Two

I ran my palm through my face. How could I have been so lost that I hadn't even noticed Jason walking into my office? That was crazy. What would she think of me now? But, woah, she was one pretty angel. 

I cleared my throat, putting on a stern look. That was the only way to cover up my craziness. "Oh, hi." I threw a glare at Jason as if he was the reason for my predicament. "Didn't know you'd be coming over today. And, umh, you should've knocked before walking in."

She grinned. "Noted. That'd be for next time."

This was crazy, but the truth was, it hurt to know that she was my new secretary. Why was life this unfair? The rules in this organization was that no boss was allowed to date or woo his secretary. I created that rule, but now, I felt the urge to break it. 

I swallowed. "Good. Go and check out your office." I pointed at the glass demarcation between my office and my old secretary's. It was by the left side of the room. 

She nodded. "Sure, sir." With that, she walked away. 

Quite upset and still very embarrassed, I wrapped my arms around my chest, shooting scowls at Jason. "Did you do that on purpose? Is that a way of getting your revenge on me?"

He shrugged. "Maybe. And, hang on there. Don't blame me for it. You were the one who was drooling for a random lady. Not like I forced that to happen."

I rolled my eyes, squeezed my face, and walked to the other side of my table. "Whatever. Anyway, why's she here tonight? It's late already. You should've postponed it till tomorrow."

"Hm…" He placed his index finger into the keychain ring of his car keys, smirking as he jingled them. "Is that a problem? You know you need a new secretary as soon as possible?"

I just sat down, packing up, so I'd take my leave. "Alright. Well, I'm on my way home. Will catch up with you later."

For some reason, his smirk widened. He wiggled an eyebrow at me, and playfully hit his palm against the table. "Home, huh? Okay, so, what's up with the girl you're meeting? Are you gonna taste her body before taking the next step?"

I glared. I just never appreciated it when someone spoke about the fact that I was planning to have a meet up with an unknown woman. It was gross.

I snorted. "I'd appreciate it if you kept quiet."

"Dude." He rolled his eyes. "We've spoken about this, right? We both know that your cold and quiet nature won't make you find someone you like. Just go with the meet up."

I sighed in frustration, stood up, and held my bag up. "Leave that for another day. And, I haven't decided on whether or not I'll meet her. I just wanna get home first, take a shower, and relax."

He shrugged. "Kk. Not my problem. Let's see if that'll happen. Remember that Rhonda's definitely not gonna give up on you."

I scoffed. "Don't use that against me. And, I said we shouldn't talk about it. I wanna go home. That's all."

He grabbed the picture frame of the lady I was going to meet. He widened his eyes as if he was shocked, then chuckled. "Damn. She's muah!" He turned to me, his eyes squinted at me. "Ivan, if you don't want her, please, give her to me. Will happily accept this pie. Damn, she's pretty. What else do you want?"

"Yeah, take her. Don't care at all," I said. 

Not wanting to prolong this conversation, I made my way toward the door. Opening it, I gasped, and almost squealed like a woman when I saw my old secretary. What was this woman's problem, and how in the world had she gotten back here?

"Y-You?" I swallowed. I couldn't believe I was actually frightened to see her. What a shame. 

She grunted like an angry dog. "Yeah. Me. Shocked?"

Again, I swallowed. "What do you want from me?"

She scorned. "From you? What a joke. I'm here to take my shoe, moron. Leave my sight before I pierce your brain."

I shook my head, my eyes narrowed at her. She never stopped surprising me. "What the…? What's your problem?"

"Move. Away." Her words sounded more like a threat, than an order. 

I frowned. "If you ever come back here, you'll definitely rot in jail. Don't make me despise you more than I already do."

Saying that, I walked away. Everything and everyone was making me sick. I just needed some space.

Walking in the corridor, Drake and Pablo walked behind him. I didn't even question them for letting my old secretary come back to my office. I was already too exhausted and frustrated. There was no point in stressing myself further. 

Reaching the last floor, I headed straight to my car, heading home immediately. 

***

My driver drove into the driveway of my huge compound, and parked in front of the mansion. He was waiting patiently for me to step out of the car, but all I did was stare at the picture of the lady, via my phone. All through the journey home I had only been scrolling through her pictures, wondering if I should go on with the decision of creating a relationship between us. 

"Sir, do you need something?" The driver asked. 

I glimpsed at the rear view mirror of the car, and just shook my head. "Wait a little longer. I'll hop out soon."

"Okay, sir," he said. 

I resumed staring at the photos.

Yes, she was pretty. Very pretty. But first, who was she? Second, being pretty wasn't enough for me to like her. And, third, presently, there was only one woman in my heart. Tanya Edward. I would admit that I was severely hurt to know that she had cheated on me. But, could I just forget about her like that? I still loved her very much. She was all that still mattered in my heart. In that case, how could I think of letting go of her?

After a while of thinking about this, I stepped out. Drake and Pablo jogged toward me, but I asked them to leave. I walked up the stoop, heading into the mansion. Getting to the door, I inserted its pin code, and made my way in. 

"Ivan! You're back!" My cousin, Peggy, hurried over to me the moment she spotted me standing by the door. Like always, she was beaming, seeming excited as if she had just won a lottery. Yeah, she was quite dramatic.

I gave her a small smile. "Sup? How was your day?"

"Good, I guess." She shrugged. She gripped my hands, squeezed them, and winked at me. "Hope you're ready for your date?"

I gulped. Why did I have to hear that again?

"Oh, my boy. You're back." With a deep smile on my aunt's lips, she sauntered toward me. 

I nodded, feigning a smile to make her think I was okay. "Hi," I greeted. 

She took my hand as well. Her smile widened, nothing but happiness glinting through her. She turned to Peggy, and tapped her arm. "Come on, Peggy. Go and get his suit jacket. And, um, make sure his cologne is a strong one. It must be of a high quality, 'kay?"

Again, and again, and again, I gulped. Was I sure I could go on with this?

"Wait!" Peggy exclaimed. She gasped, and with widened eyes, she turned to me. "Ivan, I have a better idea! Why don't you take her to your beach house? The restaurant might not be so appealing, you know?"

"Or…" My aunt smirked. "...his boat?"

"No, the beach house is a better choice!" Peggy rebuked. 

"Shut up, silly thing." Aunt slapped her on the arm. "I wouldn't even let him take her there for a billion dollars. That's lame."

"It's not!"

And so, they began to argue. 

I clenched my hands in a fist. I was furious. Not with them, but with everything going on in my life. If Tanya hadn't betrayed me, none of these would be happening to me. 

Abruptly, their arguments sounded like a disturbing siren in my ears. It made me feel the need to flare up, but I was holding back by wrath. After all, they weren't responsible for my problems. They didn't make Tanya lay with another man. 

Feeling even more enraged, I clenched my jaw. And, that was it. I couldn't hold back the rage that was lingering in my heart. 

"Enough!" I cried out loud. I glared with so much intensity, my nostrils flared, blood probably seeping from my palm, due to how hard my fist were. 

They snapped their necks in my direction, Peggy's eyes jutted out of their sockets. They were both startled. 

I breathed out loud and hard, and declared, "I'm not meeting anyone. And, you know what? This date is cancelled. Not just the date. The future matrimony is now a topic in the past." I turned to my aunt. "Cause, I'm no longer moving on. I'm going to remain in this cage. This bandage. I'm not getting married to anyone, and it's final."

Her jaw dropped. That wasn't all that dropped. A tear also dropped from her eye. 

__