Soraya's POV
I balanced the coffee tray carefully as I stepped into the office, expecting to find the girl I'd passed earlier hovering by the CEO's door. But she was nowhere in sight.
Good, I thought. Maybe I could just drop this off and get back to the mess waiting for me in my new office.
I nudged the glass door with my hip and stepped into my own office and nobody was there.
Weird.
Shrugging it off, I walked toward the CEO's door with the coffee still in hand. My instinct said knock, but I forgot. Maybe it was the stress. Maybe it was impatience. Either way, I turned the handle and walked in without a second thought.
And froze.
The scene that greeted me hit like a slap. The girl I had passed was now on top of him—straddling the CEO's lap on the leather chair, their mouths crashing together in a kiss so rough it felt violent. His hands were all over her, gripping her hips like he owned every inch of her.
A growl bubbled in my throat before I could stop it. My wolf surged, snarling just beneath my skin, furious at the sight. I clenched my jaw and forced her back down.
The CEO snapped his head up, his eyes narrowing the moment they met mine.
"Did you forget how to knock?" he barked, voice sharp and commanding.
I swallowed and stiffly set the coffee tray on the side table without answering.
"Drop it. Then get out," he added coldly.
The girl—still perched shamelessly on his lap—turned to me with a smirk. "Who the hell is she?"
"She's replacing my secretary for the day," he muttered, brushing her hair off her shoulder.
"Oh, great," the girl said, flashing a sugar-sweet smile. "Well then, darling, fetch me another cup of coffee. Mine has to be double espresso, and I want it very hot."
My wolf snarled inside again, louder this time.
I smiled—tight and sharp. "I'm afraid I can't. I've got a pile of work and very little time."
The girl's face twisted. She climbed off his lap with a glare and stomped toward me. "You little..."
Her palm lifted, fast.
Before it could land, the CEO's voice cracked through the room. "Bianca!"
She froze mid-motion, arm still in the air.
"Don't," he growled. "Relax."
She hissed under her breath and turned back to him in annoyance.
"You," he said, looking at me, "return to your work."
I nodded, ignoring the urge to rush at the girl and give her a punch right on her nose.
Behind me, as I walked out, I heard her still whining and his sharp reply: "She's my worker, not a servant."
I bit my lip and didn't stop walking.
But before I reached the door, I turned back. "Sir, what about the interview? You never explained how that's supposed to work."
He didn't even look up from Bianca's neck. "Figure it out."
I blinked. "I thought the HR department was supposed to handle hiring..."
He snapped his gaze to mine. "I do what I want in my company. You're paid to follow instructions. So do that."
"Understood," I muttered, stepping out with a tight spine.
As the door shut behind me, I could swear I could imagine Bianca's smug smile.
I hated him then. Fully, deeply.
The CEO was already a flirt with a girlfriend, and now—now he was just another arrogant billionaire using power to play games.
Maya would lose it when she hears about it.
And more than anything, I couldn't understand why someone with a scent like his—an unmistakable alpha or beta—would be mating with a human. That wasn't just odd. It was unnatural.
But I kept that thought locked deep inside. I had work to do.
I slammed the files onto my desk a little harder than I meant to. The papers fluttered out of alignment, but I didn't care. My hands shook—not from fear, but from the biting heat of anger coiled in my chest.
The audacity. The arrogance.
Moments later, Bianca, or whatever her name was, strutted out of his office like she owned the building. Her heels clicked sharply against the floor, and as she passed my desk, she paused—just long enough to glare down at me like I was something she'd scrape off her designer heels.
I met her gaze without blinking.
She hissed and flipped her hair, then marched out without a word.
Good riddance.
I sat down, took a long breath, and tried to calm my wolf. She was still pacing behind my ribs, unsettled and irritated. I adjusted the remaining files, aligning them edge to edge.
Then I heard the door open.
I didn't need to look. His scent always came before he did—powerful and strong.
"Miss Soraya," the CEO said, his voice calmer now, his tone measured.
I looked up. He stood by my desk, hands in his pockets, no longer cloaked in the heat of lust or dominance. For the first time, he seemed... human. Or as close as he could get.
"I want to hire a personal assistant," he said plainly. "That's why I'm interviewing the recruits myself."
I raised a brow. That sounded suspiciously like an explanation.
"HR recommended right?" I asked coolly.
He nodded. "Just like you said. They'll send the candidates. I only need someone competent for the role."
His eyes met mine—intense but not harsh. I could feel my wolf lean forward, interested despite everything.
"What qualities do you want me to look for?" I asked, voice steady.
He tilted his head slightly. "Whichever pleases you. I trust you know the kind of assistant I need."
My mouth parted in surprise, but I quickly closed it. That... might've been the closest thing to an apology I'd get.
Before I could reply, someone from HR stepped in with a clipboard. "Sir, he is here, the first recruit."
"Send him in," he said. Then to me, "Get to work."
He turned without waiting for a reply and disappeared back into his office.
The HR staff nodded at me and quietly left the office, the sound of her heels fading down the hallway.
Not long after, the door opened again.
Someone stepped inside.
I looked up—and I saw him.