The President's Captive Love

Chapter 5: Protection

Monday,

JRV LOGISTICS

Praewa came to work as usual. Many employees looked past her as if she were invisible, just like before. It was so different from Saturday when she went to the mall. But she didn't mind, because the advantage of being a wallflower was not being the center of attention and not becoming the subject of gossip behind her back.

She got up to make coffee for the young executive as she did every day, standing nervously in front of the office door for a long time, slightly worried he might recognize that the unassuming secretary was the same as the beautiful, striking woman he bumped into the other day.

Knock, knock, knock.

"Come in."

The small figure bowed her head, carrying documents in her arms, with the other hand holding a cup of hot coffee. She glanced at the side of her boss's face while he gazed out the window. His handsome face remained calm, and her little heart began to settle.

"Coffee, sir."

"Hmm."

He responded simply, turning his chair back to his desk. When she was sure he had nothing to say, she informed him of today's schedule.

Onyx closed his eyes slowly, as if uninterested, letting her sweet voice continue without interruption.

"This morning, the president only has to sign documents. For lunch, I've prepared a mixed sushi set. In the afternoon, at 2 PM, BBK Rubber Company will meet to discuss and sign a contract. Today, Mr. Pakorn, the owner's son, is coming as his father's representative. At 3:30 PM..."

His handsome face frowned as the aroma of coffee mixed with her fragrance wafted to his nose. The confusion he had been trying to solve for days was finally answered.

Grab!

"Ah!"

Her heart sank when suddenly the tall figure pulled her arm closer. She pressed her palm against the table in shock, frozen in place, her mind went blank.

The scene now looked like she was leaning toward the seated president. Onyx leaned his face closer, moving toward her white neck. The proximity allowed her to feel his warm breath against her neck. Praewa squeezed her eyes shut, her heart pounding, feeling a rush of heat and turmoil throughout her body.

Onyx just wanted to pull her closer to confirm if the scent lingering in his mind was the same as his secretary's perfume. He had been pondering this strange sense of familiarity for days, and once he found the answer, he felt at ease and lost interest.

"Heh," the tall figure chuckled softly in his throat when he saw the secretary standing with her eyes closed, trembling slightly, her face just inches away.

Finally, he released her arm, but it seemed Praewa was still in shock and didn't move away from him.

"What's with you?"

The indifferent tone brought her back to her senses. Praewa blushed deeply, unsure of what to do with the handsome face so close. She quickly recoiled, pulling her jacket together as if he were a criminal.

"Wh...wh...what were you going to do, Mr. Onyx!"

She looked at him with distrustful eyes.

"I just felt like your perfume was familiar, so I wanted to see if it was the same."

"P...perfume!... And you just pulled me over to smell it?" Her sweet voice stammered, slightly annoyed at being touched by him.

"I didn't do anything to you."

"..." She lowered her head, hiding the embarrassment showing on her cheeks.

"Continue."

"Wh...what?" Her face flushed with surprise when he suddenly changed the subject, leaving her unable to keep up.

"The schedule, continue. Until 3:30 PM."

Praewa took several deep breaths to gather her scattered thoughts, trying to finish explaining. Her awkward and embarrassed demeanor amused him greatly, making him feel a bit guilty for enjoying seeing his clumsy secretary lose her composure.

Once she left the president's office, she almost collapsed, needing to lean against the door. Her heart worked hard with what she had just experienced. The longer she worked with Onyx, the more her heart raced. She hoped she wouldn't have a heart attack before the year ended.

She slumped into the chair behind her desk, looked at the small mirror on the table, and her eyes widened.

"Oh, why am I blushing about this?"

Her small hand rubbed her flushed cheeks, trying to reassure herself that she was only anxious about Onyx recognizing her. When she closed her eyes to gather her composure, she ended up thinking about the president's warm breath, making her get up to splash some water on her face to refocus for work.

In the afternoon, after Praewa had prepared the meeting room and refreshments for the guests, she went downstairs to wait for the clients arriving for a meeting at the company. A luxurious European car pulled up at the entrance, and its occupants stepped out.

"Hello, Mr. Pakorn. I'm Praewa, Mr. Onyx's secretary," she approached with a polite smile.

The young man, the partner company's owner's son, glanced at the secretary's outfit and grimaced. Hearing her voice, he had expected her to be a stunning woman, which was why he came to sign the contract himself. But what he saw was disappointing; Praewa was so plain and unremarkable that he didn't even want to look. He couldn't understand why Onyx chose someone like her as a secretary.

Pakorn's expression soured noticeably as he nodded and headed straight into the office building, making Praewa notice another beautiful woman behind him, who shot her a mocking smile.

