Favoring Secretary Shen

6:00 AM, the mist over New York had not yet dissipated, and Elena Shen had already been punctually awakened by her alarm.

As the Chief Secretary to Silas Sterling, CEO of the Sterling Group, her life was as precise as a German-made mechanical clock. Washing, dressing, applying light makeup—all actions were completed within twenty minutes. Her wardrobe was neatly lined with professional suits in black, white, and gray, with buttons fastened to the very top and hemlines always exactly three centimeters below the knee.

In these three years, Elena had never been late by even a single minute.

At exactly 7:00 AM, she appeared at the door of Silas Sterling's private penthouse, holding the black coffee from the old shop he was accustomed to, along with a precisely checked itinerary for the day.

"Good morning, Mr. Sterling." Elena stood at the entrance, bowing slightly, her tone steady and without a hint of emotion.

Silas had just come out of the gym, still carrying the lingering steam of sweat. He casually grabbed a towel to dry his hair, his deep eyes lingering on Elena for less than a second.

"Coffee." His voice was deep, carrying the characteristic rasp of early morning.

Elena handed over the coffee, her gaze lowered, landing precisely at the level of his chest—any higher, and it would be that face capable of driving every socialite in New York mad.

Elena was an extremely self-disciplined and rational person. She secretly admired his looks, and in countless late nights, she even secretly recorded the frequency with which he turned his cufflinks in documents on her computer. But she never showed even a hint of covetousness.

She knew Silas too well. This man was like a perennial iceberg—cold, rational, and possessing an extreme distaste for workplace romances.

"Mr. Sterling, at nine is the acquisition meeting with the Miller Group, at eleven-thirty is a private lunch with Mr. Harrison, at two in the afternoon..." Elena followed him into the living room while skillfully reporting the schedule.

Silas sat on the sofa and took a sip of the coffee. Two sugar cubes, no more, no less—exactly the sweetness he liked best.

He observed the woman before him. Elena was always so perfect, so perfect that he sometimes felt she wasn't a living, breathing person. She could always anticipate all his needs in advance; even the color coordination of his tie would perfectly match the theme of the day's meeting.

"Secretary Shen." Silas suddenly spoke, interrupting her report.

"Please speak, Mr. Sterling."

"How many years has it been since you became my secretary?"

Elena was stunned for a moment but reacted quickly: "Exactly three years and two months, Mr. Sterling."

Silas let out an almost inaudible hum: "Three years, and your hairstyle seems to have never changed."

Elena instinctively touched her strictly pinned hair, her heart skipping a beat: "If you feel it's detrimental to the company's image, I can try to change it."

"No need." Silas withdrew his gaze, his voice returning to its usual cold hardness. "Let's go to the office."

Elena followed behind him, looking at his broad and upright back, a small ripple rising in her heart. Under the disguise of this "workplace machine," she hid a soul that had admired him for three years.

She knew all his habits. She knew he would drink high-concentration vodka when under great pressure, and she knew he would rub the pinky ring on his left hand when thinking. She even knew there was a tiny mole on his left shoulder blade—something she accidentally saw once when he was drunk after a business dinner and she helped him back to his room.

This intimate yet distant relationship was Elena's safest harbor.

She thought this balance would continue forever. Until the day she grew old, or Silas married and had children.

Until that Friday evening, when under the repeated pressure from her family, Elena finally agreed to meet a blind date who was said to have "excellent conditions."

At that moment, the gears of fate began to accelerate.

Friday evening, Elena Shen broke her routine and clocked out exactly at 6:00 PM.

She didn't even dare to touch up her makeup at the office, but waited until the subway reached the vicinity of the CBD before ducking into a mall's restroom. She undid the bun she hadn't touched in three years, letting her ink-black long hair fall over her shoulders. She changed into a pale pink French-style long dress with a slightly low neckline, revealing a touch of her delicate collarbone.

The woman in the mirror was radiant and vivid, with a hint of awkwardness she hadn't even noticed herself.

"Elena Shen, it's just a meal," she whispered to herself in the mirror. "Give your parents an explanation, and then go back to being your perfect secretary."

The blind date location was a Western restaurant on the top floor of the city center, with the city lights visible outside the floor-to-ceiling windows.

When Elena took her seat, her blind date was already waiting there. The man was named Arthur Zhou, an executive at an investment bank, refined and elegant, speaking with flawless poise.

