Aria Anastasia, a free-spirited young woman, works as the MD of the Storm Fashion Industry. She has the post she dreamed of, but she didn't expect to work under an annoying, quirky boss. Surviving two years after working under him, she didn't expect to unleash a secret of her handsome boss, Zaiden Storm. Zaiden Storm is the CEO of the Storm Fashion Industry. No one can ever talk over him, and he always walks with a mysterious aura surrounding him. The only woman who doesn't hesitate to talk back to him is Aria. But he never expected her to find out his true self behind his facade. What will happen when Aria learns about the secret of her boss? Will she keep it within herself or start exposing Zaiden's truth to everyone bit by bit?
Chapter-1: A Secret
Aria Anastasia
My black heels were clicking loudly as I took large steps while making my way to the cabin on the twenty-eighth floor. The entire floor had a waiting lounge, a reception where an assistant was present, and a familiar cabin of my boss, as in Zaiden Storm.
I knocked on the polished door, asking, "May I come in?"
"Come in," came a deep curt reply.
I stepped inside after opening the door, only to find Zaiden leaning against his black leather chair, his eyes glued to the screen of his laptop.
"Why are you so rude?" I kept the blue file on the desk, looking at the annoying man, Mr. Zaiden Storm, who also happened to be the CEO of this company.
Well, I wasn't Mr. Zaiden Storm's secretary. I was the MD of the Storm Fashion Industry, and Zaiden was just my boss with whom I have been working for the past two years, ever since he has become the CEO.
Zaiden raised his brows, smirking in my direction after looking away from the laptop. "Does it look like I have to answer you, Miss?"
I could feel steam coming out of my ears as I curved my fists into a ball. With a fake smile on my lips which I managed to put, I asked, "Boss, why did you tell my secretary to stay within her limits when she just gave you the blue file which contains information for the Arizon Fashion?"
Zaiden crossed his arms against his chest and said, "How can you send your assistant to give me the file you were supposed to give? Aria, you know I hate it when someone doesn't keep their word."
I glanced at Zaiden's green eyes, wondering whether he was serious or not. Then again, he never joked about anything as far as I knew. So I spoke up with a sigh, "Zaiden, I promised to give you this file and my assistant handed it to you. Why did you yell at her? And you didn't even take the file."
"Well, you brought the file now, and I will give your assistant a bonus as an apology I don't mean at all." Zaiden looked back at the screen of his laptop and asked, "Any more problems?"
I shook my head in disappointment at his behavior. This guy would never change. He was so annoying and rude. How was I surviving by working with him? Only God knew.
I breathed out, "You are impossible, Zaiden." With that, I marched out of his cabin, pushing a few strands of my ginger hair behind my ear.
My messy bun was really messy today because I woke up late in the morning. If I hadn't come here on time, Zaiden would get the chance to make me work overtime and I hated midnight work.
As I was near my cabin on the floor below Zaiden's, I saw my assistant, Yana Aled, who was a still crying mess. She was sitting in front of my door with a chair-she would do that every time she was having a bad day. Her desk was near my cabin, so she would just pull the chair and sit in front of the door until I asked her what had happened.
Well, even I shiver when Zaiden yells, so it must be hard on Yana.
"Yana," I called out to her, and she looked at me with her teary brown eyes. "Zaiden feels bad for yelling at you and wants to compensate by giving you a bonus next month."
"Really?" Even at the mention of money, Yana's tears vanished instantly. "Is the boss really feeling guilty?"
I cleared my throat and nodded my head. I knew I was lying, but as long as Zaiden didn't find out, it wouldn't be a problem for me.
Yana got up from her chair and asked me further, "What else did the boss exactly say? Please, tell me, Ma'am. I really want to know." Her brown eyes grew bigger, as I pictured her ears growing wider to hear some more praises and apologies from Zaiden.
God, forgive me for the big lie I will say now.
