THE CEO’S HIDDEN SECRET

Chapter 5

JACKSON’S POV

“Let’s see how brave you are when you discover who I am.”

The words left my mouth before I could decide whether they were worth saying.

Aria West stared at me for another moment. She looked as though she had something else to say, but instead, she turned towards the door.

“Have a good day, Mr. Tierney,” she said, her voice perfectly polite.

The way she said my name made it sound like an insult.

“I’m sure I will, Miss West.”

She left without another word.

I remained beside my desk, listening to her footsteps fade down the corridor. Most people would have chosen their next words more carefully after a conversation like that. She seemed to have no such concern.

I returned to my chair and glanced at the recruitment file on my desk.

ARIA WEST.

I had met plenty of difficult people in my life.

Business partners who thought every negotiation was a battle of egos. Executives who mistook confidence for competence. Investors who believed their money gave them the right to question every decision I made.

I had learned how to deal with all of them.

Then I met a woman who nearly started an argument with me over a bottle of apple juice.

I opened the file and scanned through her qualifications. Her assessment results were better than those of several candidates who had applied for more senior positions, and her technical evaluation suggested a level of understanding I would not normally expect from someone entering at junior level.

Yet she had applied for the most basic position available in her field.

That alone would have caught my attention. Discovering that she was the same woman I had met on the plane only made the situation more interesting.

I leaned back in my chair, remembering our encounter.

It had been a long morning. I had barely slept the previous night, and the flight had been delayed before we even boarded. By the time the attendant reached our row, I wanted nothing more than to drink my juice and enjoy the remainder of the journey in peace.

Then Miss West reached for the same bottle.

I got there first.

That should have been the end of it, but she looked at me as though I had committed a personal offence. Rather than let the matter go, she made sure I understood exactly how rude she thought I was.

I had dealt with demanding clients and stubborn board members, but I had never expected to argue over a bottle of juice at thirty thousand feet.

What struck me was how little she seemed to care about making a good impression. She had challenged me on the plane, questioned my decision in the office, and made it clear that she expected to be treated fairly.

Most people were careful around me, especially when they first met me. They chose their words, watched my reactions, and thought twice before challenging my decisions.

Aria West had done none of those things.

I closed the file and glanced at the clock.

My assistant had reminded me twice about the afternoon board meeting. I had a company to run, and I couldn’t spend the day thinking about a new employee who seemed to have mistaken confidence for permission to speak to me however she liked.

Still, I had made my decision.

She would report directly to me.

If she was as capable as her assessment suggested, she would have an opportunity to prove it. And if she thought she could walk into my company and challenge me at every turn, she was about to discover that I wasn’t nearly as patient as she seemed to believe.

A knock sounded at my door.

“Come in.”

My assistant, Daniel, stepped inside with a tablet tucked under his arm.

“The conference room is ready, sir. The directors have arrived.”

“I’ll be there in five minutes.”

He nodded and left.

I took one final look at the recruitment file before placing it in the drawer. Then I collected the reports I needed for the meeting and headed out.

I had more important things to deal with than Miss West.

At least, I should have.

The board meeting began shortly afterwards and ran longer than expected, with discussions ranging from project updates to the company’s future plans. By the time we reached the final item on the agenda, I was ready to return to my office.

Just as the meeting was about to end, one of the directors raised a concern about the latest staffing arrangements.

“I noticed that the new junior systems analyst, Aria West, has been assigned to report directly to you,” he said. “Is there a particular reason for that? Surely, the head of the systems department can supervise her.”

A few of the other directors glanced at me, waiting for my response.

“Miss West has an impressive technical assessment,” I explained. “I want to evaluate her work personally.”

“Personally?” he repeated. “Is that necessary for someone at junior level?”

“It’s my decision.”

“Of course. I’m only asking because the arrangement is unusual. We have department heads and senior analysts who are more than capable of supervising new employees.”

“And they will continue to supervise the rest of the team.”

“But not Miss West?”

“No.”

The director studied me for a moment.

“Is there a particular reason you’ve chosen to make an exception for her?”

I closed the folder in front of me.

“Because I want to see what she can do. Her results justify the arrangement, and I would rather assess her abilities myself than rely entirely on someone else’s report.”

It was a perfectly reasonable explanation, and I had no intention of giving them the more personal details.

The directors exchanged brief glances.

“Very well,” Martin said at last. “As long as it doesn’t interfere with your other responsibilities.”

“It won’t.”

“Then we can move on.”

I turned to the next item on the agenda, and the meeting continued.

No one raised the matter again.

By the time we finished, I had approved the next stage of a delayed project, addressed concerns about our internal security procedures, and assigned follow-up tasks to the relevant departments.

Whatever the directors thought of my decision, the arrangement stood.

Aria West would report to me, and I would decide what happened from there.

By late afternoon, the board meeting was behind me, and I had worked through most of the reports awaiting my approval.

I was reviewing a revised project schedule when my phone rang. The head of the systems department was calling.

“Mr. Tierney, I wanted to confirm the assignments for the new analysts. Is there a particular task you’d like Miss West to begin with?”

I considered the question for a moment.

“Give her one of the outstanding technical issues at the northern facility. Something that requires proper analysis, not routine maintenance.”

“Understood. Should a senior analyst review her findings?”

“Of course. I want the work checked properly, but I want her to explain her conclusions herself.”

“I’ll arrange it.”

“Have the assignment ready for tomorrow morning.”

I ended the call and returned to my report.

There was no reason to make this personal. She had been hired to do a job, and I intended to judge her by how well she did it.

But I wouldn’t pretend her attitude hadn’t irritated me.

Aria seemed to believe that because she was willing to challenge me, I should find it refreshing. Perhaps she was accustomed to people backing down when she refused to be agreeable. Perhaps she thought a sharp tongue was enough to keep anyone from putting her in her place.

She was about to learn that it wasn’t.

I wouldn’t give her special treatment, and I wouldn’t lower my expectations to accommodate her temperament. If she questioned a decision, she had better have a sound reason. If she claimed a system was flawed, she had better be prepared to demonstrate exactly where the problem lay.

I expected competence from everyone who worked for me. Miss West would be no exception.

And if she chose to turn every disagreement into a battle, I wouldn’t be the one who backed down.

A faint smile touched my mouth as I imagined her reaction when she saw the assignment the following morning. I doubted she’d thank me for it.

Good.

For once, I was looking forward to seeing whether her confidence would survive a little pressure.

I turned back to my work, satisfied that the following day should be interesting.

Aria West wanted to prove she couldn’t be intimidated.

I intended to give her every opportunity to prove it.