Seduced for Revenge: 9 - Hired

“Hello?”

“Ms. Martin, report to my office tomorrow morning at seven. I need to brief you about your job.”

“Did I get it?” She didn’t even bother to ask who called her on the phone. She only knew one domineering person who would order her around even before saying hello.

“Yes, but there are conditions.”

“But I got it, right? I’ll be there on the dot. Thanks!”

Regina did her happy dance as she knew after yesterday’s visit from Mrs. Bennet there was no one else perfect for the job. Hailey seemed to take a shine to her and even considered her as a best friend.

The next day, Regina headed to the elevator 30 minutes before seven and got surprised that Owen’s assistant was already there to meet her.

Owen did a double take as Regina entered his office. She wore a business suit and had her hair slicked and tied at the back, making her look androgynous.

Regina meant to surprise him, and she smiled, knowing he got affected like she wanted.

She expected to be there earlier, wait for him, and get a more dramatic effect. Regina wanted to prove him wrong, show him she knew how to dress up and arrive early for a meeting, knowing that her interview did not leave a good impression on him. But he still beat her in getting there.

He had a meeting earlier. So he had to be at the office at four that morning. Having offices in different parts of the country meant people were in different time zones, and he had to be up when they were available.

Schedule rotations happened with the nurses frequently, and Regina was used to waking up in different shifts. She did not realize that business executives like Owen had odd schedules, too. 

‘Maybe that’s why he’s so cranky all the time.’ She bit her lips to stop from smirking. 

“Sign the contract so you can start right away.”

Regina did not bother to read the writing and immediately signed on the marked pages.

“Do you think so little of your well-being that you just sign away without reading the conditions?” Regina shrugged.

“What if I said you can never leave and we own your life? No days off and no weekends?”

“Did you?” her eyebrows raised as a challenge.

“No, of course not. We are fair. It says you get weekends and holidays off, except for emergencies which could be replaced by the same amount of days the following work week.”

“See, I knew you’d be a good boss. You’re not the only one who did their research. I had a few words with a few of your employees after I had the interview.”

Owen frowned. In his head, he was already thinking of ways to extract the information from his employees and reprimand whoever was involved. ‘Work during the weekend? No day off for a—’

“Oh, don’t go scheming about how you will find out who gave me the information. They all had good things to say about you. That says a lot when they gave the information freely. I didn’t even need to bribe them.”

“Thank you for that very enlightening information. Now my mother is waiting for you. The driver will take you there, and Stephan, the butler, will introduce you to everyone.”

“Aren’t you going to ask about your salary?”

“Oh yeah, sure.”

“We will match your hourly salary at the hospital, so you wouldn’t think we are unfair.”

“Okay.” Regina did not care about her salary, as her father had already paid for everything she owned. She was not an impulsive shopper who always asked him to buy her stuff, so her dad supported her ‘one name-brand purse a month obsession.’

Out of all his kids, Dr. Albright was not afraid to leave his credit card in Regina’s care.

“Your hours are from seven am to seven pm. Lunch and dinner will be provided. Any preferences or food allergies, just let Stephan know.”

“I read that. Thanks!” Owen frowned. He did not think she understood anything she signed for.

“You can start today if you want, or if you—”

“Today is fine.” Regina had been on leave for a few weeks and got bored staying home all day. 

Having Mrs. Bennet at her house had been the highlight of her week. Plus, she was excited to get started. She knew the arrangement would be a good fit.

‘Maybe my parents know what they are doing after all.’ She smiled. ‘But I’m not telling them that.’

Owen went over the document to make sure she had signed everything. 

“Okay, call me if there is any problem.”

“Sure, but you never gave me your number.”

He did not want to give her his phone number because, even though he was Regina’s employer, Owen felt suspicious. 

He had prejudices because of her hair color, and distrusted her, thinking she was there to seduce him. But, reluctantly, he handed her his card and instructed her to call him only when it was important.

Ever since Mrs. Bennet had been sick, Owen, and his brothers, Myles, and Yvan, returned to their mother’s house to keep close and be ready if anything happened to her. 

They grew up in the same house and still had their old rooms and never changed the decorations since they left for college. They all had their apartments and left the mementos for their mom since she loved looking at them.

There were pictures from high school still posted on boards, achievements on the shelves stacked together with gifts and trinkets from friends.

Sometimes it felt nostalgic coming back, reminding him of memories he would rather forget, so the first instance he had the chance, Owen redecorated his room to make him forget about the time his father died. 

Pictures of Richard Bennet were removed from his room, so Owen would not get constantly reminded that he caused his father’s death. 

Even though his mom and brothers never blamed him, Owen still carried the weight that they were arguing before his father died.

Richard had not been in the best of health. He felt stressed out most of his life because of work, so he never got enough sleep.

Another thing that affected his health was taking potential clients for dinner and drinks all the time. Spending time with them made him forget his diet.

He hid his high blood pressure and increasing cholesterol from his family, so they had no clue about his failing health. And though being angry might have added to his condition, it had a slight effect.

But of course, Owen did not believe this reasoning, no matter how much the family therapist told him that what happened was not his fault. 

Having Regina in front of him with her pretty blonde shoulder-length bob acted like a stimulation that rekindled back those old memories.