Chapter 2 The New President Takes Office! It's Actually Him!
About two weeks ago, Calliope started her gig at Ascend Global Group as an assistant secretary.
The old CEO had retired due to illness a month before she joined. The new CEO hadn't shown up yet, so work was pretty slow, and Calliope found herself with a lot of free time.
Ella, her colleague, rushed over to her desk, looking all secretive and excited.
"Guess what," Ella whispered, "Our new CEO is one of the heirs of Ascend Global Group! He's 28, 6'2", and super handsome!"
"Really?" Calliope replied, raising an eyebrow.
When survival was a problem, there was no time for gossip.
Ella continued, "Yeah! But word is, Mr. Moore has a nasty temper. Makes sense, though, given he's one of the heirs."
While Ella kept spilling the tea she'd picked up from the senior staff, Calliope mentally braced herself. No matter who the new boss was, she had to stick it out.
The pay at Ascend Global's secretarial office was way better than other places, and Calliope really needed money. There were three secretaries in the office. She and Ella were assistants to the chief secretary, David Jones, and they usually helped him with trivial tasks.
The three of them stood in the CEO's office, staring at the empty desk, feeling a bit on edge.
"Calliope, Ella," David said, "The new CEO's got a bad temper. I can't take all the heat alone, so you'll need to report your work directly to him."
David was clearly trying to dodge the bullet.
Ella looked like she'd just lost all hope, but Calliope just glanced at him.
"Is this boss really that tough to deal with?" Calliope asked.
"Not just tough, he's a nightmare!" David said, taking advantage of the time before the new CEO arrived to fill them in on his reputation.
Apparently, the new CEO had been rotating through the subsidiary companies for the past two years. However, that was just the nice way to put it. He had actually been cleaning up corruption and bad practices under orders from the chairman, Aiden Moore.
Wherever he went, it was a bloodbath. Getting fired was the best-case scenario; the unlucky ones ended up in jail.
Those who got caught didn't even get a chance to end it all; they all paid for what they did.
His famous quote still echoed through the company: "No dream to get away with the law will come true under my nose."
Now it was the headquarters' turn for a cleanup. David, who'd been with the company for ten years, knew things were bad at HQ. He just hoped it wouldn't affect him.
Calliope coughed a couple of times; she must've caught a cold from the rain yesterday.
David looked concerned. "You okay? You don't look so good. Don't mess up in front of the new boss."
Just as Calliope was about to reply, the door swung open.
A man walked in, dressed in a sharp black suit, hair perfectly styled, standing about 6'2".
Calliope and Ella quickly bowed their heads. "Mr. Moore!"
David felt his career flash before his eyes. 'These two idiots!' he thought, gritting his teeth. "This isn't Mr. Moore; this is his special assistant, Robert Davis."
"What?" Calliope looked up, confused. She caught a brief smile on Robert's face before he stepped aside and made a "please" gesture. "Mr. Moore, please," Robert announced.
A moment later, an even more commanding figure strutted in.
David and Ella quickly bowed their heads again, but Calliope stood frozen, like she'd just seen a ghost.
Could someone explain why the guy she had slept with yesterday was now her boss?
Matthew's eyes landed on Calliope, and he frowned slightly.
"Mr. Moore, I'm David Jones. Here's the secretarial office's work report for the past six months. Please review it. This is Ella Garcia, and this is Calliope Bishop," David introduced them.
Matthew didn't even glance at them, heading straight to his desk. He brushed past Calliope, and that brief moment felt like an eternity to her.
Was there anything more dramatic than finding out the guy you had a one-night stand with was your new boss?
Calliope could already see herself packing up and leaving, but she couldn't afford to. Her family needed her.
Summoning her courage, Calliope bent over and respectfully said, "Mr. Moore." When she looked up, her eyes caught sight of a ring on Matthew's right hand.
It felt like someone had punched her in the gut. He was married!
Matthew casually flipped through the documents on the table, then closed them, pushed them aside, and leaned back in his chair, looking up.
Robert, ever the perceptive assistant, collected the documents and stepped back.
Everyone knew Matthew was sizing up his new team.
When his gaze landed on Calliope, he frowned slightly again.
Robert noticed and stepped forward. "Are you Calliope Bishop?"
"Yes. My name is Calliope Bishop," she replied, struggling to keep her voice steady.
Calliope was sure Matthew recognized her too.
Since the cat was out of the bag, there was no point in hiding.
She looked up and met Matthew's intense gaze. "Mr. Moore, my name is Calliope. I joined Ascend Global Group through campus recruitment two weeks ago. Although I haven't been here long, I've already familiarized myself with the secretarial office's operations. I'll do my best in the future. Please guide me!"
Calliope bent over and bowed again. It was humble, but she had no choice. She needed this job. If she got kicked out now, finding another one would be nearly impossible.
Plus, having Ascend Global Group on her resume would make other companies wary, making it even harder to find a good job.
As she bent over, Calliope felt a wave of discomfort wash over her.
Matthew was married. Even though it hadn't been her best choice last night, the fact was that they had slept together.
Seeing him now, in this context, made her feel like a homewrecker.
Today, Calliope wore a white shirt and a black, tight-fitting skirt with a slit, accentuating her curves. The shirt wasn't buttoned up to the collar, and she had a small ribbon around her neck.
As she bent over, her curves became even more pronounced. From Matthew's angle, he could see everything clearly.
In this case, her work suit failed to prevent Matthew from recalling their passionate night of yesterday.
Matthew's eyes narrowed. "You stay. Everyone else, out."