Lily stormed into the office, balancing a coffee cup, a folder, and her tote bag while trying not to trip over her own feet.
It was only her second day, but she was already convinced that Alexander Knight's office was a war zone disguised as a corporate empire.
Deep breaths, Lily. You survived Day One. You can survive Day Two.
She marched straight to her desk, determined to be the model employee today—
—only to be ambushed by an entire swarm of employees whispering behind their hands.
Lily froze.
"…Uh. Morning?" she greeted awkwardly.
Silence.
A few nervous glances were exchanged. A stifled giggle somewhere in the back.
Then, Melissa popped out of nowhere, grabbed Lily's arm, and dragged her to the side.
"We have a problem," Melissa whispered dramatically.
Lily blinked. "Is it a fire? An earthquake? A zombie attack?"
"Worse."
Melissa's eyes darted around before she leaned in.
"Office. Gossip."
Lily stared. "…Okay, that's not worse than a zombie attack."
"It is here!" Melissa hissed. "Look, word travels fast in this building, and everyone saw you march into the CEO's office yesterday with a mysterious package."
Lily frowned. "It wasn't mysterious! It was a replacement shirt!"
Melissa held up a finger. "Yes, but they don't know that."
Lily felt a wave of panic build.
"...What do they think it was?"
Melissa's expression turned grave.
"A gift. From a secret admirer."
Lily nearly choked on air. "Are you serious?!"
Melissa nodded. "And then you left his office looking flustered."
Lily flailed her hands. "Because he's terrifying!"
"Doesn't matter. The entire finance department is now convinced you and Mr. Knight are—"
She wiggled her eyebrows.
Lily gasped. "No. No, no, no—"
"Oh, yes," Melissa sighed. "And worse, HR just put up an office betting pool on how long you'll last as his assistant."
Lily groaned. "Oh my god."
She peeked over Melissa's shoulder, catching snippets of conversation.
"…I give her three weeks, tops."
"…I say one week. Did you see her yesterday?"
"…Five bucks says she quits before lunch."
Lily wanted to sink into the floor.
--------------------
Just as she was about to protest, the elevator doors dinged open.
Alexander Knight strode in.
And suddenly—
Silence.
A wave of fear rippled through the office. Employees scattered to their desks like ants escaping a burning log.
Melissa nudged Lily. "Your boss has arrived. Good luck, soldier."
Lily muttered a curse and hurried to her desk, just as Alexander approached.
He didn't spare her a glance as he strolled past, his signature black suit crisp, his cold aura lethal.
"Meeting in ten minutes," he said, voice clipped.
Lily fumbled for her notepad. "Uh—yes! Got it!"
He didn't slow down.
Lily exhaled sharply.Okay, crisis averted.
Or so she thought.
Because the second he disappeared into his office—
The whispers started again.
--------------------
Ten minutes later, Lily found herself in the most intimidating conference room ever, surrounded by high-ranking executives, trying not to look like she had no idea what was happening.
Alexander sat at the head of the table, his expression unreadable, fingers steepled as he listened to the finance director's report.
Lily, seated beside him, scribbled notes furiously.
Numbers. Graphs. A bunch of finance-y things.
Focus, Lily. You can't afford another disaster.
She glanced at her notes.
Profit margins. Q1 revenue. Expansion projections. Something about—
Wait.
Did she just write CEO: Possibly a vampire?
Lily panicked and quickly scribbled over it.
Then—
Alexander's deep voice rumbled beside her.
"Lily."
She snapped up so fast her chair nearly tipped over.
"Y-yes?!"
Alexander arched a brow.
"What are my thoughts on the new budget proposal?"
Lily blinked.
Her mind was blank.
Her soul left her body.
The room went silent.
Everyone was watching.
Oh no. Oh no no no—
Think, Lily, THINK!
She forced a smile. "Uh... Well, sir, based on your past decisions and your brilliant strategic approach, I'd say... you probably think it's, um..."
She took a wild guess.
"Too risky?"
Alexander's gaze didn't waver.
The finance director cleared his throat. "Actually, sir, that is one of the main concerns we had—"
Alexander leaned back. "Hm."
Lily held her breath.
And then, to her absolute shock—
He nodded.
"Fair assessment," he said simply.
Lily almost passed out.
She had no clue what just happened. But she was taking it as a win.
--------------------
After the meeting, Lily rushed after Alexander as he walked toward his office.
Don't mess this up. Don't mess this up.
"Mr. Knight!" she called.
He paused but didn't turn around.
"Yes?"
Lily cleared her throat. "About that budget thing—I, uh, just wanted to make sure I'm on the right track—"
Alexander slowly turned, his piercing blue eyes locking onto her.
She felt like she was being analyzed under a microscope.
"Lily," he said coolly.
She straightened. "Yes?"
"Do you know how to read financial reports?"
Lily froze.
"...Define know."
His jaw tightened.
She winced.
"...I'll learn?" she offered weakly.
For a moment, he just stared at her.
Then—
To her absolute horror—
He smirked.
Just the tiniest, barely-there smirk.
But it was there.
Lily felt her brain short-circuit.
"Start learning," Alexander said, turning away. "Or you won't last the month."
Lily gulped.
Right.
So that's how it was.
She wasn't just surviving this job anymore.
Now?
It was war.