"Miss Shen is even more beautiful than in her photos." Arthur smiled as he pulled out a chair for her. "I heard from the matchmaker that you work at the Sterling Group?"

Elena nodded politely: "Yes, I'm Mr. Sterling's secretary."

"Oh? Silas Sterling?" A flicker of deep meaning flashed in Arthur's eyes. "Rumor has it that Mr. Sterling has a volatile personality and is very difficult to get along with. For Miss Shen to stay there for three years, you must have extraordinary abilities."

Elena smiled and was about to say something polite when a low and rhythmic sound of footsteps suddenly came from the restaurant entrance.

As Silas Sterling's secretary, Elena had a physiological memory of those footsteps.

Her whole body stiffened, and she almost instinctively wanted to pin her long hair back up.

"Mr... Mr. Sterling?" The manager's flattering voice sounded not far away.

Elena didn't dare turn her head; she straightened her back and prayed that Silas would enter a private room without looking left or right, as usual.

However, things did not go as she wished.

The sound of footsteps stopped less than three meters away from Elena's table.

Silas Sterling was wearing a well-tailored dark gray overcoat—one Elena had just helped him order from Milan last week. He had one hand in his pocket and was holding a document in the other—the very document Elena was supposed to handle next Monday.

His gaze lingered on Elena for one second, two seconds, three seconds.

It was a look Elena had never seen before—sharp, cold, and even carrying a hint of undetectable... irritation.

"Secretary Shen." Silas spoke, his voice deep as if it had been soaked in a cold pond.

Elena had to stand up. Because she rose too quickly, her knee accidentally hit the corner of the table, making her let out a sharp breath of pain.

"Mr. Sterling, what a coincidence." She tried to maintain her composure, but her reddening ear tips betrayed her.

Silas's gaze moved from her messy long hair to the collarbone she had never revealed, and finally settled on Arthur Zhou's face opposite her.

"And this is?" Silas's voice didn't reveal his mood.

Arthur obviously recognized Silas as well, and he politely stood up to hand over his business card: "Mr. Sterling, I've heard much about you. I'm Arthur Zhou, Elena's... blind date."

"Blind date." Silas repeated those two words, the end of his tone rising slightly, carrying a mysterious sense of pressure.

He casually threw the document onto the dining table in front of Elena, making a dull thud.

"Secretary Shen, there are two data errors on the third page of this contract. I remember saying that such low-level mistakes should not appear in the Sterling Group."

Elena was stunned. She had checked that contract three times; it was impossible for there to be a mistake.

"Mr. Sterling, I..."

"Take it back and redo it. I want to see it on my desk tomorrow morning at eight." Silas didn't give her a chance to explain, turning and leaving.

The moment he turned, Elena clearly saw a tiny, successful-looking curve at the corner of his mouth.

This man did it on purpose.

"Miss Shen, this..." Arthur looked at the document on the table with some embarrassment.

Looking at Silas's departing back, Elena's heart was in complete disarray. She grabbed her bag and the document, said sorry to Arthur, and then hurriedly chased after him.

She didn't know why, but at that moment, she only wanted to escape that blind date scene, even if it was to go back and fix a contract that didn't have any errors at all.

When Elena Shen chased out of the restaurant, Silas Sterling's black Bentley was slowly starting up.

Without thinking, she stepped directly in front of the car.

The driver, Old Zhang, was startled and slammed on the brakes. Silas sat in the back seat, half-lowered the window, and looked at her coldly.

"Secretary Shen, is there something else?"

"Mr. Sterling, I've checked the data in that contract three times. If you think there's a problem, please point it out and I'll change it immediately." Elena stood in the night, her pink skirt swaying in the wind, her eyes slightly red with anger.

Looking at her like this, the nameless fire in Silas's heart dissipated somewhat for some reason. He pushed open the car door and signaled for her to get in.

"To the office," Silas instructed the driver.

The atmosphere in the car was terrifyingly oppressive.

Elena shrank into the corner, clutching the folder tightly. Silas leaned back in his seat, resting with his eyes closed, but at a certain moment, he suddenly opened his eyes and stared at Elena's dress.

"Secretary Shen, are you very short of money?" he asked out of the blue.

"Huh?" Elena was stunned.

