Ethan;
"$350K to $500K. To clean floors?! And all to be paid up front! Don't you think that's a bit suspicious??" I demand from the couch and Anu, who's at the dining, staring at her laptop, hums.
"Hmmm. Maybe their boss has a very bad case of mysophobia, and would pay a fortune to anyone to clean the workplace properly." She says, and I turn around to face her.
She has her wild afro in a bun and has her glasses halfway down the bridge of her nose.
"You're kidding. Right??" I deadpan, and she looks at me from over the frame of her reading glasses and shrugs as she takes a sip of coffee from her mug.
"Nope. Ethan, who complains about being paid half a million? Boo… that's higher than anything we've both earned. Might I remind you that we're devotedly broke??" She replies, and I can't help the snort that escapes me.
"I don't know, Anu. It's just very suspicious… It's too many coincidences… and way too much money for a janitor." I reply, and Anu sighs as she takes off her glasses and gets up.
"That's because you won't be working at Thean Tech as a janitor." She says as she picks up her laptop, and I raise a brow.
"But they said—" I begin, but she cuts me off.
"Clearly, you misunderstood, Ethan. Because…" She speaks as she sits beside me and shoves her laptop into my hands.
I stare at the screen and find an email with Thean Tech's logo at the top left of the page.
"You'll be working as the CEO's assistant, my little Orchid." She says as she ruffles my hair, and my jaw drops as I stare at the laptop in front of me.
"What…?" I mutter in shock, and she points at the title of the mail.
"It says it right there." She notes with a shrug, and I blink as she points at the subject of the mail.
Employment Offer – Personal Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer
"WHAT!??" I scream so loud, Anu flinches, and I'm pretty sure I woke all her neighbours.
"Assistant to the… what!? I… I can't do that. I don't know the first thing about… Wait. How did they even think such a position is fit for… Is there some kind of mistake?? Maybe they meant to send this email to another person. I… we… we should still wait for my janitor mail." I begin to stutter in absolute panic, and Anu sighs.
She reaches for her laptop and scrolls to the bottom of the mail where my full name is clearly written.
"This mail was drafted for you, hon. The five hundred thousand dollars is for you to work as a 24/7 full-time assistant to the CEO of Thean Tech. Like… full time, full time." She says, and I turn to her curiously.
"How are you so calm about this??" I demand, and she sighs.
She reaches for her laptop again and opens a research tab as she speaks.
"That's because the mail came in about thirty minutes ago, and while you were busy ranting, I was digging." She says as she turns the laptop's screen back to me, and I blink when I see a company's logo… but it's one I don't know.
"What… what am I looking at?" I ask in confusion, and Anu scoots closer.
"Thean Tech before it became Thean Tech." She replies, and my brows crease.
"Huh?" I question in confusion as I stare at the absolutely unknown company before me.
"Thean Tech used to be called Skyline Tech… It belonged to the renowned Alpha Devon Vale." She begins, but stops like a teacher who's trying to make sure her student is following. To assure her, I nod, and she gives a quick nod before continuing.
"Now, this was until two years ago… when Mr. Devon's illegitimate son bought about 85% of the company's shares… basically making the company his own." She adds, and my brows crease.
"Really??" I question, in awe, and she nods as she taps on a link, and what pops up is news of the shift in ownership of the company.
"The first thing the guy did was change the company's name from Skyline Tech to Thean Tech. Then he introduced a medical line to the company, and in just two years, their medical line has topped almost every market. He's the reason we and anyone else actually know about the company now. Without him… Skyline Tech would have just remained… a company amongst others." She informs, and I blink back at the screen.
I stare at all the shimmering achievements of Thean Tech, and now I suddenly feel too small to have even set foot in that establishment.
"So… Who's this guy?" I ask, as not once in all of Anu's scrolling have I seen a picture of him.
"I don't know. I tried digging up pictures, but I found nothing. All I know is that his name is Aurelian Vale. He's Devon Vale's fourth and only illegitimate son. There are rumours about him being highly anti-social, and very peculiar about details and likes things done his way." She adds, and I hold my breath.
This… is the man I'm supposed to be an assistant to!??
"Anu… My longest work experience is being a stripper. How the hell am I supposed to be an assistant to a guy like this??" I ask in panic, and Anu smiles as she places a hand on my shoulder.
