ALAS woke up early and took a shower. He put on a sharp suit that perfectly accentuated his good looks and aura. He looked incredibly masculine, enough to make any woman's jaw drop. He styled his hair with his favorite Brazilian wax and sprayed his signature perfume. Damn, he looked absolutely delicious.
He wanted to look his absolute best so he would feel confident when he saw Yna later. It was her first day at work, and he was excited to be working alongside his childhood friend.
He went straight to his office. "Lydia, are you done with the documents?" he asked, sounding formal but not overly strict or serious.
"Yes, Sir. It's on your table," Lydia replied, looking at him admiringly. "You seem different today, Sir. You look even more handsome than the past few days."
"Really? Of course. Didn't I tell you yesterday that someone new will be replacing you as my secretary while you're on leave?"
"Yes. What's so special about her? Why are you looking so fresh and extra handsome today?" Lydia teased him.
"I don't know what you're talking about. Of course, I need to look presentable."
"I hope you're finally in love, Sir," she said with a smile.
"I am not, Lydia," he denied.
"I'll just grab some coffee outside, Sir. See you later."
"Take your time."
MEANWHILE, Yna was getting dressed, clearly not in the mood. She had no choice but to accept the deal. She wore a peach-colored dress paired with high heels. She applied light makeup and styled her ash-blonde hair into soft curls.
She wasn't excited to meet her boss, but based on what she had read, he was supposedly handsome, so she wanted to see if her guessing skills were correct.
Jomari was waiting for her downstairs. "Good luck on your first day of work, Yna."
"Thanks, Dad," she replied unenthusiastically and headed straight for the door.
She drove quickly to the office. She parked her car and immediately entered the building. Holding her head high, she marched down the hallway.
Many people stared at her. They were wearing formal business attires while she was dressed semi-formally. She didn't care. She approached the front desk. "Where is Alas' office?"
"Good morning, Miss. Are you looking for Mr. Dela Merzcid?" the staff asked.
Yna rolled her eyes. Was there any difference? "Obviously, he's the same person, right?"
The staff forced a smile. "I'm sorry, Miss."
"If you were my employee, you'd already be fired. You don't even know the name of your own boss?"
"We are used to calling him by his last name. It won't happen again."
"You don't have to be sorry. By the way, where is his office?" she asked again.
"Just take the lift, it's on the 20th floor."
"Okay." Yna walked straight ahead. She scolded the staff mentally for being inefficient. She really wasn't fit to be a boss; she'd probably fire people for the smallest mistakes.
YNA knocked on the door as a sign of respect. She was stubborn, but she still had manners.
"Come in," she heard a man's voice. She turned the knob and entered. The man was sitting in his swivel chair, facing the window while talking on the phone.
"Lydia, what's the matter?" he asked, mistaking her for his secretary.
"I'm not Lydia," she said bluntly.
He turned around to see who it was.
"You—" he uttered in shock.
It was as if he had seen a ghost, but his expression quickly returned to normal. He stared intently at the woman in front of him. He could never forget that face.
She furrowed her eyebrows and pointed to herself. "Me?" She walked towards his desk.
"Why do you look so surprised? Am I ugly?" she said insultingly.
He shook his head.
"Ah—never mind. By the way, who are you?" he asked, frowning. He wanted to know her name immediately.
"It's my first day of work, so why don't you welcome me properly?" she said sarcastically.
"Really? Introduce yourself first," he said, frowning.
She rolled her eyes before speaking, her shoulders drooping and her face devoid of emotion.
"Do I really have to?"
"Of course. You are my employee, so I should know who you are, right?" he remained calm in his seat.
She felt disgusted towards him.
"Yna. That's all." She rolled her eyes again, clearly annoyed.
"Well, where is my table? What is my job position? How much is my salary?" she asked rapidly, one after another.
"Well, I'll tell you later. Introduce yourself properly first."
"Tss!" she said and rolled her eyes again. He listened to her, trying hard not to laugh.
"I am Yna Maria Cortes, the only HEIRESS of our family. We come from a well-known family. That's all," she said, raising an eyebrow. She was incredibly proud of herself.
"Okay. How about work experience?" he asked with a mischievous smile.
She was surprised and suddenly felt guilty for no reason. She couldn't explain her feelings, and her mind immediately went somewhere else entirely. OMG, Yna. Your mind is so dirty!
She grimaced. "I... I haven't."
"Well, enough of those stupid questions. Your table is over there." He pointed to a small table meant for one person. It was actually cute and colored peach. "You will be my personal secretary, starting next week since my current secretary is on leave."
"No way. I want managerial work. Being a secretary is so tiring."
He shook his head at her words. "If you don't want it, you can leave right now. I don't want to waste my time on this nonsense… But— what about your inheritance? Are you willing to lose it?" he reminded her.
She shrugged her shoulders as she remembered the agreement she signed with her father. She couldn't live without her inheritance, and it would be foolish to lose it just because of her stubbornness.
She turned back. "Well, I haven't forgotten. Okay, I will work as your secretary. But you can't control me like how others treat their secretaries. I am not cheap to be controlled by anyone."
"Well, it's up to you. If you think I can't control you, then you are wrong. No one has ever tried to control me or go against me. No one," he smirks, looking straight into Yna's eyes.
"I'm not afraid of you either. So, how much is my salary?" she asked excitedly. She intended to tease him, but she would be the one annoyed by his answer.
"Twenty thousand pesos?"
She shrugged her shoulders in dismay. That wasn't even enough for her shopping allowance. She usually spent fifty thousand or more every time she went shopping. "What? Is a secretary's salary really that cheap in your company?"
He smirked and shook his head. "That is not cheap, Yna. It's good enough for a starting salary. It can increase up to fifty thousand, plus many bonuses if you perform well at work."
"Really? But the increase will take a long time, right?" He nodded. "I can't live with that."
"Then, you can go home now." He stood up from his swivel chair to answer a call.
"Where are you going?" she asked curiously. They weren't done talking yet.
"I have an emergency meeting. So, what now? Deal?"
Again, she had no choice but to accept his offer. Were her dad and this man really conspiring against her?
"Deal." She plopped down angrily on her seat.
He walked towards her. "Here," he said, handing her a booklet.
"What's this?" she asked blankly.
"It's the company handbook. You can read all the company information here. You need to memorize it, okay?"
"Really?"
The man didn't answer anymore. He hurriedly walked out of his office.
"Handsome but arrogant. Tss!" she muttered.
She picked up the booklet and opened it. She scanned the pages and felt like going crazy. It was over fifty pages thick, and he wanted her to memorize it? Was he even thinking straight to order her to do that?