Zaid's POV

I head home after 7pm that evening. After changing my clothes, I decide to do some exercise. It is part of my daily routine to exercise after coming home from work. I have my own gym in my apartment, which is very convenient. Exercise helps me to relax. It is my way of 'chilling out' or whatever everyone else has time for. I don't have time to 'chill out', but I make sure that I have time to exercise daily.

I decide to use the treadmill today. I take a slow jog, thinking back to the interviews this morning. So, I have found my new PA. Zara Ahmed. I chuckle, remembering her interview. She will be fun to work with. I definitely won't get bored with her at the office. She's nervous of me now, I don't know why. Everyone at the office is nervous and afraid of me, but I don't want Zara to be.

I smile, thinking back to how she didn't look up throughout the whole interview. She's nervous of me. She used to be so different two years ago; she would say anything to me without thinking, but I didn't really mind. She has changed a lot, that much is obvious after one, short meeting. She is not the same, crazy, carefree Zara anymore. Maybe that craziness is still in her, but she is not carefree like she used to be. She is a lot more mature now. Something definitely happened in these last two years, but what?

Is it because of her engagement which broke earlier this year? I know about that, as I've been in regular contact with my parents and Hafsa. I thought that she broke the engagement though, because she didn't like the guy in that way? If she broke the engagement, why would she still be affected by it so much?

It's not only her personality that has changed. Her looks have also completely changed. I told her in the interview that she looks different now, because it's true. She does. It's only been two years, but she looks a lot different now. She's beautiful. I noticed every small thing about her today, I have no idea why.

Her hair is longer now, and it is more wavy. It suits her. Her eyes are beautiful. She has the most beautiful eyes. I am not weird, honestly. Her eyes were distracting me throughout the whole interview. It seemed like she was saying something, and her eyes were saying something else. It seemed like her eyes held so many feelings, so much...pain? When she told me that she is too trusting and too honest, her eyes were watering. What has she been through that has hurt her and changed her so much?

Why am I thinking about her so much? Probably because I saw her today after all this time, and it seems as if everything changed here while I was away.

Anyway, the company bagged another deal. We had been working on this one for the past few weeks, and it is an important deal. There is an upcoming meeting with this company, and then we will see some designs. This company is based in Manchester, but they also have a branch here in Birmingham. It is also one of the largest companies in the city.

After an hour on the treadmill, I power it off and head to my bedroom. I take a quick shower, change, and head downstairs for dinner. Mum and Hafsa have dinner laid out on the dining table. Dad is over at Uncle's house for tonight's football game.

'Bhai, I'm so glad that you gave Zara the job. You'll see, she's really hard-working, she will be perfect for the job!' Hafsa says to me while we are having dinner.

I nod. I think she will be perfect for the job. "Yes, she's good," I reply. Hafsa smiles.

'Zaid bhai, you know, she was scared when she found out that she had an interview with you. At first, she didn't want to go to it,' Hafsa tells me.

I frown. "Why was she scared? I haven't done anything to her."

'I know, bhai. Even I was confused. She didn't want to meet you again for some reason. She was always coming over before you came back, but she hasn't come over once after you came back. I don't know why,' Hafsa says, sadly.

Zara didn't want to meet me? But why? I haven't said or done anything to her. I also noticed that she hasn't come over to the apartment even once since I've come back. Her whole family came to meet me, but she didn't. And it has been over three weeks as well since I've come back from the US.

"Why? She does seem very different now, compared to two years ago. It almost seems like she's not the same person anymore. She's a lot more mature now, and I saw the pain in her eyes." Why did I just say that, in front of Hafsa and Mum? Hafsa will definitely take this the wrong way.

'Bhai, why have you been looking into her eyes?! Okay, I'm joking. Don't give me that look, I'm not scared of you like everyone else is. But yes, she's changed a lot. This last year hasn't been a good one for her.'

"What happened? I know that she broke her engagement, but why?" I ask, interested. I feel like I need to know what happened that changed Zara so much.

'Bhai, I'm not the right person to ask. If you want to know, you'll have to ask her. She won't tell you though. She won't tell anyone, because she doesn't want anyone to worry about her. I'm sorry, but I can't tell you. She's my best friend,' Hafsa says, her eyes filling up with tears. So it's definitely something serious. Hafsa is getting really upset. What could possibly have happened?

Hafsa speaks again. 'Let me just say one thing. Zara had it way worse than you, bhai.' What? How could it have been worse than...?

I continue to eat in silence. I don't know what to say after that. Zara is a good girl, she is kind and caring towards everyone. She doesn't deserve anything bad.

After dinner, I head to my room and do some work on my laptop. I hardly ever have free time, even most weekends I'm busy with work. If I'm not at the office, I'm stuck in my room all day with my work. You could say that I'm a workaholic. I take my job very seriously, I have to given that I am the CEO of one of the largest companies in the city.

I get into bed at around 1am. I need to get to sleep, as I need to be at the office early tomorrow morning for a meeting.