"You, my precious bestie… graduated top of your class. You're intelligent, strong, and so intent-driven. I think it's high time you step out of your comfort zone and do something that truly fits the potential you possess." She says as she gently pinches my cheek, and I blink at her.
"Forget about that bastard, Adrien. You know I never liked the arrogant prick. Life has given you another chance. Take it. Grab it by the…" She continues but stops to find the word.
"Horns,"
"Balls,"
We both chorus, with me suggesting horns, and she settling for balls.
"Grab it by the balls, boocup. You will take this job. Make money, live the life, and show that chewed-up gum you have for an ex what he's missing out on and will NEVER get back. Okay?? You're going to be Alpha Aurelian's assistant, and you're going to do a heck of an amazing job." She encourages, and I smile at her.
"You need some more time to think about it?" She then whispers when she sees the hesitation on my face. And I nod.
"Alright, love. You have the entire weekend." She replies as she pulls me into a hug, and I just stay there. Snug and comfy in my best friend's arms as her warm, cocoa scent engulfs me.
"Whatever you choose… I'll support."
**********
I stare at the contract on my phone's screen again for the umpeenth time tonight, and sigh. It looks all rosy and promising. If I take this offer, I go from barely scraping by… to living the life.
I finally get to make a good life for myself… and if I do well enough… maybe Adrien will come back? Maybe he will see that he shouldn't have left me? And that… whoever he's now with… can't love him like I do?
My mark aches at the thought of him, and I clasp my palm over it as the pain stings.
How cruel of him.
He's a Beta. He can walk away from breaking a bond easily… but I can't… I fucking can't, and he knows it. Still, he left. He left me. Just like that.
I drop my phone and sigh as I stare at the ceiling in the dark. Ever since last night, Anu has insisted that I stay at her place.
In fact, she made sure my door stayed open tonight. I hate to worry her so. Maybe I should get this job. I'd be able to get a place, repay her… and hopefully get money to apply to hospitals for their trial drugs.
I take my fingers to the inhibitor patch on my neck, and I sigh. It's worn already. I can already smell my pheromones wafting in the air.
Only a matter of time before it floods the whole apartment… or block.
I sigh again and get out of bed, but my legs give out under me, and I crumble to the ground.
"Ethan!?" Anu's voice follows instantly from her room, which is opposite mine, but my body has once again grown too weak to respond.
I hear her footsteps as she rushes into the room, and soon enough, I feel her hands around me as she hoists me onto the bed.
"Oh no. It's happening again… How many patches did you use today?" She questions as she rips the patch on my neck off, and I struggle to stay awake as hot pain shoots through me.
I watch as she rushes to shut the window and then dashes to turn down the temperature. Through my crossing vision, I watch her run out of the room. Soon enough, she's back with an electrolyte drink. She sits in the bed beside me and helps me sit up.
"You went overboard with the patches today, again, didn't you?" She whispers in worry as she opens the bottle and holds it out to me. I struggle to drink as she rubs my back, and I try to pull myself together.
I know I shouldn't have… but this morning, not only did I use an inhibitor patch… I took the pills too. I was worried my pheromones would leak and ruin everything.
And seeing as my body didn't react during the day… I thought I would get away with it… But I guess not.
After drinking about half the bottle, Anu pulls me to herself and sways back and forth as she whispers.
"Deep breaths… slow—deep breaths…"
This isn't her first time witnessing one of my attacks. This isn't even the worst.
I have a Pheromone Dysregulation Disorder. I was born with it… and all my life, I have had to rely on inhibitors to protect myself.
But abuse of inhibitors has its side effects… and these attacks are just one of them.
"I told you to stop using them when we're together," Anu whispers, and I shut my eyes as my body struggles to find comfort.
I know she wants me to be free around her, but I'm not going to punish her by having her struggle to function while choking on my pheromones. I tried it once, never again.
"If you keep abusing these inhibitors, Ethan, you could die," Anu adds solemnly with a tremble in her voice, and I shut my eyes.
I hate that I always make her worried. How hasn't she gotten tired of the burden of me in all these years??
My phone on the bed buzzes, and I remember what I was doing before the attack. Thean Tech is big on medicine, right?
They should have something for my illness… right?
If I'm the C.E.O.'s assistant, I would have some serious advantage, won't I? The contract even mentions medical coverage…
I might… I might finally be able to live like a normal person…
"Anu?" I croak, and she stops rubbing my back.
"Yeah?"
"I'm… gonna accept their offer."