Chapter 1

Elena Murray

Six months.

It's taken me six months to fully recover from the car accident and to find a decent-paying job. You would think a broken arm and a herniated disc injury to the neck wouldn't take long to heal, but no, it takes months and months, to the point where your father decides to get married without inviting you.

To be honest, I am glad he didn't invite me, as it only made it easier to leave his house and find my own place to live in. The poor brute thought that I couldn't survive a day without him. Unfortunately, for him, my life seems to finally brighten up, knowing that he's no longer in it.

I know, I know, you must think I am some sort of meanie, but I am not. It's not my fault that I wonder if he used black magic when my life almost miraculously improved the day I left his house and got a job that finally lifted my butt off the minimum wage.

Yes, I finally got a good job as a personal assistant for the CEO of some big tech company called X-Etech. It's not something I dreamt of, but it's still good enough to pay my bills and get me going.

It's morning and I had decided to take an early walk to work, not like that was an option since my driver's licence got cancelled.

I find myself stalling when I near my office block as I try to look for my friend Emily Nightingale. It's usually a miracle if she's on time, since she's a party girl who knows nothing about being fashionably early.

Luckily for me, I quickly spot her half running and half jogging towards me in a beige pencil skirt and black blouse, her blonde hair in a beautiful mess around her head.

"I am on time, right?" She asks me as she nears.

"Yeap," I say as my eyes narrow down on her frazzled look, causing me to ask, "What happened to you?"

"Nothing much, just drank too many beers last night and picked up some guy and woke up naked in a stranger's house," My eyes almost bulged out at her reply, making her give me a cheapish smile before saying, "Nothing out of the ordinary."

"Are you crazy?" I whisper yell at her, " Do you know how dangerous that is?"

" Come on, Lena, live a little," Emily says while dismissing my question as we walk into the building, " You should come to the club with me some time. It will be fun. "

I look at her with narrowed eyes, my face showing nothing but my disbelief and disagreement as I blurt out, "No."

"Yes," Emily retorts back.

"No," I said, with as much finality as I could muster up.

"Yes," Emily says, sounding more stubborn than me, " We will go tomorrow evening."

Our bickering is stopped when we hear Mr. Lezio's , my boss's, loud cough from behind us, causing both of us to turn our heads simultaneously.

I will be honest, Mr. Lezio isn't a pretty man, with time having betrayed his face. He may have been good looking once with his hazel eyes and brunette hair but now, with his permanent grimace, he looks like an aged mummy who is absurdly rude and perverted.

He eyes us like a predator, skimming over our figures , first halting at Emily's legs before they make their way to my chest, causing me to curse myself for wearing a low-cut blouse.

I give Emily a look , as I uncomfortably shift on my feet, hoping for her to save us from the disgusting brute by saying something.

Luckily, she does say something, just not what I expected. "Mr. Leizo, our eyes are up here, not down there."

I'm about to choke on my own saliva when Mr. Leizo says, with a smirk, " What can I do? You two are such beautiful ladies that I can't help myself."

I am left speechless, my mouth almost hanging open at his audacity. If he weren't my boss, I would have laid a punch on his jawless face, but he is, so I'm forced to do the next best thing, "Well sir, if you continue, I don't think there will be anything for you to help yourself with."

That one statement could probably cost me my job, but I can't help but not care because no man has a right to look at any woman like that, especially in a work place.

"Miss Murray, if I were you, I would be careful about what I say next," Mr. Leizo says, his voice taking a dark turn.

"I am careful," I say, looking away from his snake-like eyes.

"Miss Murray, get my morning coffee ready and book a meeting with Mr. Sicily for next Wednesday," Mr. Leizo instructs, before turning on his heel to leave.

"And Miss Nightingale, I'd appreciate it if you stopped your tardiness. You may one day find yourself looking for a new job. " Mr. Leizo said, with a small pause before walking away.

"Dick head," Emily mumbles out, causing me to glare at her as Mr. Leizo gets out of earshot.

We make our way to the office café, Emily grumbling about Mr. Leizo, "How on Earth do you deal with him?"

"I don't," I reply, which only earns me an eye roll from her, "Just ignore him. He's an idiot anyways."

We grab two coffees from the café, one for Mr. Leizo and one for Emily's headache, before heading to our offices.

I'll be honest and say that my office is no pretty space, you see it's a bit cramped up and has no windows, which makes me question sometimes if its a shoebox or a prison cell. But it's neither, just a torture room.

Emily's about to head off into her own office, which is next to mine, when she blurts out, "Remember, we're going to the club, tomorrow evening."

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