C1 Disappear Without News

Emily was sitting in her office chair in a corner office in one of New York's business districts. From the large glass window on the side of her room, she could see the magnificent view of New York City, with its towering skyscrapers.

Her eyes occasionally glanced at her cell phone, waiting for a reply from her boyfriend, who had disappeared without a word in the past two weeks. Emily, with her hair always tied neatly in a pigtail, and the glasses that always faithfully adorned both eyeballs, made her look lame. Despite her unattractive appearance, she already had a boyfriend and was planning to get married.

"He doesn't even have any news today. Did he also forget my birthday?" Emily muttered with a long sigh. Even her father didn't forget to wish her a 'happy birthday' before he went to the office. How could her boyfriend forget her birthday?

Emily tried to ignore her feelings by continuing to type on her computer when suddenly her cell phone rang and she saw the words 'my boyfriend' on the screen.

"Ethan? Where have you been for the past two weeks?" Emily asked with annoyance.

"I'm sorry, Emily. I went on vacation with my friend abroad, so I took some time off," Ethan said in a slightly guilty tone.

"On vacation? You should have given me some news. I was so worried about you," Emily said with disappointment.

"I forgot to check in with you because I've been so busy with my work lately before going on vacation with them. Oh yeah, I wanted to tell you that tonight I have a reunion with my schoolmates planned, so we can't meet," Ethan said, which made Emily even more upset.

"Forgot to tell me?" Emily paused her question with her eyes glazing over before continuing. "Did you also forget what day it was?" asked Emily in a tone that rose.

"Of course, it's Wednesday. What's wrong, Emily?" replied Ethan with confusion.

Emily's face turned red, holding back the emotions in her heart. The disappointment and resentment she felt was growing. She felt ignored and disrespected by Ethan, especially on her birthday, which should be a special moment.

"Today is my birthday. How could you forget it?" asked Emily in a sad tone.

Ethan felt surprised. He immediately confirmed the date in front of him and patted his forehead slowly for having forgotten his girlfriend's special day.

"I'm sorry, Emily. I forgot your birthday. Really, I didn't mean to hurt you," Ethan said in a voice full of regret.

"Why have you changed? You have less and less time for me. Even if we plan to get married," said Emily with a sense of disappointment.

Ethan felt annoyed by Emily's attitude. He felt he had given an explanation and hoped Emily would understand.

"What changed from me? Never mind, I don't want to fight with you," Ethan said in a slightly frustrated tone.

"Of course you changed. You didn't even tell me when you went on vacation. I feel you've never considered me, even though I've been trying to understand you all this time. I feel that our relationship is no longer full of love and warmth like it used to be. I feel you're getting further away from me," Emily said with a voice full of emptiness.

"Em, I don't have time to fight with you right now. I'm very busy. I'll call you back later," Ethan said hurriedly, before disconnecting the phone.

Emily felt dissapointed and hurt by Ethan's seemingly indifferent attitude. Her tears fell down her cheeks. She took a deep breath and try to focus on her tasks. But her mind was very difficult to focus on right now.

However, in the silence of that reverie, the sound of firm footsteps approached. Emily stood up, welcoming the man who was none other than her CEO, a figure who always implied icy coldness. His strapping stature was simply stunning, earning him the respect of all employees and business associates.

Despite his young age, he could shake people's perception of the meaning of age. His leadership has led the company to flourish, demonstrating that age doesn't define capability.

He is Daniel Winston, a 32-year-old young CEO. Work is everything to him. Many call him the 'ice prince' because of his cold nature, yet his presence exudes the charm of a prince.

At three, he still lives alone with no desire to find a partner or get married.

"Good morning, sir," Emily greeted in a soft voice, holding her breath when she saw her superior had arrived, accompanied by his loyal personal assistant beside him. Daniel entered his room immediately, ignoring even Emily's pleasantries. Meanwhile, Daniel's personal assistant smiled at Emily briefly before following Daniel inside.

Cold... that's how Emily felt at the moment. Like a bone-chilling winter wind, the surrounding atmosphere was freezing. Emily immediately rushed to the kitchen, carefully brewing a cup of sugarless coffee. Drop by drop, the fragrant aroma of coffee filled the room, trying to warm up the tense atmosphere.

Emily approached Daniel's room carefully, carrying a cup of coffee that was still emitting warm steam. With slow steps, she knocked on the door and entered the room respectfully.

"Sorry to disturb you, sir," Emily said in a soft voice. She placed the cup of coffee carefully on the table. She focused on the cup she was holding, making sure that no drops fell or the cup slipped from her hand.

After putting it down, Emily excused herself from the room. However, Daniel's cold voice stopped her from going any further. "Emily," he called out.

"Yes, what is it, sir?" asked Emily cautiously.

"Have you finished the document yet?" Daniel asked firmly.

"Yes, sir. I'll get it, just a moment, sir," Emily stammered. She always felt nervous around her boss, as Daniel was always strict and didn't tolerate the slightest mistake.

Emily left the room politely, closing the door gently. After finding the requested documents on her desk, she knocked again and heard Daniel talking to his personal assistant about work. Once their conversation was over, Daniel's personal assistant retreated out of the room.

"Where?" asked Daniel when he saw Emily, who was in front of him now.

"T-this is sir," Emily replied nervously as she placed the document in front of Daniel.

Daniel examined every word in the document carefully before closing it and slightly slamming the document on the table. The audible sigh from her superior made Emily even more nervous. What else had she done wrong this time? That was what she was thinking now.

"Repeat!" was the only word that came out of Daniel's mouth, filling the room with undeniable power and firmness. The voice seemed to echo in Emily's ears, piercing her heart with deep disappointment.

"Excuse me sir, is there something wrong with the document I made?" asked Emily, trying to find out what mistakes she had made.

"There are so many typos in it! Are you serious about your work?"

Emily again tried to confirm the document she had made and finally realized her mistake.

"I'm sorry, sir. I didn't realize there were such mistakes. I will correct it immediately." Emily said while slightly bowing her head.

"Typing mistakes like this can damage the company's reputation and send the wrong information to our clients. As a secretary, you must understand this."

"Sorry, sir."

"Go, redo all the paperwork and get it done today!" Daniel ordered.

After returning to her desk, she realized she had to focus on his current work and complete the task properly. She took a deep breath, wiped away the tears that were about to fall, and restarted her work with determination.

After finishing her work, Emily returned knocking on the door and showing that she had completed her task. Daniel looked at Emily, who was holding the document, and concluded that she had finished her work.

"Alright, give me the document," Daniel said in a calmer voice this time.

Emily handed over the documents to Daniel, hoping that the results of her corrections would meet his expectations. She was relieved to have completed the task well, although there was still a sense of tension in her heart.

Daniel examined the document carefully, this time showing no obvious expression. After a while, he took a deep breath. Emily's hands grew cold as she waited for Daniel's reply.

"Is there something wrong again, sir?" Emily ventured to ask.