CHAPTER 2
I woke up earlier the next morning.
Very early. Even the second alarm hadn't had a chance to go off when my eyes opened.
I immediately remembered Arka's message from yesterday.
Don't stay up too late.
Then I remembered his other words.
Come in early tomorrow.
I sighed as I stared at my bedroom ceiling.
“Why do I have to think about my boss's words the moment I wake up?”
I quickly got out of bed.
I couldn't be late today.
I couldn't spill my coffee.
And most importantly...
I couldn't make any mistakes.
At least, that was the plan.
By 7:20, I had already arrived at Mahendra Tower.
I even had time to buy breakfast.
When I reached the twenty-fifth floor, the office was still fairly quiet.
I sat down at my desk and started up my computer.
A few minutes later, Maya arrived.
The moment she saw me, she smiled.
“Wow. You got here early.”
I pointed at the clock.
“Because someone told me to.”
Maya laughed.
“Mr. Arka?”
I nodded.
“Don't say his name so loudly.”
“Why?”
“I'm still traumatized.”
Maya was just about to answer when footsteps sounded from the direction of the elevator.
I turned instinctively.
The footsteps stopped in front of our desks.
Arka.
He was wearing a black suit with a white shirt. His hair was neatly styled as usual.
His eyes briefly met mine.
Then he looked at the watch on his wrist.
“What time did you get here?”
I immediately stood up.
“Twenty past seven, sir.”
Arka nodded.
“Good.”
Just one word.
But for some reason, I felt like I'd just gotten a perfect score on an exam.
Arka walked toward his office.
I sat back down.
Maya looked at me with an amused smile.
“What?”
“You look happy to be praised.”
“I'm just relieved.”
“What’s the difference?”
“If he says ‘good,’ it means I’m not getting fired yet.”
Maya laughed.
I opened my computer and started working.
Not long afterward, the phone on my desk rang.
I picked it up.
“Good morning, Mahendra Group. How can I help you?”
The voice on the other end gave me the name of a client.
I wrote down the message, then immediately passed it along to Arka.
I knocked on his office door.
“Come in.”
I opened the door.
“Sir, there’s a call from Pratama Development. They want to confirm tomorrow’s meeting schedule.”
Arka looked up from his documents.
“Nine tomorrow morning.”
“Okay.”
I wrote it down.
“And Nara.”
“Yes?”
“Prepare all the Arvendale Riverside project documents.”
I nodded.
“Of course, sir.”
“Including the latest financial report.”
“Of course.”
“And the revised proposal.”
“Of course.”
I kept nodding until Arka looked at me.
“Why?”
I smiled.
“It’s nothing.”
“Then get to it.”
I quickly left.
The work turned out to be more complicated than I’d imagined.
Within an hour, my desk was covered in documents.
I opened them one by one.
Financial reports.
Project proposals.
Meeting schedules.
Client lists.
Everything had to be checked before I handed it over to Arka.
I was beginning to understand why being a director’s personal secretary wasn’t a job you could take casually.
I had just finished checking one folder when Maya showed up carrying two cups of coffee.
“This is for you.”
I accepted the cup.
“Thanks.”
Maya sat in the chair beside me.
“How’s it going?”
I pointed at the pile of documents.
“I’m starting to consider running away.”
Maya laughed.
“It’s only your second day.”
“Exactly.”
We chuckled together.
Suddenly, the sound of the door opening made us fall silent.
Arka stepped out of his office.
His gaze shifted from Maya to me.
“Are the project documents done?”
I immediately stood up.
“Almost, sir.”
“Almost?”
I nodded.
“I’m still checking them.”
Arka walked closer.
“How much longer?”
I looked at the clock.
“Ten more minutes.”
“Good.”
He left.
I let out a long breath.
Maya whispered,
“He’s always like that.”
“Like what?”
“When he’s working, everything has to be done fast.”
I nodded.
Fifteen minutes later, I took the completed documents to his office.
Arka was standing by the window.
“Put them on the desk.”
I set the documents down.
“I’ve checked everything, sir.”
Arka picked up one of the files.
He read it carefully.
I stood there waiting.
One minute.
Two minutes.
Three minutes.
My heart began to pound.
Finally, Arka closed the file.
“This part is wrong.”
I immediately went pale.
“Which part?”
Arka pointed to a number.
I stepped closer.
He was right—two numbers had been switched around.
“Oh, my God...”
I snatched up the document.
“I’m sorry, sir. I’ll fix it.”
Arka nodded.
“Check it again before you hand it over.”
“Yes.”
I turned around.
“Nara.”
I stopped.
“Don’t be so tense.”
I looked back.
Arka returned to reading his documents.
“I’m not going to fire you over one mistake.”
I blinked.
Was he...
Was he actually trying to reassure me just now?
I smiled faintly.
“Okay, sir.”
I left the office.
At lunchtime, I sat with Maya in the cafeteria.
I was still thinking about what Arka had said.
“He’s actually nice,” I blurted out.
Maya nearly choked on her drink.
“Are you starting to change your mind?”
“Maybe.”
“It’s only been two days.”
“I know.”
Maya smiled.
“Just wait.”
“Wait for what?”
“One day, you’ll definitely say Mr. Arka is the nicest man in the world.”
I laughed.
“Don’t get carried away.”
I didn’t believe Maya at all.
To me, Arka was still a cold, strict, and slightly terrifying boss.
I had no idea how I could ever say something like that.
Let alone say that he was a good man.
At the time, I didn’t know that Maya actually knew far more about what was going to happen than I did.
That afternoon, before heading home, I tidied up my desk.
As I was putting my laptop into my bag, Arka stepped out of his office.
He stopped in front of my desk.
“Are you done?”
“Yes, sir.”
“There’s a meeting at nine tomorrow.”
“I remember.”
“Come in early.”
I nodded.
“Okay.”
Arka walked toward the elevator.
But before the doors closed, he turned to look at me.
“And don’t forget to eat breakfast.”
I fell silent.
The elevator doors closed.
I stared at them for several seconds.
“What’s his deal?”
I shook my head.
Maybe Arka was just a boss who paid too much attention to his employees.
I picked up my bag and walked out.
But without realizing it, a small smile appeared on my face.
For the first time since I started working at Mahendra Group, I began to feel that maybe...
my boss wasn’t as scary as I’d thought.
There was just one thing I didn’t know.
The man who now made me nervous with nothing more than a single look...
would slowly become the biggest reason my heart raced.
To be continued...