1 Chapter 1: Ice Cold CEO

The queen of the business world

The Ice Queen CEO had her reputation: icy blue eyes that could cut like a razor blade and the most terrifying glare anyone could ever witness in their life. A woman who can make you feel small and useless, her cold exterior only seemed to make people more eager to do her bidding.

The Hinode family's business is only successful because of her. Hinode Narumi has always had a natural talent for manipulating things, and the way she manages all the company's money ever since she became CEO, her family's business has become an immense success. Topping the charts of stocks at all different levels, she even got to be among the top 50 richest CEOs on the Fortune 50 list.

"Deep breath, Daiki," he muttered to himself as he stood in front of her office door with his knuckles slightly shaking. 

He took a deep breath and knocked firmly on the steel door.

"Come in."  She answered shortly after with an unamused voice.

As soon as he entered, he immediately bowed before his employer, who was sitting on her office chair looking down at him, her nails tapping on the desk as she glared at him. He tried not to swallow when their eyes met.

"I suppose you are Tsukumo Daiki, my new personal assistant." Her piercing, ice-blue eyes sent shivers through him. It was so intimidating, he couldn't meet her gaze.

"Yes, ma," he stuttered, trying desperately not to tremble. She looked at his body as if she were studying a work of art, and a smirk appeared on her lips. He was a good-looking guy with brown eyes and blonde hair. 

"You are supposed to be at the office every day at 7:00 a.m. sharp." She said it coldly. "I expect you to be working hard because I don't like lazy people."

Daiki nodded.  She made him feel so scared, but it's hard not to fear her when her eyes are so piercing and intimidating. Even though they are ice blue, they look like fire, burning everything she looks at and making you want to run away from her.

"As my personal assistant, I am also responsible for your schedule, so you will follow the exact same schedule as me. You can't slack off now, do you understand?" she said.  Her tone was harsh yet firm.

Daiki gulped loudly. "Yes ma'am!  You won't complain about me because I'm amazed at my work. During my last job, they actually hired me on a recommendation because of the way I handled people."

She stared at him for another moment, then raised her fingers. "Rule number one: if you want to work for me, you have to learn to speak when asked a question."

Daiki bit his lip and then spoke hesitantly, "Yes, ma'am."

She continued, "You will do everything at my service, including organizing meetings, scheduling meetings, giving advice, and assisting me."

Daiki smiled. "I would do anything to impress you."

Narumi studied the man in front of her as if analyzing something. He seemed like a joyful guy who could easily fall into someone's trap if not careful.

"I have a meeting in two minutes." She said this before standing up and revealing her killer figure under her long black dress. The sound of her red nails tapping against the glass of her mahogany desk echoed throughout the room. "You will accompany me there."

"I'll try my best," he replied with a smile and bowed in front of her.

"Good boy," she smirked before walking towards the door. "Come on."

Daiki hurried along behind her. He couldn't help but admire her walking step. She wore a simple black dress, black heels, and a white cardigan, which complemented each other. With her red hair falling around her shoulders and her pale complexion complementing her icy blue eyes, Narumi managed to look extremely beautiful despite her icy exterior.

They reached the elevator as quickly as possible, and the doors opened without delay. They stepped inside, and Narumi pressed the button to take them down to the top floor. When the elevator started going up, it stopped and opened to reveal a big room. It looked like a conference room, with several large windows on each side of the room and a long table with some chairs set neatly in each corner of the room. On the other end of the table, a couple of men were sitting and discussing while Minato just watched them. His company was leading the tech world, but he was a shrewd businessman, too. He knew how to keep an eye out for potential deals as well. Narumi sat down in a red armchair as Minato followed her actions. Daiki walked towards the empty seat next to her and sat down nervously.

"So tell me, Minato, why did you want to meet me?" She asked, with a hint of amusement playing on her lips. Her eyes looked at him over the rim of her glasses as she rested her hands elegantly on her lap. There was still a trace of irritation lingering in her voice. She didn't like wasting time on pointless conversations.

Minato cleared his throat. He was a tall, slim man with dark brown hair and light brown eyes. He was wearing a suit and tie, and his face was covered with stubble, which made him look like a typical business owner.

"Well, have you seen the latest Fortune 50 list?" Minato asked, looking at Narumi straight in the eyes.

"No, any problem." She responded confidently, leaning back against her chair and crossing her legs as she waited for him to continue talking.

"Jasmine Spice is now worth more than a billion dollars, making you the second richest CEO in Japan," he smiled. "Though I'm still the richest, as usual."

"Congratulations."  Narumi said in a monotone voice because she wasn't interested at all. She had never been a fan of this man because he was a two-faced, manipulative, and egotistical person.

"Thank you."  He smirked.  "This makes you the first female CEO to attain such a height."

"I know that, and you should know that I don't like speaking to people who beat around the bush." She snapped, irritated.

"Relax, ice queen," he chuckled. "I have an offer for you, and believe me, it's amazing."

She raised her brows. "I'm all ears."

"The offer is simple. "Just let me take control of your company."