My Secretary, My Weakness

Chapter 9: The Woman From His Past

Monday arrived with an uneasy feeling neither Elen nor Ayden could fully explain. The weekend had passed quietly. Too quietly. And somehow that made everything worse.

Elen sat inside her apartment that morning, staring at her reflection while fastening the buttons of her blouse. For reasons she refused to admit, her thoughts kept drifting back to Friday night.

The rooftop. The cheesecake. The laughter. Ayden.

A faint sigh escaped her. This was becoming dangerous. Not because Ayden was her CEO. Not because of company policies. Not because of rumors.

The real danger was far simpler. She was starting to enjoy being around him. Far more than she should. Far more than was wise. And that realization unsettled her. Very much.

Across the city, Ayden Adrian Valez stood inside his penthouse overlooking the skyline. His coffee sat untouched. His attention remained fixed on a message displayed on his phone. A message from a woman he hadn't spoken to in nearly two years.

Vanessa Laurent. His ex-girlfriend. The woman who once believed she would become Mrs. Valez. The woman who never accepted being left behind. Another message appeared.

See you tonight, Ayden.

His expression darkened. Then he locked the screen. The last thing he needed right now was Vanessa. Unfortunately, life rarely cared about what people needed.

By midmorning, Valez Corporation had returned to its usual rhythm. Employees moved through hallways. Meetings filled conference rooms. Phones rang. Keyboards clicked. Business continued.

Yet beneath the surface, tension remained. Especially on the executive floor. Elen was reviewing documents when Mia suddenly burst into her office. Without knocking. Again.

"Elen."

The secretary looked up. Concern immediately crossed her face.

"Mia?"

"You need to come with me."

"What happened?"

Mia grabbed her wrist. "You'll see."

Before Elen could protest, she was practically dragged into the hallway. Several employees stood near the reception area. Whispering. Staring. Watching. Elen frowned.

"What is going on?"

Mia pointed ahead. The moment Elen saw the woman standing near the executive lobby...

Everything suddenly made sense. Tall. Elegant. Designer dress. Perfect makeup. Perfect posture. Perfect smile. The kind of woman who seemed born for magazine covers and luxury events.

Vanessa Laurent.

Though Elen had never met her personally, she immediately recognized her from business magazines. The whispers around them confirmed it.

"That's her."

"Ayden Valez's ex."

"They were together for years."

"I heard they almost got engaged."

Elen felt a strange sensation in her chest. One she didn't particularly enjoy. And definitely didn't want to examine.

Vanessa looked around the office confidently. Like she belonged there. Like she owned the attention of everyone present. Then her gaze landed on Elen.

For a brief moment, their eyes met. Vanessa smiled. Beautiful. Polite. Cold. The smile of a woman assessing competition.

Elen instantly disliked her. Which irritated her even more. Because she had absolutely no reason to care None whatsoever.

Half an hour later. Ayden stepped out of a board meeting.The moment he entered the executive lobby, he saw her. Vanessa. Waiting. Smiling. Exactly as he expected. Several nearby employees immediately pretended not to watch. Poorly. Vanessa approached him.

"Ayden." Her voice remained smooth and confident.

Familiar. Too familiar. "You look well."

Ayden remained expressionless. "Why are you here?"

Vanessa laughed softly. Straight to the point. Still the same. "I came to see you."

"You could've called."

"You wouldn't answer."

A fair observation. Unfortunately. Ayden glanced around. Every employee within sight suddenly became very interested in their work. Again. Poorly.

Vanessa stepped closer. "Can we talk?"

Ayden hesitated. Then nodded once. "Conference room."

A triumphant flicker crossed her eyes. Small

But noticeable. And unfortunately... Elen noticed it too. The rest of the day became torture. At least from Mia's perspective. Because Elen refused to discuss it At all.

"You don't care?"

"No."

"Not even a little?"

"No."

Mia narrowed her eyes. "You're lying."

"I'm working."

"You're avoiding."

"I'm working while avoiding."

"Still counts."

Elen sighed.

Unfortunately, Mia wasn't entirely wrong. Every time she walked past a conference room. Every time someone mentioned Vanessa. Every time rumors spread across the floor. She found herself paying attention.

Against her better judgment. Against her common sense. Against everything she normally believed. And she hated it.

That evening, shortly after six o'clock, Elen finally left her office. The executive floor had mostly emptied. The silence felt welcoming. Until she reached the elevators. And stopped. Because Vanessa was standing there. Alone. Waiting.

The older woman turned. Smiling immediately.

"Elen Cruz."

The fact that she already knew her name was not reassuring. Elen maintained her composure.

"Ms. Laurent."

"Please. Vanessa will do."

