Left in the wide hallway of the penultimate floor of the Garcia Company, Arial stepped into Patrick's office and sat down. She picked up a document and stared at it absentmindedly. She had no real reason to read it; she only wanted something to hold while she sorted through her thoughts.
'So, I guess I'm stuck in this…' she pondered as she kept staring at the paper.
Arial carefully assessed the situation she was in, trying to decide what her next step would be and how she should react. Planning ahead had been one of the ways she managed to survive after her father had been erased from her life.
Right now, she knew she had walked straight into a trap.
"He probably recognized me during the interview," she muttered. "I wouldn't even raise my head to look at anyone. Since then, he has probably sworn to make life hell for me."
She picked at her nails as she pondered.
"How did this smart girl get into this? How can I solve this?" she muttered aloud.
Just then, Patrick returned to the office.
"You just need to work for three months and decide whether you want to stay or not."
His voice caught her off guard, making the document slip from her hands. The papers scattered across the floor, and she quickly bent down to gather them before standing up again.
Patrick was already staring at her with a calm, collected expression that made it impossible for her to guess what he was thinking.
She composed herself and stretched the document toward him.
"I'm sorry. I'm so clumsy."
"Glad you know that," he replied curtly before turning to his computer.
He then gathered a few thick folders from his desk while Arial stood there, still holding the document she had stretched toward him.
After collecting them, he placed the pile on the table in front of the chair she had been sitting on.
"Your first day of work. Do it well."
"Huh?" Arial blinked in confusion, unsure what he meant.
Patrick looked at her briefly before sighing.
"The boss said to make sure you get used to the system today. These documents contain everything you need to know about him and his previous arrangements. I made sure to collect the information from the previous secretary so it'll be easier for you."
"Oh…" she murmured.
She looked at the large pile of documents again and muttered under her breath.
"Is he really that complicated?"
Arial left the office, only to return a moment later.
"Sorry… but where's my office?"
"You are his secretary, which means you're at his beck and call. Your office is right beside his, on the top floor."
"Oh… right. I totally forgot," she mumbled before leaving again.
Arial returned to the top floor. Just beside the door leading to Mr. Garcia's office was her new workspace.
She opened the door and was immediately awed by the setup.
For a moment, she began reconsidering her earlier thoughts about leaving. Maybe accepting this job had not been such a terrible decision even if it meant working for an ill-fated college crush.
She settled into the office, dropping the stack of documents on the desk before sitting down.
One by one, she began opening them.
"Boring…" she breathed out after a while. Her back ached from sitting in the same position for so long.
She stretched slightly and glanced at the clock on the wall, gasping softly.
"Time passed so fast. What time do they even close here?"
Just as she said that, she heard a knock.
Her attention shifted toward the door.
Arial stood up, walked over, and opened it. She had already assumed it would be Patrick, and she was right.
He stood there with his hand raised, ready to knock again.
"Good. It's time for Mr. Garcia to leave for home," he said.
"Alright," Arial replied, though she was confused about why that concerned her.
She was about to close the door when Patrick stopped her.
"Well? Aren't you coming out?"
"Is there an issue?"
"Not necessarily. I guess you really do need to understand your job better. Aren't you coming down to follow Mr. Garcia home?"
"What?" Arial blinked in shock.
Yes, she knew she would now live with him, but she never thought it would start on the first day. She hadn't even brought any clothes with her.
Patrick left, and Arial returned to the office after asking for a few minutes to tidy up. She had already been scolded for not preparing properly by bringing her belongings, and Mr. Garcia clearly wasn't generous enough to overlook that mistake.
Instead of letting her go get her things, she was expected to go straight to his estate that night.
Soon, Arial found herself seated in the backseat of a car beside Miguel, who sat quietly with his eyes closed.
She attempted a soft greeting, but the words barely left her mouth before Miguel opened his eyes.
He looked at her briefly, and that was the only interaction during the entire ride.
Arial spent the rest of the journey nervously picking at her nails as she tried to process everything that had happened.
The ride felt long and overwhelming.
Eventually, the car drove through the gates of a massive estate. Arial was once again stunned by the level of wealth before her—something she hadn't seen in nearly five years since the fraud case destroyed her family.
The driver stepped out of the car, and so did Arial.
They stood there awkwardly for a moment until Miguel's voice broke the silence.
"And I didn't know I was supposed to sleep in the car."
Only then did it click in her mind.
One of her duties was to bring out his wheelchair when they arrived home. But Arial couldn't entirely blame herself. The way Mr. Garcia carried himself made it easy to forget that he was actually disabled.
She quickly positioned the wheelchair in front of him.
Without assistance, Miguel shifted himself onto it and rolled toward the mansion, with Arial following behind.
The sight of the mansion was breathtaking. The luxury inside was even more astonishing.
Inside, several staff members stood in a line waiting.
One woman stepped forward first and extended her hand.
"Hi, I'm Madie, the cook."
A man followed.
"I'm Antonio, the butler."
Another woman smiled politely.
"I'm the cleaner."
"Well, I guess the introductions are done," Miguel said calmly. "Arial, follow me to my room. I need to run a bath."
Arial nodded and followed him.
There was a staircase equipped with a ramp for the wheelchair, and he rolled up easily while she walked behind him, still confused about how exactly she was supposed to run a bath for him.
When they reached his room, Miguel entered, and she followed.
"The bathroom is through that door. Run the bath."
"Okay," Arial said.
She entered the bathroom and finally let out the breath she had been holding.
Everything had happened so quickly that it felt overwhelming.
Just hours ago, she had been staying with her friend. Now she was living with her boss, and earning a salary she never imagined possible.
"But why does it feel like he hates me?" she muttered quietly. "Those smirks he gives me…"
She shook her head.
Meanwhile, in the bedroom, Miguel removed his suit and shirt. One of the first things he always did when he got home was take a cool bath.
When Arial finished preparing the bath and returned to the room, she froze.
Miguel was sitting there shirtless in his wheelchair.
"I'm sorry!" she blurted.
"Don't tell me you've never seen a shirtless man before," he said dryly. "Come here and help me with my trousers."
"Huh?" Arial stared at him in disbelief.
She pointed at herself.
"Are you talking to me?"
Miguel slowly looked around the room before returning his gaze to her.
"Is there anyone else here?"
"You really don't understand the extent of your job, do you? You're supposed to be at my beck and call. Now stop wasting time."
"Yes…" Arial murmured reluctantly as she approached him.
She crouched in front of him, her face flushing slightly as she reached for his belt.
Miguel watched her every movement.
Her fingers trembled as she tried to undo the belt, but the pressure of his intense stare made it difficult.
Finally, Miguel lost patience.
He pushed her hands away.
"You're very annoying, by the way."
"It's not my fault!" Arial protested. "You're staring at me so intensely. How do you expect me to undress you like that?"
"I could undress you even if you were staring at me," he replied calmly.
"You—how? Pervert!" Arial snapped.
Then Miguel did something she never expected.
He removed the belt effortlessly.
Then he gripped the handles of the wheelchair and stood up, the muscles in his arms tightening with the effort.
"What?!" Arial gasped, covering her mouth in shock.
Miguel stood fully upright.
He removed his trousers and boxers before walking toward the bathroom.
Arial stood there frozen, staring at his nakedness in disbelief.
"Now," Miguel said over his shoulder, "who's the pervert?"
And with that, he walked into the bathroom.