"Zaiden said that he feels extremely guilty and sad for hurting such a wonderful woman who does her work very efficiently. He was afraid that you would quit the job. He didn't want to lose a huge gem of the company, which is you, Yana," I started exaggerating further, "These are the exact words of him by the way."
"What else?" she asked again with excitement.
How many apologies and praises does one need to hear? Didn't I say enough?
"He doesn't seem so soft, I know. But in his heart, he is really soft-hearted. As soon as I entered his cabin, his first words were, Please, apologize to Ms. Aled on my behalf."
"Really?"
"Ye-" I stopped midway when I realized that the person who said 'really' wasn't Yana. My heart started leaping out in fear. I wanted to cry, but I managed my posture and turned around to face my boss, who heard every damn word I said.
"Zaiden," I breathed out, my hand was now on Yana's desk, to prevent myself from stumbling backward due to Zaiden's intimidating aura.
I was afraid my white shirt would turn red because I would be bleeding to death now. The glare Zaiden gave me, he was already stabbing me in his mind. His hands were in the pocket of his dark green suit.
"Aria, I shall drop you home after you work overtime tonight," he said, pure calmness lingering in his tone as if he just offered me chocolates on Halloween.
Fear engulfed me at the thought that he would expose my lies to Yana, and she would quit working under me. The thought of looking for a new secretary really sucked.
However, Zaiden didn't actually utter any more words further. Rather he just said, "Get back to work, the two of you."
Sparing one last glare in my direction, he went to check the other floors. He would always check whether his employees were working properly or not. I really admired his dedication to work, but not his rude nature though. He never appreciated anyone for anything. Once I told Zaiden to appreciate his assistant for taking care of him, but his words were, 'I pay him for this. I see no point in praising him.'
"Thank you so much, Ma'am," Yana said with a wide smile, snapping me out of my thoughts. She moved back to her desk after pulling the chair from the front of the door.
"You are welcome," I uttered and got into my cabin, sulking for a while because of the overtime work I had to do tonight. This was the second time I was working overtime. The first time I worked overtime was when I attended a meeting late.
According to my skills, I was the managing director of the company-I applied for the post as soon as the company started hiring every employee from the start. Turns out, my portfolio was impressive.
I decided to check on the new deal we signed recently until my phone clicked.
Kael: Is my son giving you a hard time again? I saw the routine and Zaiden added overtime work for you.
I chuckled seeing the text.
Mr. Kael Storm was Zaiden's father, but he was a great man. He has set up the business and expanded it worldwide. He was my idol in business. After I got into the company, he interviewed me along with Zaiden, and since then; he has adored me a lot. In fact, he would check up on me all the time to see whether I was doing okay or Zaiden was giving me a hard time. He was like a father-figure and I felt proud that in his busy schedule, he would still have time to ask me about my welfare.
I decided to reply to him.
Aria: He yelled at my assistant and I lied to my assistant saying he was sorry. He heard me, and this is how I got the precious gift of working overtime.
Kael: Ooops. You should be careful, my daughter. Zaiden has eyes and ears everywhere.
I agreed with him. Zaiden was probably the scariest among his brothers. He had seven brothers, including him. I haven't met any of them though, I just saw their pictures. Apart from Zaiden, I only knew his father, Kael.
After working for a few hours, it was half-past eight. I couldn't leave the office since I had to work till midnight. The entire office was silent and I could feel it. I got a headache by looking at the screen of the laptop for a long time. So I decided to make myself a cup of espresso.
I got up from my chair and made my way to the coffee machine in my room. My cabin was very spacious, and I had almost every facility here.
I pressed the button on the machine after keeping a mug beneath it.
All of a sudden, I was feeling my headache getting worse, so I tried to massage my head. That was when I noticed the coffee machine wasn't working at all. I tried for some more time, but it wasn't working.
"Fuck my luck," I grumbled and got out of my office room. The cafeteria was closed by now, so the only person who had a coffee machine in his cabin was Zaiden. He told me he would drop me home, which meant he was in the office. "I should go to his cabin."
