The CEO's Love Turns Me Into a Pet

My boss has started dating, and his girlfriend is already acting hostile toward me at the first meeting.

She looks me up and down and says passive-aggressively, You're Theodore's secretary, the one he's been taking special care of?

I'm left speechless for a moment, staring at her in disbelief.

I am Theodore Grant's secretarythat part is true.

When I graduated, my dad deliberately arranged for me to work under Theodore to learn company management.

For over a year, I have been working overtime late into the night every day, handling stacks of documents that never seem to end. Everyone says that I'm the hardest-working workhorse in the company.

So, why have I gone from being a workhorse to some kind of side piece the moment my boss gets a girlfriend?

Chapter 1

When Theodore Grant showed up at the office with his new girlfriend, Cassandra Callahan, I happened to be delivering documents to his office.

She was clinging to his arm, her high heels clicking crisply against the floor. The moment she looked up and met my eyes, the smile on her face faded slightly.

"Who is this?" she asked.

Theodore answered easily, smiling as he introduced me, "My secretary, Yvette Saccone. She just graduated not long ago. She's reliable in her work."

I gave her a polite nod.

Cassandra responded with a soft hum, but her gaze lingered on my face.

Then, she suddenly leaned closer to Theodore, her voice syrupy sweet. "Theodore, is she the one they were talking about? The little birdy you keep hidden in the company?"

I paused.

Theodore frowned. "That's nonsense. Where did you hear that?"

As if realizing the mood had shifted, his tone softened. "You know exactly who I keep around me. Yvette is a colleague, nothing more. Don't joke about things like this again."

Cassandra pouted, looking wronged. "But everyone at the company is saying it. They say you take special care of a young secretary and never let her do any of the tedious work."

She shot me a glance before turning back to him, her voice growing even softer. "And look at her. She really is pretty, and you speak so highly of her abilities. Isn't it normal for me to feel a little jealous?"

Then, she smiled again and turned to me. "Still, since Theodore says so, I believe him. Ms. Saccone, just remember to keep your distance from now on."

The corner of my mouth twitched slightly. What a masterclass in pretentiousness.

She played the part of the innocent girlfriend while quietly shifting every accusation onto me, implying that I lacked boundaries and harbored ulterior motives.

I lowered my eyes and said nothing.

I didn't deny that I had my own reasons for staying close to Theodore, but they were nothing like what she imagined.

Creation Enterprises was selecting a general manager for promotion to headquarters. As the chairman's daughter, I had entered the branch company as a secretary to learn the ropes and evaluate candidates firsthand.

Theodore was the most promising candidatecapable, decisive, and highly regarded by my dad.

But after meeting his sharp-tongued and possessive girlfriend, I found myself reconsidering.

When Theodore stepped out to receive a visitor, Cassandra changed instantly.

She bounced over to my side, picked up the flowers I had just finished trimming, and brought them to her nose. "Ms. Saccone, you're not mad at me, are you?"

She tilted her head, but there was no warmth in her eyes.

I replied calmly, "Why would I be?"

She chuckled softly and lowered her voice. "Because I took the position you want most. I'm the one standing beside him now, and I'll be the one who becomes the boss' wife. And you? You've kept your head down for so long, and you'll get nothing in the end. Isn't that a shame?"

I met her gaze head-on and spoke calmly. "Ms. Callahan, I've already told you. Mr. Grant and I have a strictly professional relationship."

"Who are you fooling?"

Her smile turned cold. "Secretaries like you all look the same. You act professional at work, but behind the scenes, you're just waiting for a chance to climb higher."

She stepped closer, invading my space. "If you're smart, you'll resign on your own. Don't wait for me to make Theodore fire you."

I smiled faintly. "Ms. Callahan, this is the office. Please mind your words."

Meeting her gaze, I added, "Does Mr. Grant know you've been saying this?"

She fell silent.

Just then, the door opened, and Theodore walked back in.

Cassandra's expression changed instantly. Her eyes reddened, and she rushed toward him, her voice catching. "Theodore"

Chapter 2

"She's young and easily influenced by rumors," said Theodore.

That made me swallow the words I had been about to say.

As a secretary, I shouldn't argue with my boss' girlfriend. But as the chairman's daughter, watching him blur the line between personal and professional matters was disappointing.

The next morning, I arrived at the office in the family car as usual.

I had just settled into my seat when a familiar voice rang out with exaggerated curiosity. "Ms. Saccone, you're certainly living the life. A luxury car picks you up every day."

Cassandra was leaning against the doorway, her eyes fixed on me. Several colleagues looked up.

I set my briefcase down and replied evenly, "You're not an employee here, Ms. Callahan. How I get to work is none of your concern."

"Why wouldn't it concern me?" she shot back, her tone sharp with entitlement. "I'm Theodore's girlfriend. If something might affect the company's image, I naturally have a right to speak up."

"Cassandra."

Theodore stepped out of his office, his brows knitting together. "This is an office. Don't interrupt the employees while they're working."

He turned to me, his tone professional and detached. "I know your character, Yvette, but be mindful going forward. Try to avoid situations that could lead to misunderstandings."

