Date The CEO.com

Chapter 368: OS 05: A Budding of Chemistry (Hannah & Riffle)

"Morning, Hannah," Riffle greeted as soon as she appeared in the office. 

Her desk had been moved to the opposite wall across from his. With Ambryan Hathaway absent from the office, the company president, Madison King, had taken most of his duties. Both secretaries will be working under him until Hannah becomes capable enough to share the load on her own.

Hannah nodded in his direction. "Morning, Riffle."

The light that flared in his eyeglasses made his eyes shinier. The tips of his cropped black hair touched the top of his ears. Leaning on his desk, he turned back to the folder in his hand. "Did Sir Ambryan and Madam Eve's flight land in New Zealand yet?"

"Yes, it did." Hannah sighed. She sat down and logged into her computer. "I don't think I've been happier attending a wedding than theirs."

A chuckle left Riffle's lips. "It was quite a sight."

He grabbed a notepad and a pen, writing information down that he found in the file. "Is this the first time you'll be working with Madison for a long period of time?"

Hannah thought about it. Her black eyes squinted at her monitor. "No, there was that time Sir Ambryan went to France."

With how nervous she was, she was unlikely to forget it anytime soon. It was the first time he'd be away from the office for weeks. She remembered how Eve handled matters in his absence. It was one of the things she admired about Eve.

But she just wasn't at the same level.

At least, not yet. 

"Right." Riffle snapped the folder shut. He placed it back in its rightful place inside the filing cabinet and turned around. His full attention was on Hannah. "But he still worked during that time. Since he's on his honeymoon, the executive management has forbidden him from even thinking about work." 

Hannah nodded, recalling it perfectly. The president and the chairman had persuaded the board to let Ambryan off company affairs for the duration of his honeymoon. They had also assured the board that they'd share his workload.

Unfortunately, the chairman travelled a lot, taking over most of Ambryan's external affairs.

The bulk of the work was actually left to Madison.

They compensated it by assigning Hannah among his staff. Since they had worked before, Hannah felt more relaxed. She survived before. She could do it again.

Riffle pressed his lips together. Her emotions were written in her black eyes. Although she had the confidence this time, her gaze fidgeted like before. "Since you'll be staying with us, I'll give you a piece of advice and you'll be doing me a huge favor if you follow it."

"What is it?" Hannah was on full alert. She opened a sticky note on her desktop, ready to type.

"Never let him go by himself. If he says he wants food, you order it for him. Never let him buy it himself. If he says he wants fresh air, open a window in his office. If he says he wants to walk, tell him to use the treadmill in his office. Basically, there's always a way to handle things without him stepping away from this floor."

"..." 

Hannah realized her fingers hadn't moved. 

She woke up from her trance and typed his instructions word per word.

"I did hear he liked to skip work..." she said, trying to hide her momentary lack of concentration. "But I didn't see that happen last time. I almost thought it was just a silly rumor."

Riffle finally sat down and resumed his work. He dragged the notepad across his desk to transfer the data into his computer. "You got lucky at the time. It varies but once he's distracted, it's hard to get him back."

He propped an elbow on his table and cupped his cheek. Hannah noticed him from the corner of her eye and glimpsed his way.

The most innocent smile flashed on his face. "So to save both our necks and avoid too much overtime, we have to be extra strict."

"You got it, Riffle." Hannah assured him, returning the expression. 

If every day was going to be like this, the next few months would run by in a flash. 

"Again where is President Madison?" Riffle interrogated Hannah a few hours later. He had left and delivered a document to obtain another executive's signature. Then, when he got back, he found Hannah pacing in front of the President's door.

Her head bowed in embarrassment. If she had a pair of rabbit ears on her mousy brown hair, it would have drooped on either side of her head. "I think he snuck out while I was in the bathroom. I'm sorry."

Riffle closed his eyes and exhaled sharply. Of course, President Madison had found an opening. Hannah had probably been engrossed in her work to hold it in until he got back. He took a deep breath and let his frustration go.

"It's not your fault. We'll get through this," Riffle told Hannah. The shake of her hands didn't go unnoticed by him. He dialed Madison's number and pressed his phone against his ear. A scowl knitted between his eyebrows. "He's not answering. Hm let's look at his GPS tracker."

"You have a GPS tracker on President Madison?" Hannah blinked, her eyes widening.

It wasn't unusual but hearing it from Riffle made her realize she didn't have access to Ambryan's. Should she have asked for it? How could she have overlooked it?

"Yes, and Sir Ambryan has one too," Riffle replied, confirming her thoughts. "But his security team rarely needs itoh, that bastard."

"Can you curse your boss like that?"

"I can when he's in pain and is out of earshot," Riffle sneered at his phone screen. He sent a quick message to Madison's security team and grabbed his suit jacket. "Come on, we need to get him back."

"Wait!" Hannah ran to her chair and wore her cardigan. She caught up to him at the elevator. "Where is he anyway?"

