“Congratulations, Ms Green! The deal is ours because of your excellent performance yesterday.”
“Thank you, Mr Cortez!” I gratified. Yeah, the Kingston Corp won the deal which explained Montero's mood after the meeting. He hadn't contacted me yet, and that was both relieving and frightening at the same time. I couldn't fathom what he might be planning next.
“BTW, I'm sorry for what happened there,” he said, looking genuinely sorry, although it wasn't his fault.
“It's alright.” I smiled. Even if he was a rude asshole, he kicked me out for my own good. Though everyone already saw what could be seen including Mr Cortez. My cheeks reddened realizing that, and my eyes wandered about until they fell on the black leather folder on his desk, written on the cover was 'V.V.I.' i.e. very, very important. “What's that?”
His eyes followed mine, and his demeanor changed. “Uh, it's nothing.” He grabbed the file and kept it in his desk drawer. “What did you need again?”
A frown made its way into my forehead. Whatever that file contained seemed to be of great importance and secrecy. I shrugged. It was none of my concern. “I need the financial records of Casper motels to prepare the contract.”
“That you'll find at the finance department. Just give them a call.”
“Um...” I scratched my head. “I don't know anyone from the finance department. Actually, I'm not familiar with anyone here except you, Mr Kingston and the doorman.”
He let out a small laugh. “Alright. I'll call someone to bring it to you.”
“Thank you!” I turned on my heels to leave when he called again.
“Have lunch with me at the cafeteria. I'll introduce you to everyone.”
That sounded great. “Sure!”
Coming back to my cabin, I found another task awaiting me: send a letter to fifty people, changing names and dates.
A long sigh left my mouth.
What if I released a poisonous tarantula in Montero's bed or worse, in his suit?
Would he die?
Or would he bribe the tarantula as well?
If that particular person didn't exist, mine and so many other's lives would be so very peaceful. I would be working like a normal employee under a normal boss, worrying about bills and paychecks instead of certain phone calls and jail bars.
Huffing, I concentrated on my task when startling me, my phone rang. Panicked, I looked at the caller ID and let out a relieved sigh, my mood immediately eclipsing.
“Brooke!”
“My girrrl,” the loud yet mellow voice of my best friend came from the other side. I hadn't seen her in months since I left England.
“How have you been? I miss you so much!”
“Me too, me too, but am I going to sit on it? Nope, nada. I'm coming!” she announced.
I jumped out of my seat in exhilaration, my smile painfully stretching my lips. “Really?!”
“Yup, I already bought the ticket. I'll be there soon.”
“Oh my God, I can't wait!” I was now bobbing up and down like a little girl.
“Me neither! Listen, order ten cartons of ice cream for me. You know my favorite. We're gonna have a competition like before!” she yelled over the phone.
I laughed. “Sure!” Ice cream competition till our brains froze out was our thing that we'd never get old to.
A beep from my laptop diverted my attention to the screen. A new mail had arrived. Opening it, my eyes extended in sizes. It was from the boss next room, ordering me to report to his office immediately.
What did he want now?
“Uh, Brooke, work calls. See you soon. Safe journey!” Hanging up the call, I skittered to his office.
“Sir, you called?”
“It appears you've a lot of free time, Ms Green,” he declared, not taking his eyes off the papers he was scrutinizing over.
My brows knitted in confusion. “Why would so appear to you, sir?”
He finally looked up, putting away the papers and resting his arms on the table. “You don't get paid for chatting with old friends at working hours.”
My jaw dropped like a slackened socket. How the heck did he know that? If not... Hovering forward, I peeked at his laptop screen and gasped, my eyes bulging out like goldfish gogglers.
He had been watching me!
Red creeped up my face, and my ears burned. Even though I was aware of the camera in my cabin, I couldn't be a hundred percent sure of my activities to be modest every damn second. And what was I doing earlier while on the phone?
Shit!
“Sir,” I gave him a tight-lipped smile, “although I don't mind the camera in my cabin, I don't particularly feel comfortable being watched like that.”
“This is called surveillancing.”
The calm, impeccable tone in his voice caused my eyes to twitch and fingers flex in anger. “This is called privacy invading,” I retorted.
“If you find it so problematic, you know the door,” he replied, flatly, gesturing behind me.
That infuriating jerk! If I could, I would shove his arrogance where the sun doesn't shine and stomp out of this building right this instant, but my legs were shackled. So I flushed my pride down the toilet and gritted out the next words, “I'm sorry, sir. I don't have any objection.”
