Chapter 6

Athena's eyelid twitched.

He had actually promoted her straight to executive assistant? Was he setting her up to fail?

Her first instinct was to refuse. "Mr. Sterling, I've never been an assistant before. I'm afraid I won't be able to handle the job..."

All she could think about was sleeping with him. If she became his executive assistant and had to see him every day, how was she supposed to survive?

Julian fixed her with a steady, penetrating gaze. "You're unhappy with the promotion?"

Athena licked her lips. "I just think..."

Julian cut her off, "Who's the CEO? You or me?"

The smile on Athena's face stiffened. "Of course you are."

"Go wrap up your current work. Starting tomorrow, you'll report to the executive office." Julian's tone left no room for argument.

Athena hesitated. "But..."

Wasn't he worried she'd end up lusting after him? What if she couldn't control herself and actually slept with him?

Julian's expression hardened with impatience. "If you don't want the job, you can resign."

Athena fell silent. Lowering her head, she murmured, "I understand."

Julian glanced at her, assuming she'd accepted the arrangement. Then he returned to his executive chair and resumed handling company business.

…

Back in her office, Athena ignored Eon's sarcastic remarks and the curious looks from her coworkers.

She sat down, opened her computer, and immediately began typing her resignation letter.

The restless heat inside her eased considerably the moment she decided to quit.

Zoey leaned over her desk, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Athena, why did Mr. Sterling call you into his office alone? Don't tell me he's interested in you?"

"Oh, please. He's the CEO. Why would someone like him fall for someone as ordinary as me?" Athena replied without looking up from the screen.

Zoey snorted. "Ordinary? I've helped you get rid of more than twenty bouquets of roses this month alone. With your face and your figure, it wouldn't surprise me if Mr. Sterling fell in love with you at first sight."

Love at first sight?

Athena's fingers paused over the keyboard.

If Julian really had fallen for her, would that mean she'd have a chance to sleep with him?

'He's tall and broad-shouldered, with a lean waist and long legs. He's probably incredible in bed... Oh no! What am I thinking? Is my addiction acting up again?'

Her face flushed bright red as she hurriedly shook her head. "Don't be ridiculous. Stop imagining things and get back to work."

She finished her resignation letter and emailed it to the HR director just before the end of the workday. Then she began packing her personal belongings.

Just then, Eon dropped a thick stack of documents onto her desk. Wearing a fake smile, he said, "You'll be working overtime tonight. These are all yours."

Athena stared at the towering pile of files. She didn't need to ask. Eon was obviously making things difficult for her again.

After taking Sharon's money, he'd made it his mission to keep her firmly under his thumb.

During the past two years, being forced to work late for no reason had become routine for Athena. Today's visit to the new CEO's office had only fueled Eon's jealousy and resentment.

Unfortunately for him, he was mistaken if he thought she'd continue letting him push her around.

"Mr. Holt, working hours are over. Sorry, but I'm leaving," Athena said coolly.

Eon stared at her in disbelief. He'd never expected the always obedient Athena to stand up to him.

His face twisted with rage as he shouted, "Don't think that just because the CEO called you into his office today, you can ignore me. I'm still the manager of this department. If you dare disobey my orders, believe it or not, I'll fire you!"

Athena met his glare calmly. "Then go ahead."

With that, she picked up the box containing her belongings and walked out of the office without another glance.

Eon's furious shouting echoed behind her, but she didn't bother looking back.

…

Instead of going home, Athena wandered the streets alone.

At that hour, Ethan probably wasn't home yet anyway. Throughout their first year of marriage, they'd practically lived separate lives. Even sharing dinner had become a rare occurrence.

She used to think Ethan was simply cold by nature and still adjusting to married life. Now she understood. His heart had never belonged to her.

After grabbing a simple meal, Athena finally returned home late that evening.

To her surprise, Ethan still wasn't home. No matter how much he disliked seeing her, he normally returned before nine every night.

Now it was nearly 11:00 p.m., and there was still no sign of him.

Athena sat on the sofa for a long time, wrestling with herself before finally gathering the courage to call him.

The phone rang for quite a while before Ethan finally answered.

"Hello? Who's this?"

Athena's expression froze.

He hadn't even saved her number. They'd been married for an entire year, yet her husband hadn't bothered to save his wife's phone number. How ridiculous was that?

"It's me," she said quietly.

The moment Ethan recognized her voice, his tone turned noticeably colder. "What is it?"

"It's getting late... Around what time will you be coming home?" Athena asked carefully.

There was a brief pause on the other end. Several seconds passed before he replied impatiently with a single word.

"Yeah."

Yeah? What was that supposed to mean? She'd asked when he was coming home.

Athena was about to remind him, but the line went dead.

She stared at her phone. He had actually hung up on her.

Her brows knitted together. She'd simply asked when her husband planned to come home, yet he'd acted as though she'd inconvenienced him.

She gave up waiting for him, took a hot shower, and went to bed.

Ethan still hadn't returned by the time she fell asleep.

It was already close to midnight. As a result, she spent the entire night tossing and turning, plagued by nightmares.

In one dream, Eon made her life miserable at work. In another, Ethan divorced her so he could marry her sister.

When Athena woke with a start, morning had already arrived.

Remembering she'd resigned and no longer had to go to work, she closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep again.

But the nightmares had left her mind heavy with worry. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't drift back to sleep.

Worse still, another unfamiliar wave of heat spread through her body. Her breathing gradually became uneven. She wanted it again.

Suppressing the unbearable sensation, Athena climbed out of bed and started making breakfast, hoping to distract herself.

But when she found Ethan's bedroom next door completely empty, confirming he'd never come home the previous night, the discomfort inside her intensified. Her addiction was flaring up again.

Athena collapsed onto the bed, twisting restlessly beneath the sheets. She couldn't stop wondering where Ethan had spent the night.

Had he been with Olivia?

The more she thought about it, the worse she felt. Not just emotionally, but physically as well. The more unattainable something became, the more desperately she craved it.

Just then, Julian called.

Athena's cheeks were flushed.

She hadn't intended to answer, but her hand accidentally brushed the screen.

The call connected.

Julian had just opened his mouth when he heard Athena's ragged breathing on the other end.

"What are you doing?"