Chapter 78 FIRST DAY AT WORK
Eli's POV
My first day at work starts with Ms. Carter smiling at me like we’ve been friends for years.
The moment we leave Julian’s office, she relaxes a little and lets out a quiet breath.
“Alright,” she says, turning to me. “Let’s survive this together.”
I chuckle.
She leads me down a hallway filled with glass offices and busy employees typing, walking, talking, and carrying files around.
I can feel eyes on me.
People whisper when I pass.
Some try to act normal but fail terribly.
I guess word travels fast in this building.
We finally reach a large desk area.
Ms. Carter sits down in her chair and gestures to the empty chair beside her.
“Training camp,” she says. “Your temporary seat.”
I sit down.
“This is nice,” I say honestly.
She laughs softly.
“Oh, honey, wait until you start dealing with deadlines.”
She leans closer to me, resting her elbow on the desk.
“So,” she says with a curious smile. “How does it feel?”
“How does what feel?” I ask.
She widens her eyes dramatically.
“Being married to Julian Thorne.”
I blink.
“Well… normal?”
She laughs loudly.
“Normal? You married the notorious billionaire businessman that headlines swoon over. It must be such an ego boost.”
I chuckle.
“Well,” I reply, “how is it working for the said notorious billionaire businessman?”
Ms. Carter immediately groans and leans back in her chair.
“Oh, it is the leading cause of anxiety and panic attacks in this company.”
I laugh.
“Really?”
“Oh yes,” she says seriously. “He’s very strict and hard to please.”
I sigh dramatically.
“Wow. Seems I’m in for a wild anxious ride.”
She waves her hand dismissively.
“You’re married to him,” she says. “You get special favors and pardons.”
I tilt my head.
“You think?”
She nods with confidence.
“Definitely.”
Then she straightens up and taps the desk.
“Alright. Let’s start with the basics.”
She opens a folder.
“Rule number one,” she says. “Mr. Thorne’s coffee.”
I immediately sit straighter.
“He drinks black coffee,” she explains. “No sugar. No milk. Strong. Very strong.”
“Got it,” I say.
“Rule number two,” she continues. “Documents must be formatted exactly the way he likes.”
She pulls a file and shows me.
“Title here. Dates here. Summaries here. If you mix the order, he will notice.”
“He sounds scary,” I mutter.
Ms. Carter smiles.
“He is.”
She continues explaining.
“What order to arrange paperwork.”
“How to send reports.”
“How to organize his schedule.”
“How to prioritize urgent documents.
After a while I shake my head slightly.
“He sure is very strict.”
Ms. Carter laughs.
“You have no idea.”
Then she pulls another chair closer to her desk.
“You’ll sit here with me during training,” she says. “Once you finish training, you’ll get your own desk.”
I nod.
“That makes sense.”
For the next few hours, I mostly watch her work.
She types fast.
Answers calls.
Sorts files.
Schedules meetings.
I ask questions every few minutes.
“What does this file mean?”
“Why do we send this report?”
“Why does that department need approval?”
She answers everything patiently.
Not once does she look annoyed.
Around mid-morning she glances at the clock.
“Oh,” she says. “Coffee time.”
She stands up.
“Come with me.”
We walk to the office kitchen. It’s large and bright.
Several employees are already there making drinks.
Ms. Carter moves straight to the coffee machine.
“Watch carefully,” she says.
She prepares the coffee step by step.
Strong black coffee.
Just like she said.
Then she hands the cup to me.
“Your turn.”
My eyes widen.
“You want me to deliver it?”
“You’re his preferred secretary,” she says with a grin. “You bring the coffee.”
I swallow. “Preferred?”
“Yes, he discussed your role last week and honestly, it fits personal assistant more than secretary.”
I rolled my eyes.
Alright.
I walk back to Julian’s office.
My heart beats a little faster.
When I open the door, I see something I don’t like.
Lovia.
She’s sitting across from Julian.
Flipping through paperwork like she owns the place.
I walk to the desk quietly and place the cup down.
“Here’s your coffee, Sir.”
