The Chairman's Mansion

I drove into the grand entrance of the mansion after the guards let me in. I stepped out of my car and the cold night breeze blew the drizzling rain over my body, sending shivers.

“Here you go, ma’am,” said a guard bringing an umbrella over me.

I looked ahead, the sprawling estate loomed in the darkness, its picturesque structure standing tall against the night sky.

I glanced at my and realized it was almost midnight. After David’s call, I rushed back to work and completed the report. It had taken me a long while to complete as thoughts of where Beryl was kept distracting me.

We got to the door and the guard accompanying me closed the umbrella before knocking slightly on the door.

I never imagined that I would be standing at the doorstep of the chairman of my organization, especially not at this hour. The whole situation seemed very strange and I had never been at a man’s house at this time except for John and my ex, Nathan.

My mind raced with anxiety, the consequences of my tardiness felt like a heavy weight on my entire being.

I took the time during which we were waiting to adjust the strap of my brown leather bag which held the report I had spent all night preparing. David had told me this man was a stickler for rules and I hated the fact this was happening. I had thought of changing my mind and bringing the report to him first thing in the morning, but I knew that would be worse.

The imposing oak door suddenly creaked open, and a man in a dark suit appeared and greeted me.

“Mrs Cloveland, please come in. Mr Farsworth has been expecting you.”

I followed the butler through a dimly lit foyer, my steps echoing on the marble floor. The mansion was opulent, and every corner and hallway was a testament to the wealth the chairman controlled. However, the grandeur did very little to calm my nerves.

We got to a plush sitting room, and the butler motioned for me to take my seat. I perched on the edge of a velvet armchair, and I could hear the faint sounds of clinking glasses and muted conversation from somewhere deeper in the house. This made me more uneasy, not knowing what to expect.

Moments later, a tall figure emerged from a side door. He was wearing a white shirt and blue trousers, his silver and black hair neatly combed. His gaze was as cool as he looked at me, and I felt a shiver run down my spine. He wore a stern expression on his face, which was all I needed to know about how he felt about the late report.

“Sophia Cloveland,” he said, his voice a deep, resonant rumble. “I see you have finally decided to grace me with your esteemed presence.”

I wasn’t sure how to react to his intended humour, but I knew it was best I remained as professional as I could be.

“I apologise for the late hour,” I said, rising from the chair. “I had some personal emergencies which took away my attention.

“Personal issues, you say? You know that’s no excuse for something as important as this. I have gone through everyone else’s report and now you bringing this to me at this time of the night means I’d have to stay up tonight to review it.”

“I am sincerely sorry, sir,” I said.

His eyes flicked to my brown leather bag, then back to my face. “I hope this is worth the inconvenience.”

“Yes, sir,” I answered. “I’ve worked very hard on it,” I said and handed him a file of documents. He took it from me, his fingers brushing against mine for a brief moment. This slight contact sent an unexpected jolt through me, and I felt a flush of heat rise to my cheeks. I quickly looked away in a bid to regain my composure.

He placed the file on a nearby table and sat down across from me. His gaze was still sharp, but there was something different in his eyes now, a flicker of something that I could not quite place.

“Instead of ‘sir’, you can call me Dominick, alright?”

I nodded in response, although I knew it would take quite some time to adjust to calling him by his first name.

“I know this might be none of my business, but you mentioned something about your personal issues.

I was told you are a very efficient and timely individual, so the whole saga with this report seems unlike you. What’s the matter?”

His firm tone seemed to have softened a bit and his voice now carried more emotions in it.

“It’s just my daughter is sick and I am in the middle of a divorce,” I said to him without really thinking about it.

I couldn’t quite explain it, but at that very moment, I felt like opening my entire heart to him. I realized that I hadn’t spoken to anyone about the things I was going through.

It seemed as if although I barely knew this man, the age difference between the chairman and I made him seem very trustworthy to be confided in, however, I knew I couldn’t open up to him much.

“I am so sorry to hear that. I am guessing your daughter is in the hospital right now.”

I nodded in reply, not wanting to reveal to him what was really going on.

“Do you want to go to the hospital to be with her? We can handle this report later.”

“It’s fine. My mother is currently with her.”

“Alright then,” he said. He put on a pair of reading glasses and began poring through the documents I had brought. I sat in silence for a while and kept staring at my feet.

“I think I have spotted an anomaly here,” he suddenly said. “Why do you have thirty thousand units as balance brought forward in the month of march?”

“May I?” I gestured to approach him.

“Please,” he replied, inviting me to come. You can sit here, he said.

I sat closely beside him and his imposing presence seemed to cover me like the guard’s umbrella. I began running my fingers through the document, trying to figure out where the error had come from. I was struggling to do that as the heat emanating from his body, coupled with his particular musk scent was overwhelming my senses. The tension was intense.

Just then, my phone began ringing cutting through the silence that had blanketed the room. He stared at me curiously.

“Please excuse me,” I said and made for my bag, anxious to know who was calling at that time.

I took out the phone and my breath caught in my throat when I saw my ex-husband’s name on the screen.