IN LOVE WITH MY BEAUTIFUL SECRETARY

--- EPISODE 1: The Interview That Changed Everything Word Count: ~2,000 6:47 a.m. – Summer’s Apartment, New York City The alarm blared for the fifth time, a shrill noise that sliced through the hazy remnants of a dream. Summer Brenda groaned, flinging her arm out to silence it. Her fingers met the empty space beside the clock. Wait. What time is it? She bolted upright, golden brown curls cascading around her face as her eyes flickered to the time. "6:47?! No, no, no!" The interview was at 8 a.m. sharp—not that she needed reminding. She'd been rehearsing for a week. The Morreti Empire was one of the most powerful conglomerates in New York, and she was one of thirty candidates vying to become the CEO’s secretary. One shot. One chance. She scrambled out of bed, brushing her teeth while simultaneously trying to zip up her dress. Her heel snapped as she rushed to the closet. "Of course. Of course, today," she muttered. Ten minutes later, dressed in a light-blue blouse and high-waisted navy skirt that flattered her curves, she was out the door—heels mismatched but feet flying. --- 7:51 a.m. – Morreti Tower Entrance Anthony Morreti’s car cruised silently through the city, the purr of the engine as sleek as the man inside. Tall, impeccably dressed in a black tailored suit, Anthony was scanning the day’s calendar on his tablet, his face as unreadable as ever. "Mr. Morreti, we’ll be at the tower in five," said Alex, his driver. Anthony didn’t respond, eyes still focused. His schedule was, as always, packed: executive meeting at nine, board presentation at noon, and—unfortunately—another interview round for the secretary position. His last one quit over a spelling error. He hated incompetence. Especially in his personal office. Alex slowed at the intersection just outside Morreti Tower. And that’s when it happened. A blur of blue darted into the street. Anthony barely looked up before the car screeched to a halt. Thud. The front bumper lightly tapped the woman’s thigh as she stumbled and fell—papers flying like confetti. “What the hell?” Anthony stepped out of the car, jaw tight, annoyance flaring. And then he saw her. --- 7:58 a.m. – Sidewalk in Front of Morreti Tower Summer sat stunned on the pavement, a stack of now-crumpled resumes clutched to her chest. Her knee throbbed. Her pride hurt more. She looked up—directly into the most devastatingly handsome face she’d ever seen. Tall. Strong jawline. Raven-black hair. And those eyes—icy blue, narrowed with irritation. “You ran into the street,” he snapped. “I was late,” she blurted. “I mean—I'm sorry! I didn’t see—oh God.” She bit her lower lip, heart racing. Anthony’s eyes flicked to the gesture. Something in his expression shifted—but it was gone in a blink. “You're lucky I stopped in time,” he said curtly, straightening. Summer scrambled to her feet. “I'm so sorry. I—I have an interview. At Morreti.” He raised a brow. “Do you.” She nodded, cheeks burning. He said nothing, turned back toward the building. She noticed how everyone stepped out of his way—staff, guards, even the doorman. Wait… no. Her heart sank. That was him. Anthony Morreti. The CEO. The man she’d just nearly died in front of. Or worse—made a fool of herself in front of. --- 8:11 a.m. – Morreti Tower, 49th Floor Summer’s name was the last on the list. She sat on a velvet-lined bench beside other hopefuls, all perfectly poised and whispering horror stories. “I heard he fired his last secretary for mixing up a meeting time by three minutes,” one murmured. “He’s a perfectionist. A control freak. No sense of humor,” another added. Summer swallowed hard. Her lip found its way between her teeth again. Across the room, a tall blonde with flawless makeup narrowed her eyes at Summer. Vivian. She strutted like she already owned the job. Rumor was she’d been trying to win Anthony's attention for years—and hated anyone who got too close. Summer clutched her folder tighter. --- 8:47 a.m. – Anthony’s Office The moment Summer stepped into the room, Anthony looked up from his desk, and their eyes locked again. He knew it was her. The nervous girl from the street. She’d cleaned up—her posture was polished, her eyes bright, if still a bit panicked. She smiled, tentative. “Good morning, Mr. Morreti.” He said nothing. Only gestured for her to sit. She obeyed quickly, hands fidgeting in her lap. He leaned back in his chair. “Summer Brenda.” “Yes.” “Graduated summa c*m laude. Majored in business communication. Fluent in French and Mandarin. Interned at Delacroix Inc. Not bad.” She tried not to smile. “Thank you.” He studied her. “Why apply for a secretarial role?” She hesitated. “Because I want to learn. I want to grow around the best. I’m a good assistant—but I’m an even better learner. And I admire what you’ve built here.” She bit her lip again. Anthony’s jaw clenched. “Are you always this… late?” Her face flushed. “No. Today was—unusual.” He didn’t smile, but his voice softened slightly. “You seem nervous.” She nodded. “A little.” He leaned forward, elbows on his desk. “Good. That means you care.” --- 9:03 a.m. – Lobby Elevator Vivian spotted Summer stepping out of the executive elevator and marched toward her. “Well? How’d you do?” she asked with faux sweetness. Summer blinked. “I… I think it went okay.” Vivian smiled like a shark. “Anthony Morreti doesn’t do ‘okay.’ He does excellence. Which means—you're out of your league.” Summer didn’t respond. Just offered a polite smile and walked away. But Vivian’s eyes followed her like a predator. --- Later That Day – Morreti’s Private Office Anthony stood by the window, looking out over the skyline, arms folded. His assistant approached with a tablet. “Sir, we’ve narrowed down the top three candidates. Shall I schedule second interviews?” Anthony glanced at the names. He tapped one. “Cancel the others. Hire her.” His assistant blinked. “Sir? You mean… Summer Brenda?” He nodded once. “But, sir, she has no prior experience as an executive secretary.” Anthony turned slowly, expression unreadable. “She’ll learn.” --- END OF EPISODE 1 To be continued… ---