The CEO'S New Secretary

Allegra sat at her new desk the next day, already working on the CEO'S schedule. It all felt like a dream. As the CEO'S secretary, her income would increase significantly and it would go a long way in catering to her mother and brother's needs.

Soon, the door opened and a man in a wheelchair entered, followed by another man in a blue shirt. She knew the man in the wheelchair was her boss.

"Good morning sir." She greeted, but the CEO went straight into his office without sparing her as much as glance. The man in the blue shirt nodded at her, but that was all.

Allegra continued working until she heard footsteps coming close to her desk. She looked up to meet Blue shirt's eyes.

"Hello. I'm Deaton, the CEO'S Personal Assistant. What's your name?" He sounded friendly enough.

"I'm Allegra O'Connell. It's my first day."

"I know." Deaton quickly said. "That's a brilliant shade of green." He complimented her green shirt.

Allegra smiled. "Thanks."

"Mr Greyworth wants to see you."

Allegra's nerves spiked. "Now?"

"No, in a few weeks." Deaton sassed. "Now, silly."

Allegra got up and smoothened her pants with her palms. She did not expect to have to face Nicholas Greyworth so early.

When she got to the entrance of his office, she knocked so gently, she feared he might not have heard her.

"Come in." He said. The CEO'S voice was deep, Allegra noticed.

He didn't look up from the documents he was studying until she had stood in front of his desk for at five minutes. That was expected from a man who got back to work two days after he woke from a coma.

Nicholas Greyworth was undeniably attractive, even as a middle aged man, with well trimmed blonde hair, a chiseled chin and a strong build. She could tell he was tall, probably 6'3 if he stood. Allegra found herself wondering what colour his eyes were.

"What's your name?" He asked, still not looking away from the documents in front of him.

"I'm Allegra O'Connell, sir."

He finally looked up. Green eyes. "What does Allegra mean?" He asked.

"Joyful and happy, I gathered." Allegra stated.

His expression was blank. "Tell me about my schedule, Allegra."

"You'll be meeting with the board from 10am till noon, after which you'll review multiple contracts and finally you have a meeting with the CFO of Sterling Holdings." Allegra summarised.

He was quiet for several seconds. "I need to see the financial reports of all our dealings with Sterling Holdings over the past six months. Let Brandon Greyworth know that he is to be in my office thirty minutes before the board meeting." He ordered.

"Okay, Mr Greyworth." Allegra nodded, then turned to leave.

"Allegra." He called, making her stop in her tracks. "Be alert."

Allegra typed until her fingers were sore. Being the CEO'S secretary was a demanding job. She had typed multiple queries, it seemed her boss liked handing them out.

When Brandon Greyworth, the CEO'S second son, came to see his father, he stopped by Allegra's desk to comment on her beauty. Allegra could tell he was not hitting on her, and appreciated his niceness.

After the meeting, a member of the board, Quinn Greyworth barged into Nicholas' office and an argument ensued. Quinn was the first woman Nicholas married and the only ex-wife out of three, who retained the family name. Quinn and her son, Jonathan ruled the company with an iron fist for months in Nicholas' absence.

Nicholas sent for Allegra after Quinn left. She hurried into his office, keeping in mind that her boss might not be in his best mood.

"Yes, Mr Greyworth?"

"Deaton's on his way here with my physiotherapist. I need you to push my meeting with Sterling Holdings back by two hours." He ordered.

Allegra knew how difficult it was to suddenly reschedule a meeting with the CFO of Sterling Holdings. "I believe I can try, but I cannot assure you that the meeting will hold today if not at the initial agreed time."

"The meeting will hold today, Allegra!" Nicholas barked at her.

"Mr Greyworth---" Allegra wanted to explain to Nicholas that ensuring that a rescheduled meeting between two busy individuals would hold was not in her power, but his personal assistant and his physiotherapist walked in.

"Good day, Mr Greyworth." A young woman, who Allegra assumed was Nicholas' physiotherapist, greeted.

"Off you go, Allegra." Nicholas ordered.

Allegra got back to her table and contacted the secretary of the CFO of Sterling Holdings. Convincing the other secretary to reschedule was difficult, but she got it done. However, the secretary informed Allegra that the Chief Financial Officer might not attend the meeting because of how suddenly it was rescheduled. Allegra thought of relaying the information to her boss, but quickly decided against it.

Later in the day, Allegra assisted Mr Greyworth with paperwork, which was easy. He did not talk much, except a few grumbles about contracts signed in his absence by his son, Jonathan. Nicholas corrected and corrected until he grew tired.

Allegra grew nervous as the day came to an end, knowing that the last activity on her boss' schedule was the meeting with the CFO of Sterling Holdings. He had put her to the task of rescheduling the meeting abruptly, and in turn, she had failed to disclose that the CFO might not show up for the said meeting.

Thirty minutes past the appointed time, Nicholas called her into his office.

Allegra walked in with shaky feet. "Yes, Mr Greyworth?"

Nicholas wore a deep frown. "Don't tell me you forgot to reschedule the meeting."

"I did not. I--I did call to reschedule the meeting." Allegra stuttered.

"The only thing I loathe more than tardiness is dishonesty." Nicholas said, irritated by Allegra's nervous stutters.

"I did not forget. Sir." Allegra said, holding her own trembling hands in front of her.

Nicholas was frustrated. "If only you had scheduled the meeting right in the first place!"

Allegra was so taken aback by his accusation, she found herself raising her voice to match his. "If only you had informed me of the appointment with your physiotherapist, sir!"

"My physiotherapist comes here every goddamned day, Allegra! Everyday!" Nicholas yelled.

"I must remind you that this is my first day as your secretary." Allegra argued. "I did not know."

"You would if you had looked through the previous schedules! Now you've got it all bungled up and you think you can blame me! This is your job, you're expected to be good at it, not useless!"

"It was a mistake on both our parts, sir." Allegra asserted. She knew she would be fired at the spot, but she would not take all the blame for his lack of communication skills.

Nicholas' scowl grew. "I'm amused by your audacity. Your services are not needed anymore, you're fir---"