C6 A new reality
Daphne
If anyone had told me three years ago that I’d be working under Antonio Nikolaou — literally and professionally — I would’ve laughed until I cried.
Now, I just cried.
The first week as his executive assistant felt like some kind of cruel cosmic joke.
He didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t insult me. He didn’t even look at me like a person. Just an employee — one he didn’t particularly enjoy seeing.
And yet, every time he did glance at me, I felt it.
That shift in the air. That invisible electricity that crawled under my skin and refused to fade.
---
Nikolaou Holdings was sleek, metallic, expensive — the kind of place where even the coffee machines probably had trust funds. The 25th floor, however, was its own ecosystem of quiet terror. People whispered when he passed. No one dared to make eye contact. Even the air felt colder when Antonio entered the room.
And me?
I was the whisper everyone whispered about.
Irene texted me on day two:
> IRENE: You’re trending on office gossip chat again
ME: For what this time?
IRENE: For existing. Some guy from accounting said you’re “sleeping your way up.”
ME: Tell him I’m sleeping my way through life at this point.
I sighed, locking my phone. Irene meant well, but nothing could save me from the spotlight I didn’t want. Every time I brought Antonio his coffee or entered his office, I could feel eyes following me.
Still, I kept my head down.
I organized meetings. Sorted files. Ran his impossible schedules. Smiled through exhaustion. I didn’t have the luxury of quitting — not when this was the only job that had given me a chance after my father’s downfall.
And Antonio? He seemed determined to test my limits.
---
“Miss Galanis,” his deep voice called from inside the glass office on Thursday morning.
“Yes, sir?” I tried to sound steady.
He didn’t look up from his computer. “The Valerio investors’ report — I asked for it an hour ago.”
“It’s on your desk, page two, under the—”
He picked it up without a word. The air was thick with silence.
Then, quietly: “You’ve gotten slower.”
My heart sank. “I— I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
“See that it doesn’t.”
His tone was calm. But it sliced.
Every word from him felt like a test I was doomed to fail.
Still, I forced myself to look composed. “Will there be anything else, sir?”
That’s when his gaze finally lifted — sharp, unreadable. “Close the door on your way out.”
I nodded and left, keeping my trembling hands hidden behind my clipboard.
---
By lunch, I was a ghost. Irene found me in the staff kitchen, clutching a cup of tea that had gone cold ten minutes ago.
“You look like you’re being haunted,” she said, plopping down beside me. “By a hot ghost in an expensive suit.”
“More like tortured,” I muttered. “I think he hates me.”
She shrugged. “Bosses don’t hate. They stress-test. Especially new hires.”
“He’s not testing me, Irene. He’s... dissecting me.”
Her brows rose. “That sounds kinky.”
“Not like that!” I groaned, burying my face in my hands. “It’s like he wants me to mess up just so he can watch it happen.”
Irene smirked, sipping her soda. “Or maybe he just likes watching you. Ever think of that?”
I glared. “Not funny.”
She grinned wider. “You’re right. It’s tragic. But entertaining.”
---
Friday morning came with an unease I couldn’t name. Even before Antonio walked in, the building buzzed differently — hushed, alert, nervous. Then, around eleven, it hit.
Rhea Barlos.
She arrived like a perfume ad in human form — tall, glamorous, dangerous. Her heels clicked with confidence that made heads turn. Every male employee suddenly remembered how to breathe louder.
She stopped right in front of my desk, red lips curling into a smirk. “You must be Daphne.”
I froze mid-type. “Yes, I am.”
“I’m Rhea,” she said with exaggerated warmth. “Antonio’s very close friend.”
Of course she was.
“He mentioned you,” I lied smoothly.
Her brows arched, amused. “Did he? How sweet.”
Before I could respond, Antonio’s office door opened.
And just like that, the temperature in the room changed.
“Rhea,” he greeted coolly, offering the faintest smile. “I wasn’t expecting you until next week.”
“I wanted to surprise you,” she purred, brushing a kiss against his cheek — slow, possessive, deliberate. “You don’t mind, do you?”
Every nerve in my body tightened.
Antonio’s gaze flicked briefly to me, unreadable. “Of course not.”
Rhea noticed the glance. Her smile sharpened. “You have quite the assistant, by the way. She looks... devoted.”
“I have efficient employees,” Antonio said flatly. “Nothing more.”
My chest constricted.
He didn’t even look at me after that. Just turned and gestured for Rhea to enter his office.
“Be a darling and bring us some coffee, won’t you?” Rhea added, voice dripping with sugar. “Two cups — one for me, one for Antonio.”
I forced a polite smile. “Of course.”
---
By the time I brought the coffee, their laughter floated from his office — low, intimate, grating. I set the tray on the table without meeting their eyes.
“Thank you, Daphne,” Antonio said curtly.
“Anytime, sir,” I replied, careful not to let my voice shake.
As I turned to leave, Rhea’s voice followed me like a knife.
“Oh, Antonio, I like her. She’s obedient.”
They both knew I heard.
---
I stayed late that night, typing up reports long after everyone else left.
When I finally exited the building, the city lights flickered across the hood of my car. The air was cold, biting — or maybe it was just me.
Because for the first time since I walked back into Antonio’s world, I realized something:
He wasn’t just angry.
He was enjoying this. Every second of my discomfort. Every crack in my armor.
And yet, no matter how much I told myself to hate him, my heart betrayed me — pounding for the man I swore I’d stopped loving.
---
