New Assistant

Seraphine followed me into the office with reluctant steps. Her heels echoed against the marble floor as if mocking her pride with each tap. My office door closed behind her with a soft thud, sealing her in a place she never imagined being beneath me, quite literally and metaphorically.

I didn’t even offer her a seat. I walked to my chair, sat down, leaned back, and looked at her with the same coldness she once threw at me during the reunion.

“Sit,” I finally said, nodding toward the leather chair across from me.

She sat down stiffly, her chin slightly raised like she still had something to hold onto.

“Why me?” she asked quietly, folding her hands together. “Why do you want me to be your assistant?”

I smirked. “Because you need a lesson.”

Her brows furrowed. “A lesson?”

“Yes. You looked down on me. Laughed at me for being ‘jobless’ when I was simply smart enough not to show my hand early. Now, I want you to understand something, Life has its ways of turning the wheel.”

“So this is revenge,” she said bitterly.

“No,” I replied, standing up. “This is business. You’re capable. Intelligent. But arrogant. And here, I don’t need arrogance, I need loyalty and discipline. Consider this an opportunity... if you can swallow your pride long enough to take it.”

She looked down, her lips pressed together. There was a long silence before she whispered, “I don’t need your pity.”

I walked around the desk, standing directly in front of her. “This isn’t pity, Seraphine. This is power. And I’m giving you a piece of it. Don’t confuse generosity with weakness.”

Just then, Jason knocked and peeked through the door. “Boss, the investors are waiting in the conference room.”

I waved a hand. “Cancel the meeting. I have more important matters.”

Jason hesitated. “Are you sure, boss?”

I looked at Seraphine. “Yes. This is more important.”

Jason nodded, clearly confused, and left.

When the door shut again, Seraphine finally met my gaze. Her voice was softer now. “You’re serious about this?”

I nodded. “You’ll start at the bottom. You’ll handle my schedule, organize reports, respond to internal emails, take notes during meetings. I won’t treat you special. Mess up once, and you’re gone.”

She looked at me defiantly. “Fine. I’ll do it. But not for you. For me.”

“That’s the spirit,” I said, walking back behind my desk. “But let me be clear, this company wasn’t handed to me. I bled for it. Failed. Lost. Rebuilt. While others celebrated graduation, I was scraping coins to pay for internet cafés so I could learn to code.”

There was a flicker of guilt in her eyes, but she stayed silent.

I handed her a file. “Here’s your first assignment. Type up my project pitch notes and send them to the executive team. Do it before lunch.”

She nodded, taking the folder without a word.

Before she could leave, I added, “And Seraphine? Next time you call someone ‘jobless,’ make sure they’re not secretly the one signing your paycheck.”

Her eyes flashed with something I couldn’t quite read... was it anger? Shame? Or... regret?

She turned and left the room without another word.

The hours passed, and I stayed in my office, pretending to read reports, but in truth, I kept glancing at the monitor displaying security footage from the hallway. Watching her sit at the assistant’s desk outside my door felt surreal. Just a day ago, she looked down on me like I was nothing. Now she was one wrong email away from being unemployed again.

But something about her wasn’t sitting right. She wasn’t as snobbish as she used to be. She looked... tired. Lost.

Just before lunch, I walked out.

She was typing, focused, but clearly frustrated.

“You’re pressing the wrong shortcut,” I said, leaning over.

“I know,” she snapped. “I haven’t done this in years.”

“Then you better catch up. Fast.”

She huffed but fixed her mistake. “Your notes are all over the place, by the way.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Criticizing your boss already? Bold of you.”

She looked up and smirked slightly. “You did say I need to learn fast.”

I chuckled quietly and turned away. “Bring it to me when it’s done.”

Around 5 PM, she knocked on my office door.

“Come in,” I said.

She handed over the typed summary. I flipped through it, and I’ll admit... it was impressively done. Clean. Structured. Slightly sassy in tone, but still professional.

“You’re a fast learner,” I said.

She looked surprised. “Was that... a compliment?”

“Don’t get used to it,” I said. “But yes. You did well today.”

There was a long pause. She opened her mouth, then closed it again. I could tell she wanted to ask something.

“Spit it out,” I said.

“Why... why didn’t you humiliate me?” she finally asked. “You could’ve fired me. Mocked me in front of the staff. But you didn’t.”

I looked at her, suddenly serious. “Because if I humiliate you, I’m no better than the person you used to be. I want you to grow, Seraphine — not rot.”

Her eyes softened just for a second, but the wall quickly went back up.

“I still don’t like you,” she said.

“Good,” I said with a smirk. “This would be boring if you did.”

She rolled her eyes and walked away.

But as she left, I saw something in her step. Not arrogance anymore. Not even defiance.

It was curiosity.

And maybe... just maybe... a flicker of something that scared us both.

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