The New Boss

Meera

"Meera, did you get the paper work compiled for the buy out?"

I look up from my laptop screen as I find my eyes clashing with the green orbs of my best friend in this office, the feisty redhead named Clarissa.

I nod my head, "yes, I already submitted it on Mr. Gianopoulus' desk last night. Is everything okay?" I ask her, noticing how winded she looks.

Clarissa huffs, "yeah, I'm just worried that they're going to find something wrong with everything and my head is going to be served on the platter in front of the new boss."

I chuckle, tucking a loose strand of my hair behind my ear, "why are you so afraid of him? In fact, why is the entire office so afraid of him?" I wonder out loud.

Ever since the news of the new boss has been out in the open, everyone has been fretting over the man who is going to take over after Mr. Gianopoulus. I personally know nothing about the new boss since I have been on leave since the last two weeks and today is my first day back on the job.

I am a paralegal working for one of the biggest law firms in New York and at the moment, this buyout is all that anyone can talk about in this city.

Apparently the man buying this firm is some great business mogul from Europe who has come all the way here because he has some huge plans for the expansion of this firm.

Some people in the office have also formulated conspiracy theories about how Mr. Gianopoulus is being blackmailed into buying his law firm. And for the sake of that old man, I really hope that it is false.

Mr. Gianopoulus is a good man. He built this firm with his own blood, sweat and tears, and he doesn't deserve to have it all taken away by some young hotshot.

"Well, Mr. Harrington is very particular about every little thing. He has a notorious reputation for firing employees on the smallest of mistakes." Clarissa explains and I roll my eyes.

"What an ass." I mutter, looking away from her eyes as I quickly shut down the window of the dating website on my computer.

If Clarissa saw that I am considering going on dates, she is going to go crazy about it. For the last year and a half that I came in this city and met her, she has been dying to get me to go on dates.

But because of some unavoidable circumstances, I was stopping myself till now. There were certain wounds that were still bleeding when I met her.

Some of them are still fresh but now that it has been two years since everything went to hell in my life, I figured that it is time to at least try to move on.

"Well, I am also curious about how he looks. I mean...if the recent images have to be trusted then the man is purely out of some romance novel. He has the looks to die for." She rambles on.

I shudder, remembering the haunting green eyes that always persist in the back of my mind, "looks aren't everything, Isa." I whisper, shaking my head and looking down at my hands in my lap.

I feel her staring at me right before I hear her sigh, "are you ever going to tell me what happened to you in your past?" She whispers sadly.

I meet her gaze, hoping that my eyes won't betray me this time by crying as I shake my head, "it's nothing important, Isa. Anyways, show me the photos of our new boss. I should at least know what he looks like."

She looks at me with a knowing glance and that tells me that she is aware about the fact that I am only trying to distract her from her previous question about my past.

However, luckily for me, Clarissa nods her head and quickly opens up her phone screen, "yes! Of course I wouldn't miss a chance to ogle at this greek god through my phone screen." She mumbles.

I chuckle and just as she passes her phone to me, probably to show me a photo of our new boss, a knock at my cabin door distracts us both.

We look up at the same time and Clarissa's hand that was outstretched towards me with the phone in her grasp falls to the table slowly as I catch the eyes of Steven— Mr. Gianopoulus' personal assistant and one of my arch enemies in this office.

A tight lipped, formal smile overtakes my lips as I mutter, "Mr. Howard, how can I help you today? Shouldn't you be busy licking the ass of the new boss right now?" I chide.

Steven is as bad as a human being can get and it was only my personal rapport with Mr. Gianopoulus that ensured that I had a job. Otherwise if it were up to Steven Howard, I would have been fired months ago.

Lord knows what problems this man has from me!

Steven gives me a heated glare, "Mr. Harrington is demanding both of you to be present in conference room C." He tells us by giving both of us a pointed stare each.

Clarissa's mouth falls agape as her head snaps between Steven and I as she utters, "Mr. Harrington? Asking for us?" Steven nods with a bored expression, "why?" She questions.

"One of you has made a mistake in writing the name of the London subsidiaries in the contract. That has angered him and he would like to see for himself to determine which one of you would be fired today." Steven says with a satisfied smile on his face.

The bastard is all too happy about this.

Clarissa meets my eyes and I know that I can see guilt and fear in her orbs.

Neither one of us can admit this in front of Steven but we both know that it was Clarissa's job to cross check all the subsidiaries, considering that she's the lawyer working on this buyout and I am just a paralegal.

My job was to only proofread everything and submit things on time.

"Get out of my office, Howard." I snap at the man and he chuckles sarcastically and walks out with a jolly expression.

"FUCK!" Clarissa exclaims the moment Steven is gone, "how could I have been so stupid? How could I have missed such a small thing!"

I look at her with pity as I watch her thoughts spiralling out of control right in front of my eyes, "exactly, Isa, it's a small thing. I'm sure we can get him to understand." I say as I stand up from my chair, straightening the black blazer that I am wearing on my work pants and shirt.

"You don't understand, Meera! Mr. Harrington does not give excuses. He's really as strict as they come when it comes to punctuality of work." Clarissa mutters exasperatedly.

I walk around my desk and place my hands on her arms, "everything will be alright, Isa. Don't worry please." I whisper, trying my best to calm her down.

My beautiful best friend has the habit of worrying too much unnecessarily and in the last year and a half, I have seen her spiralling out of control for absolutely no important reasons.

"How can I not worry, Meera?" She blurts, "what if he fires me?"

I shake my head, "nothing of the sort is going to happen." I tell her squeezing her upper arms. "Come on, I'll take care of everything."

And saying that, I take her hand in mine and taking a deep breath, as we walk out of my cabin and make our way towards the conference room.

Steve waits for us just outside with a sheepish grin on his face as he awaits our downfall. Clarissa shivers slightly beside me but I clutch her hand tighter as the two of us stand in front of the door to the conference room and taking in a deep breath, I raise my hand to knock.

Clarissa too takes in a shaky breath and I leave her hand as the two of us get ready for whatever awaits us behind these doors.

"Come in." I hear a deep voice call from inside once I have knocked at the door and I don't know why but there is a familiar ring to that voice.

Clarissa and I exchange nervous glances and squaring our shoulders, I push in the door and we enter.

"You asked for us, Mr. Gianopoulus?" Clarissa asks as we enter the room full of men sitting around the long table and my eyes instantly travel towards the far end where our previous boss is standing.

The silver haired man nods his head however before he can speak, the man standing beside him with his back facing the entire room turns around.

"It was me who demanded your presence, actually." Says the man in a soft and velvety voice that sends a shiver down my spine.

I know that voice from somewhere.

And just then, my eyes clash with the ivy green orbs of the man I have spent the last two years running from.

My husband.

The man who swore that he wanted me dead.

The man who almost killed me.

Alejandro Harrington.

Ace.

And currently he is standing right in front of my eyes and the expression on his face tells me that he is as stunned to see me as I am to see him.

Fuck.