CHAPTER TWO

Alex stared at Theresa like she was an irritating piece of item. A line drew between his brows as he snarled. This was one of his expression that frightened his employee. The one in which his face was as hard and vicious as a dangerous predator.

"Don't stare at me like that.  Who pushed me to do it?  Next time when I greet you, you have to answer me" Theresa flipped him off. 

"Are you sick in the head? Firstly, you came into my office late without a watch and now you are trying to provoke me" he grabbed her arm and with force, pulled her towards himself.

He hollered, "Do you know how easy it is for me to fire you? It wouldn't take me a second to destroy your career".

"Late? No way! I am the sale manager of this company. Watch that mouth of yours!" she hissed. Alex's grip on her arm was tighter than ever. Theresa whined, "Ouch!".    

"Sale manager? You are my personal assistant. Leave that dumb world of yours. Where is my coffee?"

He pushed Theresa, causing her to flounder and eventually fall. With anger, she sprung to her feet.

She glared at him and yelled,

"I can never be your assistant. Get that into your thick skull. I am the Sale Manager. How can you assault a lady? Don't you have any manners? What if l got hurt? Fool!"

She brushed her gown and frowned at him.  

"I see! You dared to call me a fool... "

Theresa cut in, "Yes! I called you a fool! "

"Get out of this office. You are fired".

"You can't fire me". 

A gentle knock was heard and Thelma walked in. Alex was stunned but he pulled his face into a scowl. He looked at Thelma then at Theresa and repeated it again.

"You're twin?"

"What those this look like, clones? Next time before you call me your assistant put on a glass because you really need one!" Theresa walked away,  slamming the door.

"Your coffee, sir!" Thelma said. What happened in here, she wondered.

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"Who does he think he is holding my arm like that?  When I get my hands on him I will personally teach him a lesson he would never forget. Aargh!" Theresa mumbled angrily.

She dashed into her office and was startled by the office design. The office walls were coloured wine and dark green. The carpet design and colour totally destroyed the whole arrangement. Theresa felt like puking. Just by its sight, she felt like she was thrown into a dark hole of sadness.  Theresa was a perfectionist. She loved when things were done the right way. She stormed to the receptionist's desk and hit the bell.

"Excuse me, I would like to know who dared... I mean who changed my office design?" Theresa asked, trying to contain her anger.

"They changed it because they thought you would love the new designs," the receptionist replied.

"Love it? Did you see the design yourself? It is nothing to speak of. Aargh!"

A lady walked up to them She looked hot and professional in her black pencil skirt that hugged her broad hip and blue blouse. Her cleavage was exposed due to the lowcut of the blouse. She gave Theresa a once-over.

"I saw the way you talked to Sarah earlier and I decided a person like you don't deserve a pretty and decent office. To be sincere, I don't know how you got the office as the sale manager but I can tell that I dislike you already" she eyed Theresa from head to toe.

"I was qualified for the job. That's how I got it...and who are you?" Theresa asked disdainfully.

"I am Vivian Russo. I am the Marketing Director of this company"

"Pfft! I won't say much. Just clean that mess you created or else you will say goodbye to your job" she ordered. 

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"As my personal assistant, you are to handle my phone calls, organize meetings, and manage databases and my filing systems" he dictated. His hands clasped at his back as he stared at Thelma. "Here, take this. I want you to sort all the papers and arrange them alphabetically. I believe they are up to ninety papers there". He picked some files and went towards the door. He stopped and glared at Thelma who sat in her little office at a corner of the room.

"It must be completed before I return. No mistakes are allowed. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir... But sir when are you returning?"

"I won't tell you! You need to  work with speed. I can come anytime" he glanced at the files and then at Thelma. "No mistakes allowed!" he repeated and left.

Thelma began the difficult task. She recalled what happened to her when she went to get Mr Roger's coffee that morning. She had met a lady called Vivian who gave her advice about Alex.

Vivian had said to her, "The only way to survive is to mind your business and do your work properly. Alex has an anger issue. He doesn't trust anyone so don't trust him. He thinks of only himself so don't expect much from him and most especially, don't argue with him. Do as you are told"

Alexander Roger looked familiar to her. He had attended her high school before he disappeared all of a sudden. He was every girls' dream guy. He was charming and sweet. Girls usually called him Xander the Charming Prince.

Thelma was in love with him then. He had stolen her heart. You couldn't blame her. There were many girls who liked him and she was among them. She hated it but she couldn't control her feeling. The day she had decided to confess her feeling to him, he disappeared mysteriously. At first, students and teachers said that he had changed. He was gloomy and was always alone.

Students especially females were worried sick about him. Someone, like Thelma, cried when she discovered he had disappeared all of a sudden with no way to track him. Now the question was, does she still like him that much or has the feeling gone?