CARLY
He’s definitely testing me.
The kind of test that wasn’t part of my one-week provision. In my defense, I got the notice late—just an hour before I showed up to work. Maybe the first one failed to give an early notice that she’d rather climb the Himalayan valley than work with the broody with attitude problem CEO Rome Langston, but I wasn’t going to ask that. Considering my record of punching my ex-boss, I didn’t want to hurt my ego for being the second choice.
I might have to consider hitting his handsome face if he insulted me. Yes, he got that striking sky-blue eyes and a squared jaw that clenched all the time.
I was actually considering it, but I took a deep breath. I needed this job so badly. I’d been idle for almost three months. And I couldn’t be choosy when I dethroned myself as a boring working woman in a foreign country.
Three years ago, I would have laughed at myself for this kind of job. Don’t get me wrong, this was decent and paid well. But I was at the top of the world back then. People called me lucky, every girl’s dream, and would give up everything to be in my place, and they literally bowed to me.
Right now, I didn’t want attention. All I wanted was to work, make ends meet, and be with my best friend after a long tiring day.
But my boss had been ordering me all morning. And he was glaring all the time at me, at his computer, and at those files on his desk.
He hardly gave me room to breathe. He ordered me something that was out of my scope. I may be new as his assistant, but I knew what I signed up for.
I didn’t dare ask. I would behave as a good assistant. The last thing I wanted was to tell him how he was an arsehole.
“Storm!” I almost fell from my chair as his voice boomed across his modern luxurious office. Why in the hell does he keep calling me that?
I walked in. The view behind the glass window alone was magnificent, revealing sparkling skyscrapers. Unlike where I came from—most were 18th-century architecture, but the capital city had started to modernize.
“Do this again. At least use a spellchecker if you are not sure.” He threw the file on the coffee table in front of his desk. He then rose from his seat. “I want it tomorrow morning. Do you understand?”
I picked up the file and checked it. “Mr. Langston, I’m not—”
“I don’t want another word from you, Storm.”
“It’s Carly, sir.” I may have changed my surname because it sounded absurd in the U.S, but Carlott seemed fine. I prefer Carly to Carlott, though.
“I’m leaving. Florian will be here shortly to endorse the works she had left.” He went to pick up his coat before I could help him out.
“Thank you, sir. I’ll have this ready for you by tomorrow.”
An hour later, after my boss left, I was done revising what he asked me to do, arranging his schedule, and emailing them to him.
Only one word in a British that made him so grumpy. I didn’t know he was this perfectionist. I printed it and placed it on the file.
An early fifties woman with a classic short hairstyle walked in with a bright smile. She must be Florian, my predecessor.
I rose to my feet to meet her. “Hi. You must be Florian. “
She accepted my hand for a handshake. “He’s already giving you a hard time, isn’t he?”
Did I look that exhausted already?
We settled on the couch.
“Can I get you something to drink?” I offered.
“No, dear. Thank you.” She pulled out an organizer from her bag. “Romare is the nicest young man I know. It’s just this job is too hard on him. Give him some time. He’ll come around.”
“I understand exactly. I had a terrible boss once, and I can handle Mr. Langston just right. May I ask you something?”
The old woman smiled.
“Who was hired before me?”
“What do you mean?”
“I know I’m not the first choice for this job because I should have gotten the memo early. What happened to her? Did she quit?”
“I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about, dear. The HR manager is good at her job. If she chose you, then she saw your potential, and you are qualified.”
I was not entirely convinced, but I let it pass. I looked down at the brown leather organizer. “You’re old school.” My words made her smile.
“I’m old, but yeah. I still know how to use gadgets. But I want you to have this.” She offered it to me.
“I can’t take that.” I pushed it back.
“There’s nothing in here, dear. And you don’t have to write down Romare’s schedule. I want you to have this.”
“Why?” I asked out of curiosity.
“I feel like you will stay longer, and you can write down anything you want in this notebook.”
“Thank you.” I hesitantly took it from her. “Any advice?”
“Just be yourself. Don’t hold back. Express your opinion even if he fires you.”
My eyes widened. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. And I badly need a job. I don’t think someone will ever hire me if I get fired again.”
“I know you very well, dear, just by one look.” She rose from the seat and smiled. “You don’t need any advice.”
I just sat there, watched her walk away, and shut the door behind her.
A few minutes later, my phone buzzed.
I answered it. “What are you gonna say this time?”
“I hope this is your last job, Your Highness.”
I pursed my lips before I replied. “It’s Carly. And I’m not making any promises.”
“How’s your new boss?”
“What happened to the assigned assistant?”
“She landed another job. No need to worry about her. So how’s Mr. Romare Sevyn Hunter Langston?” Of course, he did a background check on him before I even knew he was going to be my boss.
“Arsehole. Men like you are arseholes.”
