When the CEO’s Golden Secretary Walked Away Chapter 2

Barely an hour later, my phone buzzed with a text from Daran.

"My parents want you at the estate for dinner tonight."

Even through the screen, his absolute disdain was palpable.

But frankly, I was far more annoyed than he was.

Originally, I thought my debt to the Croft family simply meant managing their assets.

It was only when they reassigned me to be Daran's shadow three years ago that I realized the true scope of my "employment."

Not only did I have to run a multi million dollar company in place of a useless heir, but I also had to manage every microscopic detail of his personal life.

The Croft family essentially treated me like a glorified, highly educated nanny.

"Renee, didn't I tell you to have Daran's custom Italian suits tailored for the new season?"

At the sprawling dining table, Eleanor Croft picked at her Michelin starred salad with a look of severe disappointment.

"Why hasn't that been handled?"

"And another thing. I noticed Daran has dark circles under his eyes. Have you not been keeping track of his schedule?"

"I specifically instructed you to keep him out of the nightclubs during the work week."

I forced a tight, professional smile and offered a practiced apology.

All the while, I could feel Daran glaring at me from across the table, his eyes burning with resentment.

"Furthermore..."

"Mom! Enough!" Daran slammed his silver fork onto the porcelain plate.

"Who does she think she is? Why is she managing my life?"

"Because if I do not have someone watching you, you will ruin yourself!"

Eleanor's eyes welled with sudden, dramatic tears. "Do you think I forgot the stunts you pulled in Europe?"

"Drinking until your stomach hemorrhaged. Passing out on public streets."

"Do you have any idea how dangerous the world is for a boy with your last name?"

Daran scowled. Unwilling to entertain the argument, he pushed his chair back violently and stormed out of the dining room.

I was left sitting there in agonizing silence.

After a long moment, Eleanor rubbed her temples and looked at me.

"If I had known how he would turn out, I never would have forced you two apart."

She let out a heavy sigh. "At least back then, he actually listened to you."

Her words dragged my mind back to the sunlit classrooms of high school.

It was true. Back then, even though Daran was a terrible student, he was honest, fiercely loyal, and kind.

I would spend hours cramming for AP exams, and he would just rest his chin on his desk, quietly watching me work.

He was almost sweet.

But the man he had become was unrecognizable.

He was volatile, aggressive, and drowning in his own toxicity.

Faced with Eleanor's sorrowful expression, I chose to stay silent.

"Renee," Eleanor began hesitantly. "Is Daran... is he still acting the same way lately?"

I knew exactly what she was asking. She wanted to know who he was sleeping with.

I kept my tone strictly professional. "Recently, he has been spending a lot of time with a new actress from the studio."

Eleanor shook her head in utter disgust.

"A cheap starlet. That will never do for our family image."

"He is so reckless. If he marries some empty headed trophy wife, what will happen to the Croft legacy?"

I nodded in polite agreement, while secretly counting the petals on the ridiculously expensive floral centerpiece.

The future of the Croft legacy had absolutely nothing to do with me.

"You are the only one who understands him."

Eleanor suddenly reached across the table and patted my hand, sending a shiver of pure dread down my spine.

"Do not worry, Renee. I know my own son. He can play around all he wants, but deep down, you are the only one he truly cares about."

I found the statement utterly absurd.

Daran still cared about me?

Impossible. Nobody treats someone they care about with such calculated cruelty.

And even if he did, it was years too late. It did not matter anymore.

After dinner, I grabbed my coat to leave, but Daran blocked the grand entryway.

His face was twisted in a mocking sneer. "I suggest you stop wasting your energy, Renee."

"Do you really think kissing up to my mother is going to get you anywhere?"

"Do you think I am still that pathetic teenager who believed every lie that fell out of your mouth?"

He pulled out a silver lighter and sparked a cigarette.

"When you took that buyout and dumped me, I was actually stupid enough to think you had some tragic, secret reason."

His jaw clenched, and his eyes turned to ice.

"Nothing you do now is going to change a thing."