When the Past Walks In
William stepped out of the sleek black car, the soft thud of the door shutting behind him echoing through the quiet parking lot. He removed his sunglasses in one fluid motion, scanning the employees lined up outside the building. His gaze was cool, calculated… until it collided with hers.
Skylar froze like a deer in headlights.
“Oh, you have got to be kidding me,” she muttered under her breath.
Next to her, Nora gawked. “Wait… him?!”
William gave a slight nod to the staff, his expression unreadable as he spoke with calm authority. “Good morning. I’m William Scott, your new CEO.”
Skylar felt the blood drain from her face. “I threw up on the CEO,” she whispered, horrified.
Nora choked on a laugh. “You touched the CEO’s abs.”
William’s lips twitched — just a fraction — into what might’ve been a smirk, and Skylar’s heart sank to her shoes. There it was. That smug look.
She swallowed hard, dread curling in her gut.
Because now her fake husband... was her very real boss.
Later that morning, after touring several departments, William entered the R&D design wing, flanked by a few top brass. The room shifted into an awkward hush. Chairs scraped back hastily. Everyone stood in a half-straight line, eyes forward like schoolchildren waiting for inspection.
Skylar, who had tried to stay out of the way, reluctantly fell in line at the far end.
The department manager began the introductions, his voice bouncing with nervous energy. “This is Miss Skylar Green. She joined last month — very promising designer.”
William’s sharp eyes flicked to her, and his brow quirked. “Really?”
The way he said it — like a smirking devil wrapped in a tailored suit — made Skylar clench her jaw. She bit back a retort, determined not to take the bait.
The manager chuckled nervously, sensing tension. “Yes, yes, absolutely. Very diligent. She’s already bagged two major projects for us. Stellar work.”
Skylar raised an eyebrow. As if he doesn’t already know.
Of course he did. He knew everything. Knew she was a top student, award-winning, and sharp as a tack. But here he was, pretending to be surprised — to toy with her, no doubt.
William nodded slowly. “Fine. Then she’ll be my new secretary.”
A stunned silence fell over the department.
“What?”
“Wait, what?!”
“You’re kidding, right?”
The murmurs erupted like popcorn in a microwave, but William didn’t bat an eye. He just turned on his heel and strode off toward his office like he hadn’t just dropped a nuclear bomb.
Skylar stood rooted to the spot, her ears ringing.
So this is your new game? she fumed internally. Make my life a living hell from the top floor? Fine. Bring it on.
Moments later, William’s PA appeared like clockwork. “Miss Green, the boss would like to see you in his office.”
Perfect. She was already halfway to the door.
As she marched down the corridor, eyes followed her, whispers trailing behind like smoke. She didn’t care. If he wanted to play dirty, she’d play smarter.
She flung heavy glass door slammed open, making William’s assistant jump in her seat. Skylar strode in, heels clicking with purpose, anger simmering in every step.
William didn’t flinch. He didn’t even look up from the file he was reading.
She marched straight to his desk and slammed her hand down. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
He finally looked up, eyes calm and unreadable — the kind that gave away nothing but saw everything.
“You made me your secretary? Secretary, William? Are you serious? What kind of game are you playing now?”
He blinked slowly. “Is this how you usually report to your new boss?”
She scoffed. “Don’t play that CEO card with me.”
“Then don’t barge into my office like it’s still college and you’re storming into the hostel common room.”
She bristled. “You want to talk about college? Fine. Let’s talk about how I was hired as a designer — not your damn personal assistant.”
William leaned back in his chair, a hint of amusement tugging at the corner of his mouth. “I remember how you used to run errands for me back then… bringing me coffee during all-nighters like your life depended on it.”
He picked up his pen. “I still remember the taste.”
She stared at him, stunned. “Unbelievable. You’re dragging that up now?”
He met her glare, his expression cooling again like steel snapping shut. “If it’s beneath you, you’re welcome to resign.”
Her mouth parted in disbelief. “You tricked me into a marriage for business, left me standing alone at the altar, and now you’re trying to ruin my job? My career?”
He closed the file and set it aside with surgical precision. “You got the job on merit, Skylar. I made sure of that. But don’t expect special treatment just because we have history.”
“You call this not special treatment?” she snapped. “This is punishment.”
He shrugged. “Call it what you want. But if you’re staying, I expect coffee in the next ten minutes.”
