chapter 4 ( The First Day)
884 Words
The sound of Arinola's alarm echoed through her tiny apartment.
5:30 A.M.
She groaned dramatically and buried her face into her pillow.
"Five more minutes..."
Her phone vibrated.
It was Maya.
She answered with one eye still closed.
"If this isn't an emergency..."
"Oh, it is," Maya replied. "Your billionaire boss's company starts work at eight."
Arinola's eyes flew open.
"Oh my God!"
She jumped out of bed, nearly tripping over a pair of slippers.
Today wasn't just another Monday.
It was her first day at Nova Holdings.
Exactly two hours later...
She stood in front of the mirror, adjusting the sleeves of her navy-blue blazer.
Her curly hair was neatly packed into a low bun, and for the first time in weeks, she looked... confident.
Not rich.
Not glamorous.
Just... ready.
"You've got this," she whispered to her reflection.
Then she grabbed her bag and left.
Nova Holdings was already buzzing with activity when she arrived.
Employees hurried through the revolving doors with coffee cups and laptops in hand.
The receptionist smiled warmly.
"Good morning, Miss Daniels."
Arinola blinked.
"You... know my name?"
"Mr. Cole informed everyone you were starting today."
That felt oddly reassuring.
She smiled back.
"Good morning."
A woman wearing a company badge approached her.
"Miss Daniels?"
"Yes?"
"I'm Clara from Human Resources. I'll show you around."
For the next thirty minutes, Clara introduced her to different departments.
Marketing.
Finance.
Legal.
Operations.
Everyone seemed friendly...
Except one person.
Vanessa.
Standing outside a glass office, Vanessa watched Arinola with an expression that could freeze fire.
She didn't smile.
She didn't wave.
She simply turned and walked away.
Clara noticed.
"Don't worry about her."
"I wasn't."
"Liar."
Arinola laughed nervously.
By 8:15 A.M., Clara stopped in front of a large office.
She knocked twice.
"Come in."
Adrian's deep voice echoed from inside.
Clara opened the door.
"Sir, Miss Daniels is here."
Adrian looked up from a stack of documents.
For a brief second...
His expression softened.
"Good morning."
"Morning, sir."
"You can call me Adrian when we're alone."
She almost choked.
"I... don't think HR would approve."
A small smile appeared on his face.
"Fair point."
Clara excused herself, leaving them alone.
Adrian handed Arinola a tablet.
"This contains today's schedule."
She glanced at it.
Nine meetings.
Three conference calls.
Two site inspections.
One charity gala.
She looked back at him.
"...Do you ever sleep?"
"Occasionally."
She laughed.
He didn't.
"Wait..."
"Were you serious?"
He simply continued reading a document.
"I'll take that as a yes."
Hours passed faster than she expected.
She organized files, answered calls, scheduled meetings, and somehow managed to survive without making any major mistakes.
Almost.
During lunch, she carried two cups of coffee toward Adrian's office.
One for him.
One for herself.
Halfway there—
Crash!
Someone bumped into her shoulder.
Both coffees flew into the air.
"Oh no!"
She squeezed her eyes shut.
This was it.
Her career was over before it had even begun.
But...
Nothing landed on her.
She slowly opened one eye.
Adrian stood in front of her.
His white shirt...
Was now completely stained with coffee.
Silence.
Pure silence.
Employees nearby stared in horror.
Someone whispered,
"She's finished."
Another muttered,
"First day too..."
Arinola's face drained of color.
"I'm so, so sorry!"
She grabbed tissues from her bag and started wiping his shirt.
Halfway through...
She froze.
Realizing...
Her hand was resting on his chest.
She immediately stepped back.
"I—I wasn't..."
"I'm sorry."
The entire office waited for Adrian to explode.
Instead...
He looked down at the stain.
Then back at Arinola.
Finally...
He laughed.
A genuine laugh.
"It's just coffee."
The entire floor fell silent.
Even the employees looked shocked.
One whispered,
"I've worked here for five years..."
"I've never seen him laugh."
Adrian removed his suit jacket.
"It happens."
Arinola still looked guilty.
"I ruined your shirt."
"I own others."
"You sure?"
"I'm sure."
He walked toward his office.
Then paused.
Without turning around, he said,
"Miss Daniels."
"Yes?"
"Next time..."
She held her breath.
"...Buy me coffee before pouring it on me."
She blinked.
Then burst into laughter.
By evening, the office had become quieter.
Most employees had gone home.
Arinola was packing her bag when Adrian stepped out of his office.
"You stayed."
"I wanted to finish tomorrow's schedule."
He nodded approvingly.
"Good."
His phone suddenly rang.
The moment he saw the caller ID...
His expression changed.
Cold.
Unreadable.
He answered.
"What?"
A voice shouted so loudly that even Arinola could hear bits of it.
"No."
"I'm not coming."
Another pause.
His jaw tightened.
"I said no."
He hung up.
For several seconds...
Neither of them spoke.
Finally, Arinola asked softly,
"Everything okay?"
He forced a smile.
"It will be."
She wasn't convinced.
But before she could say anything else...
A security guard rushed into the office.
"Mr. Cole!"
Adrian immediately stood.
"What happened?"
The guard looked pale.
"Someone broke into the company archive."
"What?"
"They didn't steal any money..."
"They only took one file."
Adrian's expression darkened.
"Which file?"
The guard swallowed hard.
"The file marked..."
'Daniels Family – Confidential.'
Adrian and Arinola looked at each other.
Neither of them had ever heard of such a file.
But one thing was certain.
Someone knew far more about Arinola than she did.
End of Chapter 4.
- Writer
