TAMED BY MY ALPHA BOSS

THE BOSS WHO WASN'T THERE

The footsteps stopped outside my office.

I stared at the door, my fingers still wrapped around the telephone receiver. For several seconds, I couldn't bring myself to breathe. Mrs. Collins stood beside me, equally still, her eyes fixed on the hallway as though she were expecting something—or someone—to appear.

Then the footsteps continued.

They moved past my office.

Slowly.

Steadily.

Until they disappeared around the corner.

I finally lowered the phone.

"Was that him?" I whispered.

Mrs. Collins didn't answer.

"Mrs. Collins?"

She looked at me, and there was something different in her expression now. The composed woman who had spent the morning explaining my duties looked unsettled.

"No," she said quietly.

I frowned. "But I heard someone."

"So did I."

"Then who was it?"

She glanced toward the executive doors.

"I don't know."

That answer should have frightened me.

Instead, curiosity won.

I stepped toward the hallway, but Mrs. Collins caught my arm.

"Don't."

I looked at her hand.

"Why?"

"Because I told you not to enter Mr. Blackwood's office without permission."

"He just called me."

"I know."

"Then why can't I go?"

She hesitated.

"Because Damian Blackwood is not here."

I stared at her.

"How do you know?"

"Because I spoke to him this morning."

My eyebrows lifted.

"You spoke to him?"

"Over the phone."

"Where is he?"

"Out of the country."

The words settled between us.

I looked toward the executive office again.

"Then who called me?"

Mrs. Collins didn't have an answer.

Neither did I.

And somehow, I had the uncomfortable feeling that whoever had called me knew exactly who I was.

---

The rest of the morning passed without another strange phone call.

I tried to convince myself that I had misunderstood something. Perhaps someone in the executive department had used Damian's extension. Perhaps the voice had belonged to another executive. Perhaps the footsteps had nothing to do with the call at all.

There had to be a reasonable explanation.

I needed one.

Otherwise, I was going to spend my first day at Wellspring Group believing the company was haunted.

I buried myself in work.

My desk quickly disappeared beneath schedules, reports, meeting requests, and emails. The job was more demanding than I had expected, but I liked it. There was something satisfying about taking a chaotic schedule and turning it into something organized. For the first time since I had graduated, I felt like all those years of studying and working had finally brought me somewhere.

Around noon, I was reviewing Damian's schedule when Emily appeared beside my desk.

She leaned against the edge casually.

"So, how's your first day?"

I didn't look up.

"Busy."

"Already?"

"That's usually how jobs work."

She laughed.

"You've changed."

I finally looked at her.

"I've been here for four hours."

"Exactly."

Her smile was pleasant, but her eyes weren't.

"I heard you had an interesting morning."

My fingers stopped moving over the keyboard.

"What did you hear?"

"Nothing serious."

"Then why mention it?"

She shrugged.

"People talk."

I closed the file in front of me.

"What exactly are they saying?"

Emily's smile widened.

"That you received a call from Mr. Blackwood."

My stomach tightened.

"Who told you?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes."

She laughed softly.

"You should learn something quickly, Elena. Wellspring Group has eyes everywhere."

I stared at her.

She pushed herself away from my desk.

"Anyway, congratulations again."

"For what?"

"For getting the position."

She turned to leave, then stopped.

"Although..."

I waited.

"Don't get too comfortable."

She walked away before I could respond.

I watched her disappear into the main office.

There was something about Emily that bothered me. She wasn't simply jealous. She seemed to know things she shouldn't know.

And I had a feeling that wasn't going to be the last time she tried to unsettle me.

---

At one o'clock, Mrs. Collins asked me to accompany her to lunch.

We sat in a quiet restaurant a few blocks from the office. Unlike the busy restaurants I was used to, this place was elegant and almost silent. Executives sat in private booths, speaking quietly over expensive meals.

I felt out of place.

Mrs. Collins seemed to notice.

"You'll get used to it."

"I hope so."

She smiled.

"You did well this morning."

"Thank you."

"How are you finding the job?"

"Honestly?"

"Honestly."

I laughed.

"Terrifying."

She laughed with me.

"Good."

I blinked.

"Good?"

"Anyone who isn't intimidated during their first week usually doesn't understand what they've signed up for."

I smiled.

Then my curiosity returned.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Why does everyone seem so afraid of Mr. Blackwood?"

Her expression became thoughtful.

"Fear isn't always about cruelty."

