My Not So Sweet CEO

I couldn't place where I dropped the blue file; I started searching the whole house for the file; my apartment was in a total mess, and after wasting minutes trying to find the file, I saw it under my bed; I quickly picked it up, took a shower and changed into a blue gown, I burst out of my apartment building, frantically checking my phone. I wanted to drive, but I could not find my car keys, so I thought of ordering a cab; my hands shook as I opened the Uber app, only to see "No drivers available nearby."

"No, no, no..." I muttered, looking up and down the street.

Suddenly, a black car pulled over. The passenger window rolled down, revealing a man I never expected: Daniel Park, the CEO OF Shanghai Institute of Research and Technology.

Miss Martinez?" His voice was authoritative. "You seem to be in a hurry."

I hesitated for a split second, but time was ticking...

I need to get to NovaTech Research laboratories. Fast, please."

He nodded, unlocking the door. "Get in."

The drive was a blur of sharp turns and yellow lights. Before I knew it, we were pulling up to the glass-fronted building of NovaTech Research Laboratories. I wanted to thank the man and pay him, but the car was already pulling away, vanishing into traffic before I could even say thank you.

Shaking off my confusion, I rushed inside and took the elevator to the fifteenth floor. Through the glass walls, I could see Dr. Reynolds speaking with a distinguished-looking man— Mr. Anderson himself, surrounded by his team.

I took a breath, smoothed my clothes, and walked in.

"Ah, Dr. Martinez," Dr. Reynolds's refill was palpable. "We were just discussing your breakthrough."

I pulled out the blue folder, forcing my hands to stay steady. "Good morning, everyone. Shall we begin?"

Mr. Anderson leaned forward; his eyes were intense. "Please do. I'm particularly interested in how you've addressed the scalability issues that plagued our previous attempts."

I opened my presentation, clicking on the first slide. "The key was approaching the problem from a different angle. Instead of trying to modify existing filtration systems, we developed an entirely new framework.."

I walked them through the research for the next thirty minutes, explaining how our modified graphene filters could revolutionize water purification in developing regions. The cost projections, the efficiency rates, the implementation timeline, everything I spent months perfecting.

"And here." I pulled up the final simulation, "You can see how the system performs under extreme conditions. We maintain a 99.7% purification rate despite high contamination levels."

Silence fell over the room. Mr Anderson studied the numbers, and his expression was unreadable. Finally, he looked up.

"Impressive work, Dr.Martinez. Very impressive indeed." He turned to Dr. Reynolds. "NovaTech Research Laboratories will have our full backing on this project on one condition," He looked back at me. "Dr. Martinez must personally oversee the entire implementation."

All eyes turned to me. Dr. Reynolds nodded slightly, and it was a clear signal that my answer could make or break this deal.

"It would be my pleasure, Mr. Anderson." I extended my hand, which he shook firmly.

"Excellent. My team will draw up the contract immediately." He paused, studying me with an intensity that made me uncomfortable. "You know, Dr. Martinez, you remind me of someone.."

My heart skipped a beat, but I kept my smile steady. "I just have one of those faces."

The meeting wrapped up quickly after that. As everyone filed out, Dr.Reynolds clapped me on the shoulder. "Outstanding work, Lily. Though..." he glanced at his watch, "Cutting it rather close this morning, weren't we?"

"Traffic," I said weakly. "It won't happen again."

Back at my desk, I finally had a moment to breathe. The presentation folder sat innocently before me, containing research that could change millions of lives. But something was bothering me...

I opened the folder again; I flipped through the pages. Then I saw something shocking on page 47, In the corner of a diagram. A tiny mark I hadn't made. It's a symbol I have seen somewhere before but couldn't quite place.

My phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number: "Nice presentation, Dr. Martinez. We need to talk.

I stared at the message and that tiny mark again, squinting at its odd angles. It looked almost like... but no, that couldn't be right. I pulled out my magnifying glass from my desk drawer and leaned in closer.

The symbol was expertly drawn, barely visible unless you knew exactly where to look. A modified version of...

Another text buzzed: "Check your email."

My hands were trembling slightly, and I opened my inbox. There at the top was a message from an address I didn't recognize:

[email protected].

The subject line read: "Page 47- Original Version."

Just as I moved to click on it, Sarah from HR poked her head into my office.

"Dr. Martinez? Mr. Anderson's team sent over the contracts. They need your signature before five."

"Thanks, I'll.." I glanced at my screen again. "I'll be right there."

Sarah lingered in the doorway. "Also, is someone from the Shanghai Institute of Technology here to see you? Say's it's urgent."

My blood ran cold. We hadn't shared our research with any Chinese institutions. 

"Sarah, please tell them I will be right out.." I gestured vaguely at the papers on my desk.

When she left, I pulled out my phone to take a picture of the mysterious symbol. 

The sound of footsteps approached my office.

"Dr. Martinez?" The voice from the doorway made me look up. It was the same man from the car this morning; his suit was still perfectly neat even though it was very late.

"Oh! I didn't get a chance to thank you for your help earlier."

