Falling For My Billionaire Savior - Chapter 42: Chapter 42

I frowned, torn between reason and instinct. But in the end, I chose her. I knew Elena too well. She was reserved and fiercely loyal. Even if she did recognize me, she wouldn't say a word.
She was tight-lipped about any secret, the kind of person who'd take secrets to her grave.
With a snap, I shut the folder and gave Carl a bright smile. "Number eight looks great. Please give her a call and let her know she can start tomorrow."
"You're not going to interview her first?" Carl asked, surprised.
"No need. She impresses me. Let's just have her," I replied.
Given the impression I'd already created—headstrong and imperious—my impulsiveness didn't raise any suspicions. Carl agreed readily and left the office.
I rubbed my hands together, unable to contain my excitement. I paced around the office like a child on Christmas morning. I couldn't believe it—Elena, of all people, had come to apply. Having her as my assistant would be absolutely perfect.
The adrenaline kept me wired all day and well into the night. Unsurprisingly, I couldn't sleep.
Lying in bed, I tossed and turned, memories of Elena and our childhood years playing in my mind like an old film reel.
It was well past midnight before I finally drifted off, and by the time I woke up, the sun was already high in the sky.
I sprang out of bed, rushed to wash up, grabbed a hair tie, and pulled my hair into a quick ponytail. I bolted out the door without even doing makeup.
"Ma'am, you haven't had breakfast yet," the housekeeper called after me.
"I'll skip it," I yelled as I ran out.
On the way, I kept urging the driver to go faster while calling Carl for updates. When he told me the new assistant had already arrived and was waiting in my office, the anxiety finally disappeared.
I pushed open the office door to find Elena already inside, and she had already cleaned the space. She looked a little nervous when she saw me, and she greeted me politely. "Good morning, Ms. Gordon. I'm your new assistant, Elena Peterson."
"Nice to meet you," I said, flashing a big, genuine smile. "I'm pretty easy to work with. I'm sure we'll get along just fine." I needed her to feel my sincerity. I couldn't afford to have her scared off by gossip and rumors.
She smiled, "Absolutely. I'll step out for now. Just let me know if you need anything."
Having Elena around felt like I had grown wings.
I didn't have that much work to begin with, so as soon as she arrived, I handed everything over to her. That freed me up to focus on what really mattered—making Xander's life difficult.
For a whole week, I wandered around the company like a loose cannon. I started by barging into the finance department for an impromptu audit, sending everyone there into chaos.
Then I made random stops at Xander's office to have coffee. I nearly bumped into Jennifer once.
After that, I roamed through other departments under the guise of inspections. Truth be told, I had no clue what I was looking for. But the usual gossip and backstabbing among the staff noticeably died down.
With my assistant changed, there was no longer anyone reporting my movements to Xander. He had no idea where I'd show up or when. That feeling was addictive.
But the excitement didn't last long. A week later, Amelia was released from detention and came right outside the company gate, screaming my name and cursing me out at the top of her lungs.
Security tried everything to calm her down, but they couldn't exactly get physical with an old woman. Still, letting her stand out there and scream was not an option either. Eventually, someone came to ask for my instructions.
When Elena heard that Amelia was causing trouble, she got more fired up than I was. Without a word, Elena rushed downstairs to confront Amelia.
Elena had always been impulsive. I was worried she'd end up getting hurt, so I ran after her. Sure enough, as I reached the front gate, Amelia was still spewing venomous insults.
The moment she saw me, her eyes burned with rage, and she tried to charge through the doors. With her spittle flying, she screamed, "Katherine, you ruined my son. I'm gonna make you pay. I'm taking you down with me."