The next morning, Elena woke up feeling like she'd been hit by a truck. Every muscle in her body ached from chasing after Adrian King yesterday, and her brain still buzzed from trying to memorize his endless schedule.
She sat up on her narrow bed, rubbed her eyes, and muttered, "New day, new disaster waiting to happen."
Liam's picture sat on the nightstand beside her. Her little brother's goofy grin made her sigh. For you, Liam. I'll survive this, even if it kills me.
She dragged herself into the stiff maid's uniform again, tied her messy hair up, and trudged toward the main hall.
The head maid intercepted her with an unreadable expression. "Mr. King has requested you in his private office. Immediately."
Elena's stomach dropped. Already? I haven't even had breakfast yet!
---
Adrian's office inside the mansion was a blend of modern power and old money—sleek black shelves lined with books, abstract art on the walls, a massive glass window overlooking the city skyline.
And there he was, seated behind his desk in yet another suit that looked custom-made to intimidate anyone within five feet.
His gray eyes lifted from a file when she entered.
"You're late."
Elena blinked. "But it's six-thirty in the morning!"
He arched a brow. "And?"
She bit back a groan. Of course. To him, six-thirty is probably lunchtime.
Adrian gestured to a sleek silver laptop on the desk. "Your task today is simple."
Elena brightened slightly. Finally, something simple!
Then he spoke again.
"You will organize every single one of my personal files—physical and digital. By noon."
Her jaw dropped. She glanced at the mountain of folders stacked in the corner, some nearly toppling over. Then at the laptop, where dozens of tabs and documents were open, chaotic and unlabelled.
"That's… impossible!" she blurted.
Adrian leaned back, expression cool. "Then you'll fail. And you know what failure means, don't you?"
Her throat tightened. Being fired. Being homeless. Liam out of school.
She straightened her back, forcing her voice steady. "Fine. I'll do it."
His lips curved ever so slightly, as if amused by her stubbornness. "We'll see."
---
The next few hours were chaos.
Elena buried herself in piles of files, sneezing at the dust, grumbling under her breath.
"Who even keeps this much paperwork? Is he secretly running three governments on the side?"
She tried to sort by date, but then found duplicates. She tried to alphabetize, but then discovered half the folders weren't labeled.
On the laptop, things were even worse. Adrian had dozens of folders titled "Important," "New Important," and "Important Final."
At one point, she groaned loudly and slammed her forehead onto the desk. "Why, God, why?!"
Adrian, sitting calmly with a cup of coffee, barely glanced up from his newspaper. "If you're finished destroying my desk, perhaps you could continue."
Elena shot him a glare. "Do you enjoy torturing me?"
"Yes," he said without hesitation, sipping his coffee.
She almost choked. Did he just admit it?!
---
By midmorning, Elena was covered in paper cuts, her hair falling out of its bun, and her eyes glazed over from staring at the computer screen.
But she refused to quit. She thought of Liam, imagined his bright smile when she told him she'd kept the job another day. That thought kept her going.
Finally, just before noon, she stacked the last folder neatly on top of the pile.
She staggered to her feet, arms aching, and declared, "Done!"
Adrian glanced at the clock, then at the perfectly organized desk and laptop. His brows lifted slightly, the closest thing to surprise she'd ever seen from him.
"You actually finished."
Elena wiped sweat from her brow. "Told you I could do it."
For a moment, his lips twitched, as if he were fighting back a smile. But it vanished quickly. "We'll see how long that confidence lasts."
---
Just as Elena began to feel the smallest sense of triumph, Adrian stood and handed her a set of car keys.
"Your next task," he said smoothly, "is to drive me to my meeting across town. We leave now."
Elena froze. "Drive?"
"Yes."
Her face paled. "But… I don't have a license."
Silence. The kind of silence that made her want to curl into a ball and disappear.
Adrian's eyes narrowed. "You don't drive?"
"I… I can ride a bicycle really well!" she blurted, then instantly regretted it.
For the first time, Adrian King actually laughed. A low, rich sound that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.
"You're unbelievable," he said, shaking his head. Then he tossed the keys to his chauffeur. "Fine. You'll ride along. But you're still responsible for getting me to the meeting on time."
Elena blinked. "How can I be responsible if I'm not driving?!"
"That's your problem," Adrian said with a smirk.
---
The car ride was chaos.
Traffic in the city was brutal, and Adrian's meeting was across town in less than an hour. The chauffeur looked calm, but Elena was a wreck, constantly checking the clock, biting her nails, and shouting directions from the GPS.
"Left! No, right! Wait—oh no, traffic jam ahead!"
Adrian sat back, perfectly calm, flipping through documents as if he had all the time in the world.
"Relax," he said smoothly.
"Relax?!" Elena practically shrieked. "We're going to be late! Do you want me to have a heart attack?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Would that get me some peace and quiet?"
Elena gasped, scandalized. "You're evil!"
He smirked faintly. "So they say."
---
Miraculously, they arrived with five minutes to spare. Elena jumped out of the car, heart pounding, as Adrian strode past her effortlessly composed.
Inside the building, he turned back briefly. "Not completely useless, after all."
It wasn't exactly a compliment, but it felt like one coming from him. Elena allowed herself a tiny smile.
---
By evening, she thought she'd survived another day.
Until Adrian handed her a sleek, sealed envelope.
"Deliver this to the president of Hamilton Corporation," he said. "Personally. And do not let anyone else touch it."
Elena frowned. "What's in it?"
He gave her a cool look. "Do you ask your boss about confidential documents often?"
She flushed. "No, sir."
"Good. Then go."
---
Elena set off nervously, clutching the envelope like it was a bomb.
She navigated the corporate building, finally reaching the president's office. But just as she was about to knock—
A tall woman in a sharp red dress appeared, blocking her path.
"Well, well," the woman said with a sly smile. "Who do we have here? A little maid playing courier?"
Elena frowned. "Excuse me, I need to deliver this to—"
The woman's eyes narrowed at the envelope. She extended a manicured hand. "I'll take it from here."
Elena clutched it tighter. "Mr. King said I had to deliver it personally."
The woman's smile turned cold. "Do you know who I am?"
Elena blinked.
The woman leaned closer, her voice dripping with poison. "I'm Victoria Hale. Adrian's ex-fiancée."
Elena's blood ran cold.
End of Chapter Three.