"At an auction house."

Half an hour later, Hannah stood a half-step behind Riffle. She was older than him by a year but his tall height concealed it. He had his arms crossed over his chest as the security brought someone out of the auction house.

"Come now, Sir Madison. There's no need to make a scene." Riffle frowned. The stress must be building up for Madison. His childlike actions always came out when this happened...

That won't do. It was only the first day since their CEO left for his honeymoon. They hadn't established a system yet on how to juggle 

Like a suspect being arrested, the bodyguards held Madison in both of his arms. His eyes lit up when he saw Hannah and scrambled to stand in front of her. He seized her shoulders and lowered his head until they were on the same eye level.

"Hannah, dear! Have you ever gone to a sale because there was this item you always wanted? Have you ever gone back to a store just because you can't get something out of your mind? Or that it could disappear at any moment?" 

Madison took a deep breath, ignoring the shocked face she was making. "Please, Hannah. You should be able to understand me in this situation. This is a rare chance to get my hands on the Holographic First Edition Charizard card"

Riffle yanked him off her. "She's not a weird collector like you. Leave her alone. We have things to finish by today or the board will have our heads tomorrow."

"But Riffle"

"No buts, President Madison. Now, get in the car!"

The rest of the week flew by with a tense atmosphere. Hannah leaned back a little and checked on Riffle. Deep concentration creased his forehead as he stared at his monitor screen. It was Friday but there was still too much to be done. He wasn't about to let Madison relax just because the weekend was near.

Hannah hid her face before Riffle could catch her spying. She returned to her report, organizing the notes. The sound of tapping keys occupied most of the day until late afternoon. Hannah stretched her arms and her upper back.

They finally did it.

They had both Saturday and Sunday off.

Madison came out of his office and marched towards Riffle's desk. His long albino hair fell over his right shoulder. Riffle shifted his attention towards his superior and stood up, not at all intimidated by the glare aimed at him by a pair of luminous green eyes.

"Riffle," he began to say. "Now, I know there's an hour left before office hours aren't officially over. BUT! We've done all our work. I have double-checked the reports too. Also, I am the boss around here so when I say let's leave early, we will lea"

"As you wish, President."

"ve" Madison stopped short. 

Unfazed, Riffle glanced at Hannah. "That means you too, Hannah. Good work this week."

She rose to her feet and bowed her head. Tongue-tied, she awkwardly waited for either man to close off the conversation.

Madison hung his head low. He took a peek at his secretary and sighed in dejection. "I swear. I still can't tell when you'll go along with my antics and when you will treat me like a toddler."

Riffle flashed a bright smile. "I will be lenient as long as you do all your work and don't give me a migraine."

Hannah stifled a laugh. 

It was like a mother and a son talking.

Shaking his head, Madison straightened his posture and looked at both secretaries alternatively. "You both did a good job this week. Go get something to eat before you go home. It's my treat so have fun. I'll be off first."

He waved without looking back and whistled. Their coordination was admirable. It was only right to reward them. And who knows? Maybe Riffle would loosen up a bit if he had a g

"Oh, Sir Madison," Riffle called out to him, interrupting his thoughts.

A shiver went down Madison's spine. His head slowly rotated to see what Riffle wanted from him. "What is it this time?"

"Don't forget this."

A small card was wedged between two clear glass sheets. Bolts were screwed on all four corners, keeping it safe and in excellent condition. Hannah tilted her head sideways in confusion.

The same couldn't be said with Madison.

He walked back as if trapped in a dream. His trembling fingers touched the glass. When they felt the cold surface, they steadied and accepted the frame from Riffle.

"Is this" Madison breathed out. It was the card he had snuck into the auction for. He could hardly believe his eyes. His lips grinned from ear to ear, unable to hide his excitement. "I can't believe it! Riffle, you're the best! I could kiss you!"

Riffle held up his hand before he could even try. "I respectfully decline."

Any ill thoughts Madison previously had melted away. Who said Riffle had a cactus up in his rear? They were clearly lying.

"Wow, you got him the card?" Hannah commented after Madison left. She and Riffle packed up and headed for the elevator. "That was really nice of you."

"You think he'd notice a huge chunk of money was missing in his bank account." Riffle snorted. He adjusted the strap of his messenger bag, staring at the floor numbers. "President can be a handful at times but when he's focused, I can't deny how fast things are resolved. He's really good at what he does. We can't have him in a sour mood."

Soft jazz music enveloped the two as the lift travelled downwards. Hannah hadn't gotten over the incident yet. A secretary did more than just assist their boss. They also made sure their superiors were in good condition to perform their duties well. It wasn't a clean cut method, every person had their own formula.

She probably wouldn't know Ambryan as well as Eve did and then, they'd probably team up if something like this happen

Newfound energy buzzed in Hannah's veins. She couldn't wait to work with Eve in some way. "You and Miss Eve are so amazing. I wish I can be half as good as you two are someday."