********

Zara's POV

The week flies, by, and so do Monday and Tuesday. Before I know it, it is my first day of work at the office. I wake up early in the morning, at 6:30am, giving enough time for me to shower, get ready and have breakfast. After showering, I change into a grey, fitted silk blouse and a pair of black, straight leg pants. I brush through my hair, deciding to leave it loose.

I next do my makeup, as my eyes look really tired due to me waking up early for once. I put on my usual natural makeup, and give myself a dark nude lip. It looks good with the grey blouse. After finishing my makeup, I slip on my grey heels, grab my grey Louis Vuitton purse and head downstairs.

I have breakfast with my family. Mum has prepared all my favourite breakfast foods. Scrambled eggs, pancakes, hash browns, toast. Yum. I can't eat much though, because I am feeling really nervous. What will my co-workers be like? What will Zaid be like as my boss? I hope the day goes by easily, and that I don't mess up in any way. Knowing how clumsy I am, though...

'Don't worry, Zara. You'll be amazing, dear. Good luck!' Mum says to me cheerfully.

I thank her. "Thanks Mum, I hope so."

Dad drops me off at the office and I reach at 8:45am. On time, thank god.

I head to reception, and the kind receptionist hands me my ID badge. 'Good luck for your first day, dear!'

"Thank you so much!" I say, smiling, before heading to the lifts.

Five minutes later, I am on the 7th floor, walking to Zaid's cabin when my phone vibrates from inside my purse. I take it out. It's a text from Hafsa.

Hafsa: good luck for your first day babe!! If bhai is mean, tell me and I'll sort him out for you! Love you loads xxx

I smile, before sending her a reply.

Me: Thank you so much sweetie! And don't worry about it, he's allowed to be a little mean, he's the boss! Love you too xxx

I place my phone back into my purse and knock on his office door.

"Come in!" I hear his deep, husky voice from inside. His voice sends a weird sensation through me. Weird, but good.

I open the door and enter. He looks up at me from his laptop screen and gives me a small smile.

"9:55am, good. Come in, take a seat" he says, looking at me.

I walk to his desk and take a seat opposite him.

"Miss Ahmed, are you ready to start work?" He asks, his gaze on me.

I nod.

"Good. Before we get started, there are a few things I need to tell you. Whenever you need anything, whenever you need any help or anything, ring the buzzer on your desk and you'll speak to me. When your buzzer rings, please answer it immediately. It's a bit warm in here, don't you think Miss Ahmed? Take your coat off if you wish."

I nod, taking off my coat and placing it across my lap. Zaid looks at me with a smirk playing on his lips. He takes off his own blazer. Gosh. Wow. He's so...muscular. His tight white button-up shirt is clinging to him, showing off his perfectly toned body. When he moves his arm, the shirt clearly shows the outline of his biceps. What am I doing?! Zara, concentrate. On what he's saying.

I see him smirk, but he covers it up with a cough. "I have had your computer set up, so that you have access to all the files you'll need. If you need anything else, just ask. Before starting work, I need to show you the main rooms where you will be working."

He stands up and heads to the door. I also stand up and follow him. We exit his cabin and walk down the corridor.

'The main files office is on the 4th floor, in the south wing of the office. The main conference floors are on the 4th, 5th and 9th floors. That's where most of my meetings are, and you will be accompanying me to most of them.' I nod.

We get into a lift and he takes us to the 4th floor. He shows me conference room 1, the office of the files manager, and then the office of the head of marketing. He shows me many other rooms on many other floors, including a library, the director's cabin and many more.

We then head back to the 7th floor, and Zaid shows me a cabin which is right next to his.

'And this is your cabin,' he says to me.

"I have my own cabin?!" I ask, shocked.

He smiles and nods. 'Yes.' Of course I do. This is The Malik Enterprises, not some average company. Of course Mr Malik's PA has her own cabin.

I look around. It's actually a very large room, and..I love it! I have my own desk, computer, laptop, cabinet and everything I need!

'What do you think?' He asks me.

I look at him and grin. I can't keep the silly smile off my face. "I love it!"

'Good. I've set up an account for you on the computer. You'll know what I mean when you check it. Change your password to whatever you want it to be, and after you've logged in a to-do list will come up. If you need help with anything, my office is right next to yours,' he says to me.

"Okay, thank you Mr Malik. I'll try not to bother you, but when I'm really stuck, I'll have to ask for your help," I say, my cheeks reddening.

He shakes his head. 'That's no problem, Miss Ahmed. I want you to learn properly, so please ask for help whenever you need it.'

I thank him again and go over to my desk. He goes to his cabin. I change the password and log onto the computer easily, but what was he saying about a to-do list? After about five minutes of searching, the to-do list automatically appears on the screen. It's quite long. The first task is to create several folders for all the different files I will be uploading later. That doesn't take too long to do.

The second task is to meet with the files manager, who will tell me a few more things I need to know. But, it doesn't say where I have to meet him. A few seconds later, there is a knock on my door. Who can possibly be knocking on my door? Zaid? No. He wouldn't knock.

'Come in!' I say loudly. A young, professional-looking man enters, and he gives me a polite smile.

"Hi! You must be Mr Malik's new personal assistant. Very nice to meet you! I am John Smith, the files manager," he says in a professional but friendly tone. Oh.

