“Guess what?”

I roll my eyes and sigh. “What?”

“We got it!!”

“Nina, get to the point.”

“Okay, party pooper. I called to give you the good news.”

I straighten before resting the empty tumbler on the railing, anticipating her next words.

“We won. Againsther. I can’t wait to see the ice queen’s defeated face.” She giggles.

A grin tugs at my lips. What the whiskey couldn’t do, this news did.

I lean against the balcony and cross my ankles. “Don’t get your hopes up. You guys call her Ice queen for a reason.”

“Yeah, yeah. But as emotionless as she is, losing to you always gets her all worked up.”

I chuckle at that. We talk for a few more minutes and plan our victory party for the coming weekend before hanging up.

Oh, Hannah. A laugh burst out of me. You made my whole fucking day and you’re not even aware of it. But don’t you worry, princess. I will personally deliver this news to you.

Vanquishing Miss Hannah Cooper—aka the Ice Queen—sends a rush of dopamine in my system that no other physical pursuits could ever provide.

It took me years of hard work to become the Creative Director in KIM Advertising. But one day out of no-fucking-where Hannah Cooper waltzed in and secured a place on my team. I had orders from Archer Kim. My boss. So, I had to oblige.

New interns and recruits are well aware of how picky I am when it comes to selection.

My team members are the best of the best. I don’t accept anything less than that.

Getting recruited by me is a long and torturous procedure that often leads to even men bursting into tears.

When Archer informed me about the new recruit, I was too angry to even question the situation. Archer sensed my dark mood. He knows me well as he is not just my boss but also a close friend.

He is conscious of the fact that I despise interference in my work. He asked for my co-operation and promised to move her to another department if she was incapable of keeping up with my team members.

I loathe people who use their contacts and relationships to their advantage. I already had three interns fighting for the spot which Hannah snagged conveniently.

My disapproval of her increased tenfold on her very first day.

She strutted her way down toward our wing like she fucking owned it.

With her tight designer dress and short hair, she stole every man’s attention on our floor.

On any other day, I would have found her sexy as hell but she had already soured my mood by getting this job the way she did. And looks are not everything for me.

So what if Hannah Cooper is hot? She was an attention-seeking spoiled brat.

The first few hours when I was going through our unfinished ad campaign with the team members, she started stating her opinions when I had asked her to only observe quietly.

She was talented but over-smart. Not even a half-day in, she threw a tantrum during lunch break when her precious heel broke.

I couldn’t stop myself from taunting her when I saw her literally sobbing with a broken Gucci shoe in hand.

My disapproval of the spoiled princess turned into pure hatred the moment she started working against me.

Within six months, she worked her ass off. Not for the team, no.