She stared at him like she could set him on fire with sheer will alone.
Then, slowly, she turned on her heel, chin raised, fury coiled beneath her skin like a snake ready to strike.
As she left, the door shut with a soft click — too calm for the storm she was feeling.
Another side in the Design Department Break Area
The office hadn't been this alive since the fire drill fiasco last year. Every cubicle, every coffee corner, every elevator pause buzzed with the same name:
Skylar Green.
“She’s what now?” whispered Mia from accounting, nearly spilling her third coffee of the morning.
“His secretary,” confirmed Paul, eyes wide. “Right outta the blue. CEO William Scott just declared it like he was assigning a parking spot.”
“Wait… isn’t she that new designer?” someone chimed in from the design team.
“Exactly! She’s barely been here a month. This makes no sense.”
The whispers swirled, mixing curiosity with suspicion like milk in tea.
“Well, she does have a thing for him,” Annie added, her voice low but juicy. “She was all dreamy-eyed when he showed up this morning. Like a lovesick puppy.”
“Oh please, that’s not even the half of it,” Emma, from HR, leaned in conspiratorially. “You know her family's company went bankrupt last year, right? The Greens lost everything. There was even talk of them marrying her off to save face.”
The room went quiet for a moment.
Then Rishabh, who lived for office tea, dropped the bombshell: “You guys don’t remember the engagement? William and Skylar were engaged. For like five minutes. Then he dumped her. Cold. Right before the engagement, I heard.”
“What?!”
“No way!”
“Swear on the coffee machine.”
“And now she’s suddenly his secretary? C’mon. He’s either punishing her… or keeping her close.”
Someone whistled low. “This is straight-up drama. Like, K-drama levels.”
“Office romance gone wrong.”
“Or revenge. He looked way too smug this morning.”
“I bet she begged for the job.”
“Or he’s doing this to humiliate her — imagine going from award-winning designer to coffee-fetching assistant. Brutal.”
Meanwhile, just a few feet away, Nora stood stiffly behind a half-closed glass panel, her jaw tight as she listened to the swirling gossip. Her eyes narrowed.
“This place doesn’t need AC,” she muttered under her breath. “The tea here’s boiling on its own.”
Suddenly the buzz of gossip cut off like a wire snap the moment Skylar stepped into the break room, coffee mug in hand. Conversations died mid-sentence. Half-spilled sugar sachets were abandoned. Laughter morphed into awkward silence.
By the time she reached the machine, the room was nearly empty.
She pressed the brew button slowly, her expression neutral, but her jaw tight. She could still feel the stares on her back, the heat of whispered rumors clinging to her like static.
Skylar stood at the coffee machine, fists clenched as the espresso dripped into the cup like a slow insult.
“What the hell is wrong with him?” she muttered to herself. Her reflection in the steel surface stared back — flushed cheeks, blazing eyes, pride bruised but not broken.
The door swung open again. Nora stormed in, eyes blazing, arms crossed.
“That arrogant, narcissistic, ego-driven corporate demon,” she seethed.
Skylar raised an eyebrow. “William?”
Nora scoffed. “Who else? Honestly, who pulls a stunt like that? Making you his secretary like this is some twisted episode of ‘Revenge of the Exes’.”
Skylar gave a humorless chuckle, her fingers tightening around the coffee mug. “He’s not even subtle about it.”
Nora leaned against the counter, arms folded. “Why are you even taking this crap? You’re Lumina, for god’s sake! The Lumina. The designer whose anonymous pieces got featured in Vogue and worn by literal royals. What are you doing suffering in this… glorified start-up?”
Skylar glanced around to make sure they were alone, then lowered her voice. “Keep it down.”
Nora rolled her eyes. “No one’s here. They're all off pretending they weren’t dissecting your life two minutes ago.”
Skylar looked away, her voice quieter now. “I can’t leave.”
Nora frowned. “Why not? You don’t need this place. You could launch your own line tomorrow and have people begging to invest.”
Skylar stared at the swirling black liquid in her mug, then said, almost to herself, “This company… it’s connected. I’m not here just to design. I joined because I’m looking for something.”
“Looking for what?”
She hesitated, then replied in a. “It's nothing, just looking for my passion.
She hid the truth from Nora but couldn't from herself. 'The truth. About Green Industries’ collapse is related to this company and I’m going to find out.' she thought.