Her voice was soft, high-pitched, full of gratitude that felt out of place in his office. Damien's frown only deepened as his patience slowly snapped but the girl did not notice anything. She only adjusted her hair shyly and smiled
"You not only saved me and sent me to the hospital" she continued, "but you gave me this incredible opportunity. When your secretary called and said you offered me a position here. I just," she pressed her hand to her chest. "I promise I will work really hard. I won't disappoint you."
He exhaled slowly, already regretting whoever approved this.
"Good, then do a good job and do not come to see me again." he asked curtly.
Her smile faltered. "Um, but sir I was told that I am your personal secretary from today onwards. they said you have given the instructions yourself."
"I have many secretaries. I do need everyone to report to me all the time. Go outside and learn the work. If you have any questions or ideas, go to Aline, she is the head secretary."
He waved a hand dismissively as if he could not bear her presence any moment longer.
Alina blinked. "O-oh. Of course! It is just…" She hesitated. "I really wanted to thank you properly first. Not many people would stop for a stranger in the street. You must be a really good person. So, if possible, I want to invite you for dinner." she bit her lips nervously looking scared of being rejected and abandoned.
Those kinds of girls with innocent expressions always evoke the desire to protect among strong men. But Damien only looked at her with annoyance.
He glanced at her then with an unreadable expression on his face "You don't know me enough to invite me for a private dinner. Do you?"
Something about the way he said it made her wilt slightly, but she still gave a small, awkward laugh. "I guess, not yet. But you are my savior." She didn't leave. Her fingers twisted together shyly in front of her, waiting for something. maybe a smile or a conversation. Maybe, foolishly, a connection but Damien didn't offer any.
He turned his back to her, walking to his seat. "I will save everyone and the time. I can not have dinner with all of them. Can i? Now, close the door when you leave."
The message was clear, she was a nuisance to him.
Diana stood for a few more seconds with her smile slowly fading. Then she nodded, murmured a quiet, "Yes, sir," and let herself out, shutting the door behind her with a soft click.
Inside, Damien sank into his leather chair, the silence immediately pressing in on him. He rubbed a hand over his jaw as his frustration mounted. He hadn't meant to offer that girl anything. Evelyn was the only woman he wanted in his office, and even she had walked away from it.
He leaned back, eyes falling on the empty seat across his desk the seat Evelyn used to fill.
Diana returned to her desk with her shoulders stiff and her lips pressed into a thin, tight line. Her eyes stung, but she refused to let tears fall. Now when it was her first day, not where everyone could see. She sat down slowly and carefully, like even her movements had become heavy with rejection. Her fingers trembled slightly as she reached for the files on her desk.
Across the room, two of the other secretaries exchanged glances. One of them, a short, sharply dressed woman named Mira, leaned closer and spoke in a hushed tone.
"Don't take it personally," she murmured in a kind voice. "The boss doesn't like girls lingering in his office. He doesn't like small talk either, especially with the new hires who did not know their boundaries. Though not many speak about it, my boss is married."
Diana blinked, forcing a small nod.
"He's very focused," another added with a sharp look, her name was Grace. She wore round glasses and always seemed to have her eyes on the cabin.
"You should not have lingered there in the first place. It is good that you have learnt your lesson soon. Next time, don't try to make a connection. Just do your job well and stay out of his way."
Diana swallowed the lump in her throat. "Thank you," she whispered, bowing her head slightly. "I will be careful."And she was.
The rest of the day, she worked like a machine. Her actions were diligent, precise, and silent. She didn't speak unless someone asked her anything. She double-checked the work she had been given and added extra notes to it. She cross-referenced information she wasn't even told to check. She even stayed back half an hour after the others left just to make sure her first submission was flawless.
Aline, the head secretary, passed by just as Diana was stacking her finalized notes and documents. She slowed, her sharp eyes scanning the pages.
"You compiled all of this today?" she asked, arching a brow. The work would have taken a week if it was given to Grace. Only Evelyn was able to finish her work with such speed.
Diana stood up quickly and nodded. "Yes, ma'am. I wasn't sure how the boss preferred his reports, so I included three formats for his convenience."
Aline let out a soft "hmm" of approval and took the file. "You are just what I wanted right now. Keep this up."
When she handed the documents to Damien's assistant, the man skimmed through them, paused, and nodded.
"Looks good," he muttered, before forwarding them directly to Damien's inbox.
Inside the office, Damien sat reviewing the submissions on his tablet when Diana's file came up. He barely looked at the name until the neat organization of the notes caught his attention. He frowned slightly, then leaned forward.
Not only had she corrected an error from a previous report no one else had noticed, but she'd included supplementary references. All while keeping it concise and professional. For some reason, Evelyn's image flashed past his eyes.
Still, he shut the tablet and tossed it onto the desk with a quiet grunt. One good report wouldn't change anything. He didn't want another distraction. He already had one woman taking up too much space in his head and Evelyn had no plans to return.
But the corner of his mouth twitched, almost imperceptibly. Maybe the girl wasn't a complete mistake.