Chapter Three

ELENA

I Looked at Jason like he had just run mad.

Actually he had, because I certainly didn’t just hear him propose such nonsense to me. It was enough that the will was as real as anything. But going ahead with Paul’s games? Hell no!

“I don’t know what you are doing asking me to marry you. But I’m just going to have to decline, because I can not do it.” I told him with all honesty.

At the moment, I couldn’t even remember that I had a long term crush on him, and that he was standing right in front of me now.

All I could think of, was how to get the hell out of this place. 

My head was pounding and I could feel the migraine coming up.

“Elena! There is no way I’m letting you leave without saying yes to me! It’s my fucking life we are talking about here. Heck, I don’t even know you! But we have to do this or my family will lose everything. Every fucking thing!” Jason literally bellowed, gesturing wildly for emphasis.

I paused, just staring at him with disbelief. “I don’t even think you also realize that it’s also my life we are talking about here too! I can’t throw away five years just like that. Oh hell no!” I threw back, suddenly beginning to feel hot, even if the office was air conditioned.

It was absurd that he was asking that I agree to marry him. 

Jason looked at me like he wanted to slap some sense into me. “I can’t believe that my father would give such a big responsibility to a person like you. You have no consideration! Can’t you see the bigger picture? One mistake, and it’s not just I and my family losing everything, but you and all the other thousands of employees.” As he spoke, he brought out his business card and slammed it on the desk. “I can pay you any amount you want, just think about it and give me a call. It’s either you are in, or you just want to be wicked.” And with that, he turned, and unlocked the door, without giving me a second glance.

I must have just stayed there, completely stunned for a few moments, before I collected myself and slowly walked to my seat, and collapsed there.

What the hell was this?

~

My phone rang, tearing me out of my thoughts. I picked it up, unplugging it from the charger, to see who it was and winced.

I let it ring to see if he would stop, but once he called again, I just rolled my eyes and picked it up.

“Hello, Mr Flintstone.” I said, once I held it to my ear.

“Listen, I know I’m not supposed to call you on your private cell about this, and I also know this is not a good time for business, but I cannot keep my own project waiting while you continue to mourn your boss. I have business to do.” He was saying in the calmest voice possible.

I sighed and leaned back on my chair, feeling dejected. He was right about one thing. This wasn’t a great time to call, at all!

But Flintstone was a sweetheart, and one of our top investors. If he pulled out, then we were going to make a big loss. Something I couldn’t let happen.

It was for solely that reason I was talking to him in the first place:

“I understand Mr Flintstone. I promise I will get back to you by the end of tomorrow. Things are actually improving over here.” I told him. Not offering more explanation than that.

If only he knew that chaos had just ensued. Who would understand that from now on, it would be my signature on every damn paper in the company?

Who?

I heard a sigh, deeper than mine, before he spoke again. “How are you holding up?” He finally asked, and from his tone, I could tell he had calmed down and was going to wait till the next day.

The only problem was, I wasn’t even sure I  would have an answer for him by then and only hoped for a miracle.

JASON

I looked at my wristwatch for the hundredth time.

Elena hadn’t called. In fact, she had left her office a couple of hours after I had left, and never came back.

I could see the questioning stares of people and their murmurings as I walked past them. I saw it all, but at the point I was, I didn’t care.

Tyler had called severally. Our mother had called.

Heck, even the lawyer had called.

But I had ignored every single one of their calls.

What was taking her so long?

It bothered me to think that while we were all suffering and waiting for answers, she was out there taking her sweet sweet time, knowing she had the upper hand.

It was only a matter of signing a few paperwork, and everything was hers. Something that could happen at anytime.

Where had she gone to?

What kind of employee was she, for her to have left the office in the middle of the day and never come back?

Was she that independent at her job?

What really disturbed me the most was the fact that since I didn’t work in this branch, I couldn’t really tell how things worked. I didn’t even know what was going on.

I had packed some documents on my back to the hotel suite I had rented, so I could go through them.

But now, as I stood at the wide glass wall, staring out the window, I knew there was no way I was getting any work done tonight.

Not when I wondered if she was ever going to call back.

Was she?

Or was she going to be selfish and keep it all to herself?

If I saw even my fathers ghost by any chance, I was going to strangle him for putting us through all of this stress.