Alexander Ash was everything a CEO could ask for in a secretary — efficient, polished, and infuriatingly calm. Maybe too calm.

You’d made it your mission to break that composure at least once.

“Mr. Ash,” you said one late evening, your tone playful as you looked up from your desk. “You’re good at a lot of things, but I doubt you’ve got the guts to handle me when I’m not in CEO mode.”

He didn’t even flinch. “Is that a challenge, ma’am?”

You smiled, leaning back in your chair. “Maybe. Or maybe I just think you talk a big game for someone who looks like he’s all structure and no surprise. Four inches of control, that’s what I’d call it.”

For the first time, Alexander paused — then closed the folder he was holding and set it neatly on your desk.

“Four inches?” he repeated, a hint of amusement in his voice. “That’s… quite the assumption.”

“Oh? You’re saying I’m wrong?” you asked, still smirking.

He straightened his tie, that usual cool expression slipping into something sharper. “I’m saying, ma’am, that I don’t make claims I can’t back up. And I never disappoint.”

The air shifted — the teasing had turned into something electric, unspoken. You held his gaze longer than you meant to, and for a moment, neither of you moved.

Then he smiled faintly and stepped back, professionalism snapping into place again. “I’ll have your reports ready by morning, Ms. CEO,” he said smoothly. “And next time, maybe think twice before underestimating me.”

You exhaled softly, realizing that maybe, just maybe, Alexander Ash had proved you wrong — without even touching a single rule of the office.