Chapter 2

After resting with her eyes closed for quite a while, finally calming the restlessness in her heart, Alexander cleared his mind and methodically put on his shirt, buttoning it up.

Fully dressed, Alexander walked out of the room, leaving his assistant with just one sentence: "Acquire Apex Ventures Corporation immediately and fire everyone in the subsidiary!"

Apex Ventures Corporation was a company he had planned to acquire last month. Since it was an asset restructuring, the price wasn't high.

The founder of Apex Ventures Corporation, unwilling to give up, had tried to bribe him by drugging him with an aphrodisiac. He had thrown out the woman they sent.

He just hadn't expected that this time, by accident, a little wildcat had wandered in.

Stella pretended she'd been home all night and even made a point of having breakfast with Mason.

Her body was tired and sore, but she had no choice but to go to work.

The publicity department was the most laid-back position in the entire company, even more so than security. All she needed to do was take the company's instructions or personnel schedules, make them into PowerPoints, and send them to each department's email.

She sat at her desk, yawning, about to doze off, when HR dropped a file on the corner of her desk: "I really envy you. You can even sleep. I don't know what the company hired you for!"

Stella jolted awake. Most people in the company were hostile toward her, simply because on her first day, Alexander had personally brought her in.

They all thought Stella had been parachuted in, relying on Alexander's connections.

She wanted to clear herself of the label of using backdoor connections, but in the publicity department, there really wasn't anywhere for her abilities to shine.

As HR left, Stella opened the file and perked up again.

On the paper, in black and white, it clearly stated: Stella reassigned—to the position of the CEO's secretary.

The CEO's secretary—wasn't that just making tea and pouring water for Alexander?

No way! Absolutely not!

Did Alexander know that the person who slept with him last night was her?

Just thinking about Alexander's perpetually gloomy face, Stella scared herself half to death.

Then she saw a message from Mason:

"Stella, Alexander said you're performing well at the company. I specifically asked him to arrange an important position for you. You must perform well and learn from Alexander..."

Stella scratched her head in frustration. What a great dad she had!

Didn't this just confirm the fact that she used connections and backdoor channels?

Besides, what could she possibly learn as a secretary?

Stella reluctantly went through the transfer procedures. Standing outside the CEO's office, she gave herself a thousand pep talks before finally gathering the courage to knock.

Just then, footsteps sounded behind her.

Stella suddenly felt a chill run down her back. She turned around to see Alexander's long legs stop at a moderate distance from her. His tall figure in a suit, eyes lowered, gazing at her, calm and expressionless.

"Mr. Brown."

Stella's nerves were on edge as she hurriedly bowed.

In Alexander's view, Stella, in her early twenties, seemed particularly timid, her long hair tied in a ponytail with the ends hanging at her neck.

His impression of Stella had always been of that girl sneaking around in the shadows, stealing glances at him and Mason talking. What Mason often mentioned about her was nothing more than Stella's declining grades or how much she'd spent shopping...

Since Mason had entrusted him with this, he couldn't very well refuse, so he just arranged some trivial work for her.

"Go make a cup of coffee," he said flatly, gripping the door handle and pushing the door open.

"Okay..." Stella answered in a trembling voice, not daring to look at Alexander.

Fortunately, Alexander didn't seem to remember that last night's person was her. As she gratefully slipped away, Alexander's gaze fell on the bite mark on the back of her neck.

The bite mark was surrounded by bruising, clearly left recently.

Last night's scene surfaced before his eyes like a nightmare.

The position from behind, under the drug's influence, he couldn't help himself and had bitten down on the woman's neck.

Her tearful cry of pain seemed to still echo in his ears.

"Stop."

Alexander's voice was low and deep, his gaze sharp as he scrutinized Stella, as if wanting to strip away a layer of her skin.

Stella had clearly gotten away with it, but just as she'd escaped death, Alexander's words scared her stiff again.

"Do you... Need anything else?" She was on the verge of tears, pinching the back of her hand, her heart about to leap out of her throat.

In Alexander's cold eyes, Stella's slightly childish, round face with moist eyes looked like she was about to cry from his intimidation.

The first time he'd seen Stella, she was only twelve years old.

How could it be her?

Stella was still young—she couldn't possibly be that seductive. Besides, he'd heard Stella had a boyfriend.

Alexander immediately dismissed the thought, waving his hand: "Never mind, go ahead."

No one noticed the flicker of excitement in Alexander's eyes quietly fade away.

Stella timidly walked away and, at the corner, leaned against the wall, patting her chest. That was so scary!

Whenever Alexander came to the Hall Villa, Stella would hide far away. Being looked at by him once was no different from being sent to the guillotine.

Mason always said, "Look at Alexander, young and successful, mature and steady. He's not that much older than you. Learn from Alexander more, and in the future, when I'm gone, I'm counting on you to take over the company..."

But no one could understand the sense of oppression Alexander gave Stella.

Thinking about having to live under Alexander's watchful eye from now on, Stella went to the break room to make coffee with her head hanging low, sighing one after another, her two slender eyebrows knotted together.

"Stella, busy?" A sudden voice made Stella jump again.

She'd been timid since childhood. At night, when it thundered, she would curl up in her blanket, afraid to move.

Now that she had grown up, this habit hadn't changed at all—she'd just learned to pretend to be calm.

Entering Stella's line of sight was Terry Perez, the head of the publicity department.

In his early thirties, fat-faced with big ears, he usually took care of Stella, but his care clearly had ulterior motives.

Stella deliberately kept her distance from Terry, instinctively stepping back and asking: "Mr. Perez, what's up?"

Terry ignored Stella's wariness, closing in on her and cornering her in the break room.

His gaze brazenly looked Stella up and down, smiling obsequiously: "Stella, you got promoted, didn't you? I'd like to take you to dinner to celebrate."

Stella's back pressed against the counter as she politely declined: "Mr. Perez, thank you for taking care of me recently. I appreciate the gesture, but I've already made plans with my friend to get our nails done."

"But I haven't said which day yet." Terry had heard that Stella had connections.

She also looked innocent and pure. If he could hook up with her, he could save himself decades of struggle.

He'd been courting Stella in the publicity department, and his colleagues had all seen it and spread the word, teasing that Stella was his girlfriend.

Stella smelled the cigarette smoke on him, her aversion growing stronger.

The coffee machine was steaming, almost finished.

Stella knew he wouldn't listen to what she said, so she simply turned to pick up the coffee: "Sorry, Mr. Perez, I'm still busy. Let's forget about dinner, really, no need to trouble yourself."

She didn't know if Terry did it on purpose—whatever day he wanted to have dinner, she wasn't available.

As Stella hurriedly left with the coffee, she distinctly felt someone touch her lower back.

But when she turned around, Terry still maintained his smile, so she couldn't really pursue it.

After Stella walked away, Terry touched his finger to his nose, looking intoxicated: "Playing hard to get—you don't even cover up the hickey on your neck. Sooner or later, I'll have you!"