I walked to the private elevator and made my way to Zaiden's cabin one more time. I wanted to knock, but the door was slightly open. Hesitantly, I pushed the door a little more, and the next thing I saw made me gasp as my hands immediately covered my mouth. My eyes grew wide in horror as three pairs of eyes, including the familiar green eyes, looked at me.
Zaiden had a gun in his hand, while the other two people were dragging a dead body that was lying on the floor. A dead body.
###
Ruby’s worst nightmare was to get married to a person from the mafia. She wished to never marry a ruthless person, but destiny played its cards. She gets forced to marry a mafia king. When forced marriage with the billionaire mafia king occurs, will Ruby be able to adjust to the new mafia life which she feared all her life?
Autumn Emerson was the Queen of the Shadow Mafia, inherited from her father. She was twenty-five years old and ruling a gang was a huge achievement for Autumn. However, there were some haunted memories linking between her fingers and a trigger of a gun. Meanwhile, Ian Beckett was the King of the Silver Mafia, whose life went upside down when his parents arranged his contracted wedding with the woman he loved to annoy since their childhood: Autumn Emerson. In order to protect their honor in front of their respective gangs, they have to put on a facade of being in love. What would happen when the contracted love had started to turn real?
Danica Waylon returns to California after three years, hoping to fulfill her younger brother's birthday wish. When she meets up with her crush from middle school, Troy Kingston, who is now a famous WhyNTuber and a celebrity influencer, she decides it’s in her best interest to maintain her distance from him. But when fate decides to bring Danica into the same mansion as Troy along with other celebrities, a prank goes wrong, and before long their fans start shipping them. The ship name 'Tronica' started trending and they had to give the public what it craved, which was for them to be the definition of #CoupleGoals. What happens when the lines between their reel and real lives get blurred? What will happen when the fans find out that the couple they adored was nothing more than smoke and mirrors? Most importantly, how will Danica control her feelings for Troy now that she has gotten fame by accident?
Diana Stevens is a twenty-two-year-old living a happy life with her boyfriend in the United States, but when a sudden call from her mother makes her return to England, her life takes a drastic turn. Ivan Candelstone is Diana's online best friend. Diana had always thought he was just a wealthy best friend of hers whom she talked with every day. Little did she know, he was actually the Prince of England who could only imagine himself with his girlfriend, Rain Summers. Due to a few misunderstandings, when the king and the queen meet Diana, she becomes royally chosen to be Ivan's betrothed. What will happen now that Diana and Ivan are forced into a marriage they never expected? How is Diana supposed to deny her new life, now that she is Royally Chosen?
Becca Hertford recently shifted to a dorm and started her university, hoping it will help her stay away from her father, only to realize that something more complicated is awaiting her. Meeting the finest vampire Alexander Insworthe was the last thing she expected. Alexander Insworthe wants a potion that will make his brother the king of the vampires. He can do anything for his brother, even if it means sacrificing himself. But the problem is the potion is with Becca, and she is not an easy person. Can Alexander get the potion and make his brother the king before love changes the well-arranged plan?
