Chapter 2: Heart-Pounding Orientation

Elina’s POV

March 10, 2025, Monday

Who would have thought that the person conducting my orientation would also be the CEO himself? By the time Rachel led me directly into Isaac’s office again, I was already so used to the shock that it barely fazed me.

Isaac walked out of his office and gestured for me to follow. His movements were precise and confident, as if he had done this a hundred times before.

"Now, for your first day at work, I’m going to give you a personal orientation so that you’re aware of what’s expected of you," he said, barely slowing his pace as I hurried to match his strides.

I could feel the sharp gazes of the other candidates who had spent hours waiting for a mere interview. Their eyes burned into my back, filled with disappointment, jealousy, and resentment. I swallowed the discomfort and focused on Isaac, who strode forward without sparing them a second glance.

We reached the elevator, and he stepped inside. I followed. The moment the doors slid shut, he punched a few buttons. I expected us to go up, to the executive floors, maybe, but instead, we descended.

Isaac folded his arms and looked at me with an unreadable expression. "I’m sure you have expectations about the kind of work you’ll be doing here, but let me be the first to tell you, it’s probably not what you have in mind."

My brows furrowed. "Not what I had in mind? But I applied for an accounting role. How different could it be?"

He smirked. "How different indeed?"

I pressed on. "So, what exactly will I be doing? Balancing asset sheets? Drafting financial models for each quarter? Reviewing consumer user data to make accurate forecasts based on market trends?"

Isaac chuckled, low and knowing. "Not really."

That answer did nothing to soothe my curiosity. If anything, it made it worse.

"Then what?" I demanded.

His smirk deepened as if he were enjoying my confusion. "You will be handling the core secrets of the Castro family on your own."

My eyes widened. It was my first day, and I was already stepping into the inner echelons of the Castro family office. This was beyond what I had anticipated.

The elevator slowed, and a soft ding announced our arrival. My question hung in the air as the doors slid open.

The lights flickered on, and my expectations were immediately butchered. We’re in a basement? No, not exactly a basement. More like a storage room.

I stepped out of the elevator into a massive open space packed with rows upon rows of boxes and equipment—office junk, old computer systems, stuff that looked like it hadn’t been touched in years. A thin layer of dust coated most of it, except for a few stacks of crates near the center that seemed recently disturbed. The air smelled stale, mixed with something metallic, like rust.

“This…isn’t what I was expecting…” I said slowly, weaving between the clutter.

Isaac smirked, clearly enjoying my confusion. “Patience.”

I shot him a glare, but he just walked past me toward a door at the back of the room. Unlike the rest of the storage space, this door stands out. It was sleek and metallic and looked way too new for a place like this. He placed his hand on the handle, then glanced back at me.

“Ready?”

I nodded.

With a soft click, the door swung open, revealing something that instantly sucked the breath from my lungs.

A cave.

A massive underground cavern stretched out before us. The ceiling was jagged, covered in long, sharp stalactites, while the floor was unnaturally smooth, as if polished by time or, considering what I was seeing, something far more advanced.

The walls shimmered faintly in the dim lighting, embedded with veins of some kind of reflective mineral. But that was not what had my mind short-circuiting.

Everywhere, piles upon piles of gold, stacks of silver, scattered gemstones glinting like fallen stars, treasure chests, some wide open, revealing coins and relics, others rusted shut, their contents left to time. It looked like something straight out of a fairy tale. There was a dragon’s hoard literally hidden beneath the city.

Alongside all the ancient reassurance, there was also some pretty modern stuff. Highly advanced computers line one side of the cave, their screens glowing faintly with cryptic data. A massive 3D scanner hums softly, its sleek, futuristic design entirely at odds with the ancient wealth surrounding it—unrecognizable high-tech equipment, wires snaking across the stone floor.

I took a hesitant step forward, my eyes darting between the impossible contrast of ancient treasure and cutting-edge technology.

“I’m sure you have questions,” Isaac said calmly, watching me with amusement.

I whirled on him. “Questions? I have tons of questions!” I threw my hands up. “What’s with all this gold and treasure? How did you keep all this from the public? Is the entire skyscraper built on top of a treasure-filled cave!?”

