His Ruthless Obsession

Chapter 6

DAISY’S POV

Emily burst out laughing so hard that a few nearby employees turned to look at us.

“That's actually one of the nicer things people call him around here.”

I slowly lifted my head from the desk. "You're joking."

"I wish I was." She replied

Great. Another reason to regret working here.

I had been working at Blackwood Corp for less than a day and I was already collecting warning signs like trophies.

Emily pulled a chair closer and sat down beside me. "Your desk is nice."

I stared at her for a moment before both of us looked at the mountain of paperwork sitting in front of me.

"You're right," I said. "The desk is beautiful. It's a shame I'll probably die on it."

Emily laughed again. At least someone was enjoying my suffering.

I opened the Henderson file and immediately regretted it. The first page was a disaster. Numbers blurred together and the financial terms looked like they were written in another language. I sighed and rubbed my tired eyes before flipping to the next few pages.

They were packed with reports, financial statements, and business terms that looked like they belonged in a different universe. By the time I reached the fifth page, my eyes were already hurting.

Emily leaned over my shoulder and scanned the documents.

“Oh, that's a lot of work,” she said, letting out a low whistle.

She pointed at a section near the middle of the file. "You can ignore some of these pages. They're old reports."

Hope immediately sparked inside me.

I looked at her, “Really?”

“Yes.”

For the first time all morning, I felt like the universe was showing me a little mercy.

Then she pointed at another section.

"But you'll need to read all of this."

My hope died instantly.

"Thank you for taking me on an emotional journey."

"You're welcome." She giggled .

I sighed and leaned back in my chair. "Tell me something. Is Mr. Blackwood always like this?"

Emily stared at me for a second before bursting into laughter again. Would this girl ever take things seriously?

"I'll take that as a yes.”

“Trust me,” she continued. “Today wasn't even bad.”

My eyebrows shot up.

“Excuse me.”

How can she say today wasn't bad when my whole life had fallen apart in it.

“Want to hear something crazy?” Emily said, tapping my shoulder gently.

I leaned forward in curiosity.

"Last month one of the managers arrived ten minutes late for a meeting."

"And?” I asked impatiently.

“Mr. Blackwood fired him before the meeting even ended.”

My mouth dropped open leaving me speechless for a second.

“You must be joking.” I said covering my mouth.

“I'm not.” Emily shot back.

That's terrifying. Darrell Blackwood was starting to sound less like a CEO and more like a highly organized nightmare.

Eventually Emily returned to her desk, leaving me alone with the Henderson file. I took a deep breath and forced myself to focus. Complaining wasn't going to help me finish the assignment.

The next few hours were painful.

I read the same paragraph four times before finally understanding it. At one point, I became convinced the document had been written specifically to ruin my day. Still, I kept going.

Slowly, things started making sense.

I grabbed a notebook and began organizing important information into categories. Once I stopped trying to memorize everything and focused on summarizing key details, the work became easier. Not easy, but easier.

For the first time since receiving the file, I felt like I might actually survive.

Then Darrell's office door opened.

The reaction across the office was immediate.

Conversations stopped and employees sat straighter.

Several people suddenly looked much busier than they had five seconds earlier.

I frowned as I watched the transformation. Was everyone really that afraid of him?

Apparently yes.

Darrell stepped out of his office wearing the same cold expression he always seemed to have. His charcoal suit looked flawless, his posture confident, and somehow he managed to make walking down a hallway look intimidating.

I quickly lowered my eyes back to my notes. I really wasn't in themood for another argument with him.

Unfortunately, that didn't save me.

A few moments later, a shadow fell across my desk. I didn't need to look up to know who it was.

I looked up.

Darrell was standing there.

His gaze moved over the papers spread across my workspace before settling on the notebook in my hands. For several seconds he remained silent, studying everything.

I hated the fact that his silence made me nervous.

Finally, he spoke.

"You're slower than I expected.”

I chuckled beneath my breath. I certainly knew he was going to say s**t.

Not compliments, not how the assignment is going.

Just an insult.

"Thank you, sir," I replied through clenched teeth.

His eyes lingered on me for a second longer, as if he knew exactly what I was thinking. Then he walked away without another word.

I stared after him in disbelief.

The moment he disappeared around the corner, I dropped my head onto the desk again.

I returned to my work and pushed through the remaining documents. By lunchtime, I had managed to organize almost half the file. It wasn't perfect, but considering the size of the assignment, I was actually proud of myself.

I was reviewing a section of notes when Emily suddenly appeared beside my desk.

I nearly jumped out of my chair.

"Why do you move like a ghost?"

She grinned. "It's a talent.”

I rolled my eyes. Talent indeed.

Emily picked up one of the pages and scanned it briefly before looking back at me.

"You're actually doing it."

I sat up a little straighter. "See? I told you I could handle it.”

Emily laughed, clearly pleased with herself. Then something in her expression changed. The teasing look faded slightly, replaced by hesitation.

I noticed it immediately.

"What?" I asked.

She glanced toward Darrell's office and shook her head. "Nothing."

I narrowed my eyes and pointed my pen at her. "No. What?”

"Actually..." She lowered her voice. "Nobody told you about the last secretary?”

The former secretary?

“What about her?” I asked leaning closer.

Emily opened her mouth, then closed it again. The hesitation alone was enough to catch my attention.

My curiosity instantly doubled. "What happened?"

She looked around carefully before leaning closer. "You know what? Never mind.”

I stared at her in disbelief.

How exactly was I supposed to forget that?

“Emily.”

She shook her head stubbornly. "Forget it, Daisy."

Now I was even more interested.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

She refused to answer. Instead, she grabbed her coffee and started backing away from my desk.

"Emily! Stop!"

She pointed a finger at me. "Trust me. You don't want to know." Then she turned around and walked away.

I sat there staring at the empty space Emily had left behind, my curiosity growing by the second.

The Henderson file suddenly seemed far less important.

Because now I only had one question.

What on earth happened to Darrell Blackwood's former secretary?