Ethan Parker had always thought being a personal assistant to a CEO would be all spreadsheets, coffee runs, and careful scheduling. He was wrong. Very, very wrong.
From the moment he stepped into Bella Hawthorne's office—a floor-to-ceiling glass palace of marble and expensive art—he realized he was in over his head. The woman behind the desk looked like she had walked straight out of a magazine. Sharp black blazer, perfectly tailored, hair cascading like a waterfall, eyes so piercing they made him feel like every thought in his head was an open book.
And she was staring at him.
"Mr. Parker, I hope you know how demanding this job is," Bella said, her voice smooth, commanding, and just loud enough to make his knees shake. "I don't tolerate mistakes."
Ethan cleared his throat. "I… I work well under pressure." He smiled nervously.
Bella arched an eyebrow. "We'll see."
Before he could reply, his backpack strap caught on the corner of the coffee table. In slow motion, he felt it tip, heard a muffled scream of terror in his brain, and then—CRASH.
The stack of documents meant for Bella's 9 a.m. investor meeting flew into the air like confetti at a wedding. Papers scattered across the pristine office floor. One sheet landed—right on Bella's shoe.
Ethan froze.
Bella, miraculously, didn't explode. Instead, she just looked down at the paper, then at him. Her perfectly sculpted lips curved into the faintest smirk.
"Well," she said, voice calm but sharp, "I did say I don't tolerate mistakes."
Ethan groaned. "I meant… I work well under pressure, not… gravity."
Bella tilted her head, studying him like he was an interesting puzzle. "You're… something, Mr. Parker. Let's hope it's useful."
Just then, Tyler and Logan—the two guys Ethan confided in about literally everything—texted him: "First day disaster yet? Bet she's already scared of you."
Ethan almost dropped the rest of the papers again. Almost.
The day only got "better" from there.
He had to juggle Bella's overflowing calendar.
One of her assistant tablets was set to Mandarin mode—he had no idea what half the notifications meant.
A client video call went sideways because he hit the wrong button.
Through it all, Bella watched him with an unreadable expression. Not angry. Not amused. Just… evaluating.
By lunch, Ethan had learned three things:
Bella Hawthorne was terrifyingly brilliant.
He was going to have zero free time.
He was already… inexplicably intrigued by her.
And he didn't even know it yet, but she felt the same way.
As he carried her coffee (careful this time) back to her desk, he whispered to himself, "I survived day one. I can do this."
Bella looked up from her laptop, eyes locking with his. For just a second, the office world disappeared.
Then her phone rang.