03.

Aiden’s POV

Today was my grandpa's 70th birthday. I had been busy with work and hadn't visited him in months, so I decided to cancel a meeting and head home early.

Before I left, I wanted to pick out a special gift for Grandpa. He had raised me since I was a baby after my parents passed away. I knew it couldn't have been easy for him, a busy businessman, to take care of an infant.

But he believes he owes me that much.

I went to the mall and browsed through a few stores, looking for the perfect gift.

I wanted something that would match his taste, but they seemed to have nothing satisfying.

As I was surfing through their collections, in line, I overheard a girl complaining about rich people being demanding and never satisfied.

My frown deepened.

I turned to look at her, and our eyes met for a brief moment. She looked away quickly, but I was intrigued.

Her hazel eyes were oddly attractive.

There was something about them that caught my attention.

I finally found what I wanted and paid for the gift and left the store, but I couldn't shake off the thought of those innocent hazel orbs.

Gosh!

When I arrived at Grandpa's house it was packed with guests, mostly business acquaintances.

He is a man of people.

Exchange pleasantries with a few of them, I finally spotted Grandpa. he was overjoyed to see me.

I gave him the gift instantly.

“You didn’t have to, son,” he said, admiring the watch.

I dipped my hand into the pocket of my slacks, shrugging.

“Come on, let’s cut the cake now that you are here,” he ushered but was cut off by a knock on the door.

The police suddenly walked into the crowd, the room falling into deep silence.

Whispers filled the air as one of the cops accused Grandpa of being involved in a murder case many years ago.

I was shocked. Grandpa? Involved in a murder case? It couldn't be true.

“What the hell!” I snapped.

“It’s okay, Son, I’ll go with them.” Grandpa objected to me taking him away from the police hold.

The police took Grandpa away for further investigation.

I escorted the guest out with apologies and after the house was emptied, I walked into Grandpa’s study room and dialed my best friend, he’s a cop.

"Hey, man! I need your help," I said, trying to stay calm.

"What's going on?" Diego asked, his voice concerned.

"It's Grandpa. The police just took him away, accusing him of being involved in a murder case," I explained.

Diego's tone turned serious. "I'll look into it, Aiden. Don't worry; I'll do everything I can to help

Grandpa."

“Alright, thanks.”

•••

The next day I was going through the resume of the job applicant, my eyes falling on the familiar pair of hazel eyes.

I told my secretary to look into the murder case and he found out the daughter of the deceased was applying for the job.

I was surprised. What were the chances?

And then, it dawned on me that this girl was not just any ordinary girl.

 I leaned back in my chair, my mind racing with thoughts. 

This was going to be interesting.

I walked into the meeting room, everyone turned to look at me, surprised to see me joining in on such a low-level interview.

And just then, the girl with the hazel eyes, whose name was Reily Flynn, walked into the boardroom her presence exuding professionalism.

I didn’t miss the way her lips parted as our eyes met, a smirk spreading on my lips.

After what felt like forever, she quickly composed herself, took a seat, and proceeded to answer the interviewer's questions.

I was impressed by her confidence and professionalism.

After the interview, I turned to Marcus, one of my secretaries.

"What do you think of her?" I asked.

He raised an eyebrow. "She's impressive. "

I nodded in agreement.

After the meeting, I called Diego and informed him of Riley’s application.

“Yeah! She might know something about her father's death. And if you hire her, we might be able to get more information out of her. And free your grandpa.” He suggested.

I rubbed on my temples, agreeing to it.

As I stared a glance at her, I realized that I wasn’t just going to hire her because of the information that may set my grandfather free but her intriguing nature. 

There was something deep within those orbs that triggered me.

"I agree," I said finally.

"Let's hire her."

I nodded, a small smile playing on my lips. "I'll take care of it."