Kenzo Hayashi leaned back in his sleek leather chair, the leather cool against the silk of his suit jacket as he stared at the glittering city skyline through the floor to ceiling windows of his penthouse office.
At 28, he was the youngest CEO of Hayashi Tech, a powerhouse in Database development, but right now, his billion dollar empire felt like a distant dream. His phone buzzed again, another text from his grandmother; Family reunion this weekend. Bring a nice girl, or I'll never forgive you!
He groaned, rubbing his temples. The reunion was a yearly ordeal, filled with nosy aunts grilling him about his lonely bachelor life and competitive cousins. Last year, he'd dodged it by claiming a lastminute business trip, but this time, there was no escape. He needed a fake date, someone smart, poised, and believable to silence the endless marriage talks, Someone who wouldn't complicate things.
His focus snapped back, eyes flicked to the door as it opened. Sharon Lee, his secretary of two years, strode in with her usual efficiency, balancing a stack of files and a steaming coffee in one hand. At 25, she was a focused force, sharp bob haircut, impeccable pencil skirt, and eyes that could spot a typo from across the room. She'd turned down two promotions already, always stating she preferred the precise control of "keeping the chaos in check." Kenzo trusted her more than anyone in the company, even his own board.
"Mr. Hayashi, your 2 PM with the investors is confirmed," she said, placing the coffee on his desk. "And here's the quarterly report, flagged the projections on page 12."
He nodded automatically, but his mind had already dismissed the report and somewhere else. Why not her? She was professional, discreet, and they'd shared enough late night work sessions to know each other's stress points. There were absolutely no romantic entanglements; Sharon was all business.
"Sharon, wait." He stood, sound of his leather shoes echoing as he gestured toward the chair opposite his desk. "Sit. I need to ask you something... personal."
She paused, raising one eyebrow before smoothly sliding into the chair and crossing her legs. "Personal? That's a first. Is this about the reunion? I overheard your call with your grandmother yesterday."
Kenzo blinked, Of course she had, Sharon missed nothing. "Yeah. Look, I need a favor. A big one." he admitted, shoving his hands deep into his tailored trouser pockets as he paced toward the window. "My family's expecting me to show up with a girlfriend. It's all pressure, marriage talks, the works. I need someone to pretend for the weekend. Act like we're dating. Nothing real, just... convincing."
Sharon's lips twitched into a smirk. "And you're asking me? Your secretary? What about one of your dramatic socialite friends?"
"They'd turn it into drama. You? You're level headed, plus you know my schedule inside out, no loose ends." He turned meeting her gaze. "One weekend; dinner, small talk, fake smiles for the crowd. I'll pay you double overtime, or whatever you want, Name your price."
She leaned forward, tapping her pen on the desk as she let the silence hang, contemplating the offer. "Double overtime is certainly tempting. But what if it backfires? Office rumors, HR nightmares... what is the damage control plan?"
"It won't backfire," Kenzo insisted, letting his professional confidence wash over her. "We're both pros. The elevator pitch is simple; We've been 'secretly dating' for a month. It's simple, and keeps the family focused on us." He flashed his CEO grin. "Come on, Sharon. Help me close this family deal."
She studied him for a long moment, then sighed with a playful eye roll. "Fine. But no funny business, Mr. Hayashi. And I want that corner office view for a week when we get back."
"Deal." He extended his hand, and as they shook, a strange spark zipped up his arm. Just nerves, he told himself as he quickly rationalized, pulling his hand back. The negotiation was complete. Sharon immediately stood, gathered the files, and placed a single, sealed envelope on his desk.
"Excellent. I'll need all the personal details of your family's history and their current marital status by eight a.m. tomorrow," she said, already walking toward the door. "What's this?" Kenzo asked, picking up the unexpected envelope.
"That, Mr. Hayashi, is my true price for the weekend." She paused at the threshold, her back perfectly straight, and her voice dropped to a level he'd never heard, it was a sound of pure, quiet ambition. "And it's not a laptop or a promotion."
Before he could say another word, she was gone. Kenzo immediately tore open the seal, his professional anxiety spiking. The single sheet of paper inside was a clean and formally typed resignation letter. But it wasn't a resignation from his current secretarial position.
It was a request to be transferred immediately to Hayashi Tech's only active, and highly competitor, a company they had been trying to acquire for years. She was already planning to leave.