Slowly and agonizingly, Alana peeled her eyes open.

“Ugghh,” she groaned weakly. It was like every bone in her body had been hit by a sledgehammer.

“Damn, I feel so tired,” she yawned.

After some good 10 minutes, she was finally able to drag herself out of bed and into the bathroom.

She took a quick shower before picking out her dress, a simple shirt, and jeans. She tied her brown hair into an unflattering bun and made her way into the kitchen.

That was when she noticed that the front door was slightly open. Alana’s heart dropped in fear. Had the monster guy gotten inside the flat last night? Had he seen Ben as well? Ben!

Alana ran into her brother’s room and met an empty, unkempt bed. God. Where had he gone to?!

“Ben? Ben!” No answer.

“Ben!” She called again. No answer. “Oh my God!”

Alana was about to storm out of the house when the front door opened to reveal her brother. Covered in sweat.

“SERIOUSLY?! You went jogging?! And you didn’t think to inform me first?!” Alana blew up. She was so angry at him.

“Good morning, Al. I wasn’t gone for long. And I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I didn’t just want to disturb your sleep,” he replied with a smirk.

“Don’t you ever try that with me again, Benjamin Dyson. This is not your former country home where you can just walk off and not expect to be kidnapped or killed!”

“I was just across the street! Chill out!” Ben yelled at her.

“Don’t yell at me. I’m your older sister, and I am responsible for you, so I’m going to give you your last warning. Don’t do anything without taking permission from me. Now... Get into the shower and start preparing for school,” Alana stated sternly.

Without another word, Ben stormed out of the room. Alana let out a shaky breath and placed her hand on her forehead.

***

“Hello, good morning. My name is Alana Dyson, and I applied for a job here at the Heron Empire. I was told to come for a meeting after my CV was accepted,” Alana introduced herself politely to the receptionist.

The lady was a very beautiful middle-aged woman. She looked like she was married, but then Alana wouldn’t know.

“Oh, Hi, Alana. Good that you’re here! You are to be the new office assistant to Mrs. Suriya. Welcome! I’ll let her know you’ve arrived.” The woman proceeded to speak into the intercom.

After some moments, the woman turned back to Alana with a bright smile. Alana was so happy she wanted to jump, but she didn’t want to appear childish in front of this woman. Things were looking good for her! Finally!

“Her secretary just picked up the call. Apparently, Mrs. Suriya is not around yet, but you have been assigned some paperwork to do.”

“Oh....” Alana nodded confusingly.

“Don’t worry, Mrs. Suriya’s secretary will put you through. The elevator is down there, and your station is located on the third floor. On the left wing. By the way, my name is Claire Swan. It’s good to meet you.”

“And you too. Thank you, Claire,” Alana replied. She walked to the elevator and took a lift to the third floor. The company was so huge; it was a skyscraper. Alana grinned excitedly as she visualized working here permanently. That would be a blessing, and she was sure her pay would be higher.

Alana got out of the elevator and shortly located Mrs. Suriya’s office area. In front of the big office was a Chinese woman seated at a table. That was probably her secretary.

“Hi, I’m Alana Dyson. I’m... Supposed to work for uh... Mrs. Suriya Raj,” Alana introduced herself with a small smile.

The woman spared her a nonchalant glance and returned her attention to her laptop.

“Welcome to Heron Corp., Alana. Mrs. Suriya hasn’t arrived yet, but she told me to inform the person that would be taking on the role of her assistant to get ready for a meeting with the executives in an hour’s time.”

Alana’s eyes widened. A meeting? “Oh... I...”

“And while you get prepared, here is the paperwork for her weekly reports. You are to arrange and sort out every date and location accordingly. If you need to find your way through the job, there’s a manual waiting for you in your office over there.”

Alana turned to the small corner where her office was at.

“And meanwhile, you get only a one-hour break throughout the work, and you must be ready to commit some of your time, as there will be future projects to work on. That means late-night work, coming in on weekends, and sometimes traveling. You must sign in every day with your thumbprint and sign out the same way. Your personal gadgets are in your office already, your own laptop, phone, and multipurpose pen. Now, if there is nothing else... I’d like to get back to work.”

