Mr. Pierce

Ana

When I woke up the next morning, I had an uneasy feeling. Ben's last words over the phone kept echoing in my head.

I didn't exactly like the man so the thought of being his pretend wife for 30 days annoyed me. 30 whole days!

What would I do about Liam? How would I take care of him and at the same time pretend he doesn't exist when I'll always probably be around Ben?

I could hire a long-term nanny with the money he gave me but Beth needed new kits or they would kick her out of the music program.

My life was a whirlwind of challenges that never seemed to end.

I took a deep breath, wiped the sweat from my brow and continued to serve customers.

The shop was already filling up with customers who either joined the queue or took a seat and waited for a waiter to come to them. I got busy serving and chatting with customers.

However, the thought of making a decision about Ben skirted around in my mind still. While I was mulling it over, the door to the coffee shop opened and a man walked in.

I looked up to see him headed in my direction. I couldn't see his eyes but his face bore a serious demeanor.

I studied him from the counter where I stood, ready to bolt if he turned out to be one of Tony's numerous goons.

He was dressed in all black; a black coat, a black cap, and he wore dark shades too. He got to the counter and removed the shades.

“Miss Ana?” he gestured at me, his face passive.

From the corner of my eyes, I saw James, my co-worker, raise his brow in question. I looked at him and shrugged. I had no idea what was going on either.

“Yes? What can I get you?” I asked, trying to sound normal. But I was scared, and wondered how he knew my name.

“I was sent by Mr. Pierce. He would like to have a word with you. I'll be waiting in the car outside.”

“Mr. Who?”

“Who the hell is Mr. Pierce?” James leaned sideways and whispered in my ear.

As if on cue, my phone beeped. It was a text from Ben: “We need to talk, right now. I have sent a car; my driver will pick you up.”

The supposed driver turned and left. I watched as he exited the shop, got back into his car, and waited.

I released a deep sigh of relief. It wasn't Tony. Fortunately, compared to him, Ben was the lesser of two evils.

I looked at the text again and the tone irked me. Why was he always so entitled and arrogant? What if I decided I wanted to break the contract? Does he have the power to make me stay?

My phone chimed again. It was another text from Ben: You have two options. It's either this or you return the money and face your sad life alone.

I recoiled slightly.

Was he watching me? How did he know what I was thinking? But then I looked outside and saw his driver staring at me through the glass door and speaking to someone on the phone.

I relaxed a little. He was probably giving Ben live updates from watching me.

But, ‘sad life?’ This presumptuous man was overstepping and I was going to give him a piece of my mind.

“Would you cover for me please, James? I'll be back in a couple of hours.”

“Sure thing,” he nodded and continued serving coffee to customers.

I angrily grabbed my purse from under the counter and headed for the door.

~~~~~~

From a distance, I could already make out an outline of a mighty tall edifice before our car even entered what looked like a gated community.

It finally came to a stop under a drop-off canopy and in an instant the driver was opening my door. He was quite courteous, different from the passive man that had walked into the shop earlier.

I got down from the car, glanced around, and noticed the breathtaking scenery that was the compound. I felt dizzy just looking up at the skyscraper. It was a magnificent work of engineering.

At the entrance, a sign was made in gold that said: NovaSpire Technologies

“Come with me please.” The driver motioned towards me and I turned to follow him.

A glass revolving door ushered us in where two security men stood on either side, each wielding a baton.

The interior was filled with people hustling and bustling. They all milled around, trying to do one thing or the other.

A few were getting on and off escalators situated on either side of the expansive hall. The escalators led upstairs to another level of the building. CCTV cameras were mounted at every corner where two or more walls had intersected.

He probably has a security room where they monitor activities of people going and coming. It was a standard, well organized establishment.

I was genuinely amazed at how big a company Ben had. He must be a hard worker. But that also explains his bloated ego and arrogance; it was clearly the behavior of a man who had everything. A man who controlled billions of dollars.

As we walked along towards the escalators, I suddenly felt self conscious and soon knew the reason: people were staring at us.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I noticed people subtly pointing at us and whispering to each other, especially the ladies. One lady almost stared her way into my soul as I walked past her.

“Um... what is going on? Why are people staring at us?” I asked the driver, as I glanced around at the inquiring eyes.

“I'm afraid they're staring only at you, Miss Ana.”

Me? I wondered why they would be staring at me. I was a nobody and I'd never been in this building before either. I was clearly missing something here.

“Why would they be staring at me?” I probed him as we got on the escalator. I needed to get a feel of what was happening.

“Mr. Pierce will explain everything to you.”

His answer was dismissive and direct but did nothing to quell my rising anxiety. If anything, it piqued my interest even more. Nevertheless, I steeled myself and continued to follow behind him.

We took a few more turns and rode an elevator before arriving at Ben's office, located in a quiet corner of an expansive hall.

The area seemed reserved for top executives and high-ranking officials, evident from the sparse presence of people around us at this hour.

The driver nodded towards the door. “I'll leave you to it, Miss.” He left.

I became nervous at the thought of seeing Ben again, my anxiety prompting me to smooth out my dress with unsteady hands and instinctively touch my hair.

Taking a deep breath, I knocked on the door, and waited.

“Come in,” an unfamiliar male voice answered