Loving The Young Billionaire

CHAPTER 3 - Mischievous

“Are you going to stand there the whole time? Or are you coming in?” Luke queried.

As his eyes met those of his secretary, a smirk played across his lips. Mallory, on the other hand, was like a stump standing frozen in front of the door. She wished the earth would just open up and swallow her whole to spare her from the situation she found herself in.

She swore, destiny was playing tricks on her. Of all the people in the world, why did he have to be her boss? For it was him — the very person with whom she had a heated argument not too long ago. She called him a jerk, not knowing that he would turn out to be her boss. How would she manage to look him in the eyes without feeling uncomfortable?

She began to regret accepting her friend’s offer to work for the Luxe Group Incorporation. Her face turned red as she relived the memory of their first encounter. The humiliation she felt then was something she never wanted to experience again. She made the grave mistake of messing with her boss.

She tried to keep her voice steady. “Sorry, I was just lost in thought,” she said, hoping he wouldn’t see through her.

Luke’s eyes narrowed. “I see,” he replied. “Well, don’t just stand there. Come on in.” He gestured to the seat with a sweep of his hand.

She rushed into his office and shut the door behind her before walking over to his desk. Her gaze remained glued to the floor in shame. She was mortified and dared not look up at him, afraid of the scorn she might see in his eyes. She held her ground and kept her distance from him, not wanting to make another embarrassing mistake.

Technically, he was to blame. Well, it wasn’t entirely his fault. She was the one who almost crashed. It was because of her own imbecility. She wanted to dig her own grave and bury herself at the time.

Luke leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers and fixing his gaze on Mallory. “Why don’t you introduce yourself?”

Her brow furrowed a little. “As far as I know, I submitted my resume.”

The edge of his lips curled up. “Feisty, but not enough to intimidate me,” he muttered under his breath. “Yes, I do have your resume. But I’d like to hear about you from your own lips. I suppose it’s only right that I get to know my new secretary better, don’t you agree? After all, you’ll be working very closely with me.”

Mallory’s frown deepened into a scowl. She knew that she couldn’t risk losing her position just because of the incident between the two of them.

She cleared her throat. “I am Mallory Addison Finley, twenty-five years old. I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Business Management.”

He raised two eyebrows and tilted his head to the side, staring at her with an odd combination of expressions, as if indicating that he wanted to know something else.

What else was she going to say?

“And, uh… Single.”

Mallory couldn’t tell if Luke was impressed or weirded out by her. Either of the two, but she hoped the reason was the first one. She didn’t want to look crazy in front of her boss on her first day at work.

“All right, you can start working today. I need my coffee in five minutes and my schedule sorted pronto. Oh, and don’t forget to book my flight to New York for next week’s meeting. You’re going to be my secretary, and that means you’re at my beck and call, so do your best to impress me, get it? I’m not one for second chances.”

Mallory’s throat tightened under the pressure, but she forced herself to respond with a submissive nod. She didn’t go through all of the trouble to be fired again at her new job. She was willing to do anything to keep it.

She steeled herself and replied, “Yes, sir.”

As Luke turned his attention back to his computer screen, Mallory made a mental list of all the tasks she needed to accomplish to impress her boss. She knew that this was her chance to prove herself and show what she could do.

She quickly left his office, moving like a gust of wind. She hurried down the hallway and headed straight for the company cafeteria.

Her heart pounded in her chest. Her boss had given her only five minutes to bring his coffee, and time was almost up. Taking a deep breath, she placed her order, her hands shaking slightly.

While waiting for the coffee to be prepared, she couldn’t help but glance nervously at her watch. She could feel herself breaking out into a cold sweat. When the barista finally called her order, she grabbed the coffee and ran back toward her boss’s office.

With just a minute to spare, she burst through the door and handed him the coffee. She was out of breath and her face was red, but she was relieved. She had made it.

Luke glanced at her without saying anything, then took the cup and went back to his work on the laptop. She might have been frazzled, but at least she had finished her first task on the job.

***

Hours passed, and Mallory found herself busy with piles of paperwork and endless phone calls. She answered phone calls with a smile, checked emails, and took notes during meetings, all at once on her first day. Meanwhile, Luke sat in his office, fully focused on his work. He didn’t bother with small talk.

