My Handsome Assistant is a Hidden Billionaire

CHAPTER-03

Anna.

I sit at my little table, the soft morning light filtering through the window, warming my back, while the floor is strewn with pages from my sketchbook. After a long night, I’m still trying to nail down the design for a necklace that Mrs. Perry, a sweet old lady, wants to gift her granddaughter for her sixteenth birthday.

She suggested incorporating a little hummingbird, her granddaughter’s favorite animal. Who could blame her? With Its stunning array of iridescent greens, vibrant yellows, and deep blacks— I can see it blurring as it hovers and flits gracefully, with long wings beating rhythmically against the wind.

Frustrated, I place my forehead on the table, gently banging it against the cool, smooth surface. “Just give in brain. Help me out here.”

When nothing comes, I close my eyes and let out a loud groan. the sound painfully reverberating in my throat. Usually, taking a moment to gather my thoughts would help, but not this time. This time frustration tangles with irritation, and I slump back into the chair surrendering to the creative block weighing me down.

Is there such a thing as drawing block? Because right now. that’s exactly what it feels like.

How hard can it be to draw a hummingbird? The image should be straightforward—wings, body, beak then colors. Yet the colors are driving me mad—they don’t look good enough.

In a fit of frustration I grab my sketchbook, and hurl it against the fireplace. It lands with a loud echoing thump.

“is that a way to treat your poor book?”

My head snaps toward the doorway to see Eric standing against the doorjamb, a handsome smirk on his lips. He's wearing a fitted long-sleeve T-shirt that hugs his chest and stomach, highlighting his muscles and broad shoulders.

His smirk widens as he raises his brow. “You good?”

Snapping out of my ogling state, I reply, “Perfect, just struggling with my design.”

“Mrs. Perry’s?”

I nod, retrieving the book from the floor where its pages lie splayed. When I turn it around, I’m met with an enchanting image of a butterfly—delicate pink adorned with tiny black spots.

I drew it for a woman who wanted to memorialize her mother, who adored butterflies and cherished the color pink. She envisioned integrating both into a necklace.

After completing that piece, I was left in awe. The butterfly’s wings spread magnificently, and the sparkling pink gemstone I crafted to form its body was simply breathtaking.

He steps closer to me, and I can feel his warmth radiating from just behind me, igniting a heightened sensitivity to his presence. His hand settles gently on the small of my back, the heat from his touch seeping through the delicate fabric of my dress. I can feel his breath as he leans in to peer over my shoulder at the book sprawled out in front of us.

“You're missing its tail and the colours don’t pop.” Taking the pencil from my hand, he begins to sketch. “See where it's just black and pink, add some blues, purples, and greens.”

I watch in awe—he can f*****g draw. It may be his looks that make women swoon, but goddamn, put a man in front of me who can draw, and I turn to mush.

When he moves and I see the image before me, I sigh and relax into the chair. I’ve been working on this all night, and it takes this handsome son of a b***h only a few minutes to get it perfect.

“Eric.”

Our eyes lock. “Yes.”

“You just saved my ass.”

He moves away to step into my kitchen. “Saved your ass, huh?” I can hear the amusement in his tone.

“Do you know how long I’ve been on this stupid thing? I was all in my head thinking I had it wrong when all it needed was this.”

He comes back out with two bottles of water, leaning against the side of my table. He screws off the lid and hands it to me, then follows suit. “You know,” he says in a teasing tone, “if you keep needing my help, I’m gonna have to ask for payment.”

“Oh, really?” I say with a laugh. “One little bit of sketching, and you think you're Picasso?”

He leans forward, his face inches from mine. “Good artists copy, great artists steal, and you, Anna, are stealing my artistic creation.” He winks at me, and my heart begins to pound trying to escape out of my chest

Moving away, he smirks then places my hair behind my ear. Butterflies suddenly erupt in my stomach. Something that shouldn’t be happened Especially because he's my employee.

Clearing my throat, I say, “We better get going.”

He nods, gesturing for me to go ahead. As I do, I’m all too aware of his footsteps trailing behind me.

Later, as I sit behind my desk , I hear, “Anna.”

I look up to see Eric in the doorway. “The shipment you wanted was delayed.”

I raise a brow. “Was?”

“It will be here in an hour,” he says, looking down at the tablet in his hand. “Also, the package for Mrs. Ambrose was delivered about an hour ago. She called to say thank you and that she loves the pendant. Mr. Jones called as well; he has a problem with the clasp on his wife’s bracelet, so I booked him in for 2 pm today. Your father left a voicemail.”

He finally looks up at me. “What did he want?” I ask.

“He just said he needed to speak to you; it sounded urgent.”

“I’ll get around to it,” I reply, biting the pencil in my mouth.

Right now, I'm not in a rush to call him. I have a lot to do, and I need to focus on work. Besides, if it was so urgent, he would be calling nonstop.

“Anything else?”

“The display case is cracked. When Sarah closed the lid, it slipped from her fingers and slammed down onto the metal bar.”

Leaning my head back, I groan. “Call Graham. He’ll come out and sort it.”

“Got it.”

True to his word, the gemstones I ordered, along with the gold and silver, arrive on time. When lunchtime arrives, I’m surprised to see him walk into my office with two spicy chicken wraps. The delightful aroma of crispy chicken, zesty chili, and creamy mayo fills the air, making my stomach rumble in anticipation.

