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The Assistant

Valencia has started a dream job as a personal assistant to Roman Ortiz, enigmatic owner of Roman Industries. Although she plans to keep their relationship professional, one night changes everything. But what will happen to their relationship when people from Roman’s past get involved?

Age Rating: 18+ (Content Warning: Violence Against Women, Planned Rape)

 

The Assistant by GHazelV is now available to read on the Galatea app! Read the first two chapters below, or download Galatea for the full experience.

 


 

The app has received recognition from BBC, Forbes and The Guardian for being the hottest app for explosive new Romance novels.
Ali Albazaz, Founder and CEO of Inkitt, on BBC The Five-Month-Old Storytelling App Galatea Is Already A Multimillion-Dollar Business Paulo Coelho tells readers: buy my book after you've read it – if you liked it

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1

Valencia

After a long and extraneous search for a decent-paying job, Valencia was excited to have gotten a call back from Roman Industries. One of the biggest marketing businesses in the city owned by Mr. Roman Ortiz himself.

He had started from nothing at the mere age of eighteen and steadily built his empire with every passing year until it was as big as it is now.

He did business for big-name companies like Nike, Apple, and Coca-Cola, to the smallest of businesses in our own city. Anything before his eighteenth birthday, though, was non-existent.

No school records, no family, not even a parking ticket.

Valencia knew this because she tried to find out all she could about him on Google when she received a call from his company letting her know that she had gotten the job as his new assistant.

She couldn’t believe her luck.

She hadn’t even applied for that position, but from what they had told her, Mr. Ortiz’s current assistant was going to retire soon, and he had asked for a younger woman this time.

Someone willing to be on-call at all hours of the day, every day, and holidays off weren’t promised.

At first, Valencia wasn’t sure she was up for it until they had mentioned what her pay would be. Let’s just say, it was a lot more than what most assistants would have dreamed of.

They wanted her to start right away as she would be looked over by the old assistant for the first week, learning about her responsibilities, expectations, and requirements. After that, she’d be on her own.

She was hesitant at first, as it would take up all of her time. No more free weekends, no more clubbing. Would I even have time for sex? She thought.

It didn’t matter anymore. She had “quit” her last job as a receptionist because she was brave enough to report her disgusting boss Mr. Devilin after he had tried to bribe her with a pay raise.

All she had to do for it was be his new mistress. Just the memory of his beady little eyes staring at her breasts as they spoke made her want to vomit.

Even worse, she could still feel his knobby, thin, and wrinkled fingers trailing down from her hip to her thigh.

She was appalled, to say the least. She didn’t even give him an answer as she stormed out of his office. His intentions were clear.

Valencia went straight to the top to report him, Ms. Nessa Avery, CEO of the company. She was also the aunt of her ex-best friend, Samantha.

She was sure that Ms. Avery would be on her side as she too was a woman and would completely understand. Valencia waited for an hour, angrily pacing back and forth in the waiting area.

Every time she tried to sit down, her legs would shake, and she would nibble on her already short fingernails.

When it was finally time for her to see Ms. Avery, she practically marched right in, and the words just poured out of her mouth.

Ms. Avery stayed quiet the entire time, she sat in her chair behind her desk, arms crossed, and a smirk laid on her very stretched face. It was evident that she had plenty of work done on it.

When Valencia was done explaining the situation, Ms. Avery spoke.

“Ms. Elegante, I am going to assume that you are done and just get right to the point. I just got off the phone with Mr. Devilin himself, and the story he has told me is quite different from yours.

“See, Mr. Devilin says that the two of you have been in an intimate relationship for a few months now and that you knew he was not going to leave his wife for you.

“From what he understood, you were fine with the arrangements at first.

“He also said that just after two months of sneaking off to hotels for your little ‘rendezvous,’ that you grew tired and jealous of the time, and money, that he spent with his own wife.

“That you threatened to tell his wife if he didn’t leave her for you. When that failed, you stormed into his office and tried to seduce him into, at least, giving you a raise.

“Seeing how you have come dressed today,” she raised a brow as she studied her attire, “it is clear what your intentions were, and it would be wise for you to retract your accusations or pack up your things and leave because….”

Valencia’s blood had begun to boil once again as she remembered her last conversation with Ms. Avery. Devastated by the woman’s words, Valencia turned as the woman had continued to speak.

In a daze, she walked over to her desk, grabbed her things, and left. Never to look back.

That was two months ago. Even though Valencia was financially responsible and able, two months with no decent job still took its toll on her savings.

She was down to her last hundred, and if she didn’t secure this job by the month’s end, she was sure she’d lose her apartment. She was determined to snag this job. The sacrifices would be worth it.