"Otherwise, why are you in such a hurry to market yourself?" Silas sneered, his tone thick with irony. "An investment bank executive like that has an annual salary of only a few million and still needs to pay off a mortgage. You just can't wait that long?"

Elena felt a surge of shame and anger. She had worked hard for three years, and her savings were enough to buy a small house in the suburbs. She went on the blind date because of her parents' urging, and because she wanted to put an end to this hopeless secret crush.

"Mr. Sterling, this is my private life. I think even a Chief Secretary has the right to fall in love."

"Right?" Silas suddenly leaned forward, pinning her between the car door and his arm. The man's broad body carried a highly aggressive aura, instantly seizing all the air.

"Elena Shen, your time is bought out by me. As long as I need it, you must be there."

Elena's heart skipped a beat, and she looked back at him stubbornly: "Then the overtime pay..."

"Double." Silas dropped those two words and sat back in his seat.

For the next half month, Elena experienced the most insane "revengeful" overtime of her career.

Silas seemed to have taken the wrong medicine; not only did he pile all the work on her, but he even took her with him to evening business dinners.

"Secretary Shen, the wine list for this French restaurant needs to be checked; accompany me." "Secretary Shen, for the 6:00 AM meeting tomorrow, go to the office early to prepare the materials." "Secretary Shen, for the business trip this Saturday, you're coming along."

Elena was so busy she barely had time to think about Arthur Zhou, let alone go on another blind date.

But strangely, the content of this so-called "overtime" became more and more ridiculous.

For example, right now.

10:00 PM, in the CEO's office on the top floor of the Sterling Group.

Elena was buried in piles of documents, but Silas was sitting on the sofa nearby, holding a book titled The Encyclopedia of World Desserts, asking her seriously: "Would girls generally like this flavor of mousse?"

Elena rubbed her aching eyes and answered helplessly: "Mr. Sterling, if you want to give a gift to a client, I suggest choosing a more steady style."

"It's not for a client." Silas lowered his head and turned a page, a hint of awkwardness flashing in his eyes. "It's for... an employee with a bit of a bad temper."

Bad temper? Elena searched her mind; who in the Sterling Group would dare to lose their temper with Mr. Sterling?

Just as she was wondering, Silas suddenly stood up, walked over to her, and handed her a card.

"Secretary Shen, thank you for your hard work. The bonus for this half-month has already been deposited into your account. Also..." He took a beautifully packaged box from his pocket and stuffed it into her hand stiffly.

"This is compensation for your interrupted blind date that day. Don't think too much; I just bought it in passing."

Elena opened the box; it was an extremely exquisite pink sapphire necklace, a perfect match for the dress she wore that day.

"Mr. Sterling, this is too precious..."

"Shut up." Silas seemed afraid she would refuse, turning and walking back behind his desk. "Get to work. I want to see the new project proposal tomorrow morning at eight."

Looking at that necklace, Elena's heart went out of control again.

She discovered that this always cold and abstinent Mr. Sterling was, in some ways, as childish as a child.

Silas Sterling's "disguised compensation" became increasingly frequent and... ridiculous in the following days.

Elena Shen gradually discovered that this dominant CEO, who was decisive in the eyes of outsiders, was so blank when it came to pursuing or pleasing a woman that it made her want to laugh.

For example, he would suddenly, at 3:00 PM—the time when people were most drowsy—hand Elena a box of desserts flown in from France with a serious expression.

"Mr. Sterling, what's this?" Elena looked at the beautifully packaged macarons in confusion.

"A supplier sent them. I don't eat sweets; you handle them." Silas stared at the computer screen, his tone flat, as if it truly were just trash tossed aside casually.

But Elena clearly saw a note stuck to the edge of the bag that read: [Low sugar, low calorie.]

It was Silas's own handwriting, bold and flamboyant, extremely easy to recognize.

Another example: he began to show unprecedented concern for Elena's working environment.

Elena's workstation was originally in the secretary's office outside the CEO's office. One day, as Silas was passing by, he suddenly stopped and stared at the office chair Elena had sat in for three years, his brow furrowed.

"The ergonomic design of this chair is problematic," Silas said coldly to the administration manager. "Secretary Shen sits for ten hours a day; her lumbar spine will be damaged. Replace it with the top-of-the-line model in the entire company."

The administration manager, in fear and trepidation, replaced the chair and even provided Elena with an eye-protection monitor that supposedly filtered 99% of blue light.

