CHAPTER 1

Shay's POV

"It may not be included in your schedule, but its here in mine. There is a meeting today and all the board members will be here any second so if you don't want to end up being embarrassed, I suggest you do your job and stay out of the way."

At this point, my impatience with Amber was running in a thin line. I refrained from rolling my eyes and tried my hardest to keep a straight face on.

"Look Amber, like I said for the fifth time, Mr. Cartwright did not arrange any meeting today with the board members and even if he did I would know through Sylvia his P.A. If you still disagree with me, than why don't you ask him yourself at his office?"

Her eyes narrowed in slits as she glared hard at me. Having a disagreement with someone at work happens all the time, but in this case, Amber could go as far as she can just to prove me wrong. I was telling her the truth though, there is no meeting today because Sylvia his personal assistant who's also my cousin, gave me an update on Mr. Cartwright's schedule for the week this morning and I didn't find any meeting for today included in the list. I've only been working here for five months and if this argument goes too far than we'll probably end up in our boss's office where it will be my first time seeing his face and probably my last if I get fired.

Mr. Cartwright rarely stays in his office. According to Sylvia who's always with him, he travels a lot these days and attend meetings with his clients outside of work places. I've only caught a few glimpse of him, mostly his back, when he enters his office or when he's on his way out of the building. I could tell he's a very serious type of person so ending this conversation with Amber fast could avoid ending up in his office and facing him instead.

"This is ridiculous, I have important matters to address with the board and with him. This things can't wait."

Before I had the chance to talk back, the elevator doors opened and three of the board members stepped out while sharing a conversation. We both looked back at the same time and Amber faced me again while crossing her arms in front of her.

"Just move away from the door Shay, we have a meeting in there."

I couldn't move away from the doorway of the conference room when I caught the three men coming towards us from the back, staring at us with confusion. If there really is a meeting today and I didn't know about it than I'm screwed.

"Actually Amber, we don't." A familiar voice said from the back.

We both looked to see who it is and I felt relieved when I saw that it was Sylvia. Amber scoffed out loud and I couldn't helped but smile. Thank god she came right on time to rescue me.

"What?" Amber exclaimed.

"Miss Falcon, what is going on?" Mr. Lopez, one of the three men, asked Sylvia with a confused expression on her face.

She walks right up to Amber and gave her a tight lipped smile while typing something on her iPad in her hands.

"There's no meeting today. I don't know who might have wrongly informed you because it's not in Mr. Cartwright's schedule and I know this because I had arranged it myself."

Amber glanced back at me and took a step closer towards Sylvia.

"Well if there's no meeting today, I'm requesting we have one now. There's a bunch of reports and important matters that are needed to be discussed with Mr. Cartwri-"

"He knows. And he'll call for a meeting when he's not too busy."

She quickly apologized to the men and the rest of the appearing board members crowed at the back and they slowly walked back to the elevators to get back to their work. Amber left in an angry rush leaving me and Sylvia to be the only ones standing in the hallway in front of the conference room. She turned around to see me and then smiled.

"That woman seriously needs to get her facts right." I chuckled and hooked my arm around hers before we slowly walked towards the elevator.

"She could've got me into trouble though, so thanks for coming to my rescue." She grins widely back at me.

"Anytime. So, are you free tonight? There are some ledger problems that I desperately need your help with before I present them to Mr. Cartwright by Friday. We can review them together at my place."

I was about to agree straight away, mainly because hanging out with Sylvia at her apartment is freedom from all the pressure and the lectures and the problems at home that my parents and my sisters never failed to remind me every day. But then, I remembered that I have to be somewhere important tonight with the very same people.

"Sorry, there's an important event tonight and mom and dad wants me to be there. I can't bail on this one."

We entered the elevator and she pushed the button for the second floor. If my mother hadn't threatened me with an arranged marriage proposal than not going to this event would be so easy, just like the last ones that I bailed on.

"Argh seriously? What event?" I shrugged and stared at my reflection on the glass silver tinted wall in front of me.

"Don't know. I don't keep up with those things anymore, all I know is that I have to show my face there and cross my fingers behind my back that it ends quickly so I can get the hell out."

She chuckled lightly and the doors opened and we started walking down the hall where our separate offices are.

"Same. Those type of things suffocates me." She heavily replied.

Sylvia's family is no different from mine. Her father and my dad are brothers and having the same business mindset runs in the family but they both run different companies but under the same family name. Sylvia and I are so alike in so many ways that we deserve to be sisters. Her working here felt so wrong with her parents that they couldn't accept it. Just like me, they wanted her to be a part of the family business but she hated it and decided to move out from her home and bought herself an apartment where she stayed by herself and away from her pressurizing family.

I've dreamed of moving out from home so many times and living independently by myself without any help from mom and dad but I'm not ready yet. I'm still preparing myself for that day to come so I can face whatever mom and dad will throw at me once I tell them, but right now, working as a secretary here at C&E Holdings without them knowing is one step closer to my dream.

"Well I better get going. I have to be at the helipad in thirty minutes because Mr. Cartwright is back from that Philadelphia trip." She informed me with a smile on her face and a light tinge of pink on her cheeks.

I keep forgetting the reason why she's always excited every time she mentions Mr. Cartwright's name. She has this huge crush on him ever since she got the job as his personal assistant.

"Okay. Let's do that ledger reviewing tomorrow?" She nods at me and starts walking away to her office in a hurry.

I chuckled and started walking towards the opposite direction where a pile of paperwork and unfinished coffee awaits me. No doubt she's over-excited again to see the boss.