Alana raised a tiny finger up. “Um... Well... I...”

“My name is Lee Ann. Nice to meet you. We’re not going to be working together. You’re in this on your own. I’m Mrs. Suriya’s secretary, but you’re her assistant. You’re like her corporate maid,” she said, glaring at Alana through her tiny eyelids.

Alana smiled and exhaled. “Oh-kay. So...”

“Miss Dyson, go to your office now and begin your work. The earlier you finish, the better for you.” Lee Ann glared at her. Harder this time.

Alana zipped her mouth shut and went straight to her office, carrying the heavy bag of paper in her hands.

She shut the door behind her and set the papers down.

“Here goes nothing,” she muttered as she started to work.

Alana was almost done with the paperwork when the door opened.

“Dyson. Mrs. Suriya has just arrived. She’s asking to see you,” Lee Ann said before shutting the door back.

“She’s so rude!” Alana fumed. She straightened her shirt and smoothened her hair before walking out.

She took a deep breath before knocking on the door. She waited for a second before walking in.

A young, beautiful woman was seated behind the desk. Her blonde hair had a very unnatural shine to it, and her skin was very bright. She looked so flashy and expensive that Alana almost cowered into herself just by the sheer intimidation of being in front of someone so pretty.

Not that Alana wasn’t good-looking herself. Hell, she’d had plenty of admirers back at home, and she liked to think of herself as attractive. Her brown hair was naturally wavy, no matter how much she straightened it. Her skin was also bright and clear, not as bright as her boss’s. And she’d had compliments from men about her having a great body, but that was just it. Nothing special.

“Alana Dyson,” the woman stated. She probably was in her late 20s. Maybe younger.

“Hello, Ma’am,” Alana replied nervously.

“I have a meeting in the next 5 minutes with the executives. I want you to go now and secure my seat, preferably close to the Chairman’s seat, then drop my bag. You will contact me once the other directors start coming in. Alright?”

“Alright, Mrs. Suriya. Is there anything else I need to know?” Alana asked as she tried to grab everything the woman had just said.

“What you need to know is to not fuck up. At any point as you work for me. If you do, you will be fired on the spot. Am I understood?”

“Yes, Ma’am,” Alana replied with a tight smile. Mrs. Suriya was a very strict woman.

Alana left and picked up her pen and jotter, then went to the elevator. She climbed into the elevator and clicked on the button for the last floor.

She waited till the elevator landed on the last floor, the door opened slowly, and she walked out. The computer sign on the wall displayed: Luke Heron. The CEO. The owner of the company.

Alana entered and walked slowly through the hallway. It was quiet. So quiet that it was making the hair on her neck stand with nervousness. It seemed no one was on the floor.

Alana heard a sound. A faint sound from the far end of the hallway. It was like a growl from an animal.

The pen in Alana’s hand was vibrating. She recalled what had happened last night. Alana was scared, and there was no way to calm down her nerves.

She approached the room. It was a private restroom. The door was slightly ajar. Ever so slowly, she stretched her hand to the handle of the door. She put her hand on the handle, ready to open the door and reveal who or what was inside when the door was pulled open from inside.

Alana let out a loud gasp as the person ran into her, knocking her books and pen out of her hands.

“Oh!” Alana exclaimed surprisingly.

“Forgive me. I wasn’t looking,” a deep, attractively steady voice replied.

Alana found herself looking up at the stranger. Her mouth hung open in shock as she stared at the startlingly handsome man in front of her. She looked into his eyes, an impossible color of gold. The edges sparked some red. They were beautiful.

Alana was staring unashamedly at his perfect, chiseled face. He looked too good-looking to be true. His eyes were mesmerizing; his nose had a straight plane to it, and his lips. Oh, his lips.

The man was beautiful. She noted how breathtaking he looked in the three-piece fitted suit. It clung to his strong features like a second skin. His hair, which was shorter on the sides and longer in the middle, was slicked to perfection. And it made Alana wonder what it might feel like to run her hands through the silky strands.

“Um... Uh... Hi... I’m... Alana...”

Alana trailed off as she stared at his beautiful face. She couldn’t bring herself to look away. It was like she was entranced.