4. A Plan in Motion

"So remind me again why you dragged me out here in the middle of the afternoon?" Connor narrowed his eyes.

Ansel was looking at the view of the city through his wall-to-wall glass window. His best friend and brother-in-law came to visit per his request.

"I need your help to find more information on Elisa. The waitress who insulted me a few months back," Ansel said.

Connor smirked. "Anya told me about her. Maybe you should leave the poor girl alone. It seems like she has no interest in an asshole like you, so just buzz off."

Ansel shook his head. It wasn't like he acted like an asshole all the time. Sure, he liked to have a lot of one-night stands and ghosted a few of them, doesn't mean he was a bad person. Last week, he donated a large amount of money to a charity event. Would a complete asshole do that? He didn't think so.

"Whatever, dude, just give me the number of a private investigator. Didn't you say your cousin's friend did that for a living?" Ansel asked.

Connor sighed. There was no stopping Ansel. He'll do what he wanted no matter what anyone said. "I'll tell him to give you a call. Just be careful, because one day you might mess with the wrong girl, it'll come back and bite you in the ass." Connor grinned.

After Connor left, Ansel checked his phone several times a day, but he didn't see Elisa's call or text. He was disappointed but not discouraged. It was only a matter of time before she says yes to everything he wanted. They all do. He never chased a woman before, but he was willing to make an exception for Elisa.

He was startled as Anya suddenly stormed into his office.

"Don't you knock?" Ansel said irritably.

"What did I hear about you spying on that waitress? What is the matter with you!" she smacked his head with a blue folder she was holding.

"Ouch! Connor already told you? What about best friend confidentiality? Is nothing sacred anymore?" he exclaimed.

"Connor would never hide anything from me. He is my husband. And he is not a douche like my brother," she glared.

"I'm not a douche. Did you just come here interfere in my personal business?" Ansel sighed and lazily sipped on his coffee.

"No, you were so busy pining over the girl that you messed this up," Anya waved the blue folder in front of his face.

Ansel took it off her hand and looked inside. It was the paperwork for their new 'Branded Video Project," which will bring them almost ten million dollars in profit. "I don't see a problem with it."

"Look at the signature section," Anya said.

Shit, he thought as he realized the mistake. He signed under the client's signature box instead of the company's. "Just re-print, and I'll sign again. No big deal."

"That's not the point. The point is you made this rookie mistake because you're distracted. Maybe you should stop chasing women to keep your bed warm and focus on work," she commented.

"Maybe you should stay out of my life," Ansel snarled.

"Don't make me tell mom," she declared.

"Don't you dare bring her into this," Ansel winced. He already got enough lecture from her about respecting women and how being heartbroken isn't an excuse to treat women like shit. He didn't feel like listening to her rants again.

"Just get your shit together," Anya took the file and proceeded to leave the room. She stopped in front of the door and turned around. "By the way, don't forget we are interviewing to hire a new receptionist in two days, so you better show up on time," she said and left.

Finally, he thought she'd never leave!

A lightbulb turned on his brain all of a sudden. An idea that could help him get closer to Elisa.

What if he offered her a job at this company? Who'd turn down the job at a prestigious company like Adams' corp.? He could offer her a far better salary than that little café.

Nah, she'd never go for that, he thought immediately. She'd turned down the offer out of spite for him.

Another idea popped inside his brain, which might work, but it could also make her hate him if she found out. So all he had to do was make sure she never finds out.

I'm going out to lunch if anyone asks," he told his assistant, then headed to the café.

Ansel looked around the café and didn't see Elisa anywhere. Good, her not seeing him is for the best. It'd make his plan go a lot smoother.

"I need to speak to the manager," he demanded.

"Mr. Adams! Can I help you with anything, sir?" A young man wearing a white button-up shirt and black pants was smiling at him as he recognized him. Being a regular customer had its perks.

"This is a private matter. Mind if we go somewhere else and talk?" Ansel asked.

"Of course, right this way," the manager showed him a quiet area in the café.

"I have a proposal for you, Mr....." Ansel went straight to the point.

"Kevin," the manager said.

"Right. Kevin, how would you like to make some money? A substantial amount of money?" Ansel grinned.

"Sir?" Kevin looked at him curiously.

"The new waitress you hired, Elisa. I need you to fire her," Ansel declared.

Kevin looked at him with shock. "But why? She is a hard worker. Did she somehow offend you?"

"Yes, but don't tell her that. Make up some type of bullshit excuse, then let her go," Ansel said.

"I can't do that, Mr. Adams. This is against my moral judgment. And I won't take any money from you. What you are suggesting is just cruel." Kevin shook his head no.

Ansel reached into his pocket and took out his checkbook. He knew he had to come prepared. He took the pen out of Kevin's pocket then scribbled something in the book. He ripped it out and quietly handed it to Kevin.

Kevin looked at the check, and his face turned red. His eyes were wide, and he looked like he was about to have an anxiety attack.

Five hundred thousand dollars.

"Are you serious?" Kevin looked up.

"I sighed the check, didn't I?" Ansel chuckled. "Imagine what you can do with this money. You can go on a vacation. Hell, buy a small café of your own." Ansel said.

"But..."

"Look, Kevin. Elisa will be fine, don't worry. I'll offer her a better job, and you'll be five hundred thousand dollars richer. What do you say, buddy?" Ansel asked.

Kevin thought about it for a moment. He wasn't a saint, and he couldn't make this much money from his job. This was fast cash, so why not take this opportunity?

"Okay, I will fire Elisa," Kevin shook Ansel's hand.