The following morning.

As soon as the alarm let off the first chime, Zaria slammed it off and stretched her limbs, then got up. It was different from her usual mornings when all she wanted was to slam the little purple clock onto the wall and then sleep in all day. Today, however, she was completely fired up.

She dressed up faster than usual and made her way to Preston and Fort Group, arriving at the same time as Desmond.

She tried to ignore him and go to the employees' elevator, but the man looked too handsome to be ignored. He was wearing a white suit that made him look bolder than usual, and his new hairstyle made him look so handsome that she almost gasped in awe.

Although his cologne wasn't too strong and she couldn't feel its scent from the long distance between them, she could swear that she felt it, and it made her feet light.

…

A smile of satisfaction escaped Desmond's lips when he saw the reaction of his new executive assistant. He had spent a long time deciding on his outfit for the day and even longer deciding on his hairstyle. He didn't intend to impress anyone in particular, but seeing her visibly impressed gave him immense satisfaction.

Grinning charmingly, he ran his eyes over her. She looked beautiful herself. The sapphire blue dress she was wearing accentuated her figure in ways that made him start to think of things he had never wanted to think of his employees. Paired with her beautifully made-up face and her hair that was in neat waves, he felt a movement in his pants.

"Come here." He mouthed to her, as though under a spell. At the same time, he pressed on the 'open' button of the elevator. She was still looking at him, and when she understood his instruction, she walked over.

She occupied the space beside him just as the elevator doors slid closed. "Good morning, boss."

Her greeting reminded him of his position and the fact that she was a woman he couldn't touch. However, that only made things difficult for him.

"You look beautiful." He breathed, giving her a once-over.

"Thank you." She smiled.

Fck! As soon as his eyes lay on those little white teeth when her red-lipsticked lips parted, he almost gave in to the urge to kiss her. He had to remind himself that he hated her just to restrain his impulse.

He coughed and remained silent for the rest of the elevator ride. When it finally dinged open and marked the end of his troubles, he watched the woman walk into her office in beautiful, graceful steps.

…

He had almost managed to get her out of his mind when she walked into his office.

"Your morning coffee." She placed a cup of black coffee beside his hand on his large desk.

He nodded. She had already learned how to do her job to the final detail, including when he wanted his coffee and how he wanted it.

Supporting his chin on his hand, he looked straight at her meaningfully as she stepped back." Is there anything else you would like to give me along with the coffee?"

"What?" She looked at him with slight awkwardness. Her ears were definitely playing tricks.

"I said, what will it take for you to brief me on my schedule?" He spoke again, looking slightly annoyed about being made to repeat his words.

"Of course!" She held up her tablet, which she had carried, guessing that she might need it. She took a single glance and reported, "You have a meeting with Mr. Bryce in half an hour, in the conference room on the fifteenth floor. Two hours later, you will need to undertake the interviews for a new executive assistant." She almost sounded unsure as she stated the second item on his schedule. How many executive assistants did he need? Did he think she was not good enough on her job and wanted to hire a new one so soon?

" Cancel that. Next? " He said, much to her relief. In the pause that followed, he looked into her eyes and added, "You are enough."

She knew that he was talking about an EA. But why did her heart skip a beat when he said that she was enough? Was she going insane?

"I rescheduled the following items," She spoke to retain her sanity. "Instead of meeting your lawyer at 1 pm and Mr. Yang in the evening, I thought it would be better if you met Mr. Yang over lunch and then meet your lawyer on your way home. His office is on your way, after all, so you won't have to go back and forth in different directions."

He nodded, though he was only staring at her lips and wasn't sure whether he really heard anything she was saying. It took a few seconds for his brain to process her report, and when he did, he tore his gaze away from her. "Accompany me to meet Mr. Bryce. Before that, take note of his likes and dislikes. You are in charge of pleasing him and making sure we win this deal."

She knew how important this deal was to Preston and Fort Group. Finding out people's likes and dislikes wasn't that big of a deal. After all, she had done it several times before, when she worked at F&P Media. Hence, she clicked on her tablet. "Okay."