“How do you like it here so far?” I ask, taking a bite.

“I’m not sure,” he says, his eyes avoiding mine.

“Am I that bad of a boss?”

He shrugs, his gaze fixing on the painting hanging on my wall.

“You’re joking, right?”

His eyes finally meet mine; whatever he sees on my face makes him chuckle. “I’m definitely joking, Anna. Don’t worry, I’m just busting your balls,” he leans back in the chair, “that’s if you had any.” He squints at me. “You don’t, do you?”

I shake my head. “What is wrong with you?”

He just smirks at me as he takes a bite of his sandwich. “It’s good to have a sense of humor during the workday.”

“You’re not wrong there.”

He eats faster than I do, so when he finishes, he stands up. “By the way, you have a meeting in an hour.”

I blow out a breath as he steps out of the office, closing the door behind him.

“I believe we should get some new models onto the website,” Terry says, making Jessica look at him in disbelief.

“We just got some new models; why would we need to change them again?”

These two never get along, whether we’re at a venue or in the workplace. They always clash. “All right, calm down, both of you,” I say, turning to Terry. “She’s right; these models are already fresh faces. We don’t need to hire more.”

“But look at some of them,” he replies, scrolling through the images and stopping on one woman who has her hand against her face, her eyes looking upward as if she’s daydreaming about something—a beautiful princess-cut ring on her finger.

“She looks… how can I put it nicely… dull.”

“You’re such an ass, Terry,” Jessica says, huffing and leaning back in her chair with her arms crossed over her chest.

“She doesn’t look dull; she looks like she’s just been asked a question she said yes to, and now she’s thinking about the big dream wedding she always wanted.”

He shakes his head at me. I trust Terry and Jessica; that’s the reason I hired them. But sometimes his opinion really irritates me, especially the way he talks about people. “I don’t get that from this image.”

We’re supposed to be here figuring out how to get rid of some leftover stock from last year, but at this rate, it’s not going to happen. For the next hour, I listen to them argue before I’ve had enough. “All right, I already have a lot to do, and I don’t have time for this. Go home or whatever it is you need to do; we’ll revisit this another time.”

As Jessica stands, I hear her mumble, “Yeah, maybe without this asshat.”

While I focus on adding details to one of the wing pieces of the necklace, I hear him call out, “Miss Petrova.”

I look up from my work. “Yes?”

“It’s 9 PM.”

Putting my tools down, I arch my back, noticing he watches the movement, his eyes lingering on my chest as it pushes out, stretching my arms above my head as I yawn. “Thank you for letting me know.”

His gaze returns to mine. “I don’t want to get a call in the middle of the night because your locked inside the mall and can’t get out.”

I laugh. “It wouldn’t be the first time Mary had to call the cops, only for them to tell me to find an emergency phone inside the mall. I didn’t get out until 4:30 in the morning. Glad it was a Friday.”

He chuckles as he grabs my coat from the back of the door. “Why can I see you at the doors banging on the glass, screaming for someone to let you out?”

As he holds my coat, helping me slip my arms in and adjusting the collar, he then pulls my hair out of the fabric, leaving a trail of goosebumps on the back of my neck as his knuckles brush my bare skin.

With a shiver, I look over my shoulder at him, my tone low. “I mean, you’re not far from the truth. I nearly had a heart attack when I came out of Petrova and saw all the lights off. I’ll never told Mary to leave me alone again.”

He leans his head back and laughs, and I can't help but stare—there goes that flutter in my stomach again. “I’m glad you find my trauma funny. Whenever it’s dark in here, I almost die from anxiety.”

His laugh is like angel singing in my ears. With a wide smile, I open the door. “Come on, Mr. Giggles. I want to go home.”

“Sorry, I could just see the image so clearly in my mind.”

Even though he’s only worked for me a couple of days, we get along really well. I’m glad I had the idea to hire a new assistant. I didn’t want one who called me Miss Petrova all the time. I’m so used to Mary, with her witty attitude. I’m glad Eric is the same, only he mixes in charm.

“how did you manage to get the shipment for today”

As he holds yet another door for me, he replies, “I just said you needed it right away for an important client.”

“I’m surprised they even agreed. That company is hard to negotiate with.”

“A little flirting doesn’t hurt to get what you want, Anna,” he winks.

I look at him in horror. “You were flirting with my vendor.”

He chuckles. “You should see your face. Of course, I didn’t.”

I shake my head as I lock up and close the shutters for the night. As we head outside, we’re greeted with tiny little stars in the night sky and the moon casting a soft glow. As We walk to our cars in the almost-empty parking lot. I expect him to go to his car, but instead, he stays by my side as I approach mine.

“You can head to your car.”

“Not until I know you’re safe inside your own. It’s dark out.”

I’ve made this trip so many times, but his concern makes my heart flutter. “Thank you,” I manage to say.

I grab my keys from my bag, press the button to unlock my car, and as I climb inside, he waits for me to roll down the window. As I do, he leans in. “Send me a text letting me know you got home okay.”

“Eric, I’m a big girl. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

His brow furrows as his eyes burn into mine. “Please.”

I end up giving in. “Fine. Now go home. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

It’s not until I start my car that he turns, slips his hands into his pockets, and walks over to his own. When my I notice what kind of car it is mouth hangs open—a black Lexus LFA.