Isaac smiled, his lips parting just slightly, and I knew he was about to say something, but before he could, his watch beeped. He glanced at it, and for a split second, Icaughth a glimpse of a name flashing across the glass screen before it returned to its regular clock face.

“Damn it,” he muttered under his breath. Then, looking at me, he sighed. “Looks like your questions are going to have to wait.”

Before I could even protest, he strode over to the 3D scanner, positioned conveniently beside a pile of treasure. He pressed a few buttons on the machine, and after a short delay, it whirred to life. A series of beeps and electric hums filled the room.

“Listen closely now, this is your first lesson.” Isaac settled into the chair in front of the machine, his fingers already moving over the controls with practiced ease.

I stepped closer, watching intently as he configured the device. My mind worked to memorize every input he made, even though I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing.

“Come here,” he said, not even looking up.

I hesitated. “I’m already here.”

“Closer,” he insisted.

I took a small step forward, but before I could process anything else, Isaac reached out and pulled me toward him. It was not forceful, but the movement was so swift and smooth that I barely had time to react before I found myself positioned between his legs, my hands placed over the machine’s controls.

“Ummm…okay…” I stammered.

“Shh,” he hushed me with a slight smirk. “Now’s the interesting part.”

He picked up a gold goblet from the treasure pile and held it up. “This,” he says, waving it slightly, “Let’s start with this.”

I barely nodded, my mind still catching up with our close proximity. The warmth of his body radiated through the thin fabric of my shirt, and I forced myself to focus on the machine instead of whatever was happening right now.

With a smooth motion, he passed the goblet through the scanner’s interface. A thin green beam of light swept over the goblet, meticulously scanning its every curve and engraving. A moment later, a detailed 3D image of the goblet appeared on the monitor.

“Basically,” Isaac began, his tone switching to instructional, “what we’re doing here is assessing the value of all the items in the basement, archiving them, and establishing an electronic ledger to track any future income and expenses.”

“Got that?”

I nodded slowly, my fingers tingling from where they still rested under his hands. “Yeah, I think so.”

“Good,” he continued without missing a beat. You can reveal the 3D scan text of the artifact by pressing this button." He reached over, his large hand covering mine as he guided my finger to the panel. A flurry of information appeared on the screen, numbers and text cascading down in rapid succession.

"Then, you check the existing logs." He moved my hand again, pressing another button. More data flashed before my eyes, but my brain lagged behind, struggling to keep up.

"If you have a match, label it as such in your data entry sheet," he continued, his tone patient but firm. "Once you've got that, just record the item with a price estimate based on the gathered data. Then repeat the process for another artifact. Think you got it?"

I heard his question, but I didn’t respond immediately. My mind was too busy processing something else, the scent of him. He smelled like Cedar and oak, rich and earthy. It was alluring.

Isaac leaned in closer, his breath warmed against my ear. "Elina?"

I swore his lips grazed my skin, and a jolt of heat rushed to my face. My cheeks flushed instantly, my entire body going rigid.

"Yeah? …Yess…ahem." I cleared my throat, trying to gather my wits.

Isaac chuckled lightly. "I asked if you got it. Do you think you can handle it on your own now?"

"Um, yeah. I think," I said, my voice lacking conviction. In truth, I had already forgotten half of what he just said.

Before I could even attempt to recover, Isaac gripped my waist and lifted me effortlessly as he stood. My stomach flipped at the sudden movement, and my hands instinctively grasped his arms.

"That’s wonderful news," he remarked, his voice laced with amusement.

My entire body tensed at the sensation of his hands still lingering on my waist. Strong, firm, deliberate. I swallowed hard, hoping he didn’t notice how fast my heart was racing.

Then his watch beeped again, and he let go. The warmth of his touch vanished as he stepped back, rolling his shoulders with an annoyed sigh.

"Urgh! I’ve got to go for a meeting," he said, glancing at the time. "I hope you got all that because that’s the end of your lesson. Good day."

I blinked. Wait, what?

I shook my head, snapping out of my daze. "End of the lesson?" I echoed, staring at him retreating. "Hold on a second…Sir."

Isaac stopped just before reaching the door, turning slightly to look at me.

"For your information," I blurted out. "I’m an accountant, not a warehouse manager."

His frown deepened, his gaze sweeping over me as if assessing whether I’m serious. "And?"