Cassandra clearly wasn't happy, but she kept quiet.

His attempt at playing mediator made me sneer inwardly. He had no idea who actually needed to be mindful.

After Theodore returned to his office, Cassandra walked straight up to my desk. She lowered her voice, the hostility no longer hidden. "Don't get ahead of yourself just because Theodore spoke up for you. You're just a secretary. Know your place, and we'll see how long you last."

I didn't respond.

The girlfriend of a branch general manager, lecturing the chairman's daughter about knowing her place. It was almost laughable.

Still, I kept my head down and said nothing. The evaluation wasn't over yet, and my identity couldn't be exposed.

Early the next morning, I discovered that the 7,000-page bid proposal on my computer was gone. The recycle bin had been emptied as well.

That proposal was tied to the company's most important project for the second half of the year, valued at 800 million dollars.

It was also a key test of Theodore's team.

I went straight to his office.

Cassandra was sitting on the couch, scrolling through her phone like she owned the place.

"Mr. Grant, the bid proposal was deliberately deleted," I reported without preamble.

My gaze swept past Cassandra. "Yesterday afternoon, Ms. Callahan was alone in the office area for a long period of time."

Cassandra immediately put her phone down, her face filling with hurt and disbelief. "Theodore, I was just waiting for you to get out of work. Why would I touch the company computers? She's framing me!"

Theodore's expression turned serious. "Yvette, accusations like this need proof. Are you sure this wasn't a system malfunction?"

"I'm certain. Files can be deleted by mistake, but the recycle bin was emptied. That doesn't happen accidentally."

Cassandra's eyes reddened at once. "I know you like Theodore and want me gone, but you can't use something this serious to frame me."

Theodore glanced at her before turning back to me. "Focus on recovering the files first. Until there's evidence, don't accuse anyone."

Seeing how protective he was of his girlfriend and thinking of the proposal that was lost, I clenched my fists in anger. "If you want evidence, then let's call the police and have them investigate who deleted the files."

Cassandra's expression changed instantly.

Theodore stood up, his voice sharp. "That's enough. You didn't back up the proposal properly. That's on you. Now, get back to work and redo the proposal. If the bid fails, you're fired."

Behind him, Cassandra smiled at me triumphantly.

She probably thought she'd won, but she didn't realize she'd crossed more than just a secretary's bottom line.

Chapter 3

That day, my coworkers had thought they would finally be able to leave on time and get some rest. Instead, they all sat at their desks with dark expressions, working overtime.

No matter how late we stayed, a 7,000-page presentation was not something we could finish in a single night.

The next day, the bid failed.

Cassandra ordered a large batch of milkshakes to the office and told everyone, "This is all because Ms. Saccone didn't save the files properly, causing everyone to lose the bid."

Then, she added, "Ms. Saccone, hurry up and apologize to everyone. You just made them lose their year-end bonuses."

I took a deep breath. "You're the one who used my computer without permission, and you're the reason the company lost a project worth 800 million dollars."

When I said that, all of my coworkers stared at Cassandra in shock.

Cassandra's face turned bright red.

"You're just jealous that Theodore is with me, so you're slandering me. You're trying to force Theodore to break up with me! I'm telling you, even if Theodore broke up with me, he still wouldn't want a vicious woman like you."

At that moment, Theodore happened to walk out of his office.

He held Cassandra's hand and looked at me with hostility.

"Yvette, you failed to separate personal matters from work. You're making up false accusations, and you caused the company to lose an 800-million-dollar project. As an intern, you lack ability, and your character is questionable. You're fired."

A moment later, I was standing downstairs outside the building, holding my things.

I turned back to look at the building, and my eyes turned icy.

The next day was the group's annual gala. All branch general managers, senior executives, and core employees had to attend the gala at headquarters.

I attended with my dad.

I was about to go get champagne when an unpleasant voice suddenly rang out.

"Yvette? What are you doing here?"

Cassandra walked toward me with her arm linked through Theodore's.

She looked me up and down, then clenched her teeth, pointed at me, and cursed, "Yvette Saccone, you're a disgusting homewrecker who just won't go away!

"You're telling me you're not harboring ulterior motives toward my boyfriend? Look at you! You stole an invitation and sneaked in here just to cling to Theodore!"

Even Theodore's gaze turned guarded. "Yvette, I really didn't expect you to follow us all the way to the company gala. Security, get her out of here!"

Seeing Theodore's expression made my skin crawl, and I rolled my eyes. "Ms. Callahan, I told you to stop spouting nonsense. You're saying I stole an invitation and sneaked in, but where's the proof?"

Cassandra scoffed. "Hey, are you trying to be funny? You've already been fired. If you didn't sneak in, how else could you get in here? Security, hurry up and throw this woman out. She clearly snuck in here!"

The security at the venue heard the commotion and moved in, but they halted when they saw me.

Theodore frowned. "Yvette, I'll say this one last time. Get out of here right now. If you keep bothering us, I'll make sure you never work in this industry again."

His shameless threat made me laugh. "You're trying to blacklist me? Do you really think you can?"