Sitting in that chair worth tens of thousands, Elena felt her scalp tingle as she saw the subtle looks from her colleagues in the administration department that said, "So you're the one Mr. Sterling cherishes."

"Mr. Sterling, you doing this will cause me a lot of trouble," Elena finally couldn't help but protest during a report.

Silas looked up from his documents, the eyes behind his gold-rimmed glasses showing a sense of matter-of-factness: "What trouble? I'm optimizing the company's human resource management. The health of employees is the wealth of the company."

Elena had nothing to say.

But the true favoritism was at that industry exchange meeting.

It was the first time Elena attended such a high-level banquet as "Mr. Sterling's companion" rather than just as a secretary.

Silas had prepared a deep blue starlight dress for her, highlighting her porcelain-white skin, making her exude a cold yet gentle aura.

At the banquet, many business elites were staring at Elena.

One of them, a real estate tycoon named Mr. Miller, relying on some connection with the Sterling family, walked over with a wine glass, his eyes drifting over Elena flirtatiously.

"Mr. Sterling, this Miss Shen is truly a national beauty. Why not lend her to me for a few days to help me handle that difficult bidding case? A beauty like Miss Shen, with a few kind words, could probably make anyone's heart soften, right?"

Elena's face darkened instantly. She hadn't never encountered such workplace harassment, but usually as a secretary, she could only choose to politely decline.

However, before she could even speak, the wine glass in Silas's hand was placed heavily on the tray.

The sound wasn't loud, but it silenced everyone around.

"Mr. Miller," Silas spoke coldly, his voice laced with poison. "Elena Shen is my Chief Secretary, not your socialite. You want to borrow someone? Fine. Exchange it for your development project in the south of the city. Are you willing?"

Mr. Miller was stunned and gave an embarrassed smile: "Mr. Sterling, I was joking..."

"I don't like such jokes." Silas took the opportunity to wrap his arm around Elena's slender waist, pulling her closer to him in front of everyone. "Anything of mine, even a name, cannot be coveted by others. Especially her."

Elena leaned against his chest, feeling the steady heartbeat from him, her mind a complete blank.

"Mr. Sterling, what you said just now..." In the car on the way back, Elena couldn't help but ask.

Silas looked at the neon lights outside the window, his tone carrying a hint of childishness he hadn't even noticed himself: "Stay away from those old men in the future. Elena Shen, your taste really needs me to improve it further."

Looking at his slightly reddened earlobes, Elena suddenly realized that this man was truly jealous.

After that exchange meeting, Elena Shen's situation at the company became subtle.

She still handled every document with dedication and still acted as a fire extinguisher when Silas Sterling lost his temper. But in private, she could feel those probing, jealous, and even ill-intentioned gazes.

Silas, however, acted as if nothing were wrong, even intensifying his display of "possessiveness."

Friday night, the Sterling Group held its anniversary banquet.

This time, Silas not only had Elena attend as his companion but also specifically invited an internationally renowned styling team.

When Elena appeared at the venue in that silver sequined backless long dress, the entire room let out a sharp breath. The graceful figure previously hidden under stiff suits was now fully revealed, like a cold rose in full bloom.

"Miss Shen, may I have this dance?"

Halfway through the banquet, a young and promising entrepreneur reached out to Elena. His name was Leo Cheng, a standout among the new elite in New York, with sunny looks and clear eyes.

Elena was about to politely decline when she noticed Silas was surrounded by a group of CEOs talking, but his gaze drifted over here from time to time.

For some reason—perhaps to test Silas's bottom line, or perhaps to see the extent of his concern—Elena smiled slightly and placed her hand in Leo's.

"Sure."

The melodious waltz began.

Leo was a very humorous person, constantly making Elena laugh on the dance floor. Elena's eyes curved with his jokes; at that moment, she felt as if she truly had returned to being an ordinary twenty-six-year-old girl.

However, this joy lasted for less than two minutes.

A tall and upright figure suddenly forced his way onto the dance floor.

Silas Sterling stood expressionlessly between the two. Before Leo could react, he had already gripped Elena's waist with one hand and patted Leo's shoulder with the other.

"Mr. Cheng, Secretary Shen's next dance belongs to me."

Although it was a tone of consultation, the dark eyes hidden behind his glasses showed a ferocity that made one shudder.