“Watch your mouth, dear. I’m still your guardian.”
“My fake guardian and I’m an adult. I hardly need one.”
He chuckled. “You’re enjoying this too much. Just don’t get too attached to your new boss. He’s kinda a snatched.”
“An asshole, you mean. And I won’t.”
“Language, Carlott. Call me if you need anything. See you later.”
***
I tied my hair into a messy bun and slumped my butt into the couch after I changed into my comfy PJs.
My best friend for almost three years, Heera, a Middle-Eastern woman, joined me with a plate of chicken Shawarma. She studied and worked in the US. Her family was a modern Arab but valued their culture and religion very much.
“So, how’s your first day?”
I picked a sliced of Shawarma and placed it on my plate. “Fine.”
“I was surprised you got the job.”
“You think I won’t get that job?” I glared at her, slightly offended.
She knew who I was after we became roommates for a year. She was mad at me for keeping a secret. My bodyguard and guardian asked her to sign an NDA, and she did. But I trusted her with my life that she would not disclose my identity to anyone without it.
“Well, clearly, you’re not their first choice.” She stubbed a pickle a little bit dramatically before she shoved it into her mouth.
“I get the job. End of the story.”
“Rome Langston. How’s he?”
“Grumpy like an old man.”
Heera laughed beside me, elbowing me. “I’ve read that a thousand times, my dear princess. First, they can’t stand each other. Then there’s this crazy chemistry full of fireworks going between—”
“Stop.” I smiled earnestly. “There’s no crazy chemistry of fireworks. Just fire from his mouth. He’s so grumpy and brooding, glaring all the time.” I pinched my eyebrows together, showing Heera. “His eyebrows were always sticking together. He’s like angry at the world in general. You know Red? The Angry Bird? Yeah, he’s that guy.”
“Who saved the entire bird community? Sounds familiar?”
I rolled my eyes.
She rolled her eyes as well. “Mr. Langston lost his father while having the best time of his life. Then ta-da, he had to run the family business.”
“You seem to know much more about my boss than me?”
“I kinda stalked his Twitter account. And you should know by now not to judge someone. You know what it feels like when you have no choice but to do the duty because you are born to it.” I almost flinched at her words.
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to open an old wound.” She held my hand when I went silent.
“That’s exactly what you meant, Heera. But I’m not mad. And you were right. In fact, I know how it feels to do something you dislike and to be something you don’t want to be. I bent myself into what they wanted me to be. I dedicated my life to my title and placed my duty above all else, even my own happiness. When I made a mistake, they forgot the good I did for most people. That’s how they quickly judged you, changed their mind, and made you a villain.”
“But you know you must leave this life one day, right?”
I pursed my lips and placed the plate on the coffee table. “Yeah.”
“But first, you need to sleep with Romare Langston.” She wiggled her eyebrows.
With wide eyes, I protested, “No way! He’s my boss.”
“And so?”
“Fraternization?” I reminded her.
“He’s into you, Carly.”
“What? No! He hates me.”
“Trust me. He doesn’t. I saw him in the nightclub staring at you.”
ROME“Good morning, Mr. Langston,” Carly greeted me with a huge grin on her face. She even opened the door to my office. “Morning.” But that was not what surprised me. My desk was arranged and neat. The files were aligned, and the pencils were in the holder. Even the magazines on the coffee table were perfectly set, like the one you see posted on Instagram. “Your coffee and you prefer black, right?” She took the coat off of me.I stopped her. “Storm, you are not my maid. I won’t ever ask you to take off my coat, buy me coffee, take my dry clean, send flowers to my girlfriends—”“Girlfriends?” She shut her mouth quickly as if she wasn’t supposed to react.I turned to her. A brow arched at me. “I don’t have a girlfriend.” I didn’t know why I had to defend myself. Somehow, it was the right thing to do.“Oh, because I just heard—”I squeezed my eyes shut and exhaled. “You get my point.”“I was just messing with you.” She raised her hands somewhat in a surrendering gesture. “I dropped b
CARLY“I’m sorry, Carlott. I can’t do this anymore.”“What do you mean?” I had been crying since the report broke out, and my face was all over the news channel, social media, and gossip sites. And there was nothing good to say. My hard work for years didn’t matter. I was just the rogue Princess. The charlatan.Stellan looked in pain, struggling to tell me what he felt about our situation because I knew he cared a lot about me. “I thought this would work, but clearly, I was wrong. I ruined your life, Princess. I can’t do this to you, your brother, and your family.”“You did not ruin me or my brother or my family. These people ruined us. Why can’t we ever have a life as normal people do?” I held his hand. “Let’s get out of here and never come back. We’ll go somewhere that nobody would recognize us.”“Running away is not the answer. You should face this and prove them wrong.” The moment he pulled his hand away, I knew he had given up. We barely started, but we were already over. I sho