I give him a smile. 'Take a seat, Mr Smith. It's nice to meet you too!'

He takes a seat opposite me. "Miss Ahmed, here are a couple of files which contain everything about the projects this company is handling at the moment. Mr Malik asked me to give you these files. If you need any help with anything, my cabin is on the 4th floor."

I nod, smiling. 'Thank you, Mr Smith. I'll read through the files and then get back to you or Mr Malik.' He nods, and leaves the cabin.

The next thing on the list is to upload the designs of a Mr Patrick Evans onto the main designs folder. Who? How do I do that? I don't understand what the designs are for. I start reading through the files Mr Smith has given me, they definitely help me understand what the designs are for and how they can be improved. After reading the first file, I definitely have a better understanding of this project.

I open the second file to read through it, when my intercom buzzes. I answer it, pressing a small button under the speaker.

"Miss Ahmed, can you give me a hand please?" It's Zaid.

'Of course, Mr Malik. I'll be right there.'

I head to his cabin and lightly knock on his door.

"Come in."

I walk into his cabin. He is sitting at his desk, papers surrounding him. He is massaging his forehead with his fingers.

'Can you please add these numbers up for me? Here's a calculator. My head's hurting just looking at these.' Really? I laugh quietly. He's asking me to help him with calculations when he has a calculator he can use, and he aced his A-Level in Maths. Crazy.

I nod and take a seat opposite him at his desk. I help him with the calculations. There are sheets and sheets of them. I glance up at Zaid through my lashes. He looks really tired. I wonder how much sleep he got last night. It must be hard work, his job. I wonder if he ever has any free time on his hands. I doubt it, though. The office is always very busy, and he is known to be a workaholic. Being a CEO of such a huge company is no piece of cake.

About half an hour later, I'm done with the calculations. He had already done most of them, but now he looks exhausted. He rests his head down on the desk.

'Is there anything else you need help with, Mr Malik?' I ask him.

"I'm exhausted, I need a coffee," he groans.

'I'll get your coffee for you,' I say, standing up.

"Thanks, get one for yourself too. You don't have to pay, no one in this office does," he tells me. I nod and leave his cabin.

This morning, when I came in I saw that there is a small café at the end of this corridor. I walk to the café and order myself a coffee. Sweet and creamy, just how I like it. Suddenly, I realise that I haven't asked Zaid how he likes his coffee. Damn. I'll just have to hope for the best.

'Can I have another one, please? Erm..strong black coffee, please,' I say. It just came out of my mouth, I didn't mean to order this for him! Oh god, help me.

"Here's your coffee, ma'am, have a nice day!" The guy who prepared the coffee says to me. I smile and quickly walk back to Zaid's office with the two cups of coffee in my hands. Yep, I'm going to get into trouble on the first day. I'm so stupid, I didn't even ask him how he likes his coffee!

I knock twice on his door and walk in when he answers. He is now doing some work on his laptop. I place his cup of coffee on his desk and wait to get told off by him, looking down. He takes a sip of the coffee.

"Miss Ahmed, how did you know strong black coffee with no sugar is my favourite?" He asks, giving me a small smile.

My eyes widen. Really?! I was very lucky there.

'I-I didn't know,' I say to him, before going back to my cabin. I sit at my desk and look at the to-do list again. The designs of Mr Patrick Evans. Where do I find the designs? I look through the designs files on the computer, I even search his name, but I can't find anything.

I take a deep breath and go to Zaid's office again. I knock on his door, and I enter when he tells me to.

'Mr Malik, I'm very sorry for disturbing you, but I needed some help. On the to-do list, it says I have to find designs of a Mr Evans? Where can I find those?' I ask.

"Oh, Miss Ahmed, come here. I'll show you. Stand here, look," he says to me.

I go to stand near him, as he shows me how to find the file. "That file is protected, so you won't be able to find it the same way as other files," he murmurs, showing me what to click on and what the password is. I look at him, he is concentrating very hard on what he's showing me. I can't help but smile.

'Do you understand now, Miss Ahmed?' He asks me five minutes later.

"Oh..yeah. Thank you, Mr Malik," I lie. I had been looking at him the entire time, not at the computer screen.

I turn to go, when all of a sudden my hand flies out and hits something on his desk. Oh. My. God. No. It better not be what I think it is!

I swing around, and my eyes widen in shock. Shit. I knew it. My hand flies to cover my mouth when I see that I have accidentally hit his coffee cup and spilt coffee all over him. Oh god!

I stand there, frozen to the spot, not daring to look at him. He doesn't speak.

This is it. He's going to fire me now. On my first day as well. I've messed up, big time. The coffee was still really hot as well! I spilt half the cup on him! I can't meet his eyes. I'm so stupid, and clumsy! I feel like I'm about to have a heart attack when I see his white shirt almost covered with the coffee. And his trousers too! Oh god, save me.

I slowly raise my gaze to look at his face. I can't tell what he's feeling because his face looks composed. He's definitely mad, though. This is it. He looks down at his clothes and then up at me, still showing no emotion. My eyes widen.