The CEO's humble Secretary

HADES BUKOVSKI

A few years ago, my parents told me that everything they own would be left to me because, in their eyes, I have more responsibilities and know exactly how to manage the empire they built with so much effort and devotion. At first, I thought it was a bit unfair, because I'm not their only child-there's also Ryder. But since he's not a legitimate son, my parents preferred it this way, and I felt a little uneasy about the situation, but I didn't want to argue. However, as the years went by, I paid a lot of attention to what my parents said and realized that my brother couldn't inherit my parents' empire because he's someone who can't control money. He's always involved in parties, casinos, bars, brothels-even though he's in a relationship, he doesn't care. But all of this made me think and realize that I had to grow up too fast. Of course, I don't mind much, after all, I've always been a reserved person. For years, I struggled daily to mature and see the world through more mature eyes, and it was thanks to that damn woman that all this happened in my life. I changed, grew even more, and became someone I never imagined I would become-a reserved, cold, calculating, unsympathetic, rude man, and more. It was by fighting daily that I managed to become stronger. My mother never imagined that all of that could happen, but it did, and for me, it's okay-I became strong, and that's that. I was deeply lost in my thoughts when I heard someone calling me.

"Hades?" calls a female voice. As I look over, I see it's Lucia. "Sir, I apologize for the interruption, but I must inform you that your meeting is about to start," she informs me.

"Thank you, I'm on my way," I reply. She smiles politely and leaves my office. I then organize some papers that were on my desk, put them into a folder, take the folder, and calmly stand up from my desk. I walk to the door; this meeting is more than just important. I am about to finalize a major partnership with one of the most sought-after industries in the world. They came from South Korea to close this deal. As I leave my office, I walk through the reception area toward the meeting room corridor and hear my brother.

"Hades, brother," he says, coming up right behind me.

"Hey, Ryder," I respond as I walk.

"Is everything okay with these people?" he asks.

"If everything goes well, yes," I answer.

"What the hell is with you at this hour?" he questions.

"I'm acting normally, you know me," I say as we approach the room. As we reach the door, I open it and step inside, with him following right behind. "Good afternoon, gentlemen," I greet them in Korean to show that I can handle their language as well.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Hades," Dong-Sun says. "We were discussing among ourselves while you were on your way here, and although we haven't heard your proposal yet, we've already decided to accept the partnership." He continues. My brother flashes a big smile; he also understands a bit of their language, though he's not fluent.

"Great, I'm very pleased that you're accepting the proposal, even if you've only read it on your computers," I say seriously.

"It is an honor for us to join your company," Chul-Moon says.

"Since you're in agreement, can we sign the contracts?" I ask, and they nod in confirmation.

"I'm sure you won't regret it," my brother says.

"We are signing this contract now, Mr. Ryder, because your brother's proposal is exactly what we're looking for. That's why we don't need to delay this meeting. We know our investment will succeed, both for us and for you!" Dong-Sun says. I'm pleased with the signing of this contract; it proves that my efforts are paying off every day. My brother kindly takes the contracts and puts them in front of them to sign. Finally, he brings them to me so I can sign. I sign my name and ask him to sign as well.

"Everything is ready," my brother says. I agree with him, and then I stand up, along with Dong-Sun and Chul-Moon. We approach and shake hands.

"It was a pleasure to finalize this contract with you gentlemen," I say, and they smile.

"The honor is ours," Chul-Moon says. "See you soon; we'll be expecting you at our company in Korea," he adds with a brief smile on his face. I nod in agreement, and then they leave the meeting room, while my brother starts celebrating.

"My God, we did it," he says with a smile.

"It's a big step," I say, looking at the signed papers. I gather all the papers, put them into the folder, and leave the meeting room with my brother by my side. "Our parents are organizing a celebration tomorrow at the Palace, so don't miss it!" I inform him, and he walks behind me.

"I won't miss it, especially since Mom doesn't throw these parties every day," he says, smiling.

"And you always bring that gold-digging girlfriend of yours," I remark as I walk. As I reach my office door, I glance at the secretary. "Tomorrow, go to HR and settle your accounts!" I say coldly. She looks at me, puzzled.

"Sir, what did I do?" she asks.

"I just fired you, Karen. What don't you understand?" I ask, feeling a strong tension.

"Sir, I didn't do anything," she says, her eyes welling up with tears.

"Of course, you arrived late and still haven't done anything," I say ironically.

"But..." Before she can say anything else, I cut her off.

"Do what I said; I don't want you here anymore," I say angrily, opening the door to my office and walking in.

"What's gotten into you, Hades?" Ryder asks.

"Nothing's gotten into me," I reply as I head toward my desk. "I just notice when people are irresponsible and don't do their job. It's as simple as that." I affirm, and he sits in the chair in front of my desk. I sit down and stare at him. "Look here, Ryder, I'll tell you one last time. I'm tired of your privileges. Either you learn to handle serious work, or I'll have to take away the shares I gave you." I say seriously, and he looks at me in confusion.

"I don't understand. If you're upset with your secretary, don't take it out on me!" he says defensively.

"I'm not upset with anyone, as you put it, but I'm tired of seeing that I put in effort every day, give my all to make this company thrive, while you just hang out at casinos, parties, bars, gatherings, races, and much more," I say, and his eyes widen. I guess he didn't know I was aware of all his activities.

"What are you talking about?" he asks, pretending to be innocent.

"Don't try to play innocent with me; I'm not falling for your game!" I say seriously. "From now on, I will monitor every step you take. I'm not going to sweat daily, as I have been for the past four years running this company, to maintain your luxuries while you wander around and play with life!" I let him know everything. I'm fed up with maintaining everything while he plays around.

"Damn, I can't believe what I'm hearing," he says, pretending to be a victim. "I never do those things," he says, which makes me laugh.

"Seriously? I can show you every piece of evidence I have!" I say angrily, and he stands up.

"Okay, fine, I admit it," he says, running his fingers through his hair. "I'll try harder, I promise," he says.

"I don't want promises; I want to see how far you'll go," I conclude, and he then leaves my office.

I know that now he'll be contemplative and pay attention to everything he does. I know how immature he is, and how everything for him is about partying, never considering the responsibilities he has at the company and in life! My thoughts were drifting away, but I soon focused on filing the documents with the signatures of the new contractors into the computer. I spent a few more hours handling other company matters before I sent an email to Lucia, stating that I wanted a new secretary, someone responsible, not someone who doesn't care about their work. I want responsible people, not irresponsible ones. She quickly replied, saying she would find a new secretary for me by the end of the day, which I thought was great. Once I had finished everything I needed to, I grabbed my phone and laptop, put them into my folder, and then left my office. As I exited, Karen was packing up her things. I proceeded to the elevator, and when I approached, it opened. Inside was my brother, and of course, he wanted a ride again. I took a deep breath and got in, pressed the button for the parking level, and we rode together in silence. As soon as the elevator doors opened, he told me that he had lent his car. I didn't want to engage in much conversation, so I went to my car, but Noah was waiting for me. He opened the door, I got in, and my brother joined me. We then headed to our parents' house. The drive from the office to their home takes about 30 minutes, traffic permitting. After some time, we finally arrived. As soon as we got there, we got out of the car and went inside. At that moment, I ran into Ruby. That woman never takes a break. I was a bit irritated, so I greeted my parents and went to my room. I'll stay here for a while, but I'll head home later.