The Top Assistant Stops Pretending

The first time I met the college girl Liam had been sponsoring, I had just chased down a client’s Bentley in my heels to get a contract signed. Watching the sweat beading on my face, Chloe looked me up and down with a critical gaze, then pouted and whined in a sickeningly sweet voice, “Babe~ Is this your top-tier executive assistant? She looks like she just rolled out of someone’s bed. Did she use her body to land this deal?” My professional composure faced an unprecedented challenge. My calm expression almost cracked. Even the dogs digging through trash cans at dawn would call me a workaholic. Headhunters had offered me eight-figure salaries to poach me, and yet someone actually thought I slept my way to the top! I immediately pulled out my phone. “Dad, I’m done with this training period. Once I wrap up this current project, I’m coming home to take over the company.”

Before I could even open my mouth to explain, Chloe fumed, “You definitely slept your way into being an executive assistant!” “Liam, get rid of her! Keeping trash like her in the company is just ruining our image!” Liam frowned, soothing her with a helpless tone, “Chloe, you’ve misunderstood.” “Harper is a high-level hire. Her professional skills are on par with my own.” His usually sharp mind seemed completely blinded by love, failing to notice Chloe’s blatant hostility towards me. “Harper has been my executive assistant for three years. Her abilities are impeccable. She’ll be interning you, so learn from her.” Chloe tilted her chin up, looking at me with disdain, “I graduated from a prestigious university. Which garbage school did she go to? Does she even qualify to teach me?” The air froze instantly, but she looked smug, thinking I was too scared to speak. It was Liam who finally broke the silence, “Harper has a Ph.D. from MIT, Chloe. You should learn to be humble.” Chloe’s fair face flushed red, and she mumbled stubbornly, “Who knows if that’s even true…” She shook Liam’s arm, batting her eyelashes playfully, “Well, I’ll have to keep an eye on her then, so she doesn’t get a chance to tempt you!” She saw herself as Cinderella from a fairy tale. And I was just the wicked sidekick, obstructing her love story. Liam rubbed his temples, looking at me with a mix of apology and a plea for help. I instantly understood. Solving my boss’s problems was part of my job. I maintained my smile and said softly to Chloe, “Chloe, you’ve misunderstood. Mr. Davies and I have a strictly professional relationship.” “If you don’t believe me, I can pull up our SnapChat history for you.” Liam seized the moment to placate her, “Chloe, stop messing around. Go wait for me in the break room, I’ll be there after I sign this contract.” Only then did Chloe reluctantly allow herself to be persuaded, glaring fiercely at me before she left. Liam called out to me, his tone somewhat complex, “Thank you for dealing with this. Your salary will be doubled starting this month.” As I stepped out of the office, Chloe gave me a disgusted look and declared loudly, “Harper, you need to change that trashy outfit! Dressed so indecently, who are you trying to seduce?” I looked down at my conservatively styled dress, utterly confused. Before I could even speak, she continued to accuse me, “Your chest is so big, and you deliberately wear curve-hugging clothes. You’re probably just begging people to touch you.” This dress was my standard client-ready outfit; it was nothing like the way she described it! Seeing that Chloe refused to back down, Liam sighed helplessly, “Harper, from tomorrow, please wear a pantsuit to work.” I glanced at the scorching sun outside and nodded expressionlessly. It would be a lie to say I didn’t feel a pang of bitterness. When I was younger, I was dazed with grief after my mother passed away and almost drowned. He saved me. That’s why, when I needed to gain experience before taking over the family business, I chose to come to his company. Even when Davies Corp was on the verge of collapse, I stood by Liam, helping him navigate the tough times and bring the company back from the brink. We were boss and employee, but also the closest of friends. He even used to joke that if we weren’t married by thirty, he’d give me a grand wedding. I never took him seriously. But now, I suddenly felt that he wasn’t the exceptional man I remembered.