Leo awkwardly withdrew his hand and tactfully exited the floor.

"Mr. Sterling, weren't you talking business?" Elena was held tightly in his arms, their bodies closely pressed together; she could feel the overwhelming rage radiating from him.

"Elena Shen, you are my secretary." Silas led her in a rotation across the dance floor, his movements dominant and stiff. "Who gave you permission to dance casually with another man? And to laugh so happily?"

"Mr. Cheng is a legitimate business partner..."

"The way he looks at you is not legitimate." Silas interrupted her, lowering his head to whisper through gritted teeth in her ear, "If you want to dance, I can teach you, even for the whole night. But you're not allowed to give your hand to anyone else, remember?"

Elena felt a surge of dizziness. This childish confession, this nearly arrogant possessiveness—was this really the cold and rational Silas Sterling?

The dance music ended.

Silas didn't let go of her but instead directly grabbed her hand and strode out of the banquet hall.

He took her to the terrace on the hotel's top floor. The night breeze was cool, dispersing some of the alcohol's effects.

"Elena Shen." Silas turned around, both hands resting on the railing, trapping Elena between his arms. His tie was slightly messy, and his eyes were filled with struggle and desire.

"What exactly do you want? Is it because the blind date didn't work out, so you're planning to find another one at the banquet?"

Elena looked at him; the moonlight shone on his face, making him look as perfect as a sculpture.

"Mr. Sterling, I just want to live a normal life. I like you, but I'm even more aware of the gap between us." Elena finally said the words she had hidden in her heart for three years, her voice trembling yet firm. "If you just want to display your power through this method, then you've won."

Silas was stunned. He looked at Elena's reddened eyes, seeing the humble yet stubborn love in them, and felt as if he had been hit by a pause button.

He had always thought this possessiveness was just a desire to control a capable subordinate.

Until this moment, seeing her tears, he discovered that the long-frozen door in the depths of his heart had long been pried open by this dedicated, silent girl.

Where was he controlling a subordinate? He was clearly... jealous.

The confrontation on the terrace ended with Silas Sterling's silence.

He didn't refute, nor did he admit, but at the moment Elena Shen was about to burst into tears, he let go of her hand in some panic and turned into the night.

After that night, Elena was completely awake.

This ambiguous relationship was a slow suicide for her. She had invested three years of emotion in this game named "workplace," and now it was time to cut her losses.

Over the weekend, Elena locked herself at home and spent the whole day writing a resignation letter.

It wasn't just an official document; it was more like a confession. She condensed all the endurance, all the amazement, and all the forbidden covetousness of these three years into that document of over a thousand words.

Monday morning.

Elena changed back into that most stiff black suit, her hair pinned up without a single stray strand. She pushed open the door to the CEO's office; Silas was looking down at a report, his expression still cold.

"Mr. Sterling, this is my resignation letter." Elena placed the letter gently on his desk.

Silas's hand paused, and he slowly looked up, his gaze falling on the cover, his eyes terrifyingly dark.

"Elena Shen, are you threatening me?"

"It's not a threat." Elena took a deep breath, her tone unprecedentedly calm. "In the attachment to this letter, I've also written a paragraph. That's my final explanation to you as Elena Shen, the individual."

She pointed to the back of the paper, where her heart's voice was written densely.

"I'll finish reading it, then you can go." Silas reached for the letter, his fingertips even trembling slightly.

The office was so quiet that only the ticking of the clock could be heard.

Elena looked at him, watching his eyes, which were usually unperturbed, suddenly tremble violently as he read a certain part.

At that moment, he finally understood what kind of unrequited love this girl, who always served tea and water and helped him check data, had endured during those late nights he took for granted and the overtime he casually ordered.

Elena turned to leave, prepared to be mocked or directly ignored by him.

"Elena Shen!"

The chair behind him was pushed back violently.

Before Elena could even step out of the room, she was yanked back by a huge force. Silas hugged her tightly from behind, with a strength as if he wanted to rub her into his very frame.

"The resignation letter, I've torn it up." He growled in her ear, his voice carrying an unprecedented panic and humility. "As for that confession, I accept it."

Elena was completely frozen; she even suspected she was hallucinating.

"Mr. Sterling, are you joking?"

