“I’ll look now! Right away, Boss!” Noah immediately dropped to his knees beneath the desk, rummaging through the document cabinet at top speed.
While Noah was busy searching below, the hallway door suddenly opened. A man in an expensive suit and with slicked-back hair strode in without knocking. It was Rendra, Junior Commissioner of Authum Holdings and Noira’s cousin, who had been eyeing the CEO position all this time.
“Noira,” Rendra called in a condescending tone. “I heard you appointed a new personal secretary without the board of directors’ approval? Who’s the lucky man who—”
Rendra stopped when he saw Noah emerge from beneath the desk, his hair sticking up slightly as he held a sheet of paper.
“Ah! Found it!” Noah exclaimed innocently, then looked at Rendra. “Oh, hey. Are you here to order coffee or see Ms. Noira?”
Rendra furrowed his brow, his gaze filled with disgust. “Noira, what is the meaning of this? You made an uneducated man like him your personal secretary? He looks more like a minibus conductor.”
Noah pressed his lips together. He knew his position was only an act, but being openly insulted in front of the woman who had ‘rented’ him pricked at his masculine pride.
Before Noah could respond, Noira had already stepped forward, standing directly in front of him as though making it clear she was protecting him.
“Watch your mouth, Rendra,” Noira cut in, her voice as cold as ice at the North Pole. “Noah is the top graduate I personally chose based on work efficiency, not on how much hair gel he uses.”
Noah raised his eyebrows, startled by the CEO’s sharp defense of him. Top graduate? Since when?
“But Noira, he doesn’t even know how to greet a guest properly!” Rendra protested.
“He’s my personal secretary, not yours,” Noira said firmly, staring at Rendra without blinking. “Besides, you entered my office without knocking. So if we’re talking about etiquette, it seems you’re the one who needs to learn from Noah. Now get out. I have a meeting.”
Rendra’s face flushed with humiliation and anger. He glared at Noah hatefully before finally turning and storming out.
Once the outer door had closed firmly, the room fell silent again. Noah stared at Noira’s back as she stood tall before him.
“Wow… ‘top graduate,’ huh?” Noah teased with a broad grin, breaking the silence. “Thanks for the sky-high compliment, Ms. CEO. I feel like I’m practically floating.”
Noira turned around, her face once again blank and expressionless, though a faint flush colored her cheeks as she tried to hide it.
“Don’t let it go to your head. I just don’t like outsiders meddling in my decisions,” Noira said coldly, snatching the document from Noah’s hand. “And hurry up and make me some coffee. No sugar.”
“Yes, Ms. Noira,” Noah said, giving her a ridiculous salute.
But when Noira was about to turn back toward her office, Noah moved quickly and blocked her path. The distance between them shrank once more. Noah lowered his head slightly, gazing straight into Noira’s dark irises.
“What is it now, Noah?” Noira asked, holding back a breath that had suddenly turned uneven.
“You’ve looked tense since this morning,” Noah whispered, his tone turning warm and sensual, exactly like it had the night before. “The meeting’s going to be boring, isn’t it?”
Noira swallowed, fighting to maintain her dignity. “This is a business worth hundreds of billions, Noah. It’s not a game.”
Noah extended his hand, then gently smoothed a strand of Noira’s hair that had slipped loose from her bun and tucked it behind her ear. The warmth of his fingers made Noira shiver softly.