Mallory was just about to take a break when her phone buzzed, indicating an incoming call from her boss. With a deep sigh, she answered the call, knowing that she would be called back to work once again.

“I need you in my office immediately,” Luke ordered.

Mallory went reluctantly, wondering what was so urgent this time. She knocked on his door before entering, forcing a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

“Is there anything else you need from me, sir?” she asked, trying to hide her annoyance.

Luke was in his seat, his gaze riveted on her. “I have another task for you,” he said in a cold tone. “Schedule a meeting with the board of directors for next week. Make sure all preparations are made. Do you understand?”

Mallory felt like her emotions were boiling over like a pot of water left too long on the stove. Was this some sort of punishment for the last time she had messed with him? She wanted to stamp her feet and scream, but instead, she just nodded quietly.

“Understood, sir. I’ll get right on it.”

She trudged out of Luke’s office. She tried not to let her nerves get the best of her on her first day of work as his secretary. She knew that her boss was known for his cold and strict demeanor towards his employees.

She arranged a meeting with the boards of directors and sent the meeting agenda to all attendees to give them a heads up.

Throughout her first day, just as she had anticipated, Luke wasn’t the easiest boss to work with. He barely acknowledged her and only gave her orders when he absolutely had to. He expected the best from everyone and didn’t hide his disappointment when those expectations weren’t met.

Mallory worked harder than she ever had before to keep up with his fast-paced schedule, memorizing his preferences, and anticipating his needs before he even asked.

Despite the challenging tasks assigned to her, she managed to finish everything on time. She pushed herself to the limit to show him that she was capable of anything, even when she felt like collapsing. By the end of her shift, Mallory was exhausted but satisfied.

As she gathered her belongings and sauntered toward the elevator to head home after a long day at the office, she came face to face with Luke. No matter how hard she tried to avoid him, he still ended up crossing her path again.

He gave Mallory a quick glance before stepping into the elevator and pressing the button for the parking lot, leaving her standing there in frustration.

Mallory watched the doors close and rolled her eyes, cursing her luck that seemed to keep throwing her together with her boss against her will. She wished she could stay away from him, but that was impossible.

The only ways to escape him were either to get fired or to quit her job, but she wasn’t willing to give up the job she’d worked so hard to get over such a petty matter. She resigned herself to her fate, knowing that she would have to tolerate his presence for as long as she could endure it.

When the elevator doors slid shut, she found herself trapped inside with Luke. They stood side by side in awkward silence. Her eyes darted nervously around the elevator, avoiding any contact with Luke.

The silence in the elevator was deafening, broken only by the sound of the machinery. Finally, Luke spoke, turning to Mallory who seemed surprised.

“We met again,” he uttered.

She turned to face him. She was met with Luke’s unwavering gaze, as though he was trying to read her mind with his penetrating stare.

“Why the pretense?” he asked. “You remember me, don’t you? You called me a jerk the last time we met.”

Mallory suddenly choked on her own saliva at what she heard. She wished she could vanish right then and there. The memory of the incident with the jerk who nearly ended her life was still fresh in her mind. She wasn’t pretending not to know him; she just didn’t want to recall the memories of the things she had said and done back then. It was better to leave them buried where they belonged.

“I’m sorry, sir. I don’t remember,” she lied, hoping to avoid the confrontation.

“You know, I didn’t like being called a jerk,” he said with a teasing tone. “But don’t worry, I’ll let bygones be bygones. Since we’ll be working together now, we should try to get along.”

Mallory swallowed hard. “Yes, sir. I’m sorry for any offense I may have caused,” she replied.

Luke grinned. “I think we’re going to work well together.”

Mallory fought the urge to roll her eyes. “Yes, sir. Whatever you say, sir,” she mumbled.

She closed her eyes and prayed for the doors to open soon so she could escape his annoying presence. She was already exhausted, and the thought of putting up with him for the rest of the day made her feel even more drained.

The elevator doors opened and before Luke walked out, he turned to her with a smug expression that made her even more irritated.

“See you tomorrow,” he smirked.

Mallory clenched her fists in frustration as she watched him leave. When he was finally out of sight, she let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. She already knew that working with him was going to be a nightmare.