C7 FIRST DAY AT WORK.

Brenda grimaced a little. “He’s… a complicated one.” She smiled at him. “I see something different in you. This time around, this PA is going to get through and finish his contract. I believe in you. But a word of advice: make sure to stay almost invisible around him and don’t expect him to be different towards you or to tolerate mistakes just because you’re new. He doesn’t tolerate excuses.”

“That’s very reassuring,” Brandon said with a chuckle. “But thanks for the warning. I appreciate it, really. You just saved me from getting fired. With all these heads up, I’m sure to do better.”

Blushing, she smiled, looking slightly confused. “I’m not even sure why I told you all of that. I could lose my job.”

Brandon grinned. “Who’s snitching among us? No one. He would never find out. Besides, I have a rare condition which doesn’t allow me to betray people who trust me.”

“Really? And what’s the name?”

“It doesn’t have a name yet.”

“What a joker,” she chuckled.

He really had never told on people who confided in him. Brandon was the best person to trust in any situation. He would never let you down. People often told him secrets, whether he wanted to listen or not. Maybe it was his looks. He was a typical white boy: handsome, with green eyes, a brunette with a firm jaw and a nice smile. His nose was button-like at the top but sharply straight. He was very attractive. Despite all that, he found it difficult to connect with women because they wanted him for his kind heart and always ended up using him.

Brandon gave up on love after his ex married his supposedly best friend a few years back. He had plans of settling down with her after he secured a good job, but she broke up with him through an email, saying that he wasn’t the kind of man she wanted. Brandon had been so confused that he ended up drinking around the breakup period. As soon as he tried to heal, the news of the wedding reached him. He had to let go and move on

Brandon was still in doubt if this was really happening. He highly doubted that Ethan wanted him as his PA for his potential. The mere idea was laughable. Even before speaking to Brenda, he’d suspected Ethan would make his life a living hell just to prove a point, and now he was sure of it. Well, too bad. The bastard didn’t know Brandon at all. Brandon wasn’t going to give up, regardless of what Ethan threw at him. It was going to be a fistfight.

Brandon’s heart was pounding. The elevator arrived at the first floor, and he scrambled out as soon as the doors slid open, stumbling once but fortunately not sprawling onto the immaculate sandstone floor. He raced for the wide glass doors, eagerly anticipating the less intimidating air outside.

Raising his face, he welcomed the cool, refreshing air of Seattle. He closed his eyes and took a deep, purifying breath, trying to recover what was left of his composure. No man had ever affected him the way Ethan Asher had, and he couldn’t understand why. Was it his rudeness? Composure? Wealth? Power? It irritated Brandon that he couldn’t pinpoint the cause.

He breathed an enormous sigh of relief. What was that all about? Leaning against one of the immaculate pillars of the building, he courageously attempted to calm down and gather his thoughts. If this was a result of being in the same building with him, just imagine the suffering he would endure staying with him for hours and days henceforth.

He shook his head. Holy crap – what was that? His heart steadied to its regular rhythm, and he could breathe normally again. He headed for the bus station.

As he left the Wings Group behind, he began to feel foolish and embarrassed as he replayed the occurrence in his mind. Surely, he must have overreacted. He could have handled things better. There was no need to go the extra mile. What if he didn’t get the job? What if he was arrested for causing a disturbance? What if… He just had to deal with the affairs of others while handling an attractive, confident, commanding, and arrogant know-it-all.

Chills ran down Brandon’s spine. He had just escaped the disaster of getting into more trouble with a place way above his standard. Ethan might have been arrogant, but he had the right to be. He had achieved so much within a short period of time; there was no need for him to be loyal or act differently towards people who didn’t see him suffer. It was his world. For him, kissing anyone’s ass was the last thing on his CEO list. And being kind was a form of ass-kissing for him.

As the stinking stench of the subway pricked Brandon’s nose, he jostled among the tired and sweaty passengers to find a spot to stand. This was a life he was now used to. He had to cut costs to handle his bills.

While riding back to his house, he kept thinking, trying to figure out why Ethan was so driven to succeed. Was it the family issue? Was it truly his mother’s death? Or did he just want to prove himself to his family and the world? It was so unfair that Brandon had judged him without learning his side of the story.

“Ah,” he let out, feeling like the ground should swallow him up.

He should have stayed quiet like he always did—lost in the crowd and almost invisible. Well, that was before he learned that he had responsibilities to take care of and the world was an unfair place where you get trampled upon and ignored if you don’t let your voice be heard.

“Ugh!” he let out again, earning deadly glares from the passengers close to him. Every time he thought of his actions, he wished to reverse the moment. Maybe he would have done better or… Anything else at all.

“Forget it, Brandon,” he scolded himself. After all, he was lucky to get first-class information on Ethan that no one else knew about. It was an interesting experience. It put him on his toes. He shouldn’t dwell on it. He had to put it behind him so that he could function, especially if he had to see him every day for the next six months.

He was immediately cheered by the thought of his sister’s awaiting questions and eagerness to know how his day went. In a world where he had almost nothing left, his sister was his only source of happiness.

His first day at work was a nightmare for Brandon. He expected a bad day, but it turned out worse.

The moment Ethan walked into the office and set his eyes on Brandon, he took one look at him and said, “What are you wearing?” It was said with such little emphasis in his voice that it took Brandon a moment to understand it as a question.

He looked down at himself and frowned. “A suit?” he said. Ethan made it look as if he was contagious. So, he decided to give him the scoff of his life.

Ethan’s lips curled in mockery. “I can’t have my assistant looking like that. Where did you find it? In the garbage?”

Brandon blazed. “Not all of us can afford multi-thousand-dollar suits. Sir.”

Ethan’s black eyes bore a hole into his forehead, unimpressed. “Go get a change of clothes and look decent. You are a reflection of me. Buy a few decent suits and shirts.” He glanced at Brandon’s shoes and sneered. “Shoes, too.”

“My clothes are perfectly fine,” Brandon bit out. “I cannot afford fancy things like you because I am not rich. Deal with whatever I am putting on. All you need to know is that I should be efficient, not flashy. I have better things to do with money than waste it on irrelevant things.”

Ethan’s jaw clenched. “Fine. Walk.”

Confused, Brandon got to his feet. “What?”