Besides, she didn’t have any family as she was orphaned from birth. Her only real friend was Samantha, and since she took the side of her aunt, that friendship was done.

She didn’t have a boyfriend, either. After the heartbreak she suffered from her last relationship, love was the last thing on her mind.

At this point, all she wanted to do was concentrate on herself, her own life. No one else mattered anymore.

The pictures she had seen of Roman Industries didn’t give the actual building any justice. She was in awe as she pulled into the parking lot that was placed right across the street.

Holy shit, she thought as she climbed out of her cherry red-colored 2017 Audi Sport Quattro. From what she read, and now saw, the building had thirty floors, and Mr. Roman was right at the top.

Each floor had windows wide open, from floor to ceiling. The silver metal that held it all in place shone brightly against the sun as if he had it polished daily. It was beautifully blinding.

Valencia made her way to the front desk, straightening her back and lifting her chin a bit higher than usual. She wanted to look as confident as she felt.

“Good morning and welcome to Roman Industries. Do you have an appointment?” Said the woman sitting behind the desk, her fingers placed on the keyboard of the computer, awaiting her answer.

“Yes,” she smiled, “my name is Valencia Elegante and I have an appointment with Ms. Eliza Fuentes.”

“Ah, yes. Ms. Elegante, you can head right on up to the twenty-ninth floor. She will be there waiting.” The woman smiled brightly, pointing at the elevator.

“Thank you so much,” Valencia replied enthusiastically.

She walked over to the elevator and sure enough, it only went up to the twenty-ninth floor. As odd as it was, Valencia shrugged her shoulders and pressed the button that would take her up.

On her ride, she felt nervous, excited, elated, and even a bit afraid.

She had never been anyone’s assistant before, but she had watched “The Devil Wears Prada” plenty of times, and she was terrified that her time as an assistant would be just the same.

She held onto her stomach as it turned at the thought. When she heard the elevator ding, though, her confidence once again made its appearance, and she knew that there was nothing that she couldn’t handle.

With her head held high, she walked out of the elevator and was immediately greeted by an older woman with a large smile on her face.

“Ms. Elegante, my name is Eliza Fuentes. Please follow me.”

 

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2

Valencia

Once Ms. Fuentes turned, I couldn’t help my eyes going wide at the woman. She looked way too young to be retiring – no more than thirty, I’m sure.

She was a tad taller than I was, with tanned skin, long dark brown hair with streaks of grey, and her body resembled an hourglass. Her skin was smooth, and free of any blemishes, as far as I could tell.

Her nails were well done, and her outfit hugged her curves perfectly. I was so in awe of her beauty that I hadn’t noticed I was staring at her until we had reached another elevator and she let out a soft giggle.

I shook my head slightly.

“I-I’m so sorry. It’s just, I’m a little surprised that you’re retiring at such a young age. If I’m being honest, I expected someone a lot older.”

I could feel my cheeks heating up from embarrassment. I couldn’t help it; I wasn’t one to bite my tongue.

“Oh, I will take that as a compliment.” She beamed, and her cheeks went a little red, too. “My fifty-sixth birthday is actually next month.”

“Holy shit, fifty-sixth? You don’t look older than thirty.” My eyes flew wide again. “Still, fifty-sixty isn’t an age that most people retire at. Mr. Ortiz must pay you extremely well.”

“I like you. And yes, he does. Just like he will be paying you well. You might get to retire by fifty yourself.” She smiled, then turned to the elevator and slid a card on a small machine next to it.

The elevator opened immediately, and she raised a hand, motioning me to walk inside.

“All other elevators only go up to the twenty-ninth floor; this is the only one that goes up to the thirtieth, which is Mr. Ortiz’s.

“Once we have all of your information, you will be given your own personal card. Never forget it at home as it is your only way up to the thirtieth floor.

“Apart from Mr. Ortiz himself, you will be the only other person in this building that will have that access. He likes his privacy, and he hates distractions,” she spoke.

“If anyone at all needs to see him for any reason, they need to make an appointment with you. When it is that time, you will meet them here, and take them up yourself. Understood?”

She pushed the button that closed the door and started our way up. I nod to her.

Before I could ask her any questions, the door opened again, and we were there. We both stepped out together. The room we entered was huge.

The floor was made up of a polished, gray-colored wood, and the walls were all white. There was a single large, black desk to one side, right in front of a full-sized window, looking out into the city.

It was magnificent. Behind the desk was a decent-sized file cabinet, and next to that, in the corner was a snake plant.

Across the desk was an area with a gray-colored rug; on top of it were two black sofas, a centered glass coffee table with a few magazines, and a bonsai plant.

Behind that, there was a hallway that led to God knows where.