Once upon a time, there were two kingdoms once at peace. The kingdom of Salem and the kingdom of Mombana... Until the day, the king of Mombana passed away and a new monarch took over, Prince Cone. Prince Cone, has always been hungry for more power and more and more. After his coronation, he attacked Salem. The attack was so unexpected, Salem never prepared for it. They were caught off guard. The king and Queen was killed, the prince was taken into slavery. The people of Salem that survived the war was enslaved, their land taken from them. Their women were made sex slaves. They lost everything, including their land. Evil befall the land of Salem in form of Prince Cone, and the prince of Salem in his slavery was filled with so much rage. The prince of Salem, Prince Lucien swore revenge. 🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳 Ten years later, thirty-years old Lucien and his people raided a coup and escaped slavery. They went into hiding and recuperated. They trained day and night under the leadership of the fearless and cold Lucien who was driven with everything in him to get back their land, and take Mombana land too. It took them five years before they ambushed and attacked Mombana. They killed Prince Cone and reclaimed everything. As they screamed out their victory, Lucien's eyes found and pinned the proud princess of Mombana. Princess Danika. The daughter of Prince Cone. As Lucien stared at her with the coldest eyes anyone can ever possess, he felt victory for the first time. He walked to the princess with the slave collar he'd won for ten years rattling in his hand as he walked. He reached close to her and with a swift movement, he collared her neck. Then, he tilted her chin up, staring into the bluest eyes and the most beautiful face ever created, he gave her a cold smile. "You are my acquisition. My slave. My sex slave. My property. I will pay you in spades, everything you and your father ever did to me and my people." He stated curtly. Pure hatred, coldness and victory was the only emotion on his face. .
Joelle thought she could change Adrian's heart after three years of marriage, but she realized too late that it already belonged to another woman. "Give me a baby, and I'll set you free." The day Joelle went into labor, Adrian was traveling with his mistress on his private jet. "I don't care whom you love. My debt is paid. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other." Not long after Joelle left, Adrian found himself begging on his knees. "Please come back to me."
After three loveless years, Neil's betrayal deeply wounded Katelyn. She wasted no time in getting rid of that scoundrel! After the divorce, she devoted herself to career pursuits. Rising to prominence as a top designer, skilled doctor, and brilliant hacker, she became a revered icon. Neil, realizing his grave mistake, tried in vain to win her back, only to witness her magnificent wedding to another. As their vows were broadcast on the world's largest billboard, Vincent slid a ring onto Katelyn's finger and declared, "Katelyn is now my wife, a priceless treasure. Let all who covet her beware!"
Rumors said that Lucas married an unattractive woman with no background. In the three years they were together, he remained cold and distant to Belinda, who endured in silence. Her love for him forced her to sacrifice her self-worth and her dreams. When Lucas' true love reappeared, Belinda realized that their marriage was a sham from the start, a ploy to save another woman's life. She signed the divorce papers and left. Three years later, Belinda returned as a surgical prodigy and a maestro of the piano. Lost in regret, Lucas chased her in the rain and held her tightly. "You are mine, Belinda."
6 years ago, Lydia suffered a brutal betrayal orchestrated by her own husband and step-sister, who drugged her and framed her. In a twist of fate, she ended up having a one-night stand with a stranger. Don't even remember what he looked like. Later, in the throes of death, she discovered the truth about her mother's death all those years ago. In the blink of an eye, she lost everything. 6 years later, Lydia returned with her genius son, vowing to exact revenge on all her enemies! Little did she know, she encountered an incredibly familiar man at the airport! *** The man was briskly pushing open the door to the restroom, heading to the urinal. Even with such a mundane action, he did it with unparalleled elegance and grace. Lydia, following him in a daze, saw his fierce lower body and suddenly snapped back to reality. She let out a high-pitched scream, instinctively covering her eyes with her hands, her cheeks flushed, and stood there stiffly, unsure of what to do. Lambert furrowed his brows slightly but remained calm as he continued to relieve himself. The sound of water hitting the urinal made Lydia's face even redder. She angrily shouted, "You pervert!" Little did Lydia know that Lambert, seeing her in this state, had a flicker of recognition in his eyes. Memories from many years ago flashed through his mind, and his heart couldn't help but stir. It was her!
Betrayed by her mate and sister on the eve of her wedding, Makenna was handed to the ruthless Lycan Princes as a lover, her indifferent father ignoring her plight. Determined to escape and seek revenge, she captured the interest of the three Lycan princes, who desired her exclusively amid many admirers. This complicated her plans, trapping her and making her a rival to the future Lycan queen. Entwined in jealousy and vindictiveness, could Makenna achieve her vengeance in the intricate dance with the three princes?