Stella threw herself into her work, her mind only on doing her job. The week was a busy one for Stella, as she settled into her role as Main Secretary to the CEO. All her coworkers in the secretaries' office who had previously ignored her or watched on as she was bullied by Vivian and Clara now tried to get into her good books.
They brought small trinkets and cakes, but she didn't take any of them. Their offers to help out were nothing more than ploys to make her owe them favours.
She wasn't interested in playing along with their office politics. Not when she had her own battles to fight. The people in the office wanted chances to interact with Liam, or for her to put in a good word for them. But what she wanted was for Kings Corporation to be destroyed.
Their first major goal was to prepare for the shareholders' meeting. It would be Liam's first official meeting as the CEO, and nothing could go wrong. This meeting wasn't only important to him, it was important to her as well. The better she performed, the more he would trust her. The more he trusted her, the more power she would have. And the closer she would be to getting her revenge.
She was organizing the files that would be presented during the meeting when Liam walked out of his office and dropped a folder on her table.
"This is?" she asked, looking up.
"Information on all the shareholders."
That morning, she had just asked Assistant John if he could help me with that exact thing. Stell didn't want to offend anyone by accident. A lot of the major shareholders never showed in public, like Liam, had kept a low profile, unknown to most people. It was hard to find anything about them.
She flipped open the folder and scanned some names and details briefly. All of them were powerful people from different families, some she had met when she was younger, and others she had never heard of. How many of them were connected to her parents' deaths? She would have to find out slowly.
Stella's eyes softened for a moment. "Thank you."
"Well, if you really wanted to thank me," he said, leaning slightly over her desk. "you could treat me to lunch."
Stella picked up her phone. "Is there anything in particular you'd like to eat? I'll place an order and bring it to your office when it arrives."
Liam leaned closer, smiling slightly. "I meant together. Just like before."
Stella put her head down. What happened before… could never happen again. They were people on opposite sides of the line.
"I don't think that's appropriate," she said carefully. "Our identities are different. It would affect your reputation."
"I don't care about that."
Stella looked up. Liam was close, very close. So close she could see the green flerks in his electric blue eyes. The intensity in his gaze seemed to be trying to tell her something. Something she couldn't afford to know.
Before Stella could say anything, the door opened.
"Sorry for interrupting," John said, pausing at the doorway.
Liam straightened immediately. "I have to go out for something. I won't be coming back to the office today."
Stella nodded. She breathed a sigh of relief as both men walked out of the office.
In the secretaries' office, everyone was busy at work. Well, almost everyone.
"My dad said this shareholders' meeting is very important," Vivian announced, reclining in her chair. She was at her workspace, but she wasn't doing any actual work. At that moment, her hands were held out while Clara was painting her nails a marine blue.
"He said I have to be on my best behaviour and make a good impression on Grandpa Carson. But I can't even attend the meeting. How would I convince him to make me Liam's wife?"
"The old chairman is also coming?" Clara asked, carefully applying the polish.
"Of course," Vivian said proudly. "He really values Liam."
Across the room, Stella walked out of the executive office with a flash drive in her hand. She handed it over to one of the junior secretaries.
"Print thirty copies of this. Make sure it's spiral-bound and arranged in a box before the end of today."
"Yes, Ms. Moore."
Stella smiled. "Thank you."
Then she went back to her office.
Vivian's poisonous gaze followed her all the way.
Clara watched her go, too, jealousy flashing in her eyes.
"I have a way to make you attend the meeting," Clara said suddenly.
Vivian perked up, turning to face her. "Tell me."
Clara leaned in and started talking. The more Vivian heard, the happier she became, and her lips curled into a satisfied smile.
"If you do well," Vivian added smugly. "I'll give you the back you said you wanted."
"I won't disappoint you," Clara said, her voice filled with determination.
It was finally the day for the meeting. The boardroom had been prepared down to the finest detail. The seating arrangement, the drinks, and snacks had all been meticulously arranged under Stella's supervision. She had just finished her last-minute check on the boardroom and was walking back to her office when someone crashed into her.
"Ms. Stella, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to!"
A young intern from the finance department stood frozen, holding an empty paper cup. Water dripped down Stella's cream skirt and white blouse. Luckily, it was just water and not coffee. Otherwise, she didn't know where she would get a replacement outfit.
"It's fine," she said quickly. "Don't worry about it. I'll go clean up in the bathroom. Carry on."
"Thank you," the girl said breathlessly, before leaving.
Stella made her way to the nearest restroom. It was empty. She stepped over to the hand dryer and stood patiently under it, letting the warm air work its magic. When the water marks had significantly faded. She straightened her top and walked over to the wide mirror.
She looked the part of a competent secretary.
The meeting would begin in less than fifteen minutes. It was finally show time.
Her hand closed over the knob, and she turned it.
Nothing happened.
She turned again and pushed harder. Still nothing.
Her brows furrowed. It didn't feel stuck and twisted normally. She reached for her phone, then remembered she had left it on her table. Her mind raced through the events leading up to that moment. Someone must have locked it from the outside.
She didn't panic. Someone would come to find her soon.
A few feet from the door, Clara placed a Cleaning in progress sign on the floor. She brought out her phone and sent a message:
"Mission complete."
A reply came in:
"Good job."
She strutted down the corridor with a satisfied smile. Maybe she could ask Vivian for one of her old shoes.