Mr. Ortiz’s office was on the right side of the desk. He must have been busy because the ceiling to floor glass that separated his office from the waiting room was covered in what looked like black wooden blinds.

I knew it was his office because his name, Roman Ortiz, shined on his door in silver letters. I wondered what he looked like as there were no pictures of him on Google, either.

This man was full of mystery, and now it was going to be my job to help keep it that way. Surprisingly, I was up for that challenge.

The more I learned about this particular job, the more excited I had become. I couldn’t wait to get started.

“Okay, Ms. Elegante, please follow me to the desk.” Ms. Fuentes finally said.

“Sure,” I replied.

“Everything you will need is right here, all of his most important client’s information is located in that file cabinet right there.

“You can look most of them up on the computer here, but some of them are a bit more personal, so for the safety of his clients, he keeps that information hidden in the file cabinet.

“Which you need to keep locked up at all times. Some of that information can be… incriminating. It cannot fall into the wrong person’s hands.

“Not that you should be worried too much about that. As I said before, only you and Mr. Ortiz have access up here.

“So, if anyone is able to get up here alone, I can assure you, it will most definitely be your fault. Understand?” Her voice went cold.

“Understood,” I replied.

“Good. Now, most of the time, Mr. Ortiz will be very clear about what he needs and wants. It is your job to make sure you do it well.

“In the mornings, he gets his own coffee and breakfast, so you don’t need to worry about that. For lunch, he will let you know what he wants and all you need to do is call it in and have it delivered.

“If it is going to be late, let him know. Same goes for dinner. Yes, there will be plenty of nights where you will be stuck here. So be prepared at all times.” She gave me a stern look.

“That means, you need to make sure that you have a bag here full of some personal items and toiletries. Even some backup clothes in case the two of you end up staying the night.” She cocked an eyebrow at me.

“Oh, okay. I’ll make sure to have that prepared tonight so I can bring it in tomorrow morning. Thank you.” I smiled.

“Right. Lastly, you will be in charge of a lot of his personal life. You will be in charge of planning things for him, like birthday parties.

“He doesn’t have many friends, mostly acquaintances, so it’ll be up to you to make invitations, phone calls, etc., to get people to show up.

“In this top drawer, you will find a notebook that I took upon myself to write down anything and everything I feel you might need to know about him.

“It contains the phone numbers of his two best friends, past entanglements, his birthday, people he is willing to see right away, people that need to make appointments, and those he doesn’t want to see at all.

“You should try to memorize it. I’m sure word has gone around about me leaving, and someone new taking my place.

“So, there will be many people that will try to trick you or manipulate you into letting them up to see him. You cannot let your guard down.”

“Understood.” I nod.

“I suggest you go through it whenever you find some time, but do not, under any circumstances, let it leave this room. Just like his clients, these are very personal notes.

“Like I mentioned before, he is very private. It’s pretty hard to find anything on him. He makes sure of it.”

“Yeah, I tried to look him up on Google. Just about everything is about his business, accomplishments, donations, but nothing about him personally.

“I was trying to find out all I could before getting here, but there wasn’t much on him.” I stated.

“Exactly. He actually goes out a lot, especially to clubs. No one knows he’s Roman Ortiz, though. He uses a couple of different names. Depending on the situation.

“Again, all of that is in the notebook. Make sure that stays locked away, too. This drawer didn’t have a lock before, but I made sure one was added before you arrived.

“This…” She pulled out a key from her skirt’s pocket, “is the key that fits into that drawer. Put it on your keychain for safekeeping. Just like your card, do not lose this. It won’t and can’t be replaced.”

I took the key from her hand and immediately put it on my keychain with the rest of my keys. It didn’t stand out, so I knew it wouldn’t draw any attention.

“Finally, this hallway back here has your own personal bathroom, complete with a shower. Right next to that, is an elevator that leads straight to his private parking lot. That is where he will come in and out of.

“Starting tomorrow, it will also be your parking lot. On our way out later, I’ll show you where to access it. You will report here every single morning at seven in the morning.

“If he needs you to come in earlier, he will let you know the night before. Your clock-out time is at seven PM every night unless he says otherwise.

“So, before you walk out of this office, make sure he doesn’t need to stay any later, and never assume you will have the weekend or any holidays for yourself. Even your own birthday.”

My eyes went wide, but I nodded to let her know that I understood. Just then, the blinds to his office began to open slowly.

The silhouette of a man walked from one side of the room to the door that we now faced.

“Ah, Mr. Ortiz. May I introduce you to your new assistant, Ms. Valencia Elegante? Ms. Elegante, I would like you to meet your new boss, Mr. Roman Ortiz.”

 

Read the full uncensored books on the Galatea iOS app!

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