"Hello, I'm Aimorn, Mr. Pakorn's secretary."

"Yes, please come inside."

Praewa reluctantly welcomed them, choosing to ignore the disdainful glances the woman occasionally threw her way.

She led them up the luxurious elevator to the meeting room, then went out to inform the president of the clients' arrival.

The discussion wasn't particularly significant, but the other party expressed a desire to observe the company's operations before renewing the contract. Praewa prepared documents outlining the organizational overview and shipping process to showcase the company's readiness to the client.

However, Pakorn wasn't interested in the company's stated readiness, so he barely paid attention to her presentation, showing signs of boredom that Onyx easily noticed.

As Praewa finished speaking, a silence settled over the room.

"This is the new contract. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me," she said.

She stood at the head of the table and slid the document folder in front of the client. The client carelessly flipped through it before passing it to his secretary, who did the same, as if neither had read any of the information.

"Why is the shipping cost in this contract higher than last year?" Pakorn asked bluntly, his demeanor bored.

"If you read the contract, you would know. All the details are in there."

Onyx's blunt response embarrassed the young client, prompting the beautiful secretary beside him to quickly restrain him.

Praewa noticed that throughout her presentation, Aimorn frequently cast inviting glances at Onyx. The young executive's handsomeness and wealth were a magnet for many women, but her boss never paid attention to any of them.

"The increased costs are due to economic inflation, rising oil prices, and wage adjustments, resulting in a slight price increase," Praewa calmly explained.

The young client nodded dismissively, as if uninterested, glancing at Praewa again before saying what was on his mind. "Then let me point out something I think Mr. Onyx should improve."

"Sure, go ahead."

"I suggest Mr. Onyx should choose a pretty, well-dressed secretary. If she's sexy, even better. At the very least, it reflects on the president's image. When meeting clients, a cute secretary can make negotiations smoother. I'm not trying to criticize you, Praewa, but your dressing is really bad. If you're not naturally attractive, you should learn to enhance your appearance a bit. Honestly, when I first saw you, I was a bit taken aback."

"..."

Onyx remained silent, while Praewa felt embarrassed being made a topic of discussion.

"Look at my secretary, Aimorn," the woman gave a shy smile to the young executive as her boss introduced her. "Fair, beautiful, charming, and attentive. This is better. Let her accompany you for an evening, and then reconsider this contract."

"..."

The tall young executive remained silent, only his eyes behind the glasses growing cold. Even with just a glimpse of his expression, Praewa could feel the intense pressure in the meeting room.

"I select employees based on their abilities. Besides, my company deals with logistics and transportation, not a place that relies on appearances to win over clients. If you're not satisfied with the contract, just don't sign it. But you have no right to criticize the appearance of my people!"

His dark eyes glinted with intensity as he stared back at the client fearlessly. He didn't care about losing a contract with a company led by someone with such poor attitudes.

Pakorn's face fell when he was retorted by the tall figure, anger surged within him, yet he found himself powerless to act.

"Fine. If you put it that way, consider the new contract void. Don't come begging me to renew it later."

The young man stood up and stomped his feet loudly in frustration. Aim-on, speechless and unsure of what to do, quickly followed her boss, casting one last regretful glance at Onyx's handsome face.

The room fell into silence. Praewa dared not breathe heavily, fearing it might trigger the president's temper.

Onyx sighed deeply, pulling out a pack of cigarettes from his suit to light one and quell his irritation.

"Um... you shouldn't smoke in this room, Mr. President," she softly reminded him, cautiously observing his reaction.

"Whatever, this is my company."

"Then I'll go get an ashtray for you."

"..."

Praewa quietly slipped out of the room, but Onyx's deep voice stopped her.

"Wait!"

"Yes?"

She turned back, thinking he might have more instructions for her.

"Those words just now..."

"..."

"...don't take them to heart."

Her heart raced as she sensed the concern in his words. A faint smile graced her sweet face. The fact that the young man stood up to protect her, even at the cost of losing a client, left a strong impression on her. Warmth spread throughout her body.

"Thank you."

Their eyes met for a brief moment, enough to make her heart pound. The petite figure quickly averted her gaze and went to fetch the items for her boss, feeling his intense gaze follow her.

Onyx exhaled a cloud of white smoke that filled the room. When he was alone, he began to ponder his own reactions. True, he didn't judge people by their appearance, but the anger he felt when hearing Pakorn belittle Praewa wasn't like him either.

The tall figure held his head, feeling confused, sensing that lately, his mind was cluttered with too many trivial matters. He wished for a good book to distract him from his secretary.