"Some rules are meant to be broken, darling."

"So, can I break rule five?"

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Being the secretary of the most sought-after CEO in the country had never been a fairy tale. Sure, it looked glamorous on the surface - designer dresses, an office with a view that could make the Eiffel Tower jealous, and access to the elite social circles of the world. But it was far from perfect.

First, there was my boss, Mr. Vincent Carter. Tall, cold, devastatingly handsome, and an absolute nightmare to deal with. He ran the company like a king commanding his empire, every order delivered with sharp precision.

But it wasn't just his business acumen that kept people in line; it was that charisma, the kind that made women swoon and men silently seethe.

And the women? They were an entirely different headache.

Every day, without fail, my desk became ground zero for the relentless parade of admirers. Socialites, supermodels, and even a handful of desperate executives pretending they needed to "discuss business" with him.

They arrived armed with perfume strong enough to make my head spin, fake smiles plastered on their faces, and a mountain of ego that I had to bulldoze just to keep the workday moving.

"Miss Akisuki," one of them simpered one morning, her voice dripping with sugar and malice, "could you please let Mr. Carter know that Natalie Delacourt is here to see him? It's urgent."

Urgent, my foot. Natalie's version of "urgent" was probably a broken nail or some Instagram-worthy lunch she wanted to invite him to.

I didn't even look up from my screen. "Mr. Carter is in a meeting. You're welcome to leave a message, Miss Delacourt."

Her scoff had been as fake as her Gucci bag. "Do you even know who I am?"

I leaned back in my chair, giving her my best no-nonsense look. "Do you know who I am? Because if you did, you'd know I don't let anyone disturb him unless they've got a signed deal in one hand and an actual problem in the other. So, do you want to try again?"

That shut her up - temporarily.

Handling those women, though tiresome, had only been a fraction of my job. The real challenge had been keeping up with Mr. Carter himself. He was a whirlwind of demands, impossible deadlines, and the kind of perfectionism that could drive a saint to drink. But despite the chaos, I had learned to anticipate his needs almost before he voiced them.

"Akisuki," his deep voice called out one afternoon, smooth yet commanding, "cancel my four o'clock with Stanton and push the investors' meeting to next week."

I glanced at the clock. It was already 3:45. "Sir, Stanton's already in the building, and the investors are flying in tomorrow. Are you sure you want to reschedule?"

He shot me a sharp look from his corner office, the kind that made lesser mortals quiver. But I didn't flinch. I had been dealing with him for a year and a half now, so I had grown immune to his unyielding persona.

"Fine," he muttered after a pause. "Move Stanton to five and keep the investors where they are. And get me a double espresso - no sugar."

"Yes, sir."

It had always been a strange thing, working for Vincent Carter. Some days, I wanted to throttle him for his impossible standards and cryptic orders.

Other days, I found myself admiring how his mind worked - how he could see five moves ahead in the business game when everyone else was still figuring out their first.

But the one thing I never let myself feel was attraction. Unlike the parade of women who mistook his cold professionalism for interest, I had known better. He was my boss, nothing more.

And if I had let my guard down, even for a second, I would've been just another name on his list of conquests - or worse, another pawn in his world.

Still, there had been moments, fleeting and rare, when I caught him watching me with an intensity that made my breath hitch. Moments when his smooth façade cracked just enough for me to wonder if there was more to him than the ruthless CEO.

But then, just as quickly, he'd snap back into his usual self, barking orders and reminding me exactly where I stood.

And that had been fine.

Because no matter how chaotic my days had gotten - whether it was dealing with starstruck women or managing the hurricane that was Vincent Carter - I had always known my place. I was his secretary, nothing more, nothing less.

At least, that was what I told myself.

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All the characters portrayed in this book are fictional along with the incidents and places. Any resemblance of the mentioned events from the book in reality are completely coincidental. This story is inspired by a bot in character.ai (Vincent Carter by @/sofiacocker) and the roleplay I did with it. All credits to the creator. I do not own the character.

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Everything mentioned here is imagined by me, the author of this book. The mentioned characters (except for Vincent Carter), shown graphics, are all designed by me. I do not own the source of graphics (Pinterest), nor I own the face claim shown in the book cover (@/bertugheon in Instagram). Please refrain from copying or plagiarising.