"I never joke." Silas turned her body around, cupping her face with both hands, his eyes filled with a deep affection that could drown someone. "Elena Shen, you fool. Do you think you're the only one secretly observing my habits? Why do you think I always order coffee from that old shop? Because every time you bring it back, you smell like a faint scent of jasmine."

"Why do you think I make you work overtime? Because I want you to stay in my sight always; even if we don't speak, as long as you're there, I feel at ease."

"Why do you think I crashed that blind date? Because I was jealous! Jealous to the point of madness!"

Silas lowered his head and kissed Elena's lips fiercely. It was a kiss that had been suppressed for three years, carrying plunder and possessiveness, instantly taking away all of Elena's reason.

"Elena Shen, you can't go." Between the kisses, he pleaded in a low, hoarse voice, "Stay, be my secretary, and be my person. Even if it's... a secret romance."

At that moment, Elena finally heard the sound of flowers blooming.

The secret office romance was far more thrilling than Elena Shen had imagined.

In the eyes of the Sterling Group employees, Secretary Shen was still that expressionless workplace elite, and Mr. Sterling was still that unattainable, abstinent male god.

But behind that heavy oak door, all restraint would instantly dissolve.

"Mr. Sterling, here is the financial report; please sign it." Elena stood before the desk, handing over the folder with professional poise.

Silas Sterling took it without looking up, but at the moment of exchange, his fingertips deliberately and lightly hooked her palm.

Elena's body trembled slightly, and she almost spilled the coffee on the desk.

"Secretary Shen, unsteady hands?" Silas looked up, a mischievous smile rippling in the eyes behind his gold-rimmed glasses.

"Mr. Sterling, please behave yourself." Elena warned in a low voice.

"Behave?" Silas suddenly stood up, took a long stride around the desk, and amidst Elena's cry of surprise, pinned her against the floor-to-ceiling window.

Outside the window was the bustling CBD, and inside, there were hurried breaths.

"Elena Shen, it's lunch break now." Silas reached out to loosen his tie, his eyes dark. "As my 'secret girlfriend,' shouldn't you fulfill some obligations?"

He lowered his head to kiss her neck. Elena tilted her head back, looking at the blue sky and white clouds, feeling that the thrill of possibly being caught at any moment made her both shy and sunken.

What was even more difficult was during meetings.

The Sterling Group's senior management meetings usually lasted for several hours. Silas sat at the head of the table, his expression cold and his tone sharp, making several project managers unable to lift their heads.

Elena sat to his left, responsible for taking meeting minutes.

While everyone was reporting in fear and trepidation, Silas's leather shoe suddenly and quietly crossed the boundary under the table, lightly and seemingly unintentionally rubbing against Elena's calf.

The tip of Elena's pen drew a sharp slash across the notebook.

She gritted her teeth, desperately suppressing the urge to cry out, and had to continue typing without changing her expression.

"Mr. Sterling, what do you think of this proposal..." the project manager asked cautiously.

Silas's expression remained normal, his tone steady: "Redo it. Insufficient core competitiveness."

Elena shouted silently in her heart: Silas Sterling, your core competitiveness is quite sufficient! Number one at acting like a rogue under the table!

Although Elena found this double life exhausting, she felt an unprecedented sweetness.

Because she discovered that Silas not only depended on her in life but also became more and more like a big boy emotionally. He would be unhappy because Elena replied to one less WeChat message, and he would deliberately keep her late at night to "check accounts" because she spoke a few more words with a male colleague in the cafeteria.

"Elena Shen, you are mine."

Whenever night fell and he circled her in his arms, repeating this sentence over and over, Elena truly felt that the high-and-mighty god was truly hers in private.

Three months into the secret romance, a crisis targeted at Elena Shen quietly arrived.

The Sterling Group was negotiating a cooperation with an extremely difficult overseas energy company. The other party's CEO was a white man with strong chauvinistic tendencies named William.

At an important business dinner, William clearly developed a strong interest in Elena.

"Silas, this secretary of yours is very charming." William had drunk a lot of whiskey, and his eyes began to grow cloudy. "In China, a secretary is not just an assistant, but can also be a very good... companion, right?"

This hint was already very explicit and rude.

Silas Sterling's face darkened instantly, and the chill radiating from him caused the originally warm dinner party to cool down instantly.

Elena sat beside Silas and felt his hand already clenched tightly into a fist. She lightly placed her hand on the back of his, signaling him to stay calm—this deal was related to the company's strategic layout for the second half of the year and couldn't be ruined because of one sentence.