Julian glances at me briefly.
But before he can speak—
Lovia talks.
“Get me one too,” she says. “I’m thirsty.”
I blink.
She continues talking immediately.
“I want it with a little milk, half a spoon of sugar, slightly warm, not too hot, and—”
My brain completely stops listening halfway through.
I stare at her.
Then I say honestly,
“I wasn’t following. Could you repeat that?”
She raises one eyebrow.
“Not so competent of you.”
Then she repeats the instructions.
Slowly.
I try to listen this time.
But by the time she finishes—
My brain has already forgotten half of it again.
I turn to leave.
“And I’ll like a cookie with it,” she adds.
Of course she does.
I walk back to the kitchen and find Ms. Carter.
“Julian’s guest wants a coffee with milk and sugar and whatnot. Can you make it?” I whisper.
She laughs.
“You forgot the instructions?”
“Yes.”
“And the cookie?”
“Apparently that too.”
She opens a cabinet and pulls out a box.
“Yes, we have cookies.”
While she prepares the coffee, she glances at me.
“Lovia Devon can be difficult to deal with.”
“You know her?” I ask.
Ms. Carter looks surprised.
“Who doesn’t?”
I shrug.
“She’s a Devon,” Ms. Carter says. “The very famous princess of the Devons.”
“Oh.”
“She previously worked on some projects with our marketing team,” she continues. “Her father even has shares in the company.”
My mouth slowly opens.
“Oh.”
Ms. Carter finishes the coffee and hands it to me along with the cookie box.
“But she’s got nothing on you,” she says with a wink. “You’re Eli Thorne. Julian’s husband.”
I freeze slightly.
Eli Thorne.
The words echo in my head.
I walk back toward the office quietly.
Under my breath, I mutter,
“Wow. Eli Thorne. What a pretty lie.”
When I enter the office again, Lovia takes the coffee without thanking me.
She takes the cookies too.
“Finally,” she says.
I nod politely.
Then I leave before she can say anything else.
Julian doesn’t stop me. He doesn’t even speak to me.
And strangely… I don’t mind.
Here, he’s my boss.
Not my husband.
The rest of the workday goes smoothly.
Ms. Carter keeps teaching me things.
We organize schedules.
Prepare documents.
Send emails.
At lunch time, we sit together in the staff cafeteria.
She tells me funny stories about employees messing up reports.
I tell her how nervous I was this morning.
By the time lunch ends, I feel comfortable.
Not scared or anxious. Just… normal.
Finally the workday ends.
Employees begin leaving.
Ms. Carter shuts down her computer.
“Well,” she says with a smile. “You survived day one.”
“I did,” I say proudly.
“See you tomorrow, Eli.”
“See you tomorrow.”
I walk toward Julian’s office.
When I enter, Julian looks up from his computer.
His eyes go straight to the clock on the wall.
Then to his wristwatch.
He stands up.
Lovia stands up too.
The three of us walk out of the office together.
I suddenly realize something.
I don’t know where to walk.
Should I walk in front?
Behind?
Beside him?
I hesitate awkwardly.
Julian notices immediately.
Without saying anything, he reaches over and takes my hand.
Problem solved.
We take the elevator down.
When we reach the parking lot, Lovia’s driver rushes over.
He opens her car door, bows, takes her bag and places it inside the car.
She turns to Julian before getting in.
“Alright Julian,” she says with a sweet smile. “See you later tonight.”
Julian gives a small nod.
She smiles again and gets into her car.
It drives away.
Julian’s driver opens our car door.
Julian lets me enter first. Then he sits beside me.
The car starts moving.
For a m
oment I stay quiet.
But curiosity wins.
“Are you going somewhere later tonight?” I ask.
“Yes,” Julian replies.
“With her?”
“Not with her,” he says calmly. “But to her father’s house.”
I frown slightly.
“Why?”
“Mr. Devon is hosting a party to celebrate his retirement.”
“Oh,” I say.
That makes sense.
I nod slowly.
“Okay.”
Then Julian adds calmly,
“And you’re coming with me.”
I stare at him.
“What?”