Elen didn't respond. Vanessa's smile widened slightly. "You know who I am."

"Most people here do."

"Then you know Ayden and I have history."

That came out direct, confident, and calculated. Every word felt intentional. Elen met her gaze calmly.

"I assume you didn't stop me to discuss company history."

For the first time, genuine amusement appeared in Vanessa's eyes. Interesting. She hadn't expected that response.

"I like you."

The statement surprised Elen. "That's unexpected."

"It is."

Vanessa tilted her head slightly. Studying her. Evaluating. Judging. The way people examined valuable objects before purchasing them.

"You aren't intimidated."

"Should I be?"

"No."

The elevator still hadn't arrived. Unfortunately. Vanessa continued. "You know, Ayden always preferred strong women."

Elen's expression remained unchanged. Internally, however, alarm bells were ringing. This conversation was becoming inappropriate. Very quickly.

Vanessa stepped closer. "But strength isn't always enough."

The meaning behind those words was impossible to miss. Elen understood perfectly. A warning. Disguised as advice. Or perhaps the opposite.

Before she could respond— "Vanessa."

Both women turned. Ayden stood several feet away. His expression had become noticeably colder. The moment he looked at Vanessa. The moment he noticed her standing with Elen. Vanessa smiled immediately.

The picture of innocence.

"We were talking."

Ayden's gaze shifted briefly toward Elen. Checking. Evaluating. Ensuring she was okay. The action lasted less than a second.

Yet both women noticed. For completely different reasons. Vanessa's smile weakened. Slightly.

Elen looked away first. Ayden approached. Stopping beside Elen. Not touching her. Not claiming anything. Yet somehow positioning himself between them. A subtle gesture. A protective one.

Vanessa definitely noticed that too. "So protective."

Ayden's voice remained calm. "Dangerous habit."

Their eyes locked. A silent battle. One neither bothered hiding anymore. Eventually, the elevator arrived. The doors opened.

Vanessa stepped inside first. Then paused. Looking toward Elen.

"You seem lovely." The compliment sounded wrong.

Artificial. Sharp around the edges. Then Vanessa smiled at Ayden. "We'll continue our conversation tomorrow."

The doors closed. Leaving only Ayden and Elen behind. Silence followed. Heavy. Complicated. Neither immediately spoke.

Finally, Elen crossed her arms. "She's intense."

A laugh escaped him. Unexpected. Genuine. "That's one way to describe her."

"Was she always like that?"

"Yes."

"Then why did you date her?"

Ayden stared at her. Several seconds passed. Then he answered. "I was younger."

Elen laughed. "That's not a real answer."

"No."

"It really isn't."

For the first time all day, the tension eased. Only slightly. But enough. They began walking toward the lobby together. Neither rushing. Neither wanting to discuss the obvious.

Eventually, Ayden spoke. "I'm sorry."

Elen blinked. "For what?"

"Getting dragged into this."

The sincerity surprised her. Most powerful men didn't apologize. Especially not CEOs. Especially not Ayden. Yet here he was. Doing exactly that. Elen looked ahead. Thinking carefully.

Then she answered honestly. "I can handle difficult people."

"I know."

Again. That same answer. Immediate. Certain. Without hesitation. The same answer he'd given before. And once more...

It affected her.

Far more than it should have. They reached the lobby entrance. Night had already settled over the city. Employees moved around them. Cars arrived and departed. Life continued. Yet for a brief moment, everything seemed quieter. Smaller. More personal.

Ayden looked at her. His expression softer than usual. "Tired?"

"A little."

"You should rest."

"You sound like my father."

"I'll pretend that's a compliment."

"It wasn't."

A rare smile appeared on his face. The sight made Elen's heart stumble. Just slightly. Just enough. And suddenly she understood something dangerous. Vanessa wasn't the real problem. The board wasn't the real problem. The rumors weren't the real problem. The real problem was standing directly in front of her. Looking at her. Smiling at her.

Making her forget every reason she should keep her distance. Because the more time she spent with Ayden Adrian Valez...

The harder it became to remember why she was supposed to stay away. And unfortunately for both of them, Ayden was beginning to realize the exact same thing.

Far above them, from the window of a nearby luxury hotel, Vanessa Laurent watched the pair leave the building together.

Her expression remained calm. Elegant. Beautiful. But her eyes had turned cold. Very cold. Slowly, she lifted her wine glass. Watching them disappear into the city lights.

Then she smiled. Not because she was happy. Because she had finally confirmed her suspicion. There was something between them. Maybe neither had admitted it yet. Maybe neither understood it fully.

But it existed. And Vanessa Laurent had never been a woman who accepted losing. Especially not to another woman. The chase had begun. And she had no intention of stepping aside.