####Chapter Two: A Never-Ending Storm

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Ava Hamilton was beginning to wonder if she had been cursed. Her first few days at Cross Enterprises had been a whirlwind of chaos, confusion, and an overwhelming sense that she was never quite up to par.

Each morning, the office felt more like a battleground. Damien Cross, the CEO, wasn’t exactly a comforting figure to look up to. He was cold, calculating, and to her horror, he seemed to take a certain pleasure in making her life as difficult as possible.

Ava was no stranger to hard work. She had worked as a copywriter, hustled through tight deadlines, and managed clients who were impossible to please. But nothing in her career had prepared her for the relentless pressure of Damien’s world. He was a man who operated on a different level—detached, controlling, and seemingly indifferent to the human beings around him.

Day Two: Early Morning Struggles

The second day began the same way. Ava showed up at the office 10 minutes early, a habit she had developed over the years out of sheer professionalism. She made her way into the lobby of Cross Enterprises, her stomach a tight knot of nerves. The glass walls of the building reflected her anxious face back at her.

"Good morning," she said to the receptionist, trying to mask her unease.

"Morning," the receptionist replied, barely acknowledging her.

Ava's heart raced as she stepped into the elevator. She had made it through the first day. Barely. But today, she knew, would be different. She wasn’t going to let Damien Cross break her.

As she stepped off the elevator and made her way to Damien’s office, she caught sight of him through the glass. He was sitting behind his desk, perfectly composed, his sharp jawline accentuated by the soft morning light filtering in through the windows. To anyone else, he might have looked approachable—maybe even friendly. But to Ava, he was a walking storm.

The door to his office opened with a soft click.

“Good morning, Mr. Cross,” she said, forcing herself to sound confident.

Damien didn’t look up from his laptop. “You’re late.”

Ava blinked. "It’s 8:05."

“That’s five minutes late in my book.” His voice was sharp, clipped, as though this was the most important thing in the world.

Her jaw clenched, but she bit back her frustration. “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

Damien finally looked up at her, his expression unreadable. “I expect better. Sit.”

The tone in his voice made it clear that she wasn’t about to win this conversation, so Ava took a seat, trying to ignore the pounding of her heart. She placed her notepad on the desk, hoping it would give her something to focus on other than the cold, calculating gaze that never seemed to leave her.

“Here’s what I need you to do today,” he said, sliding a folder across the table. “Get this done by lunch. No excuses.”

Ava glanced at the folder. It was thick, packed with documents, and from what she could see, far from organized. She swallowed her frustration.

“Understood.” She reached for the folder and flipped it open.

Without another word, Damien turned his attention back to his laptop, signaling the end of their conversation.

---

Mid-Morning: Frustration Mounts

The next few hours were a blur of calls, emails, and frantic document editing. Ava had barely managed to make any headway with the mountain of work when Damien called her in again.

“Ava, come here,” he said, his voice suddenly cold.

Ava’s breath caught in her throat. She stood quickly and walked into his office, trying to keep her face neutral.

“You missed an important detail in the report,” he said, not even bothering to look up. “You’re not paying attention to what’s important.”

Her chest tightened with frustration. She had worked through the night to get the report done, and now he was telling her it wasn’t good enough.

“I’ll fix it,” she said, her voice tight. She could feel her patience wearing thin, but she wouldn’t let him see it.

“I don’t have time to babysit,” Damien continued, his gaze never wavering from his computer screen. “I need someone who can keep up.”

She nodded, trying to swallow the bitter taste in her mouth. The man was impossible. The more she tried to please him, the more he found reasons to criticize her work. It was as if no matter how hard she tried, it was never enough.

---

Lunch Break: A Moment of Clarity

Ava stepped into the office kitchen, hoping for a moment of peace. She grabbed a cup of coffee, her fingers trembling slightly as she poured the steaming liquid. It wasn’t the caffeine she needed—it was the silence.

“That bad, huh?”

Ava nearly jumped out of her skin as she turned to find Natalie, another assistant, leaning casually against the counter.

“Can’t say I’m surprised. Damien’s a tough one,” Natalie said with a sympathetic smile. “He’s always like that.”

Ava took a sip of her coffee, grimacing. “I don’t know how much more of this I can take.”

“Welcome to the world of Cross Enterprises,” Natalie said, her tone light. “Damien doesn’t get close to people easily. He’s a perfectionist, and he expects everyone around him to be the same. You’ll get used to it.”

Ava shook her head, frustrated. “I’m not sure I want to get used to it. The man’s a nightmare.”

Natalie chuckled. “He can be. But don’t take it personally. He’s just… intense. Focus on your work, and he’ll respect you. At least, that’s what I’ve heard.”

“Great. So, I’m supposed to become a robot to keep up with him?” Ava replied, a bit more sharply than she intended.

Natalie raised an eyebrow. “Not exactly. Just keep your head down, do the work, and ignore the attitude. It’ll all pay off eventually.”

Ava sighed, staring at the coffee in her hand. If she had known what she was walking into, she might have reconsidered the job. But then again, she needed the paycheck.

“Thanks, Natalie. I’ll try to keep my head down,” she said, trying to muster some humor.

---

Afternoon: The Breaking Point

By mid-afternoon, Ava had reached her breaking point. She had managed to complete the task Damien had assigned to her, but it wasn’t enough. When she handed him the file, expecting at least a small acknowledgment of her hard work, all he did was glance at it for a moment before pushing it aside.

“It’s late. I asked for this an hour ago.”

Ava stood frozen, her hands clenched into fists by her sides. "I did my best. But I’m not a robot, Damien."

His gaze shot up, his eyes flashing with something unreadable. “You want to talk back to me now? That’s not how this works.”

“I’m not talking back,” she said, her voice shaking with anger. “I’m just saying that I can’t work like this. You push me, but you never let me know if I’m doing it right. You expect perfection, but you don’t guide me. How am I supposed to keep up with you when you don’t even give me the chance?”

For a moment, there was silence. His expression darkened, his jaw tightening. And then, just as suddenly, he stood up from his desk, his chair scraping across the floor.

“I don’t have time for this.”

Damien’s voice was cold, his posture stiff as he marched toward the door. Ava stood there, dumbfounded.

Before he left, he paused. “Consider this a warning. Get it together, Ava.”

And with that, he was gone, leaving her standing there, seething with frustration.

---

End of Day: Growing Tension

Ava stood by her desk, staring out at the city through the glass windows. The sun was beginning to set, and the office, once full of activity, had started to quiet down. She felt a pang of loneliness deep in her chest. It wasn’t just the work or Damien’s coldness—it was the way her life had become a constant battle.

She had no idea how much longer she could keep this up. But quitting wasn’t an option. Not yet.

As she packed up her things to leave, she caught a glimpse of Damien walking past her office, his figure tall and imposing as always. But this time, there was something different. He didn’t seem like the same man who had barked at her earlier. There was a flicker in his eyes, something almost… human.

Ava shook her head, dismissing the thought. She couldn’t afford to get caught up in whatever it was that was drawing her toward him. She hated him. Or at least, she should.

But as she left the office that night, she couldn’t help but wonder if there was more to Damien Cross than she had initially thought.

---

To be continued

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