Matthew flicked the cigarette butt from his hand and let out a sigh. He didn't enjoy the party atmosphere and was surprised he still felt bothered even though he had left.
A woman's trembling voice echoed a wall away, "Don't... don't come any closer... I'll scream!"
He was followed by raucous laughter. The man was probably drunk and not afraid of being caught.
"Try screaming, and I'll tell everyone you seduced me. Let's see whom they'll believe... Don't resist. Just serve me obediently."
Matthew wasn't one to get involved in other people's business, but these two were disturbing his peace.
His eyebrows furrowed slightly as he pretended to cough.
"Ahem..."
The footsteps grew closer.
The man had no choice but to let go, and his lecherous gaze still lingered on Flora's smooth skin.
He licked his lips and waited for the man to pass by so he could resume his "good time."
To his surprise, the person who appeared around the corner was the CEO of S.E.I.
"Flora, what are you doing here? I've been calling you, but you have yet to pick up. Come with me now!"
"Uh...yes...yes, sir!"
The CEO's large hand grasped her tiny wrist and pulled her away. Flora suddenly realized that this demanding CEO was trying to rescue her. She hurriedly followed his lead.
After a few steps, Matthew stopped abruptly. Flora couldn't avoid bumping into him from behind.
The tall man turned around and effortlessly held her in his arms.
His face remained as stoic as ever, but she sensed something was off.
"Hey... CEO, is it appropriate for us to be like this?"
He was the CEO, and she was his secretary, and he was holding her like this. It wasn't normal behavior.
If anyone saw them, she couldn't imagine how terrifying the rumors would be tomorrow.
Ignoring her struggle, Matthew held her even tighter.
"Don't make a scene." He was starting to lose his patience.
Flora sighed. Regardless of his intentions, this action made her feel warm inside.
From before until now, no matter how difficult, she always faced it alone.
This was the first time she received such protection.
The man's embrace was warm and comforting, completely contrasting with his usual attitude.
Placing the girl in the backseat, Matthew got into the car and sat beside her, telling the driver, "Take me home."
The driver nodded, and the car rolled steadily down the road. Not long after, the vehicle entered a villa area, stopping in front of a beautiful white mansion.
Matthew turned to the side and saw that his foolish secretary had fallen asleep since who knows when. He laughed and hugged her, telling the maid to prepare a bath for her.
The sound of water rushing in the bathroom made the man waiting outside unable to stop his wandering thoughts.
Just at that moment, the phone on the table rang.
Matthew laughed and answered, "Hello."
A childish voice on the other end spoke hesitantly as if trying to act maturely.
"Hello, who is this? Can you give the phone to Flora?"
Matthew's lips curled slightly in amusement as he glanced at the tightly closed bathroom door and replied, "Unfortunately, she's busy bathing and can't talk to the kid. Bye-bye."
"Hey... wait... mister..."
Ignoring the dissatisfied calls of the child on the other end, he decisively hung up the phone.
Unexpectedly, he was caught red-handed before he could even put Flora's phone back down.
"What are you doing? Why are you holding my phone?"
The man lounging on the sofa was not ashamed of his sneaky actions being caught.
"You were bathing, so I helped you answer your phone." He chuckled. "You should be thanking me."
The girl before him shed her ugly exterior, with her thick-rimmed glasses, looking attractive. Her long legs were revealed under the oversized men's shirt. Matthew couldn't help but stare and secretly praise her.
Flora felt embarrassed by his white-hot gaze and tugged at her shirt hem.
"What are you looking at? Haven't you seen a woman just out of the bath before?"
"I've seen plenty of women who just finished bathing, but... do you know what happens next when a woman appears in front of me right after?"
Flora didn't know what he meant, but his voice grew lower, and the hot breath on her ear revealed that it was not innocent.
At some point, the man approached her closely.
In her unbelieving eyes, Matthew suddenly embraced her and threw her onto the bed.
His rough hand gently lifted the hem of her shirt, and there was no distance between them and her smooth skin.
"So this is your true appearance..."
The hot breath caressed her soft, young flesh, and the person below trembled, whimpering from her throat:
"Don't...please...CEO...stop..."
The remaining shred of reason reminded her that she needed to leave immediately.
Taking advantage of Matthew's momentary hesitation, she got up and rushed off the bed.
The phone rang again, bringing the two back to their senses. Flora took a breath and answered the phone. A child's voice rang out clearly.
"Mom, where are you? My brother took me to your workplace, but everyone has already left."
The little girl's voice seemed mixed with a few sobs, and Flora felt pity. She quickly replied:
"My good girl, wait for me there with your brother. I'll be there right away."
Matthew stood beside her, listening to the conversation between the mother and daughter.
He felt stunned and distraught. Damn it, no one had told him that this secretary was already married and had a child.
Yet earlier, when he pinned her on the bed, her response was naive and innocent.
"CEO...CEO..."
Matthew narrowed his eyes and looked at her coldly. At this moment, she no longer held any attraction in his eyes.
"Change your clothes."
With that, he didn't even turn around and walked straight out. When Flora returned to the S.E.I headquarters after changing her clothes, her two children had been waiting for her for a long time.
Seeing their mother, the little boy stood up, furrowing his brows as he looked at her. He then glanced at the car parked not far away, the figure in the vehicle resembling someone he knew.
"Are you saying the company has worked, and you're not there? Why aren't you at the company?"
The car window rolled down, and Matthew furrowed his brow as he looked outside.
Could it be... such a coincidence? These two children were the same ones he almost hit near the park the other day with his car.
It was already late at night, and Flora tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep.
Sometimes, Matthew's actions made her unable to help but think deeply. Especially today, when he brought her to that mansion.
The housekeeper helped her bathe and even mentioned she was the first person he had ever brought there. Even his fiancée had never been there.
The first person... the first person... she reached up to touch her face, which was already hot. She struggled to fall asleep for a while.
The next morning.
"Flora still hasn't arrived?" Matthew furrowed his brow, asking his chief secretary.
The other person looked slightly surprised, glancing at the watch on their wrist.
"Today is the first day of shooting for the educational toy advertisement. She probably has already arrived at the shooting location... Does the CEO have something to discuss with her? Should I call her?"
So that's what happened. He forgot that he had assigned Flora to be in charge of the advertising campaign for the educational toy.
Facing the gaze of the chief secretary, he sighed and shook his head.
"No need." When he saw that the secretary was about to leave, he continued, "Bring Flora's resume to me."
The chief secretary was even more surprised.
The CEO of S.E.I had never taken the initiative to look at an employee's resume before, simply because anyone who could pass S.E.I's interview process was undoubtedly talented.
Screening resumes were the responsibility of the administrative - human resources department.
This was the first time he wanted to see an employee's resume, and it was for a secretary still in their probationary period.
Quickly, a file was placed in front of Matthew.
He casually flipped through it, and his eyes widened as soon as he saw the first page. He couldn't help but exclaim, "A master's degree? And graduated from a prestigious university..."
The CV was short, just briefly stating Flora's educational background and work experience, but it was enough to confirm that she was an outstanding person.
The corner of Matthew's mouth silently curved up.
As the chief secretary had said, Flora was busy preparing for the first advertising photoshoot of the educational device product.
The models invited today were a very famous child model and a newcomer.
"Flora, do you know how important today's advertising photoshoot is? Where is your mind?"
"Uh... I'm sorry... I will pay more attention."
The one who reprimanded her was her colleague who had previously been in charge of advertising. She suppressed the urge to sneeze and tried to focus on her work.
This was her first task as the secretary to the CEO of the S.E.I conglomerate, assigned by CEO Matthew himself, and she could not neglect it.