Chapter 1 Chapter 1
Merri jolted awake and glanced at the wall clock. Her eyes widened in horror when she saw what time it was.
“Shit! It's already six a.m! I overslept and didn't notice my alarm!” she exclaimed, almost in tears.
She had stayed awake until three a.m. the previous night to finish the papers her heartless boss had assigned her.
“Speaking of the devil, damn! He’s bombarding my phone with calls!” she whispered in disbelief as she checked her phone.
Suddenly, the phone rang again, startling her to the point where she almost dropped it. Luckily, she managed to hold on. With urgency, she pressed the answer button before her boss could turn into a dragon and swallow her.
“WHERE THE HECK ARE YOU? I'VE BEEN CALLING YOU HUNDREDS OF TIMES! BUT YOU DIDN'T BOTHER TO ANSWER! TELL ME, MERRI, DO YOU STILL WANT YOUR JOB, HUH?”
Merri's eyes widened at her boss's furious voice. It seemed she had provoked him once again. He was always angry with her. She couldn’t believe she had survived working under him for a whole year. Her boss, Evan Alexander Virkins, was strict, meticulous, and heartless. No secretary could handle his temper, which was why no one else ever lasted. Only she did.
As if she wanted to stay. She just needed money to pay her bills, so she had no choice but to put up with her tyrannical boss.
“MERRI? WHAT THE HECK! ARE YOU STILL THERE?”
She took a deep breath. “I'm here, boss. I'm sorry for not answering your call; I'm on my way to the office. What can I do for you?”
“Buy me a cup of coffee and move faster! You know how much I hate wasting time!”
Before she could respond, he had already hung up. She rolled her eyes.
“Ugh! If I could find a new company with better benefits, I would probably resign! This man is a psycho! Working under him is driving me crazy,” she said as she marched toward the bathroom. After a quick shower, she searched for something to wear, only to discover her cabinet was empty.
“Oh dear, I forgot to take my laundry to the shop! How can I possibly do that when he demands I work all weekend?” she said, sitting down on the floor. Then her eyes fell on a box her best friend Irene had given her last week as a birthday gift.
Curious, she opened it to find office attire inside. However, she didn’t like it. She doesn’t wear skirts or blouses with coats—she preferred long skirts paired with long sleeves.
She blinked when her phone rang and vibrated.
“Merri, where the heck are you? It's been thirty minutes, but I don’t see you here!”
It was another message from her boss. She closed her eyes tightly, gripping her phone.
“Oh dear, it seems I don’t have any choice but to wear this,” she sighed, looking at the office attire her friend had given her.
Merri bit her lower lip before lifting her hand to knock on her boss's door. She knew she would definitely receive a stern scolding for being late, even by just a few minutes.
“We can do this,” she whispered to herself before entering and forcing a smile.
“Good morning, sir—”
“You're late,” her boss, Evan, cut her off. His words were as sharp as knives.
“I'm sorry, sir—”
“Enough with the excuses. Let’s get down to business. Where’s the report and my coffee?”
She immediately handed him the coffee, which he accepted, but frowned after tasting it. Merri closed her eyes tightly, bracing herself for what would happen next.
“It's cold! What were you thinking—serving me lukewarm coffee? Really?”
“Sorry, sir. I was caught in traffic—”
Evan raised his hand, cutting her off.
“Excuses again? Make me a new one. Now!”
She nearly jumped in nervousness. “Y-Yes, sir.” She quickly turned to leave his office, but before she could reach the door…
“Wait, give me the folder. That's the report I assigned you to prepare, isn't it?”
She glared at the white folder she had been carrying. Right, she had almost forgotten about it. She walked back toward him; Evan stood in front of his desk, arms crossed, scrutinizing her.
“Here, sir,” she said, handing him the folder. He took it and gestured for her to leave. Obeying, she went directly to the coffee station to prepare him a fresh cup.
As she carried the coffee on a tray, she opened the door and found him scanning the report she had prepared. He was wearing his eyeglasses, which made him look unexpectedly attractive. She immediately shook her head.
“What the heck? Why would you find this monster attractive?” her subconscious whispered.
“Of course not!”
“Merri…”
She blinked twice when she heard him call her name.
“Y-Yes, sir? Here’s your coffee—”
Evan stood up, walked toward her, and slammed the papers on the tray.
“These are useless! Completely useless! What exactly did you do last night?”
She swallowed hard. “I stayed up all night to finish this report, sir—”
“Really? Then why did you submit half-baked work? Revise everything, and I want the revised report before ten a.m. today.”
She was almost in tears upon hearing his words. Revising everything from scratch would require a lot of effort and time; there was no way she could finish it by ten a.m.
Evan glared at her for a moment, his expression darkening as he scanned her from head to toe.
“What is this?” he demanded, his voice sharp. “Why are you wearing a fitted, short skirt and a blouse that nearly exposes your breasts? Are you trying to seduce me or, worse, all the men in this company? Let me remind you, Miss Merri, you’re here to work, not to show off.”
“I thought it was appropriate—”
“It’s not. Did you do this on purpose? Changing your fashion to distract me?” Evan accused, stepping closer. She instinctively backed away until her back hit the cold wall, feeling trapped.
She shook her head, avoiding eye contact. “O-of course not. I just have no choice since I have no clean clothes left.”
“Whatever. Go revise the reports, and make sure that tomorrow you don't wear attire like this again. Otherwise, I won’t be so lenient,” Evan whispered, leaving her speechless.
Just then, a phone rang. She blinked, and Evan returned to his desk as if nothing had happened while she stared at him in disbelief. This situation felt far from normal. Was he trying to threaten her or was there something else going on?
“Why are you still standing there? Go fix the report. We have a meeting at ten thirty a.m. Make sure you submit the report by ten a.m. sharp so I can check it,” Evan commanded, his tone firm and cold.
Taking a deep breath, she replied, “Yes, sir,” and promptly left his office.