"What is it about, then?"

"Power."

She took a sip of water.

"Damian Blackwood is one of the most powerful men in the country. He built Wellspring into what it is today after taking control of the company during a difficult period. He doesn't tolerate incompetence, dishonesty, or betrayal."

"Betrayal?"

She nodded.

"It's the one thing he cannot forgive."

I thought about the mysterious phone call.

"Has anyone ever betrayed him?"

Mrs. Collins looked at me.

"Everyone has been betrayed at least once."

"That's not what I asked."

A small smile appeared on her face.

"You're observant."

"I'm curious."

"Those two things can be dangerous around Damian."

I laughed nervously.

Then she said something that made the laughter disappear.

"The last assistant who worked directly for him lasted three weeks."

"What happened?"

"She resigned."

"Why?"

Mrs. Collins looked away.

"She said she couldn't handle the pressure."

"Did she do something wrong?"

"No."

"Then why did she leave?"

"She discovered something she wasn't supposed to know."

I stared at her.

"What?"

Mrs. Collins shook her head.

"That's not my story to tell."

Before I could ask another question, her phone rang.

She answered it immediately.

"Yes?"

Her expression changed.

She looked at me.

Then at the restaurant entrance.

"Understood."

She ended the call.

"What happened?"

"We need to return to the office."

"Why?"

She stood.

"Mr. Blackwood has sent instructions."

I frowned.

"But you said he's out of the country."

"He is."

"Then how did he send them?"

She gave me a strange look.

"That's what we're going to find out."

---

When we returned to Wellspring Group, something had changed.

The atmosphere was tense.

Employees were moving quickly through the corridors, and several senior executives were gathered outside the boardroom.

As soon as Mrs. Collins approached, one of them hurried toward her.

"Beatrice."

"What happened?"

"We received instructions directly from Mr. Blackwood."

"About what?"

"The Harrington acquisition."

Mrs. Collins frowned.

"That's impossible."

"Why?"

"Because Mr. Blackwood suspended negotiations last week."

The executive looked confused.

"The instructions came from his private account."

My heart began beating faster.

Private account.

The same kind of account that had supposedly called me earlier?

I looked at Mrs. Collins.

She noticed.

"Elena, stay here."

She disappeared into the boardroom.

I remained outside, trying not to listen.

But then I heard my name.

"...and his new assistant."

My attention immediately sharpened.

I moved closer.

"Why was she given access?"

"She wasn't."

"Then why did the system register her credentials?"

My stomach dropped.

I stepped back.

Someone was using my employee credentials.

But I had only been working there for one day.

How was that possible?

Before I could think further, my phone vibrated.

I pulled it from my pocket.

Unknown number.

One message.

You shouldn't have accepted the job.

I stared at the screen.

A second message appeared.

You have no idea whose office you just walked into.

My fingers went cold.

I quickly looked around.

Employees were everywhere.

Someone could be watching me.

Someone could be standing only a few meters away.

I put the phone away and hurried toward the ladies' restroom.

Once inside, I locked the door and leaned against the wall.

My breathing became uneven.

Who was sending these messages?

And why me?

I had been at Wellspring for less than twenty-four hours.

I hadn't even met Damian Blackwood.

At least...

I thought I hadn't.

---

That evening, I stayed late to finish organizing the CEO's schedule.

The office had emptied gradually until only a few lights remained on throughout the building.

I should have gone home.

Every sensible part of me knew that.

But I wanted to prove myself.

I wanted Damian Blackwood to return and find an assistant who had everything under control.

At 9:17 p.m., I finally closed my laptop.

I gathered my bag and stood.

That's when I noticed something on my desk.

A black folder.

I hadn't seen it there earlier.

I frowned and picked it up.

There was no label.

I opened it.

The first page contained a photograph.

My breath caught.

It was a picture of Damian Blackwood.

But he wasn't alone.

Standing beside him was a man I recognized immediately.

My father.

My hands began to shake.

My father had died when I was young.

As far as I knew, he had never worked for Wellspring Group.

He had never mentioned Damian Blackwood.

He had never mentioned the company.

So why was he standing beside Damian in a photograph?

I turned the page.

There was only one sentence.

Ask your boss what happened ten years ago.

I stared at the words.

Then the lights in the office suddenly went out.

I froze.

The entire floor fell into darkness.

And from somewhere inside Damian Blackwood's locked office...

I heard a phone begin to ring.