"Who are you? What are you really? What did you do to the CEO for him to reconsider after firing you?" That was the first unfiltered question that flew out of Riley's mouth immediately she laid eyes on Lucian.
This was a few minutes after Rowan had spoken to the secretary over the phone about guiding the new personal assistant through.
Riley had firstly stood still for a while, her brows furrowed as she looked at Lucian with a mixture of surprise, shock and disbelief that she couldn't hide.
She had blurted out the question, unable to contain her curiosity any longer.
Lucian kept silent for a moment, then his expression shifted to something serious. His eyes held hers, like he was about to reveal something important. Something meaningful.
And Riley leaned in conspiratorially, she almost held her breath, thinking she was about to hear something juicy. Something that would explain the impossible situation she had just witnessed and maybe she would benefit from it too, somehow.
"I'm Lucian Vale." Lucian said casually then his lips curved into a smug smirk.
Riley's face went flat. Her mouth opened, then closed. Then she scoffed in annoyance, shaking her head.
"You're unbelievable," she muttered, turning on her heel.
"Come on, follow me. I don't have all day." She snapped without looking back at the man.
She began walking down the hallway, and Lucian followed with that same easy stride, hands in his pockets, unbothered by her irritation.
Riley started showing him around the company, explaining as they walked through the various departments. Her voice took on a professional tone, the kind she had clearly used many times before for new employees.
As the secretary who had miraculously managed to work for Rowan Donovan for many years, she had witnessed a lot of personal assistants coming and barely working for six months.
They couldn't cope working for the cold CEO.
"Being the CEO's personal assistant is not like other jobs. Mr. Donovan is extremely strict. And I mean extremely." Riley informed Lucian in a very serious tone.
Lucian nodded casually. He was listening but his attention was divided. His eyes were busy darting around, winking at both men and women who were stealing glances at him.
Some glances were curious- who was this careless man walking around an official area with his chest exposed?
Others were fascinated- who was this attractive man?
"If he arrives before his personal assistant," Riley continued, "then that's it. That personal assistant is fired on the spot. No excuses. No second chances. Even if you're one minute late, you're done."
At that, Lucian raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
"If you cough or sneeze more than once a day in his presence, you're fired. He considers it unprofessional and distracting." The woman added.
That really shocked Lucian and he interrupted Riley, stopping in the middle of the hallway.
"Wait, more than once a day? What if someone is sick?" He inquired.
"Then they shouldn't come to work," Riley said matter-of-factly. "Or they should quit before he fires them. Those are the options."
Lucian's eyes blinked. He couldn't believe his ears. He stared at Riley like she had just told him the sky was purple.
"You're joking," he said.
"I'm not," Riley replied, continuing to walk. "If you laugh too loudly or too often in his presence, you're fired. He doesn't tolerate what he calls 'unnecessary emotional displays.'"
Lucian's brows furrowed in disbelief as he wondered if indeed someone could be living like that.
Demanding that level of control over other people's basic human functions?
Riley's voice softened slightly, like she was sharing a secret.
"Mr. Donovan is strict. He is cold. He hardly gets satisfied by any worker's performance, no matter how good they are. That's what earned him his nicknames in the company."
"Which are?" Lucian sharply asked, his eyes glinting with mischief.
"The Ice Prince and 'You're Fired.' That second one is more of a title than a nickname, really. It's what people hear most often when they're around him." Riley divulged and heaved an exasperated sigh.
At that moment, Lucian muttered under his breath, his eyes lighting up with genuine interest, "Fantastic!"
Riley stopped walking. She turned to look at him, confused.
"Fantastic? Did he just say fantastic? What's fantastic about what I just shared?" She said more to herself.
But Lucian wasn't paying attention to her anymore. His eyes had caught sight of something far more interesting than corporate rules and cold CEOs...
Food.
They had arrived at the company cafeteria, and it was coincidentally lunch period. The smell of freshly cooked meals filled the air. The cafeteria was large, modern, and filled with employees gathering their lunches.
Lucian's legs were already moving toward the food stations as if a magnet was pulled him there.
Riley couldn't believe the man's careless behavior. They were in the middle of her explanation, and he had just... wandered off. Toward food. Like nothing else mattered.
Lucian turned back and waved at her enthusiastically, gesturing for her to come closer.
"Riley! Come on, let's eat!" Thankfully, he had mouthed the words so he wasn't embarrassing himself by being unnecessarily loud.
Riley stood there for a moment, watching him in disbelief. Then she mumbled to herself, quietly enough that only she could hear;
"I really worry for this man."
Nevertheless, she walked up to meet him. Professional duty and all that.
When she reached the food station, Lucian was already examining the options with the focus of someone conducting important research.
"Can I get food as I desire? Like, as much as I want?" He asked, turning to Riley with genuine hope in his eyes.
Riley nodded slowly.
"Yes. The cafeteria is free for all employees. You can take what you need." That was all Lucian needed to hear for his smile to brighten up so well.
"Perfect," Lucian said, then he proceeded to collect a huge amount of food:
Two sandwiches. A bowl of pasta. Rice with chicken. A side salad. Soup. Bread rolls. A dessert. And a large drink.
Riley watched in stunned silence as his tray filled up.
Lucian sat down at a nearby table and began eating with a huge appetite, like he hadn't seen food in days. Which, technically, he hadn't.
After some minutes, Riley went to join him, sitting across from him, her own modest lunch in front of her. She heaved a sigh, shaking her head slowly.
Lucian's eyes caught her reaction. He looked up from his food, his mouth full but his expression sheepish.
He swallowed, then smiled at her warmly.
"You should pardon me, my lady. It's just... I haven't eaten since yesterday morning." He shared casually.
Riley raised an eyebrow. She stared at him for a long moment, trying to determine if he was joking. The woman definitely wouldn't believe he wasn't joking.
She scoffed, more out of disbelief than anything else.
Then she mumbled under her breath, quietly enough that she believed Lucian wouldn't hear;
"No, he definitely won't last a week working here. I bet my two breasts on it."
But Lucian did hear her. He just smiled and kept eating, unbothered by her pessimism.