ROME It was either Carly who tried to be dumb, or she didn’t have any idea what Adley was doing. But she didn’t remotely look dumb. She was something, but dumb was not one of them. And I knew what Adley had been doing. She thought this responsibility over the business I’d been carrying over my shoulder had to do with my less time spent with them or my lack of activity in dating apps that put me under a dry spell. And she thought Carly Storm was the right girl. Since she found out I’d never been in a relationship since my discharge from the service, she’d been trying to let me go out there and have some fun. I had a few one-night stands because I had needs as well, and I was far from being a saint. Right now, there were more pressing matters that needed my attention than my damn dick. But I wanted this to be done so that Adley would stop bugging me and setting me up on blind dates. I mean, Carly Storm would be a perfect candidate. In contrast to her name, she could brighten th
CARLY Rome just took us to one of the famous restaurants in town. Without a reservation. I knew he was a billionaire and could have anything at the snap of his fingers. I didn’t want this to get into my head. But he could have just bought me a chicken sandwich at the food stall, and I could eat it. Not in the finest restaurant as if we were on a date in the middle of the day. I stood there in front of the restaurant blinking in surprise. If this were those old days, this would be appropriate with a six-course menu, but today, it was not the case. “I’m not sure I can dine here. Why don’t you go, and I’ll call a cab back to the office.” I stiffened as he placed a hand on my lower back. “You will have lunch with me, or you’re fired,” he whispered with a hiss. When he threatened my work like that, it left me no choice but to comply. Once we entered, the staff took our coats off. “Mr. Langston, welcome back. Miss, welcome.” Now I got it. He was a regular. We climbed upstairs,
ROME I noticed something different about Carly for the last three days. She wore pants instead of skirts, not that she wasn’t spectacular, even in baggies. Today, she tied her hair in a bun. I admitted she was pretty good at her job. But that was all after she placed things on my desk— she left without a word unless I asked and concisely answered me as if she would pay a penny for extra words. And when she looked at me, it was like she switched off the light in her eyes—she was good at masking her emotions. I wondered if I had done something wrong or if this was her another day in the office. Anyhow, I had to admit that I missed her annoying opinions. “Can you order coffee?” I badly needed caffeine, and I had no time to go down. I had to see the proposed plan for the next project. “Of course, sir.” That was all. She left. “Thanks.” She paused on the door for a moment before she vanished out of my sight. I sometimes missed the silence and peace, but I also missed her glarin
CARLY I had quite eventful weekend after an unexpected visit from my boss. I was shocked to see him in our living room because of what my roommate did. After my outburst, Heera went quiet for a while, and I thought she would apologize. Instead, she laughed her butt out at me. And I couldn’t stay angry at her. She was the only best friend I had left. So I literally forced her to participate in tree planting for my revenge. “One day, I wanna visit your country,” Heera said. Her words squeezed my chest painfully. I have always supported green initiatives in my country and non-profit organizations focused on reforestation projects. “Of course. One day, I will tour you around the cities.” I dug a hole with my trowel. Once deep enough, Seth came over to give the sapling he had already removed from the container. Heera filled the hole, gently stumping around it. “Do you ever get tired of doing what you do?” I looked at her. “I did too many and wanted to give up a million times. I a
CARLYI received the address after he hung up the phone. I picked the files from the desk and put them in my tote bag. I hit the road as soon as I entered the address in the car’s GPS. It said that I would arrive in one hour. My boss was really time efficient. He could have just told me earlier to bring these files to him so I could go home early. But this was what I paid for, right? To never complain.Thirty minutes to the address, I realized I was leaving the city. The place seemed just trees, like a forest. Rome must love the wilderness. I mean, I loved it too, but did he really live there? In some cabin in the woods? Maybe we had something in common after all.I arrived earlier than the estimated time on my GPS. The two-story cabin came to view, and the electronic steel gate slid open. I remembered the house owned by my family. It was more like an old colonial manor, but I loved that place.I parked the car beside the black truck. This must be Rome’s. I hopped out, forgot I was
ROMETo be honest, I was not entirely thinking straight. I had no plan to invite her to my house or ask her to bring the files when I could have just asked Zee to take them from her. But clearly, I was stupid. Stupid enough that I cooked for our meal and enjoyed it with her.There was something about Carly that I couldn’t let go of. I was like drawn to her like a magnet every time we were in the same room together. Despite her holding something up and saying that her secrets were not any of my business, I was looking forward to seeing her today.And I was glad that she came over.An hour later, the rain had not stopped. I joined her in the living room. She was watching an animal docu on Netflix until she just dozed off.I lowered the volume and went to take a blanket. I covered her with it before I grabbed the files she put on the coffee table. I placed a pillow cushion under her head, and she stirred, which made me freeze. She then breathed evenly and went back to sleep.When the tem