Riffle raised an eyebrow, surprised by her statement. He nudged her arm. "Cut yourself some slack. You're doing an amazing job yourself. I'm glad to have you here."

Blood rushed into her cheeks. 

Working for Sir Ambryan felt lonely at times. He also wasn't as generous with compliments. Hannah just realized how nice it was to hear. She cleared her throat and composed herself.

"Thank you, Riffle, but I"

Nearly shoulder to shoulder, Riffle had his head tilted in her direction. It gave Hannah a good angle of both his face and his jawline. The upper curl of his lip corner really suited him. The elevator light also illuminated his high cheekbones.

"But what?" He prompted when she didn't continue.

Another wave of blush reddened her cheeks. "Buf I know I still need to improve. So I hope to learn a lot from you for the next few months."

He laughed. "Sure. But right now, let's celebrate your first week's success!"

They made it to a rustic bar around the street corner. The tables were already full so they settled for the bar counter. Hannah wedged her bag between her hip and the stool's backrest. She and Riffle ordered a pint of beer each.

She couldn't remember the last time she went out and drank. Oh, but she missed this. When Riffle mentioned his order of beer, she couldn't help but ask for the same thing. This wasn't just about her first week in the President's officebut also all the exhaustion she accumulated since becoming the CEO's new secretary.

Riffle raised his glass for a toast. "To you, Hannah."

Getting the message, Hannah did the same. "And to you too, Riffle." 

They clinked their glasses and chugged their beer down. Their night went on about work stories and a few about their personal lives. Hannah found herself laughing until her stomach hurt. Riffle draped his arm on top of her stool's backrest. It was a little and he worried that she might fall off. 

His intuition was proven correct when Hannah topped sideways. Thankfully, it was towards him and he managed to catch her in time.

"Hannah" he said, a warning tone in his voice. "Are you a lightweight? How much can you drink exactly? You had two and a half already."

A silly grin appeared on her face as she held up one finger. Riffle paled when he saw it. 

"Just one actually," Hannah hiccuped, giggling. "But it was sooooo good and I was sooooo stressed that I risked drinking a second one. Then, I just forgot about how I can't hold liquor well"

Riffle raised his hand. He called out to the bartender to pay. "We'll take the bill, please."

The bartender glanced at Hannah once and understood. "Let us call for a taxi so you and girlfriend don't have to wait outside for too long."

"She's not my" Riffle attempted to correct but the bartender already left to ask the staff for help. He let it go and focused on Hannah, grabbing her bag and steadying her on her feet.

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The next morning, Hannah regained consciousness when the sunlight hit the back of her eyelids. Her mouth hung wide open as she slept. She closed it immediately, noticing how dry it felt along with her throat. Her nails scratched a spot beside her chest. 

She moved her legs. 

The air caressed her bare skin.

Her black eyes snapped wide open. Sitting up, she found herself in an unfamiliar room. Her hand unconsciously went to her heart. She looked down to find a hoodie covering her body. A sniff in the air hinted at a faint scent of vomit.

She sniffed some more, trying to pinpoint where it came from. Was it from her? On her hair? On her skin? Should she even be worrying about this first? 

Just what happened to her last night?

And what happened to Riffle? 

"You're up?" A familiar voice asked from the doorway of the bedroom. Riffle had a towel in his hand and rubbed it on his damp hair. He wore a white shirt and pajama bottoms.

Hannah gulped, her grip on the hoodie tightened.

He averted his gaze and cleared his throat. "Sorry. I should have asked but you were too out of it after you passed out from puking. I couldn't let you sleep in your dirty clothes so I had to help you change"

"Wait! Did you" Pure horror painted over her face.

Riffle met her gaze at once, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. "I swear I didn't look! I also didn't try anything! I was going to take you home but I was thought you might be living by yourself and I wasn't about to let a drunk woman home alone"

"Anyway," he cut himself off. They could talk later. There was no need to ramble. "I laid out some fresh clothes for you. Take a bath while I cook some breakfast. There's water and medicine on the night stand by the way."

Hannah let herself fall onto her back.

The white ceiling greeted her line of sight. Information and little memories flooded into her head. The blurry face of Riffle appeared. It was dim but his worried eyes were clear to her. 

She placed her hand on the side of his neck.

"Are you awake? Hannah, can you hear me?"

"Riffle" her voice raspy from dehydration. "You should stay like this. You look really handsome at this angle."

He shook his head. "Hannah, do you live alone? Is there someone to take care of you?"

She merely giggled and pulled his neck down. "I think I can see why President Madison really wanted to kiss you earlier."

"H-Huh?!" 

What happened after was too much for Hannah's sober self. She rolled onto her front and buried her face onto the pillow. A silent scream bursted from her chest. Her hands clawed on her head, messing up her bed hair even more.

There was no way she could face Riffle now! Let alone for the following months to come.

Couldn't Sir Ambryan and Eve come back soon?