“Excellent. Then I expect you won't have any going over those either.” His long, slender finger that I both hated and secretly admired, pointed somewhere on my right.
I turned in the direction, and my eyeballs lifted on my forehead. There were files, more accurately, piles of files on top of his cabinet. Was he mental? Did he plan to bury me under them as punishment for wasting time?
“Sir...” I trailed.
“Yes, these are the cost and profit analysis for some of my new resorts. I want you to go over them and make sure every single digit is accurate.”
It felt like someone dropped the entire globe on me. I wanted to roll on the floor crying, throw my legs and arms in the air and curse him till my throat soared. Working on the current project already tested my patience and now all these? When was I exactly supposed to finish everything? Two hundred and five days later?
As if reading my mind, he opened his pernicious mouth, “Two days. You're dismissed.” Then he went back to examining the papers like I didn't even exist.
My shoulders slumped as a long exhalation left my mouth.
God, save me.
But He didn't, for it took me not one day, neither two but three darn working days to finish checking over those digits, yet the bloody tycoon wasn't happy for allotting the extra day.
Whatever. I was done finally and would you look at that, it was almost break time. Time to have my promised lunch with Mr Cortez and see faces that were not Dimitri Kingston.
Standing on my tippy-toes, I hurled my arms in the air and did some good stretches, bending and whirling, making sure to loosen the stiff joints.
The bliss...
Until my eyes widened, remembering the camera, and I squealed, running out of the room to escape certain watchful eyes.
In the cafeteria~
“From what I heard through Sarah, even an aged woman once flirted with our boss in the middle of a meeting,” Howard chatted, gaining a series of laughter from the other employees.
“Our boss is such a hottie that every single female drools over him,” Jessica added, displaying a set of dreamy eyes.
“Have you drooled over him yet, Hazel?” Melody asked, grabbing everyone's attention as all heads turned to me with anticipation.
Eyeing them, I smiled. “Well, you'll know from the papers when I drool.” When hell freezes over for sure.
Everyone burst out laughing.
“Girl got a good humor. I like that.” Anthony winked, stuffing his face with a spoonful of spaghetti.
I chuckled, rolling my eyes. There's always a guy like that, eh.
The lunch was great. Mr Cortez introduced me to so many amazing people. Turned out, under the unfriendly boss, most who worked were nothing but friendly and welcoming. I was happy, but the feeling of guilt as always subverted the comfort, thinking of the way I was deceiving all the hard work of those good-hearted employees.
The corners of my eyes stung, and my hand lifted, wiping the tears off before anyone noticed. Right then my phone buzzed, and I excused myself to the deserted hallway, dread filling my heart.
“H-Hello?”
“The next project,” the infernal voice spoke.
I closed my eyes, the tears I had been trying to keep at bay, rolled down my cheeks. I had no other choice. “C-Casper motels,” the words left my mouth in a reluctant whisper.
“See you there.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but a tap on my shoulder, froze my heartbeat as well as the air approaching my lungs. Gulping, I slowly turned, and my eyes widened.
There stood the manager before me; only this time his expression wasn't so amiable.
“Who were you talking to, Ms Green?”
