests. I was a bit irritated, so I greeted my parents and headed to my room. I'll stay here for a while, but I'll go to my house later.