The next morning, a radiant sun illuminated the city. Alfonso, impeccable in a tailored suit, arrived at his office. He noticed the absence of his new secretary.
"Where is that woman?" he asked, annoyed.
"Good morning, Mr. Brescia. Miss Arias hasn't arrived yet," Boris replied, unfazed.
"Untimely brat!" Alfonso grunted, taking out his phone, but remembering he didn't have her number, he threw it on the desk. "Call her. Tell her if she's not here in ten minutes, she better not come back."
Boris nodded.
At that moment, Abril's cell phone was ringing non-stop. She, tangled in sheets, groaned:
"Damn it... Who's bothering me at this hour?"
Answering, she heard Boris' calm voice:
"Good morning, Miss Arias. The CEO is waiting for you. You're already twenty minutes late. If you don't arrive in ten, better not come."
Abril's eyes widened as she looked at the time.
"Oh, no! I'm terribly late! Mr. Davila, cover for me a little longer, I'm on my way…" she hung up, ran to the bathroom and jumped under the shower like a flash.
Abril ran out of her apartment, barely with wet hair and half-finished makeup. Cursing every step, she arrived breathless at the company, ignoring the mocking looks of some employees. She entered the CEO's exclusive elevator, not caring that several were stunned.
On the thirtieth floor, Boris waited for her with an expression of patience and amusement.
"Just in time to avoid being crucified," he murmured, as he opened the door to the CEO's office.
Alfonso was standing, his back turned, observing the city from his window. As soon as he heard Abril's hurried heels, his voice echoed, cold and sharp:
"Twenty-nine minutes late." He turned slowly, his blue eyes piercing hers. "Can you tell me, Miss Arias, what kind of secretary do you think you are?"
Abril took a deep breath and faced him with impudence.
"One who knows how to arrive in style."
Alfonso clenched his jaw, and his pen almost broke in his hands.
"We don't hire 'style' here, we hire efficiency."
The silence became dense. Boris, an uncomfortable witness to the scene, couldn't help but hide a smile behind a false clearing of his throat.
Alfonso glared at him, forcing him to leave and close the door.
Now they were alone.
"Well, Miss Arias," Alfonso's voice echoed with arrogance, "I was informed that you are causing disturbances within my company, and I will not allow that. Just because you are in this position through influence does not mean you can do as you please. Here you are just another employee, and as such I demand respect and good attitude."
Abril raised an eyebrow and, with a half-smile of impudence, replied with the same arrogance:
"Congratulations, Mr. Perfect. I care very little whose company this is. Working for you is not exactly my dream, but I have no other choice. And just because I'm your secretary doesn't mean I'm going to tolerate your contempt... much less for the cheap gossip of a certain hollow and plastic woman. If you want to fire me, go ahead. I don't care."
A thick silence fell over the office. Their gazes clashed like daggers, neither willing to back down. The tension was so strong that it seemed the rest of the world had disappeared.
Alfonso hadn't even bothered to check the cameras to see if Paula had told him the truth.
The CEO took a step towards Abril, reducing the distance between them.
"Insolent brat," he said in a low voice, almost whispering, but full of venom, "You are nobody here. And nobody challenges me in my own company."
Abril looked him straight in the eye, without hesitating.
"Nobody? Well, then congratulations, Mr. Brescia. I'll be the first."
Rage and attraction mixed in the air like a dangerous spark. Alfonso leaned slightly towards her, with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"Do you know what happens to those who challenge me, Abril? They don't last long."
"And do you know what happens to those who try to crush me?" she replied, also approaching. "They end up discovering that I'm not so easy to break."
For a second, the two stood face to face, breathing the same air, looking at each other like two predators about to attack. The tension was so strong it could be cut with a knife.
Alfonso pulled away abruptly, turning to his desk.
"Very well. If you want to prove that you are not a nuisance, you will have to resist what I put you through. And don't expect compassion."
Abril smiled impudently.
"Perfect. I'm not made of glass. Surprise me," she said, leaving the office.
That day, Alfonso bombarded her with impossible tasks:endless phone calls, overlapping schedules, urgent documents, coffees she had to brew in minutes. Abril huffed, but refused to give up.
Every time she returned with a completed task, she did so with a defiant glint in her eyes, as if saying: Here I am, and you won’t move me.
Alfonso, in his office, grew increasingly irritated with himself. He couldn’t understand how that little brat managed to throw him off balance. He’d seen businessmen, politicians, even powerful men crumble with just a word from him. But her… she faced him without fear.
"Damn it, Abril Arias,"he muttered through gritted teeth. "You have no idea who you’re dealing with."
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