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Do not report this book if you don't like it, simply remove this book from your library. Votes and comments are appreciated. Spamming is fine but hate comments or extreme criticism or hatred will lead to muting.

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This book will contain-

◇ No Y/n;

◇ M.OC (Vincent Carter by @/sofiacocker in character.ai) x F.OC (Akisuki Rei by @CalmRaven);

◇ Office Romance/Fake Relationship/Contractual Marriage;

◇ Modern Day AU;

◇ Slow-Burn Romance/Drama/Rom-Com;

◇ Dual POV in Third-Person;

◇ Use of strong words;

◇ Intimate/Explicit/NSFW scenes;

If you feel uncomfortable with any of the mentioned topics above, please discontinue reading.

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If you want to continue reading,
READER'S DISCRETION IS ADVISED STRICTLY!

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Playlist::

─ supernatural - Ariana Grande, Troye Sivan
─ The Boy Is Mine - Ariana Grande
─ Dangerous Woman - Ariana Grande
─ LOVE U - MONSTA X
─ Beautiful Liar - MONSTA X
─ Flavors Of Love - MONSTA X
─ Candy - Doja Cat
─ Rules - Doja Cat
─ Agora Hills - Doja Cat
─ Wifey - CAMO, Simon Dominic
─ MIA - GEMINI, CAMO, WOODZ
─ Only You - CAMO, Leellamarz
─ Love Me Like That - Sam Kim
─ Say You Love Me - Sam Kim
─ Sun and Moon - Sam Kim
─ Wife This - Abigail Bleu
─ "Slut!" (Taylor's Version) (From The Vault) - Taylor Swift
─ Say Don't Go (Taylor's Version) - Taylor Swift
─ Paper Rings - Taylor Swift
─ Breathtaker - Josh Makazo
─ Belong To You - Josh Makazo
─ Like Me - Josh Makazo
─ I GUESS I'M IN LOVE - Clinton Kane
─ Yes or No - Jung Kook
─ Closer To You - Jung Kook, Major Lazer
─ My You - Jung Kook
─ She's An Actor - Austin Giorgio
─ No Mercy - Austin Giorgio
─ Drip Off - Austin Giorgio
─ House Of Balloons / Glass Table Girls - The Weeknd
─ Die For You Remix - The Weeknd, Ariana Grande
─ Call Out My Name - The Weeknd
─ I Think They Call This Love - Elliot James Reay
─ Diet Pepsi - Addison Rae
─ YAD - Vanna Rainelle
─ Show Me How - Men I Trust
─ whiskey sips - BAD IDEA
─ Barbie (Can You Play Ken?) - lilster
─ PASSENGER PRINCESS - Nessa Barrett
─ Taste - Sabrina Carpenter
─ Nonsense - Sabrina Carpenter
─ Juno - Sabrina Carpenter
─ Catch Feelings - Sickick
─ Addicted - Sickick
─ Kill Me Slowly - Sickick
─ ruin my life - Gun Boi Kaz
─ FOREVER 22 - Gun Boi Kaz
─ LIQUID LUCK - Gun Boi Kaz
─ lowkey - NIKI
─ I Like U - NIKI
─ Every Summertime - NIKI
─ 死ぬのがいいわ (Shinunoga E-wa) - Fujii Kaze
─ きらり (Kirari) - Fujii Kaze
─ 花 (Hana) - Fujii Kaze
─ Hold Me Tight - BTS
─ HOME - BTS
─ Make It Right - BTS, Lauv
─ Good for You - Selena Gomez, A$AP Rocky
─ Hands To Myself - Selena Gomez
─ Cologne - Selena Gomez
─ Losing Game - Gen Neo
─ KISS&TELL - Ethan Low, Gen Neo
─ MOROS - Ethan Low
─ i won't let you feel alone again - demxntia
─ Saturn - SZA
─ Snooze - SZA
─ Love Language - SZA

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©CalmRaven
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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Read in dark mode with the Source Sans Pro font for better experience. Enjoy ~