A promotion or a punishment.
Damien had spent the entire day in his office, expecting Eva to show up and plead with him not to go through with the transfer to the Black-Codes department. That was the usual reaction, employees dreaded that place, and without fail, they came running back, begging for another chance.
He had been certain Eva would do the same, especially after how desperately she had begged to keep her job just the day before.
But she didn't come. Not that day. Not the next.
Not even after three days
Word eventually reached him that Eva had reported to the Black-Codes unit under Morgan's command. She hadn't protested. She hadn't begged. She had simply, gone.
And that made Damien clench his jaw in frustration. He hadn't truly meant for her to suffer, he was just trying to make a point, to shake her a little. But she didn't just accept the punishment, she embraced it. And somehow, that stung more than he was prepared for.
On the fourth day, he couldn't take it anymore. He asked to see her.
When Eva stepped into his office, Damien felt his breath hitch. She looked, worn out. Her skin was pale, her eyes sunken, her frame visibly thinner. Four days, just four days, and she looked like someone who had been through a battlefield.
What the hell was Morgan doing to his employees?
Damien felt a sudden, sharp pang of guilt twist in his chest. For the first time in that company, he started to wonder what the hell could be going on in that department? He secretly promised himself to definitely pay that department a visit.
He quickly masked his concern with a cold, unreadable expression and acted like her presence didn't affect him in the slightest.
"You sent for me, sir?" she asked quietly.
"Starting today, you'll be working as my personal assistant," he said, not even looking up from the document in his hand.
Eva blinked in shock, her lips parting slightly in disbelief. Of all the outcomes she expected, this wasn't one of them. Her eyes widened, not in gratitude, but in protest.
Damien caught the expression and frowned.
That reaction? That hesitation? From anyone else, this offer would have felt like winning the lottery. She had just come from the worst department in the entire company, working directly under Morgan was practically punishment.
And now he was giving her the best seat in the house, his personal assistant. A position that came with a top-tier salary, prestige, influence, and direct access to him, the CEO.
And yet, she looked like she wanted to run away.
"Leave," he said sharply, before she could speak. He didn't want to hear whatever excuse she was about to make, he just couldn't take it.
Not right now.
Many had vied for that position, ambitious, highly qualified professionals who would have given anything to work directly with Damien Lopez. And Damien had handed the role to Eva. Truth be told, she wasn't even close to being the ideal candidate. She was clumsy, emotionally detached, and far too slow for the fast paced demands of his office. Aside from her razor sharp intellect and undeniably beautiful face, everything else about her screamed unfit for the role. Yet, there was something about her that had stuck in his mind and refused to let go.
And that was what truly got under his skin.
He had bent over backwards, offering her an opportunity others could only dream of, a position she hadn't earned and didn't even seem to want. And she couldn't even pretend to be grateful?
Her behavior left him irritable, dragging his mood down for the rest of the day. He couldn't shake the frustration, not just at her reaction, but at himself. Why was he even this drawn to her in the first place? He had barely been in Zurich for two weeks, yet somehow, Eva had managed to slip under his skin.
It baffled him. What was the attraction, really? It made no sense. She wasn't the type he usually noticed. Yet, there she was, lingering in his thoughts, stirring up feelings he didn't ask for.
He was so angry that he cared less about whatever she felt, the bottom line is, she was going to be right by his side, whether she liked it or not.
Soon, rumors began to swirl about Eva's sudden promotion from the dreaded Black-Codes department to the CEO's office. Most employees found it hard to believe, Eva, now working directly with the big boss? It was like being plucked from hell and dropped straight into heaven. Naturally, envy filled the air.
"I really don't know what the boss saw in you, Eva," Mr. Ben, the floor manager, said with a half smile. "If you ask me, you don't exactly fit the profile for that role. But hey, we trust the boss's judgment. Just don't mess it up. Be on your best behavior. Do you understand?"
Eva nodded slowly. "Yes, sir."
Mr. Ben studied her face, puzzled. "You don't look the least bit excited. What's wrong? Or, don't tell me you'd actually prefer working under Morgan instead?"
To his complete shock, Eva responded quietly but firmly, "Yes, sir. I'd actually rather work with Morgan. Please, if you can, help me tell the boss. I prefer it that way."
Mr. Ben stared at her like he was watching an unbelievable scene unfold he was stunned.
But someone else heard those words too.
Damien.
He had come down to that floor in search of Mr. Ben, but what he stumbled on was something entirely unexpected. Hearing Eva say she would rather work with Morgan, of all people, than with him? That stung deeper than he wanted to admit. Without a word, he turned and left, jaw clenched, his mood instantly soured.
Eva's first day working in Damien's office felt like walking straight into hell.
From the moment she stepped in, her outfit was deemed inappropriate. She was immediately sent back to change into something "sharper and more bespoke." With no time to go home, her colleague Sophia reluctantly lent her a spare outfit. The clothes were so tight Eva could barely breathe, and the six-inch heels felt like torture devices.
By midday, she was convinced she might lose a toe.
But that was just the beginning.
She was handed piles upon piles of paperwork, given tasks that seemed to multiply by the minute. The demands were relentless, she was practically sprinting from one corner of the office to the other. There was no break, no breather. At one point, she rushed to the restroom to relieve herself, and by the time she returned, her desk phone had already rung five times.
To make matters worse, her co-assistant, Sophia, who was supposed to be working alongside her, sat back doing almost nothing while Eva was buried under a mountain of tasks. The unfairness of it all gnawed at her, and she couldn't help but wonder why.
Eva worked until her body could barely keep up, every muscle screaming for rest. But still, she pushed through, determined to endure until closing time. The moment the clock struck the hour, a breath of relief escaped her lips. She began to pack up, her mind already drifting to the comfort of home, until a thick stack of documents landed heavily on her desk.
"Cross-check this," Damien said curtly without a hint of empathy.
Eva blinked up at him, stunned "Oh_uh, sir, it's closing time," she said, trying to sound respectful despite her exhaustion.
"Says who?" His voice was cool, detached. "I decided when your closing time will be, and as my PA, you close when the boss closes".
Then he turned and walked away without another glance, his face carved in stone. Eva stood frozen, her jaw slack in disbelief. In her mind, she gave him a hard, invisible punch, wishing she had the courage to scream at him.
Her frustration only deepened when she saw Sophia, her colleague, swinging her handbag casually and heading to sign out, completely unbothered. Eva watched helplessly as one by one, the entire floor emptied, leaving her alone in the massive office that sat just opposite Damien's.
She let out a breathless laugh of disbelief as she stared at the mountain of work.
With a quiet groan, she slipped off the torturous heels that had been killing her feet all day. Then she sat back down and began sorting through the documents.
Hours passed in silence. Her phone eventually buzzed, and with a flicker of relief, she picked up.
"Hey Bob, I was going to call you," she said softly. "Something came up at work. I got promoted, well, sort of. But the workload's insane. I'll be coming home late tonight,"
She stopped mid-sentence, her eyes widening in panic at whatever Bob said on the other end of the line.
"What? What did you just say happened?"