His Captive,His Obsession

Chapter 1

The moment I stirred awake in the hospital room, my attending physician let out a long sigh of relief.

My boss, Theodore Vitali, lounged on the sofa across the room, looking completely unconcerned. When my eyes opened, he did not even lift his gaze.

He merely said in a flat, disinterested voice, "Hmm. Julia, don't be so careless next time."

I coughed and nodded, a searing pain still burning in my chest.

Without warning, Theodore tossed something toward me.

"A little trinket from a business partner. It isn't worth much. You can have it."

I caught it and examined it closely.

It was a Van Cleef & Arpels Alhambra clover ring, which was worth at least 20,000 dollars.

"Four-leaf clovers are supposed to bring good luck," he said. "Try not to die on me again."

Good luck?

More likely, he was afraid that if I died, he would have no one left to test his food and drinks for poison.

"So keep it well. Don't even think about taking it off."

A bitter smile touched my lips as I silently slipped the ring onto my finger.

When I looked up, I caught a flash of silver. Theodore was wearing a ring bearing the same clover motif.

I worked at the Vitali Group, where everyone knew I was the special assistant to its CEO, Theodore Vitali.

To them, my job looked enviable. I managed his daily schedule and earned an annual salary of 300,000 dollars.

Senior employees resented it, while newer employees could not understand why I was paid so much.

*****

That afternoon, after leaving Theodore's office, I came across a group of interns gathered near the cafeteria.

The young woman at the center of the group had a curvy figure, flawless makeup, and a calculating gleam in her eyes.

She was trouble. I could tell immediately.

Her gaze landed on my Chanel suit and handbag, and she quickly put on a sugary smile. She walked over and leaned into my personal space as though we were old friends.

"You must be Mr. Vitali's personal assistant, right?"

I gave her a curt nod.

"I'm Annalise Milos. I only started recently. It's so nice to meet you!"

I nodded again.

I had no interest in responding to someone whose enthusiasm was so obviously fake.

Her gaze shifted to my ring and remained there for several seconds.

"Julia, that clover ring is a new Van Cleef & Arpels design, isn't it? I'm guessing, Mr. Vitali gave it to you?"

I nodded briefly. "Is there anything else?"

An intern beside her said with a smirk, "It's much more than just a ring. I heard she keeps receiving luxury gifts. And she earns 300,000 dollars a year."

Annalise's eyes lit up.

"300,000? Just for managing a calendar and having dinner with the boss? Isn't she brazen?"

The other interns snickered.

One of them added, "She's the one who personally 'takes care of' Mr. Vitali. Do you really think she works as hard as the rest of us?"

Annalise turned toward me, her gaze sharp.

"Julia, you heard them. Is that really all you do every day?"

I kept my voice even. "I manage his schedule, attend business dinners with him, and drink in his place when necessary. The workload isn't particularly heavy."

I left out the part about taking bullets and risking my life for him in assassination attempts.

"That's it?" Annalise nearly laughed. "So basically, anyone off the street could do your job."

I said nothing.

The intern beside her added, "Don't be too hard on her, Annalise. Flattering the boss is a skill too."

A faint smile touched my lips. "Anything else? If not, I'm going back to the office."

"Let's go together."

Annalise and the other interns followed me all the way back.

Once inside, Annalise looked me up and down, taking in my Chanel suit and the expensive ring on my finger. Then she let out a cold laugh.

"Julia, for someone who earns that much, you're awfully cold toward everyone. I'm not judging. I just think a position this good would benefit everyone if it went to someone more talented and capable. Don't you agree?"

She straightened her shoulders, making it obvious that she considered herself the perfect candidate.

"Don't get it wrong, Julia. I'm only saying this for your own good.

"You earn such an enormous salary, but you never seem happy, and you never do anything for the rest of the staff.

"If it were me, I'd make sure the entire company knew how grateful I was to the boss and that every cent the company paid me was well spent.

"For example, I'd buy coffee for the entire office and bring everyone afternoon snacks."

With every word, she mocked me while shamelessly flattering everyone around her.

The nearby employees began whispering.

"Annalise may only be an intern, but she has a point."

"Exactly. Julia earns 300,000 dollars a year and never treats us to anything."

"If an intern is genuinely talented, why shouldn't she compete for the position?"

Annalise's smirk widened when she heard them.

She leaned closer and lowered her voice, though it remained loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Don't worry, Julia. If I ever get your job, I'll take good care of everyone. Coffee, afternoon snacks, end-of-month parties. I'll pay for all of it."

She straightened up, lifted her chin, and gave me another saccharine smile.

I stared at her. I felt no anger, hurt, or resentment.

I had only one thought.

'Perfect!'

This intern genuinely intended to take my position.

Finally, someone was willing to step into Theodore's gilded cage.