Chapter 75: Chapter Seventy Four

Athena

Lysander wasn’t thrilled about me accepting Eros’s job offer—especially after he’d explicitly told me not to. But that wasn’t my problem. The salary was more than generous, and the role was the kind of opportunity I’d been chasing for years—one I never even came close to while working under Juan Jose. This one actually meant something.

All I ever did for that walking ego trip was fetch his overpriced coffee, run mindless errands that had nothing to do with work, and buy expensive gifts for his parade of side chicks. The same side chicks Meredith was fully aware of, yet she refused to leave him over—because, well, money.

I wasn’t judging her—not really. But if I were in her shoes? I’d choose dignity over diamonds any day. If Lysander ever cheated on me, I wouldn’t hesitate to walk away.

“Will you drop me off at work?” I asked Lysander as we were getting ready to leave.

“It’s out of my way. I can’t,” he muttered, not even looking at me.

I blinked, stunned. Belmonte Group Tower was literally along the same route to his law firm. The entire reason we shared a car in the first place was because our commutes overlapped. But now that I was working for Eros, suddenly it was "out of his way"?

“That’s fine,” I said evenly. “I’ll take a taxi or something. Have a good day at work.”

He didn’t reply. No goodbye, no kiss. Just walked out the door like a sulky child who didn’t get his favorite toy.

By the time I was ready, I’d ordered a ride and locked up the house. The car arrived in under ten minutes. I walked down the driveway, climbed into the back seat, and gave the driver a small smile before we pulled away.

\~~~~~~

The elevator chimed as it reached the top floor of Belmonte Group Tower. The doors slid open to reveal a sleek, minimalist space—glass walls, polished black marble floors, and the faint scent of expensive cologne still hanging in the air.

I stepped out, the soft click of my heels echoing in the quiet hallway. My black dress was professional but fitted, elegant without trying too hard. I clutched my handbag with calm fingers, but inside, my heart was a different story—beating loud and fast, like it was trying to escape.

There was no time to settle in. I didn’t even get a moment to breathe before I heard it.

His voice cut through the silence—cool and biting.

“You’re late.”

I turned my head slowly.

Eros Belmonte stood by the window, hands tucked into his pockets, eyes fixed on the skyline of Crescent City. He wore a black three-piece pinstripe suit, paired with a crisp white shirt and a red silk tie. 

A matching pocket square peeked out from the breast pocket of his jacket, adding a touch of flair. Overhead lights danced across the glossy surface of his polished black shoes.

And his hair—don’t even get me started. The sides were buzzed low while the top was slicked back neatly, exposing his forehead and giving him that sharp, effortless elegance. 

His face was clean-shaven, highlighting a sculpted jawline and a mouth I’d, regrettably, dreamed about far more often than I cared to admit.

“It’s 7:59,” I replied evenly. “I was told to be here by eight.”

“You should’ve arrived at 7:30,” he said, finally facing me. His tone was deceptively casual, but his eyes were anything but. They were sharp, assessing. “A real assistant would’ve known that.”

I didn't blink. “A real boss would’ve communicated it.” I  replied, meeting his stare head-on. “Am I being fired on my first day?” I asked, refusing to look away.

A flicker of something—amusement, maybe—crossed his face. “No,” he said, almost to himself. “That would be far too easy.”

I walked over to my new desk just outside his office, placed my bag down, then turned back and approached him again, stopping in front of him. 

“Would you like to go over your schedule for today?”

Eros stepped forward, closing the space between us until there was barely a breath separating us. “I don’t need a secretary to recite my calendar. I need someone who knows what I want before I ask.”

I held his gaze, unfazed. “Then you’ll find I’m exactly what you’re looking for. And just so we’re clear, Boss”—I said the word with a bite to my tone—“I’m your assistant, not your secretary.”

“Are you?” His head tilted slightly, voice lowering. “Because the last time I trusted you, I ended up—”

“We’re not going down that road,” I cut in sharply, lifting my chin. “This isn’t about the past. I’m here to do my job. So unless you plan on digging up everything—”

“I might,” he said, his lips curving with a trace of wicked amusement. “Depends on how the week goes.”

I took a deliberate step back. “Then I’ll aim for perfection. For both our sakes.”

A tense silence settled between us as we locked eyes, the air charged.

“Fine,” he said at last, his tone clipped. He motioned toward the desk behind me. “Board meeting at nine. Bring the report I asked for. Cancel the lunch with Matteo Giordano—he talks too much and says too little. Move the legal briefing up by an hour. And bring coffee. Black, no sugar.”

“You forgot—three drops of honey,” I replied without missing a beat.

He paused. “You remembered.”

“I forget nothing,” I said simply.

For a moment, we just stared—an unspoken challenge hanging between us.

He finally turned away. “Let’s see how long you last.”

Five minutes to nine, I stepped into his office with a leather-bound folder in one hand and a cup of steaming coffee in the other.

Eros didn’t look up from his tablet. “I hope that’s not the same roast as yesterday.”

“It’s not,” I said, placing the cup on his desk. “I had them brew the Colombian reserve. You’ll like it.”

He glanced up, eyes sharp. “You sound confident.”

“Not confident,” I replied with a small smile. “Just right.”

He took a sip. The silence that followed was all the confirmation I needed.

“Here’s your board briefing,” I continued, setting the folder in front of him. “I highlighted the key financials and flagged the merger risks for quick reference. Also, Giordano’s lunch is canceled. He sent twelve separate apologies.”

“I’ll bet he did,” Eros murmured, flipping through the pages.

“You have three minutes before the call starts.”

He leaned back in his chair, eyes never leaving me. “You’re settling in fast.”

“I adapt,” I said with a shrug. 

After he offered me the job yesterday, I hadn’t gone home. I’d stayed late, working on the market report he had Damon send me—one he no doubt thought would trip me up. 

I reviewed, summarized, and submitted it within thirty minutes. The look on his face was worth every second of lost sleep.

He thought I wouldn’t keep up. He thought I’d crumble under pressure. But what he didn’t know was that I walked into this job with my eyes wide open—and I wasn’t backing down.

“Let’s see if you evolve,” he said with a mocking lilt.

I smiled again, meeting his gaze, my expression calm and unreadable. “Only if you can keep up.”