He waved off my words with a smile. "Daniel Park And it's my pleasure." He glanced around my office; his eyes were on the diagrams pinned to my wall.

"Impressive work in there. The quantum filtration applications are particularly innovative."

I studied him carefully. "You know about quantum filtration?"

"I know many things, Dr. Martinez. Including the fact that you might be interested in discussing some alternative application over dinner this weekend." Saturday at 8?" he suggested. "The Royal Garden?"

Something about his confident smile made me hesitate, but my curiosity won out. "Alright. Saturday."

Across town, Calvin's phone rang, and he nodded. Calvin glanced at Mily, who was still pacing in the honeymoon suite. "Pack your things; we are leaving," he said coldly.

"Leaving? Why are we leaving? Are we not here for our honeymoon?" Mily asked with a frown on her face.

"Honeymoon? Don't make me laugh; I have some work to do, so we should head back to the mansion, so pack your things."

Later that evening, I forgot about the text as Letty, my best friend and doctor, and I celebrated at our favorite bar.

"To the genius who's going to save the world!" Letty raised another shot. "And to our long-lasting friendship!"

Four shots later, the table was already spinning. "One more!" I giggled.

"Oh no, we're cutting you off," Letty mumbled, then promptly stumbled herself.

The rest became a blur of lights and laughter. Vaguely, I remembered being helped into a car; my head was spinning as a strong arm lifted me. I might have been hugging someone, mumbling something about quantum particles and pretty eyes...

The morning brought splitting pain and confusion. I sprang up in an unfamiliar bed, my head protesting every movement. This wasn't my apartment. The luxurious hotel suite, along with Letty's snoring form in the next bed, became clear.

"What the hell?" I shook her awake. "Letty! How did we get here?"

She groaned, squinting at the room. "No idea.. the last thing I remember was that seventh shot..."

The door opened, and Mily walked in; she looked fresh and amused. "Well, well. Look who finally woke up."

"Mily?" I cradled my head. "Did you bring us here?"

She smiled mysteriously, setting down a tray of coffee and aspirin. "Let's just say a good samaritan ensured you got somewhere safe. Though I hear you were quite affectionate in your drunk state."

"What? What do you mean affectionate? who.."

"Here," she cut off, handing me a cup of coffee; my foggy brain tried to piece together the night. There was something important... Something about the bar. It was a familiar scent when someone carried me.

"Oh God," I groaned. "Please tell me I didn't embarrass myself before Daniel."

Mily's smile flickered for just a moment. "Daniel?"

"Daniel Park, He's taking me to dinner tonight at the Royal Garden."

Something flashed in Mily eyes, but it was gone before I could identify it. She pulled out her phone, typing quickly. "How interesting."

"What's interesting?"

"Nothing." She looked up with a mysterious smile. "Just be careful tonight, sis. The Royal Garden has quite a reputation for..life -changing dinners."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked, But Mily was already heading toward the door.

"Get cleaned up, sis," she called over her shoulder.

Letty and I stared at each other, but before I could say anything, my phone buzzed:

"Last night never happened. You took a cab home. If anyone asks, that's your story. M"

Letty and I stared at each other again. "M for Mily?" she asked.

But I wasn't so sure. 

We didn't bother thinking about it anymore; we freshened up, dressed up, and headed out of the room; we took a cab to my apartment.

"Oh my God," Letty groaned as we entered my small apartment. Papers were scattered everywhere, coffee cups littered my desk, and last week's takeout containers still sat on the counter. "This place is a disaster."

She picked up a frame photo from my bookshelf. My parents were standing in front of their mansion, beaming at the camera."I still can't believe you chose this over living in a literal luxury. The Martinez Group's golden daughter, slumming it in a one-bedroom walkup."

I started gathering the scattered papers. "You know why, Letty."

"Yeah, yeah, Miss Independent." She flopped onto my worn couch. "But seriously, your parents own half of California's tech industry. You could be living in a penthouse, driving a Ferrari.."

"And never knowing if my success was really mine." I sat beside her, hugging a cushion. "Every time I achieve something, I want to know it was because of my hard work, not my last name. The Anderson project, the research, that's all me. Not the Martinez name, not my parent's connections. Just me."

Letty's expression softened. She pulled me into a hug. "I get it. And for what it's worth, you're the most brilliant person I know, trust fund or not." She grinned. But you're also a slob. Come on, let's clean this place up before your hot date tonight."

We spent the next hour tidying, dancing to bad pop songs, and trying to organize my room into something resembling order. Finally, exhausted, we collapsed onto the couch with a bowl of popcorn and queued up our favorite comfort movie.

"To do things our way," Letty raised her soda can.

"To make our own names," I clicked my can against hers.

As the movie started, I couldn't help but feel nervous about my dinner date with Daniel tonight. But then Letty threw popcorn at my head, and I pushed the thought aside.

Outside my window, a black car pulled up to the curb. A figure took a photo and drove away.

The text came seconds later: "The prodigal daughter, playing at independence. How fascinating."

But my phone was face-down on the coffee table, and I was too busy laughing at Letty's terrible movie commentary to notice.