Chapter 3 The New Secretary
Athena spent the entire night wide awake, her mind swirling with thoughts. The news from the hospital still lingered in her mind—she was pregnant. The morning light found her resolute, yet still shaken. She decided to take two days off from work. After quickly preparing, she made her way to the hospital for another check-up.
The results were the same: she was indeed eight weeks pregnant.
As she sat in the sterile room, she remembered an incident from two months ago—Byron’s birthday. The night had been filled with passion, and they had been careless, a single moment that had led to this unanticipated outcome. She shook her head, unable to accept the reality.
The doctor, noticing her somber expression, gently spoke. “Madam, it’s not easy for you to conceive given your condition. I suggest you consider keeping the child.”
Athena felt a mixture of confusion and disbelief. Was she lucky or unlucky? The odds had always been against her, but here she was, facing a new, unexpected future.
“I will think about it,” she replied softly, then left the hospital in a daze.
Standing outside, the chill of the autumn wind bit at her skin. After a long moment of contemplation, she made a decision. She bought a plane ticket to her hometown, determined to seek clarity. When she arrived in Greeli City, Athena stopped at a local shop to pick out a bouquet of roses and purple daisies—her mother’s favorite flowers. She also bought two bottles of wine before hailing a taxi to Colwi Cemetery.
The drizzle had started by the time she arrived. The security guard, spotting her from a distance, hurried over with an umbrella.
“Athena! I didn’t expect you today!” he said with a smile.
“I just wanted to pay a visit,” she replied quietly.
After a brief chat, she left one of the bottles of wine as a token of appreciation for the guard. Holding the umbrella herself now, Athena walked alone into the depths of the cemetery.
The guard, holding his own glass of wine, watched her slender figure disappear into the cemetery. He sighed with sympathy.
“What’s the matter? Do you know her?” a janitor asked as he noticed the guard’s gaze.
The guard shook his head, his eyes filled with sorrow. “Poor girl. She was just a child when she laid her mother to rest here. At ten, she said goodbye to her grandfather, and just six months ago, her grandmother passed away. At the funeral, she stayed by her grandmother’s grave all day without eating a thing.”
Athena found the tombstone with ease. Her grandparents lay side by side, her mother close by. She placed the roses at her grandmother’s grave, remembering how her grandfather had always brought her roses every single day when he was alive. The purple daisies were for her mother. Finally, she poured a glass of wine for her grandfather.
“Grandma, Grandpa, and Mom… I have something to share with you,” Athena said softly, her voice trembling.
She paused, her heart heavy with emotion.
“I’m pregnant. I know I probably shouldn’t keep this child, but…”
She hesitated, unsure of how to continue.
“But with all of you gone… I have no family left. This baby will be my only family.”
She took a deep breath, as if making a monumental decision. “The doctor said it would be difficult for me to conceive, so… I’ve decided to keep the baby.”
A moment of silence passed before Athena finally smiled, her heart lightened. “You will love her. Please, look out for her.”
Back in Girard City, the President’s Office at Imbe Group was buzzing with gossip. The news of Athena’s resignation had spread quickly. She had always been the one to handle the difficult president with grace. So when the new secretary, Ruby Holland, arrived early that morning and was ushered straight into Athena’s old office, speculations ran wild.
Ruby looked almost identical to Athena, and with the rumors swirling about the relationship between Byron and Athena, her appearance only fueled more gossip. The timing of her arrival, coinciding with Athena’s sudden departure, made it seem like she was taking Athena’s place.
Byron had a morning meeting with the overseas project department, and by the time it ended, it was already noon. When he returned to the President’s office, Ruby approached him with a concerned look.
“Byron, is Miss Newton upset because I took her place? I didn’t see her at all today,” Ruby asked, her voice laced with worry.
Byron furrowed his brow and glanced at Liam, his assistant. “Where is Athena?”
Liam immediately caught on to Ruby’s intentions and quickly responded, “Miss Newton had some personal issues and requested time off. I apologize for not informing you sooner. I was busy preparing for this morning’s meeting.”
Ruby feigned concern, inching closer to Byron. “She must be having a serious issue if she left without telling you,” she said, trying to manipulate the situation.
Byron distanced himself from her. “If she’s not here to train you, you can go. Come back when she returns to work.”
Ruby immediately sensed his coldness. She was good at reading people, and Byron’s mood was foul. After a few more polite exchanges, she left the room, her eyes narrowing in annoyance as she passed the secretary’s room.
“She’s making this difficult on purpose,” Ruby muttered to herself. “I’ll get back at her for this.”
Liam reported Byron’s schedule, “Mr. Crawford, you have a golf game with Mr. Franco, the president of Colas Construction, at three o’clock this afternoon…”
Byron’s mood only darkened further. He slammed his coffee down, irritated by the continued absence of his secretary.
“Call Athena. Tell her to come back immediately. The office can’t function properly without her!” he snapped.
“Yes, sir,” Liam responded quickly, pulling out his phone.
Byron assumed Athena’s sudden departure was due to something serious with her grandmother—she hadn’t visited her for over six months.
Liam, nervously glancing at Byron, decided to send Athena a WhatsApp message: “Athena, Mr. Crawford’s in a terrible mood. Finish up and come back to save us!”
After her visit to the cemetery, Athena had nowhere else to go. She read Liam’s message and realized it was time to finish the handover and leave for good. Byron could never find out about the baby—he would never let someone like her have a child connected to him.
She purchased a flight ticket back to Girard City that very day, and the next morning, the office buzzed with excitement when she returned.
“Athena! Why did you quit?! What are we going to do without you?”
“That’s right! Mr. Crawford is terrifying when he’s angry. I was too scared to even breathe yesterday!”
“Miss Newton, please don’t leave! We can’t handle Mr. Crawford without you!”
As they chatted, the elevator doors opened, and everyone straightened up, preparing to greet the president.
Byron, dressed in a sharp black designer suit, stepped out, Ruby by his side.
“Good morning, Mr. Crawford,” the staff greeted in unison. Athena, standing at the back, offered a polite nod.
She was dressed in her usual office attire, her long hair cascading down her shoulders. No longer timid, she now appeared indifferent.
Byron led Ruby toward Athena. “This is my new secretary, Ruby Holland,” he said coldly. “Show her the ropes and fill her in on all your responsibilities.”
Athena stood still, her expression unreadable. Her days at Imbe Group were officially over, but something inside her had shifted. She no longer had to pretend.