Just as Marina was wondering how to get out of this job, Chloe sent another message: [Ms. Finley, you’ve seen the job details, right? If you have no questions, please arrive at Mr. Zamora’s residence tomorrow morning at the time specified in the job description.]
As soon as Marina finished reading the message, Chloe sent her the location and the full address.
She said: [I’ve already coordinated with the security at the complex. You’ll have unrestricted access.]
Marina rubbed her temples as she read Chloe’s messages, then replied.
Marina asked: [Isn’t there anyone else besides Garret who could do this? Surely there are other assistants who could take this on, right?]
Chloe said: [Sorry, Ms. Finley, but right now, no one else in the company can fill this spot. Garret needs three months to recover, and you can hand things back to him then.]
[These tasks should be a breeze for you, Ms. Finley.]
Marina let out a soft sigh as she read the messages.
It was clear Chloe never intended to give her a way out from the start.
After a long pause, Marina finally replied that she’d be there on time.
Chloe quickly sent over a cute “OK” emoji, totally different from her previous serious messages.
Marina didn’t reply. She opened the job description again, and when she saw she had to be there at six every morning, her head was pounding.
She had to start work at six, and there was no telling when she’d get off.
She’d be up before the birds and asleep after the dogs. Talk about brutal hours.
Marina let out a sigh, set her alarm for five with a resigned groan, and lay down, trying to force herself to sleep.
*****
The next morning, her alarm went off.
Marina opened her eyes, checked the time, and dragged her tired body out of bed. She pulled back the curtains and saw it was still pitch dark outside.
She hung her head, going through her morning routine on autopilot.
By the time she was done, it was already 5:30,
Marina pulled herself together, took a few deep breaths in front of the mirror, put on her best professional
Chapter 237
smile, and finally left her bedroom to head downstairs.
‘It’s just three months, no big deal,‘ she reassured herself.
Gauri looked surprised to see Marina coming downstairs so early.
“Ms. Marina, why are you up so early?” Gauri asked.
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Marina put on her best professional smile. “I’ve been reassigned. Starting today, I’ll be up at the crack of dawn every morning, and I might not get home until really late. Maybe even past midnight. You don’t have to wait up for me for dinner. And could you give my sister a heads up for me?”
Gauri nodded, still a bit dazed, and after a moment, she finally spoke.
“Even people working in illegal sweatshops don’t have hours that bad,” Gauri joked.
Marina’s professional smile cracked just a little.
Gauri, still worried, insisted on walking Marina out of the Finley family house herself.
Marina headed straight for Daron’s residence.
This was her first time visiting Daron’s home in Vrufield.
She drove through the gated community, winding along the riverside for about ten minutes before finally pulling up to Daron’s villa.
She parked right in front of the villa, and as she got out, she couldn’t help but steal a glance at the river nearby.
‘No wonder these houses cost a fortune, Marina thought to herself.
The scenery here was out of this world.
She got the river view and the sunrise, all in one place.
The first light of dawn slowly pushed back the darkness.
Marina took a deep breath of the crisp morning air and couldn’t help but smile at the golden sunrise.
‘If I get to start my day with picture–perfect views like this for the next three months, maybe this gig won’t be the worst thing ever,’ she thought to herself.
Marina closed her car door, went through the usual routine, entered the garage code, drove Daron’s car out, then parked her own in its place.
The whole process took about five minutes.
From the garage, she could just hop on the elevator and ride straight up. The living room was right there on
the second floor.
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Chapter 237
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She walked over to the elevator, took a moment to compose herself, then hit the button and rode up.
The elevator doors slid open, and she stepped straight into the living room.
Marina stepped out, but stopped in her tracks after just a couple of steps.
Daron was lying on the couch, brow furrowed, his short black hair all messy, and several buttons on his shirt had popped open, showing off those defined abs.
Marina shot him a quick glance, then hurriedly looked away. She saw his suit jacket lying carelessly on the floor and walked over to pick it up.
The jacket reeked of booze.
She frowned, hung the jacket on a hanger by the door, planning to take it to the dry cleaner later when she headed out.
After straightening things up a little, Marina checked the time and glanced over at Daron, still crashed out on the couch. He had an executive meeting scheduled for 9:30.
She did a quick mental calculation about the drive to Zamora Group and figured she’d better wake Daron up at seven to keep him on schedule.
She didn’t waste a second. Marina headed straight upstairs to the walk–in closet and got to work picking out Daron’s outfit for the day.
Once she had the suit all set, she opened the accessories drawer, ready to choose a tie.
When she pulled out the tie drawer, the one underneath slid out too.
Her eyes immediately caught the cufflinks she’d gifted Daron before.
They were sitting in a clear little box, right in the middle of all the other cufflinks.
She couldn’t help but linger on them, her pulse quickening for reasons she couldn’t explain.
At that moment, footsteps sounded outside the walk–in closet. Marina quickly shut the drawer and turned to look toward the door.
Moments later, Daron showed up in the doorway, his short black hair slightly tousled, falling naturally over his forehead.
His expression was cold and imperious, his eyes indifferent.
“Didn’t Chloe send you the rundown?” Daron asked,
Marina put on her best professional smile and answered, “Yeah, I saw it.”
Daron glanced away and headed to the other side of the room, tossing the words over his shoulder. “If you already saw the schedule, why didn’t you bother waking me up at six?”
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Chapter 237
Marina quickly caught up to him.
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“I looked over your schedule for today, and since your first thing isn’t until 9:30, I thought waking you at seven would be early enough,” Marina said.
Daron stopped at the bathroom door, his tone frosty. “Don’t act on your own. Just follow the schedule.
Marina halted and nodded obediently.
“Got it, Mr. Zamora,” she said.
As soon as she finished talking, Daron just stuck out his hand without even looking at her.
Marina was caught off guard for a second, staring at his hand.
When nothing landed in his palm, Daron turned around, saw her just standing there clueless, and frowned.
“Bathrobe,” he said curtly.
It finally clicked for Marina, and she quickly said, “I’ll get it for you.”
Daron just gave a short “mm,” not giving her a hard time.
Marina let out a quiet sigh of relief and hurried off to the walk–in closet to grab the bathrobe, mentally reviewing all the detailed notes from the workflow as she went.
The whole thing took less than a minute. She was back at the bathroom door with the bathrobe in hand.
But when Marina got back to the bathroom door and heard the shower running inside, she could only stare, speechless.
Daron hadn’t bothered to wait for her to bring the bathrobe. He’d just walked right in without it.
AD
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
