Seduced for Revenge: 3 - Office

Owen Bennet had several people lined up for the interview. He needed to fill three positions to help care for his mother, Hailey Bennet.

In the past five years, his mom’s Alzheimer’s had gradually progressed, so he needed trained professionals to care for her as the maids they employed to do housework had difficulty knowing the right thing to do.

First, Hailey forgot little things. She couldn’t recall her name while filling out a form, but she shrugged it off as old age. 

Then, as she stood in the middle of the mall, it took her a moment to remember why she was there. Only the sound of her assistant’s voice calling her name eventually brought her back. 

She denied being sick, but when they realized she did not know who she was for longer periods, they knew it was time to bring in the professionals.

All the Bennet family members were present that afternoon to interview the candidates. Owen wanted to involve his mother and brothers so they could scope out the potential applicants and recommend the best person for her needs.

Owen had invited only male job applicants, as he wanted to protect his brothers from women who might seduce them and use them for their wealth. After his sordid experience with his ex-girlfriend, he became distrustful of women.

Having a name like Princess should have tipped him off right away.

-=-

Owen always thought the pouty lips, baby voice, and entitled attitude were qualities Princess only showed when they were together, so she could get more of his attention. He even found it cute that she was childish and clingy when they were together.

He did not know that it was her actual personality and that she had not been faking the whole time. 

Her beauty blinded Owen. He never imagined that a woman as pretty as Princess would fall for him because, during his growing years, he was an awkward, lanky teenager with his face full of acne.

But she did, and they had been happy until she wanted more.

Blonde, baby blue eyes, curvy body shape, average height, and weight, Princess had the perfect features of any woman he’s ever known, and he had fallen so deeply in love that in his eyes, she could do no wrong. 

“Thank the heavens you are here, my princess.” Owen hugged her tightly, glad that she had finally arrived.

“I’m sorry, Owen, but we can’t be together anymore.”

“What? Ces, are you breaking up with me at my father’s funeral?”

“I have to be true to myself, Owen. You are nothing without your father.”

“What are you saying?”

“Your father was the key to making you a great man. But now, you’ve lost that potential. Soon you’re going to be poor.” Owen stared at her, dumbfounded, not getting what she was talking about or where it was all coming from.

“And I don’t date poor losers.”

“Loser? You think I’m a loser?”

“You think I’m superficial now, but I need to prepare for my future. And you’re not it.”

The ache in his heart had magnified tenfold when Princess broke up with him because, in his grief and pain, Owen expected her to be there to comfort him. He just lost his father, but she did not consider that when she dumped him.

Later, he learned Princess dumped him because she needed someone who could financially support her while she enjoyed the finer things in life. In short, she needed a rich husband in a suitable position.

It was not automatic that Owen distrusted women. Blondes in general.

It took several of Princesses’ friends to hit on him to fill the hate he felt in his heart. They weren’t even natural blondes, getting the color of their hair from a bottle, giving all the natural-born fair-haired women a bad name. It was like they were taunting him by dressing and acting like Princess. 

He probably didn’t notice they were all spoiled brats because he loved hanging with the popular crowd.

One by one, her friends approached him, and they weren’t even subtle about their intentions.

“I always thought you were very handsome, despite the greasy face and acne. Too bad Princess got you first. But I don’t care. I heard that slut brag about your package, and I want a piece of that.” Candy said, as she caressed his face with one hand and the other, trying to feel him up to check if the rumors were true. 

“I do not care if your daddy is dead. You look like you have a ton of potential. Some minor surgery and healthy food choices can change all that since you already have the body.” Destiny touched his chest as she came onto him. He was changing into his PE uniform, and this was how she caught him in the state of undress. 

“Consider being with me as payment. I will transform you into a handsome stud, and we can get back at Princess.” She was the assistant cheerleader, and though she was supposed to be Princess’s best friend, they hated each other’s guts.

“Honestly, Owen, Princess is a bitch. She did not deserve your love. You and I are a better match. I can make you happier.” 

“See this tongue ring I just got?” Chastity whorled her tongue to show off her new jewelry. She had slept with half the football team, so she was nowhere near the attribute of her name.

One by one, Owen told them to take the high road and never show their ugly faces again, for he knew they only paid attention to him because Princess had discarded him. They were like sharks, and he was their prey.

He knew that categorizing women according to their hair color was wrong. The rest of the blonde-haired women around the world were kind and intelligent. However, his negative experiences with the popular girls in school led him to assign all their negative traits to women.

When he saw the woman at the elevator with the dirty-blonde hair, every ill feeling he had for their type got triggered.

-=-

“Mr. Bennet, please sign this before we leave.” Gerry, his assistant, called his attention, and for a brief second, he got distracted, but as Owen looked back toward his office, he realized the woman who just got out of the elevator was wearing medical scrubs.

“Nooo!” Owen yelled and banged his palm on the door as it closed. There was no way they could get back up in time, because Gerry had already placed the special code that would bring the elevator straight to the ground floor.

They used this for emergencies, so the elevator would not need to stop at every floor, especially during rush hour.

“Sir, is something wrong?” Owen had to figure out which was more important, the collapse of a wall at the building site or the interview upstairs. 

He had but a few minutes to decide and knew that whatever he chose, there would be a tragic outcome.

‘She won’t get hired. I told my brothers what to do. They’d never disobey me.’ 

“Sir, did you say something?”

“No, nothing is wrong. Let’s get to the site right away. Get me the foreman on the phone.”

“He got injured and is at the hospital, sir.”

“Then get me the next person in line or the structural engineer in charge. I want them all at the site before I get there.”

Gerry was accustomed to Mr. Bennet’s stern and authoritative tone, which was expected of a man in his position. Being the Chief Operation Officer (COO) of a large construction firm, Owen cannot afford to be lax.

He needed to be the guiding force to ensure everything worked the way it should, and the structures they built stood for the next hundred years, as long as natural disasters did not interfere.

There was something about the woman at the elevator that haunted Owen. She looked far too young to be dealing with his mother, and for a brief second, he felt like her face reflected fear when their eyes met. 

He saw the pupils in her emerald green eyes dilate as they widened, and her eyebrows shot upward. Her almost inaudible gasp confirmed there was something about him that alarmed her.

Attuned to the nuances of the female sex, he was sure that her expression was not out of recognition or sexual attraction, but out of fright.

He felt intrigued and wished he had been there to interview her and uncover the reason she had that expression.