One Night with the Cold CEO

"Honestly, when you're doing it with a guy for the first time... it feels like dying, coming back to life, and then dying all over again."

"It was so embarrassing. Neither of us even dared to move!"

On the night of their high school graduation party, Chloe Bishop overheard a group of female classmates huddled in a corner, whispering about losing their virginity.

Her cheeks flushed bright red, and her fingers tightened around the hotel key card in her hand.

Her boyfriend had given her the card through her younger half-sister.

Chloe wasn't naive. She knew exactly what it meant.

That night, she drank enough to make herself tipsy, hoping the alcohol would give her some courage. Then she stumbled up to Room 909 and pushed open the door.

The moment she stepped inside, a large, warm hand seized her wrist and pulled her onto the king-sized bed.

She remembered how broad and powerful that hand had felt, how easily he had pinned both her wrists above her head with one hand.

He was nothing like Liam, whose lean, youthful build was all she had ever known.

Through the haze of alcohol and darkness, she could make out his broad shoulders and muscular back. His strength overwhelmed her, leaving her breathless and unable to wrap her arms around him.

Every touch, every movement went far beyond anything she'd imagined.

Only one thought kept running through her mind.

Those girls lied to me.

The part about dying and coming back to life was true enough, but what did they mean neither of them dared to move?

This man wasn't hesitant at all.

He was ruthless!

Drunk, dazed, and utterly exhausted, Chloe suddenly remembered a line she'd read somewhere:

Raw strength is what separates a boy from a man.

When she woke the following morning, she didn't find a boy beside her.

She found a man.

A fully grown, breathtakingly handsome man with broad shoulders, long legs, and an imposing presence.

Panicked, she gathered her clothes and fled.

It was only later that day that the cruel truth came out.

Her half-sister had set her up.

Her boyfriend broke up with her on the spot, and with her stepmother and half-sister manipulating the situation, even her own father turned against her.

He disowned her and threw her out.

Five years passed in the blink of an eye.

Chloe Bishop returned to the country with her five-year-old twins.

But she never expected to encounter a man who looked remarkably like her eldest twin, Adrian, at her very first job interview.

The man sat behind the desk in the CEO's office.

He was strikingly handsome, with sharply defined features and dark, icy eyes that seemed capable of seeing straight through anyone.

"You're a fashion designer by training," the man said evenly. "Why are you applying to be my executive secretary?"

Even seated casually, he carried an unmistakable air of authority.

Chloe had heard that Xavier Grayson, the head of the powerful Grayson Corporation, was unusually young for his position.

But seeing him in person still came as a shock.

Who would have imagined that a man who dominated the city's-and even the nation's-business world could be so young and handsome?

What unsettled her most, however, was his face.

He looked far too much like Adrian.

No. More accurately, Adrian looked like a miniature version of him.

Chloe desperately tried to remember the face of the man from five years ago, but her memory remained blank.

Just as panic began to creep in, she recalled something she'd overheard from the female employees while waiting downstairs for her interview.

According to office gossip, the CEO suffered from a certain medical condition.

Right. A medical condition.

Then he couldn't possibly be the man from that night.

Because if there was one thing Chloe remembered clearly about that man, it was that he had been more than capable.

She quietly sighed in relief.

Xavier Grayson lifted his head.

The moment his gaze met her clear, determined eyes, his heart unexpectedly skipped a beat.

Something about her eyes seemed strangely familiar.

As though he'd seen them somewhere before.

Before Chloe could answer his question, his younger brother, Samuel Grayson, hurriedly interrupted.

"Big Brother, just because she studied design doesn't mean she can't be a good secretary! Besides, those secretarial graduates we hired before were completely useless. A degree doesn't matter!"

He leaned closer, his voice turning almost pleading.

"The important thing is, she's already a mother of two! She definitely won't develop any inappropriate feelings for you!"

Samuel continued anxiously.

"The new executive secretary we recruited from America won't arrive for another two weeks anyway. Can't you just make do with her for half a month?"

Samuel Grayson was practically begging.

Over the years, he'd lost count of how many secretaries he'd hired for his older brother.

Every single one had been fired for the same reason.

They'd tried to flirt with their boss.

Samuel spent nearly every month struggling to find replacements.

When he saw Chloe applying for a design position that day and discovered she was already a mother, he'd decided to bring her upstairs and give it a try.

Truthfully, Chloe didn't want to work as a secretary either.

She wanted a job in her own field.

However...

The salary was simply too good to refuse.

Sixty thousand dollars for just half a month!

With two little mouths to feed at home, how could she possibly turn that down?

Xavier withdrew his gaze from Chloe and gave a low, brief response.

"Mm."

Hearing his brother agree, Samuel nearly burst into tears of relief.

Meanwhile, the corner of Chloe's mouth twitched.

What does he mean, "make do with her"?

I'm a person, not an appliance!

She'd graduated from a prestigious university and won awards in international competitions for young designers.

She was more than qualified, thank you very much!

"Come on, follow me," Samuel said.

"All right."

Chloe immediately put on a professional smile and followed him out of the office.

"This will be your workspace."

Samuel led her into the executive secretary's room, located directly outside Xavier's office.

It was close enough for her to respond immediately whenever he called.

Straight ahead was a floor-to-ceiling glass wall, but the blinds were drawn, blocking the view into the main office.

"Samuel, may I ask what my daily responsibilities will be?" Chloe asked attentively.

After all, her background was in design. She had no experience working as an executive secretary.

"Honestly? As long as my brother doesn't fire you and you survive these two weeks until the new secretary arrives, you've done your job!"

The corner of Chloe's mouth twitched again.

Was the word survive really necessary?

She could already imagine how difficult the next half month would be.

"Once the new secretary arrives, can I transfer to the Design Department?" she asked, wanting to make sure.

Samuel nodded immediately.

"Of course! I'll personally arrange your transfer to Design!"

Chloe nodded, feeling more determined.

"Understood."

For that paycheck, she could endure anything!

Samuel called over a senior staff member to explain the daily workflow.

It didn't take Chloe long to realize that almost every task on her list revolved around Xavier Grayson.

And the man was unbelievably demanding.

"Every morning at ten and every afternoon at two, prepare a fresh cup of coffee for President Grayson. No sugar, no cream, and the temperature must be exactly seventy degrees Celsius."

Chloe carefully wrote everything down in her notebook, secretly rolling her eyes at the temperature requirement.

What a nightmare of a boss.

"President Grayson dislikes interruptions. If someone's name isn't on his daily schedule, they're not allowed to see him."

"If President Grayson works late and needs to stay overnight at the office, you must call the restaurant in advance to order his dinner..."

"Um..."

Chloe cautiously raised her hand.

"Excuse me, but if my shift has already ended, how am I supposed to know whether President Grayson plans to stay overnight?"

The staff member gave her a look as though she'd asked something ridiculous.

"If President Grayson hasn't left work, do you honestly think you can leave before him?"

Chloe was speechless.

"Got it."

It seemed overtime would be her constant companion for the next two weeks.

After going through a long list of rules, the staff member gave her one final, stern warning.

"Most importantly, President Grayson dislikes women. Make sure you maintain a distance of at least one meter from him at all times."

"Understood."

Chloe nodded.

That explains everything, she thought sympathetically.

He's a powerful CEO with a secret medical condition. Since he can't get it up, he must feel insecure and resent women because of it!

How tragic.