The following morning came for Lucian as if time was crawling...
His head pounded- he hadn't slept a wink throughout the night yet he couldn't determine what actually kept him awake.
Nevertheless, he left the bed and began to get ready for his first day at work with a thought on his mind:
This was what would keep him in this fancy city he desperately wished to live in.
One hour later, Lucian arrived at DOV Foods company with time to spare. The building was even more impressive to him in daylight now that he was going to start working in it.
Lucian walked through the reception area like he owned the place, unbothered by the stares that followed him.
Everybody was looking at him strangely but then Lucian Vale had never been one to find that uncomfortable. Actually, he found it motivating for his ego.
"Yeah, stare all you want, babies. Feed your hungry eyes." He mused to himself, his confidence building as he walked with a small smug smile.
It was as if the stare was filling up his empty stomach.
He was wearing a black shirt that was slightly fitted, the kind that showed his fit muscles without being inappropriate. The top three buttons were left loose as usual and that part slightly revealed the tattoo that ran down his chest in intricate lines.
His shirt sleeves were rolled up to his mid-forearms, exposing the tattoos that decorated his upper arms in deliberate patterns.
He had an ear stud catching the light. His palazzo pants sat low on his waist without a belt, while his shirt was tucked in just enough to show he knew what he was doing. His polished combat boots clicked against the floor with each step.
His long blonde hair was pulled messily to the back and tied, a few strands escaping to frame his face.
The receptionist watched him pass with raised eyebrows, her eyes glinting as if she was wishing he would come to her and just chat.
"Who is he?"
"What is he doing here?" Two young women whispered to each other as they openly gawked at Lucian Vale.
An older man in a suit shook his head slightly as if to say 'may the good Lord saves the straying soul.'
Lucian didn't acknowledge any of it. He simply consulted the employment letter on his phone and made his way to the executive floor using the description it had included.
When he arrived at the CEO's floor, the secretary's face went through several expressions at once.
From surprise to confusion and finally settled on concern.
The secretary, Riley, was thirty-five years old and had worked for the CEO for six years. She knew what the boss liked. She knew what the boss tolerated. And she knew, without a doubt, that this man was neither of those things.
"Can I help you?" Riley asked carefully, her eyes traveling from his combat boots all the way to his exposed chest, her eyes blinking when they caught sight of his tattoo.
A smile made its way onto Lucian's face- that warm, knowing smile that made his eyes twinkle as he introduced himself;
"I'm Lucian Vale, the new personal assistant."
Riley's eyebrows shot up so high they nearly disappeared into her hairline when his words landed.
"You're..." she paused, clearly searching for diplomatic words in order not to appear rude. "You are going to be the boss's new personal assistant? Dressed like that?"
"That's the plan," Lucian said easily.
Riley shook her head slowly. For a moment, she had just narrowed her eyes on him skeptically, not knowing what to do with him.
Slowly, she pulled out her desk phone and checked something on her computer, then looked back at him with something that resembled pity.
"Okay, I will take you to meet the boss," she said, standing up and adjusting her blazer.
"But I'm telling you now, you are going to be fired immediately. Today. Right now, probably. The moment he sees you." She didn't bother to stop the words from tumbling off her throat.
Lucian furrowed his eyebrows, he couldn't believe the woman's bluntness. But he didn't seem bothered by it either. He simply nodded and retorted smoothly;
"Let's wait and see when I actually start working, yeah? Maybe I will surprise you."
Riley scoffed at his audacity and nonchalance, shaking her head.
"Your optimism is admirable, although misplaced, but admirable." She said more to herself but Lucian heard her. He didn't say anything in response and she didn't press further.
Instead, she began leading him down the hallway.
She walked him to a set of double doors at the end of the hall. These doors were bigger than the others. More imposing. The kind of doors that announced importance and power.
Riley knocked twice, waited for a response that didn't come, then opened the door anyway.
The office was massive. The windows were large enough to display the entire city below. The desk was expensively huge and behind that desk was the CEO.
The man was facing the window, his back to them, with his laptop in his hand. He was working with absolute focus, his posture rigid, his concentration absolute. He didn't even glance over at the sound of the door opening.
"Sir, your new personal assistant is here," Riley informed him gently.
For a few seconds, nothing happened. The CEO continued staring at his laptop screen as if he hadn't heard anyone spoke.
"Are you sure he heard..." Lucian was saying to Riley but an urgent hush and a glare from the woman kept him quiet before he could finish.
Then, as if on cue, slowly, the CEO turned around to face them.
And Lucian's breath caught as he laid his eyes on the man.
"What are the chances?" He mumbled under his breath.
The CEO was the man from the bus...
Or was it Lucian's eyes playing tricks on him right now?
"No, this is definitely him. Those expensive suit... And the ocean-blue eyes..." A chuckle escaped Lucian's mouth as he confirmed it was indeed the man.
Riley's eyes snapped towards him in surprise- definitely screaming 'Do you not know the presence of whom you are?'
Lucian didn't have time to react to Riley's reaction, he was busy noting that the despair in the man's eyes from the previous night had been replaced by a deep frown. So cold and dominating.
His expression was so sharp and cold, nowhere near the vulnerable one he had on the bus, that made Lucian feel compassion and something else he really couldn't name for him.
Meanwhile, as Lucian was checking him out in astonishment, Rowan Donovan's eyes had taken in every detail of his supposed new personal assistant's outfit, the tattoos and the casualty, in just one glance.
Then his expression shifted. Not to recognition. Not to anything warm but to absolute disdain.
"This is a joke, right?" the CEO said harshly, his voice dripping with ice.
"Who hired him?" He demanded sharply and the floor seemed to tremble beneath Riley's legs. She flinched and when she recovered, she pressed her lips together tightly.
"I knew it!" She muttered to herself.
Totally unbothered by the CEO's sharp tone, Lucian fixed him with a knowing look. A small smile played at the corners of his mouth. He didn't seem surprised. He didn't seem intimidated.
He seemed like someone who had just found exactly what he was looking for.