"Mr. William, Secretary Shen is my right-hand person. If you want to talk business, I'm happy to oblige." Silas's voice showed no ripples, but those who knew him knew this was the calm before the storm.

William, however, was persistent. He held up his wine glass and leaned directly toward Elena.

"Miss Shen, if you're willing to go to the deck with me for some fresh air, I can give up another three percentage points on this contract. For the Sterling Group, that's quite a large sum, isn't it?"

Several Chinese executives around the table looked embarrassed. In the business world, while such unspoken rules were filthy, they occurred frequently.

Elena stood up, about to decline politely and appropriately, but Silas moved faster than her.

"Splash!"

Silas directly splashed the red wine in his hand onto William's expensive suit.

The entire room was stunned.

"Silas! Have you gone mad?!" William roared in anger.

"The one who's gone mad is you." Silas elegantly set down his wine glass, his movements slow and deliberate, yet carrying an unquestionable dominance. "You think thirty million dollars can buy my person? William, do you think the Sterling Group has gone bankrupt to the point of needing women to exchange for contracts?"

Silas stood up, grabbed Elena's hand, and shielded her behind him.

"The cooperation is canceled." Silas coldly scanned everyone present. "From today on, the Sterling Group will not accept any negotiations with such insulting overtones. Mr. William, please take your three percentage points and get out of my sight."

Silas pulled Elena and walked out of the private room without looking back.

In the underground parking lot, Elena looked at Silas's shoulders, which were slightly trembling with anger, and her heart was shaken.

"Silas, that was a project worth billions..."

"Even if it were tens of billions, it wouldn't be as important as you." Silas turned around and hugged Elena fiercely into his arms. His voice carried a hint of lingering fear and determination. "Elena, my greatest regret is letting you suffer this kind of grievance as a secretary. I've had enough of this secret romance."

Elena leaned against his chest, listening to that drum-like heartbeat.

This man, for her, could even disregard his empire.

Although the dinner disturbance was forcefully suppressed by Silas Sterling, there are no walls that don't leak wind.

Soon, negative news about Elena Shen began to circulate in the company.

"Have you heard? Secretary Shen offended CEO William at the dinner, and as a result, Mr. Sterling even gave up the contract for her." "Tsk tsk, those methods are truly clever. To be able to ruin a project worth billions, the title of 'femme fatale' is firmly established." "She's just someone who climbed up using her body; she really thinks she's something special."

In the breakroom, Elena listened to several female employees from the administration department gossiping outside, and her expression was very unpleasant.

She pushed open the door and looked at them coldly: "Since everyone is so idle, why not rewrite the administration report for the last quarter? Hand it to me before you leave."

Several female employees were startled and dispersed resentfully, but the disdain in their eyes still couldn't be hidden.

Sarah from the HR department was even worse.

She was a distant relative of the chairman and was usually envious of Elena's position. Taking advantage of the few days Silas was away on a business trip overseas, she deliberately withheld Elena's portion when distributing the year-end bonus packages.

"Secretary Shen, I'm really sorry, there was a problem with the system; your portion might have to wait until next month." Sarah said sarcastically, "Anyway, you're not short of this little money; what Mr. Sterling gives you privately is probably much more than this, right?"

The surrounding colleagues were whispering, some watching the joke, some sympathizing.

Elena was about to explode when a series of steady and rhythmic footsteps came from behind.

Silas Sterling had returned early from his business trip.

He was still wearing that deep black long trench coat, carrying the aura of wind and snow, and strode into the office area with a commanding presence.

All the discussion disappeared instantly, and the air seemed to freeze.

"Why is Elena Shen's bonus package missing?" Silas stood before Sarah, his voice cold enough to drop ice.

Sarah's legs went weak with fright: "Mr. Sterling, it's... it's a system problem..."

"System problem?" Silas sneered, took a document from his assistant, and slammed it heavily in front of Sarah. "Or is it because you personally embezzled this fund and intended to make it up at the end of this month? Manager Sarah, if your understanding of the system is limited to this, then you can get out."

Sarah's face turned pale, and she collapsed directly onto the floor.

Silas didn't look at her but walked straight to Elena's side in front of more than two hundred employees of the entire company.

He didn't maintain his distance as usual but reached out and naturally wrapped his arm around Elena's slender waist.

