Gage stilled for a moment but eventually nodded as if pleased. “That expression really looks good on you, Miss Lee.”

“Thank you, Sir.” She politely replied before moving to step out of the car first.

There were already lines of employees waiting outside the entrance, ready to welcome their new CEO to work.

As she stood there waiting for her current boss, Eva did her best to keep her composure. There could not be the slightest mistake nor crack in her new persona. It should come to her as easily as breathing and blinking. She had already practiced this over and over in the last three days, so she was quite confident she would be able to pull it off.

It should not be that hard, since she only needed to keep this façade while they were outside of his office. Once no one was looking, she no longer needed to fake a delicate and friendly smile for show.

Gage glanced over at her before he stepped forward. She fell into step right behind him, smoothly and without missing a beat, as they walked past the rows of lined-up employees. Eva noticed how everyone seemed to be in shock – the kind of shock that was due to looking at a famous and never-before-seen beautiful creature.

It was really not surprising at all. This man before her could probably turn the heads of even the straightest men to the point that they would want him dead for being too damned handsome for his own good!

Once the elevator they boarded closed, the entire floor burst out in furious murmurs as the employees immediately started whispering to each other.

“Oh, god! Our new CEO is handsome as hell!”

“Yeah, right! I nearly screamed like a fan girl!”

“You’re not alone, girl. Our CEO is too handsome not to be a superstar!”

“And who’s that woman? She’s so goddamned hot!”

“She’s the CEO’s personal secretary.”

“What?! Darn. I can’t even say anything to badmouth her and say she isn't suited to be our CEO’s secretary. Like…who wouldn’t want to have a hot secretary like her working side by side with them the whole day? She looked like a goddess!”

“What a pair! Sigh…somehow, this feels like he’s already taken.”

…

Eva and Gage barely made it to meet the chairman at the conference room’s entrance.

Mr. George Acheron halted and looked at his grandson from head to toe. “I can’t believe that my lazy grandson is finally coming out from his den,” he commented, clicking his tongue in mock displeasure and shaking his head.

“I also can’t believe it, Grandfather,” Gage replied. “Normally…I should still be having my beauty sleep right about now.”

“Makes me wonder who managed to whoop your ass to get up and go to work.”

“A certain tiger,” Gage muttered softly in amusement. “She didn’t whoop my ass, though. She only punched my lips.”

“That’s one brazen tigress! She is certainly someone you deserve. So, it’s her, huh?” George looked a little closer at Eva and smiled.

Gage signalled at her and she stepped closer to the two Acheron males.

“This is Evelyn Lee, my personal secretary. Miss Lee, my grandfather.”

“I am pleased to meet you, Mr. Acheron.” Eva gave the old man her most beautiful smile as she accepted his handshake, reminding herself that she was now Evelyn Lee.

George leaned in a little closer to her. “You are the lady he’s currently hiding in his house, right?” One of his bushy and greyed brows lifted as he scrutinised her.

The question flustered Eva for a moment and she could not respond to him immediately. “Uhm–”

“You and I must meet up and have tea sometime, Ms. Lee.” The old man leaned away and smiled at Eva before he turned and entered the conference room.

Gage threw her another glance before they, too, finally entered the meeting.

…

After the long meeting, Gage and Eva toured the building and fulfilled many more formalities for the take-over. Then, just like that, the busy first day was finally over.

It wasn’t nearly over yet for Eva, though. That was how they ended up still stuck in the CEO’s office at eleven o’clock at night.

The CEO’s office was quiet and still. Eva was the one busily sitting and typing away in the CEO’s chair while Gage was laying lazily on the couch, looking at his tablet, doing god-knows-what.

When he glanced at the wall clock and saw the hour hand hit eleven, he rose from the couch. With his hands stuffed inside his pockets, he approached the busy lady, who was still ever-so-focused on her work.

She looked like the world could crash and burn and she would still focus solely on her work. A smile was slowly formed on his lips as he sat at the edge of the mahogany desk, staring at her.

Still, Eva ignored him. She acted as though she did not see him at all.

His smile only widened at her completely ignoring him. He had been gloriously ignored since the moment she had sat her tushie down on that chair, and no one was around but them. He looked plenty amused by that, rather than being annoyed or angered by it.

He silently walked to a door, and when he came out, he was holding a bottle of wine and two glasses in his hands. Without breaking the silence, Gage popped open the wine and poured it into the glasses.

The smell of the full-bodied wine pulled Eva’s attention from the laptop. She finally looked up at him, so Gage offered her a glass.

Eva accepted it graciously and smiled at him. “Cheers to you, sir. Congratulations for being inaugurated as the new CEO.” She uttered her genuine salutations after pulling away from the table a little to avoid any accidental spilling of the wine over the important papers that were in various stacks on her desk.

Gage shrugged, but said, “Thank you, Miss Lee. Cheers.”

They both sipped on their glass, and after that, Gage raised his glass again. “And cheers for you, too. This marks the beginning of your new journey.”

Eva’s eyes gleamed and her smile suddenly widened into a savage grin. “Thank you.” Then, her gaze turned fierce as her smile turned dangerous. “Yes. This marks the beginning of my journey to vengeance.”

And their glasses clinked together again.