# Chapter 1
CHAPTER 1
My first day working at Mahendra Group should have been the happiest day of my life.
Should have been.
I had imagined everything since the night before. Arrive early, greet everyone warmly, sit properly at my desk, then go home feeling proud that I had landed a job at one of the biggest companies in Arvendale City.
Unfortunately, all those plans fell apart in just thirty minutes.
"Oh my God!"
I stared at my phone screen, eyes wide.
8:17 a.m.
I was supposed to have been at the office since eight.
"Why didn't my alarm go off?"
I scrambled out of bed, grabbed my bag, and ran to the bathroom.
Ten minutes later, I was standing in front of the mirror, fixing my still-messy hair.
"Nara, calm down."
I took a deep breath.
"First day. You can do this."
I grabbed my bag and ran outside.
That little pep talk turned out to be completely useless.
Half an hour later, I finally arrived in front of Mahendra Tower.
The skyscraper stood majestically in the heart of Arvendale City. Its glass walls reflected the morning sunlight, making me even more aware of how huge the company I was about to work for really was.
I swallowed.
"Don't be late again."
I quickened my pace.
In my right hand was a cup of coffee I'd bought on the way. The one thing I thought could save my sanity that morning.
As soon as I entered the lobby, I headed straight for the elevator.
But just as the elevator doors were about to close, someone entered from the opposite direction.
I instinctively stepped back.
And...
Crash!
I slammed into someone.
The coffee cup slipped from my hand.
The hot brown liquid spilled right onto the white shirt of the man in front of me.
I froze.
The man went silent too.
I slowly raised my head.
Tall.
That was the first thing that came to mind.
The man was extremely tall, with broad shoulders, neatly styled black hair, and a face that was... well, I didn't even know how to describe it.
Far too handsome for a human being who was currently the victim of my mistake.
His eyes dropped to the coffee stain on his shirt.
Then shifted to me.
I immediately panicked.
"I'm sorry!"
I pulled several tissues from my bag.
"I'm sorry, sir. I really didn't do it on purpose."
I dabbed at his shirt with the tissues.
Then I realized that my actions might actually be making things worse.
"Sorry."
I stopped.
"I'm so, so sorry."
The man remained silent.
I stared at the large stain on his shirt.
It had to be expensive.
Very expensive.
Maybe more expensive than everything in my savings account combined.
"I'll pay for the dry cleaning."
The man's eyebrow lifted slightly.
"Or... if it can't be cleaned, I'll replace the shirt."
I swallowed.
"If it's expensive, I can pay you in installments."
For the first time, his expression changed.
Not anger.
More like confusion.
I gave him an awkward smile.
"I'm serious."
The elevator doors opened.
I hurried out.
But after only two steps, I stopped when I realized something.
I hadn't even pressed the button for my floor.
I went back inside and stood beside the man.
He pressed the button for the twenty-fifth floor.
I pressed the button for the twenty-fifth floor too.
The man glanced at me.
"You work there?"
I nodded quickly.
"Yeah."
"What department?"
"Secretary."
He said nothing more.
I turned my attention back to the elevator doors.
In my heart, I prayed that I would never run into this man again.
At least not until the coffee stain was gone.
As soon as I stepped out of the elevator, I immediately looked for Human Resources.
A woman named Maya greeted me and escorted me to the secretaries' office.
I breathed a sigh of relief.
At least one problem was over.
"Boss Arka usually arrives around—"
Maya suddenly stopped talking.
I turned to her.
"What is it?"
Maya pointed down the hallway.
A man was walking toward us.
His white shirt had been changed.
His face was still the same.
I froze.
Maya smiled politely.
"Good morning, Mr. Arka."
The man gave a brief nod.
Then his eyes stopped directly on me.
I felt my entire body suddenly go rigid.
Maya looked at me.
"Oh, Nara. Let me introduce you. This is Mr. Arka Mahendra, the CEO and your direct supervisor."
It felt like the world had stopped.
I stared at the man in front of me.
The man I'd run into earlier.
The man I'd just spilled coffee on.
The man who turned out to be...
my boss.
Arka Mahendra looked at me without expression.
I gave him a tiny smile.
Very tiny.
"Good morning, sir."
He nodded.
"Good morning."
I lowered my head.
In my heart, all I could do was curse myself.
My first day on the job.
Not even an hour in.
And I'd already spilled coffee on the CEO.
I took a deep breath.
Apparently...
this job wasn't going to be as easy as I'd imagined.
And I had absolutely no idea that the man I wanted to avoid that morning would eventually become the person I found hardest to avoid in my life.
I returned to my desk at a slow pace.
Maya, who had been watching me all this time, immediately handed me a folder.
"Why do you look like you just saw a ghost?"
I set the folder on the desk.
"Worse."
Maya raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"Our boss."
Maya gave a small laugh.
"Mr. Arka?"
I nodded.
"He's scary."
"You've only been here a few hours."
"Exactly. I've already made a mistake on my first day."
Maya chuckled.
"Don't worry. Mr. Arka does look cold, but he's not actually that bad."
I stared at her in disbelief.
"Are you sure?"
"Sure."
"He even looked at me like he wanted to freeze me solid."
Maya held back a laugh.
"That's just his normal expression."
I sighed.
Apparently, I had to learn how to tell the difference between Arka Mahendra's angry face and his normal face.
At six in the evening, most of the employees began leaving the office.
I was still organizing some documents on my desk.
My first day had turned out to be much more exhausting than I'd imagined.
I checked the time.
It was time to go home.
I put my things into my bag, then stood up.
But before I could take a step, someone's voice came from behind me.
"Nara."
I turned around instinctively.
Arka stood several feet away.
"Yes, sir?"
"Come in earlier tomorrow."
I immediately fell silent.
Of course.
I had expected that.
"Yes, sir."
Arka walked past me.
But after a few steps, he stopped.
"You take public transportation?"
I nodded.
"Yeah."
"It's late."
I glanced at the clock.
It was only a little after six.
"It's okay, sir. I'm used to going home by myself."
Arka looked at me for a moment.
"Don't stay out too late."
After saying that, he simply walked away.
I stood there, frozen.
For some reason, that simple sentence made me feel a little warm inside.
Maybe Maya was right.
Maybe Arka really wasn't as scary as I thought.
I smiled faintly as I lifted my bag.
"Tomorrow has to be better."
I walked toward the elevator.
But when the elevator doors closed, I suddenly remembered something.
I still hadn't paid Arka for the shirt.
I slapped my forehead.
"Oh my God..."
I had to bring it up tomorrow.
And for some reason, I had a feeling the coffee problem wasn't really over yet.
I didn't know...
that everything would begin with that cup of coffee.
Including my love story with the man whose name I wasn't even brave enough to say without adding the word boss.
To be continued...
To be continued...