"Elena Shen doesn't need the year-end bonus issued by the company." Silas's voice reached every corner. "Because from today on, the assets under Elena Shen's name, including this company, will increase by half."

The entire venue was dead silent.

Elena was stunned; she looked at Silas, seeing the unquestionable determination in his eyes.

"Mr. Sterling, what are you saying..."

"I'm saying, everyone doesn't need to guess anymore." Silas took an exquisite red booklet from his pocket—it was the global asset notarization he had secretly handled overseas these past few days.

"Elena Shen is not just my secretary, but the only wife of Silas Sterling for the rest of my life."

He knelt on one knee in the most prominent position in the hall and took out a pink diamond ring capable of blinding everyone's eyes.

"Elena Shen, the secret romance is over. Now, the whole world knows you're mine. Are you willing to change from a secretary to Mrs. Sterling?"

At that moment, all the gossip vanished instantly.

The secretary who had worked dedicatedly for three years finally waited for her starlight amidst those complex gazes.

The proposal at the Sterling Group not only exploded within the company but also directly paralyzed New York's social circles.

Three days later, the Sterling Group's official social media account officially released the announcement.

The accompanying images were two photos. One was a profile of Elena Shen looking down seriously checking a document, which Silas Sterling had secretly taken three years ago; the other was of two overlapping hands, with the pink diamond ring on the ring finger shining brightly in the sun.

The caption was just one sentence:

"Three years of companionship, a lifetime together. You are my best partner and my only antidote. @ElenaShen"

The New York socialites who were originally waiting to see a joke had their dreams completely shattered, while those colleagues who had once made things difficult for Elena were in a state of constant anxiety.

But Elena didn't start any "revenge mode."

She still appeared in the office on time every day, only her identity had changed from "Secretary Shen" to "Director Shen." Silas had specially opened up an office area for her on the top floor of the company, with only a semi-transparent glass door between their offices.

Life after marriage was even sweeter and more cloying than during the romance.

One sunny afternoon.

Elena was processing a multinational agreement when Silas suddenly pushed open the glass door and walked in.

He wasn't wearing a jacket, the sleeves of his white shirt were rolled up to his elbows, his tie was pulled crookedly, and his whole person exuded a casual sexiness.

"Director Shen, I don't understand this contract; I need you to explain it personally." Silas walked up behind her, leaned down, and rested both hands on the armrests of her office chair, circling her in his arms.

Elena laughed: "Great CEO Sterling, you wouldn't understand such a low-level contract? Are you trying to slack off again?"

"It's not slacking off." Silas lowered his head and kissed her hair, his voice hoarse, "It's finding an excuse to hug you. Wifey, you haven't paid attention to me for two hours."

Elena put down her pen, turned around, and hugged his neck, feeling somewhat emotional.

Who would have thought that the man who sat at the entrance three years ago and coldly said "coffee" had now become a constantly clingy "Big Dog Silas"?

"By the way, my parents asked when we're having the wedding ceremony." Elena asked softly.

"We're not." Silas raised an eyebrow. "We're going on a global wedding tour. I've already decided on the first stop: Milan. Three years ago, you stayed up all night and got dark circles under your eyes to help me order that suit. This time, we're going to stay there for a month and eat that mousse you like most every day."

Elena was stunned. It turned out that all those little details she thought he didn't know were all kept in his heart.

The wedding ceremony was eventually held after all.

By the seaside in Bali, Elena wore a holy wedding dress and walked toward the man who had been waiting for her.

During the vows, Silas didn't use any flowery language. He held Elena's hand, looked into her eyes, and said word for word:

"Elena Shen, thank you for never giving up on me these past three years. Before, you were my eyes, helping me see the company's future clearly. In the future, I am your shield, helping you block all the wind and rain in the world. My principle will always be only one: what Elena wants is what Silas Sterling will give even if he has to fight for his life."

Elena cried her eyes out. In this three-year-long secret crush marathon, she finally not only reached the finish line but also won back a world.

That night, Silas posted his final social media update.

It was a silhouette of him holding Elena's hand, walking into the sunset.

The caption was:

"The most successful investment of my life was not those projects worth billions. It was hiring a secretary named Elena Shen three years ago. She pried open the door to my heart, and from then on, the rest of my life is all her."

The whole internet liked it, and the story wrote its most perfect ending this spring.

(The End)