Hello, CEO! Don’t Play With Me!

Andrew stood staring at the large window behind his desk. His choice of workspace at The Collage’s headquarters was unique. He liked the view of the busy city center below. It was a welcome respite from the busy schedule he had during his tenure as a senior officer in a national news company.

In his hand was still the cell phone that had sent a message some time ago, but until this moment had not received a reply.

“At least she read my message,” he said with a chuckle. His eyes were again staring at the cell phone as if wasting time like this didn’t matter, even though if he was honest, Andrew had a lot of deadlines to catch up on. But waiting for a reply from the girl who controlled his mind was much more of a priority.

Even if you are well aware, the probability of being reciprocated is at five percent.

“Should I send snacks?” asked Andrew with a frown on his forehead. “But Nami has already arrived in Milan? Or…” He hurried back to his desk. Suddenly, he remembered that there was one agenda from his subordinates to Milan to cover the event that would be held in two weeks. But The Collage had special permission to report on some of the contestants’ activities during the quarantine period.

Don’t ask me how difficult it was for Andrew to persuade the owner of Ford to give The Collage special permission to have that privilege.

“Andy there?” Andrew quickly sat up and reached for the intercom that connected to whichever division he wanted.

“There is, sir. I’m leaving for Milan soon to catch up with Jenny.”

“I want to talk.”

It wasn’t long before Andrew was connected to the person. They exchanged pleasantries while instructing him to cover the interesting parts as the contestants went about their activities. They had already discussed how to broadcast the exclusive side-by-side with Ford.

“You must have the contestants’ schedule, Andy?” asked Andrew as he leaned back comfortably. Trying to normalize his sanity after a crazy idea came up.

“Yes, sir. Jenny just gave it to me. We are discussing what can be broadcast live, and what can be reported on the media page on the main page. Many contestants are debuting this time, sir, so the competition is quite fierce and people are waiting for it.”

Andrew doesn’t really care about that. He believes his team knows best how to process news so that it is interesting and has selling points. The more people who are interested in the news that is spread, the higher the amount of money that comes in.

“Send it to my personal email Giselle’s schedule. Be detailed, don’t miss anything and if there are any changes, let me know immediately.”

“B-Okay, sir.” Andy looked taken aback by the boss’s request, but what could he do? There was no way he could ask bluntly, right?

“Anything related to Giselle, you report to me. No matter what it is. And I want no one to know about this extra assignment for you. Understood?”

“Understood, sir.” Andy was getting more and more astonished.

“Good. I’m waiting for your report, Andy.” Andrew immediately disconnected the call. There was no need to wait for Andy’s response. It had only been a year since the young man had joined The Collage but Andrew could already sense great potential in the man. Eager and rarely desperate to wait for big figures to come out in public if there was a big news story going on. And what Andy wrote, most of the people were interested in.

There’s a lot that Andrew can rely on to keep The Collage going. As long as there are materials that can be raised continuously, Andrew believes that what he has built here will not collapse easily. Although sometimes he acted in a way that could jeopardize The Collage. Like the case that was easily covered up by his connections; Jilly’s dating partner.All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

“Tsk! Just thinking about it makes me sick.” Andrew dismissed the thought immediately. “Their speculations are terrible.” He laughed. Feeling part of a life where people’s private lives are often scrutinized. “Is this karma?”

His laughter filled the office even more. As his eyes fell on the work screen, where many reports were waiting, he let out a long sigh. “Alright. I have to get back to reality.” The laughter vanished immediately, and the smile that had been gracing the lips of the relaxed-looking man in his black shirt also disappeared. It was replaced with the stern, stiff-faced figure of Andrew.

He rarely talks about unnecessary things, only listening if his employees’ reports and arguments make sense. Otherwise, he doesn’t care how they fulfill his wishes. A true dictator is inherent in Andrew.

Just like his predecessor; Franky Kingston. The father who often made Andrew feel small in front of him. He did everything he could to satisfy his father’s expectations of what Andrew had achieved, but alas… Franky was not easily satisfied. Always pressuring Andrew from many sides, especially from the side that really weakens him.

Liliana Kingston. Andrew’s mother is very dear to him.

“If it weren’t for my compassion, your mother would be a stranger! All I want is my successor! So, be an obedient successor if you don’t want to see your mother suffer!”

The threatening words kept ringing out. Shackling Andrew tightly. I don’t know how many times he took a breath just to relieve his anxiety, but still, it wasn’t easy to get rid of something that had been entrenched in Andrew Kingston’s thirty-year life.

His cell phone vibrated softly, an incoming email that immediately caught Andrew’s attention. Of course it was from Andy where an attachment about Giselle’s schedule was attached. Andrew’s smile returned and he scanned it carefully while writing a few notes in his agenda. He didn’t want to miss anything and as for the delivery, he could ask his secretary to take care of it. Andrew just needed a schedule where Giselle had free time.

For her to come there? Ah… I’d say it was impossible except for the final night. Aside from the demanding demands of his job, his father’s warning could not be disobeyed.

“Don’t embarrass the Kingston family with cheap gossip, Andrew! You should reflect on the experiences around you. Lowly gossip can ruin a good image. Take care of it immediately, I don’t want to read and get reports of your name appearing on the front page of social media! How embarrassing!”

Because of his closeness to Jilly, he was affected. However, it didn’t matter because… a file in his drawer caught his attention again.

“What will happen if all this gets out to the media,” she said softly. Inside the file, there was a pendrive, photos, and Giselle’s personal data along with whatever activities she did at Jilly’s club. The woman simply gave it to Andrew without much thought. Perhaps, Jilly thought, Andrew and herself were aligned to destroy Giselle.

Unfortunately, Andrew only wants to keep Giselle around. While Jilly wants to use Giselle’s popularity as a useful host. Andrew knows this intention but can’t prevent it immediately, because he needs all the data about Giselle’s past.

He closed the drawer again and locked it tightly. Her smile was thinly etched with warm eyes staring at Giselle’s schedule. “You can rest easy, Nami. Everything is safe in my hands. I have no intention of destroying what you love. Your new world makes you shine and I love it.”

The smile grew wider.

He remembered that the conversation with Justin that ended his day was really lucky. Very, very lucky and if he could, ah no, Andrew would make it happen again and again.

Accompanying Giselle.