“Who were you talking to, Ms Green?” Mr Cortez asked, a frown dwelling between his brows.I gulped, lowering my shaking hand holding the phone. He heard. He found out. Now he'd tell Mr Kingston, and I'd have to go to jail. No. This couldn't happen. Not when the old-age home needed me the most. “I-I...”His hand lifted, and I flinched away, deepening his frown even more. “Ms, Green? What's wrong? Who was that on the call?”He tried to approach me again, and fear took over every part of my sanity. “I... You've to believe me, Mr Cortez. I didn-”He held my shoulders firmly. “Relax! You look like you've seen a ghost. Was it your mother? Has her condition worsened?”“What?” I blinked, dumbfounded.“I saw you crying, so I thought... You sa
A cloud of white balloons hung above the head, and fairy lights sparkling in-between, resembled thousands of stars. On my left, on the spotlighted stage dwelled a large, three-storied cake with the numbers, ten thousand, written on it with decorative icing.Yes.It was a celebration day, for the Kingston Corporation had secured the first place in possessing the most number of hotels and resorts around the world.I still didn't understand the silence from the Montero division. If he really planned to take the Kingstons down, then why was he not taking any action? Why was he letting them win without a hard fight? It wasn't like my deft method of presentation won the deals at the table, no, but because there was no actual effort from the other side. It almost felt like the calm before a colossal storm hit the curbs of the Kingston fort.However, since I was the one in assistance of its crea
"Smurfette."Anger rushed through me, and I hustled out my car keys from my purse."Smurfette, wait!"Footsteps neared, and I tried to insert the key in the lock, but the shaking in my fingers made it harder."Smurfette." His hand wrapped around my wrist, seizing my struggle, and I jerked it off."Don't call me that," I yelled.Taken aback at my outburst, He stared. "Why?"I could clearly detect the hurt in his eyes. But why would he be hurt when it was supposed to be me? My fingers curled into fists, and I pushed at his chest with all my rage. "You betray me like that, and you still have the audacity to ask me why?""What? What're you talk-"Another push from my hands cut him off. "I should be the one asking you why. Why?" And another push faltered his steps, collidi
"Look out!" A gasp left my mouth as I whipped around. But before I could dash to the direction, someone wrapped their arms around me like a shield, and a booming sound rang through the store, followed by a glass, shattering to the ground.Breathing heavy, I slowly moved Blake's hand blocking my vision and peered at the mess before me. Two men held one by his arms on the floor, and another took the gun in his possession. At the farthest corner were huddled the saleswoman and her companions, and a few feet before them stood the targeted, a long slit gracing his newly-worn suit.Unknowingly, an exhalation of relief left my lips. I didn't know what I was so afraid about. Perhaps that someone hated him so desperately that they deemed, sending a gunman to murder him in a customer-packed mall would be the perfect plan. But the question was who was that hater.A lump formed in my throat as I glanced at Blake who poss
"What? You have another injury? Where?" "I'm fine. Thank you! Where did you wanna meet him?" "Huh?" "You told Mr Evans you will meet him somewhere. Where?" I swallowed. The place I planned on meeting Blake was the old-age home, and there was no way in hell, I could let him know about that and be exposed. So I spilled what came to my mind first. "Beach... Yeah, the beach. We were going to the beach." "You were shopping suits for the beach?" He arched an eyebrow. "Huh? Ah... N-No, we were just shopping... just like you. But I'm not going anymore. It's late" I let out a nervous laugh while he watched me in a sceptical look like he could see through my lies. Darn it! Who couldn't? I had to spill such poppycock for excuses. "Fine. Where do you live then?"
I jolted out of his lap like his skin electrified me, or perhaps it did, and right that instant, Gary, the other guard peeked half of his body from behind the door. "Sir, the car is ready."Mr Kingston turned to me. "Are you finished?""Not yet," I said, patting the cotton a bit hard on his wound as punishment, but this time he didn't hiss neither flinched. What was he? An autobot with metal bodice?He then looked back at Gary and gave a nod of his head, "We'll be there in a few." and the bodyguard left."We?""Yes. You missed lunch because of me. So I'll be the one to compensate.""I don't need your compensation. I'm not hungry." I turned down his offer with my chin held high.On cue, my traitorous tummy rumbled as if to punish me for lying, and I squirmed in my heels to silen
"Keep away from that Dimitri Kingston, Smurfette. I do not like him acting like he owns you." "What are you saying?" I eyed my brother quizzically. "He is just the boss. He acts like he owns the whole world." "I know, but still be careful," he pressed, not happy with my careless behavior. "Don't you worry, caveman." I planted a kiss on Blake's cheek and entered the Kingston estate. Through a paved driveway with manicured gardens at both sides, I finally reached the fountained front, and my jaw dropped to the floor. This building, nestling acres of land, looked like something cut out from Architecture Daily. "Ms Green?" a man in business suit, standing in the porch, asked. I nodded, and he stepped aside. "Come in, miss." Taking a deep breath, I clutched my purse and walked inside, getting mesmerized by the architectura
The day started in hell. First, I got my period. Second, I had to give the entire presentation to Montero. Third, I still hadn't make out an excuse to get out of this mess. It wasn't easy acting normal when your ship was sinking. The rate at which my heart pounded in my chest, I was afraid everyone in the meeting room could hear and make out my treachery. Still I tried, sitting there, scanning all the faces present in case I never get the chance to see them again. My team glowed in confidence while the rival team only smirked, knowing they'd snatch the fruit of our hard work from right under our noses. My eyes darted to Blake, talking to Wendy. Montero forbid to let him know a thing, but he'd find out soon enough, and he'd be angry. But nothing would compare to the rage of the boss. He never lost a deal before, and he wouldn't, most definitely