Chapter 9

I nearly tripped when I got to the door of Mr. Railway’s office. “Keep it together, Vera,” I whispered to myself and knocked before walking in. Mr. Railway was at his desk with his coffee in his hand. He relaxed into the chair while his eyes were glued to his laptop.

 

“Good morning, sir,” I greeted as I approached him and stood in front of his desk. He locked with mine, piercing my soul and sending a shiver down my spine. He wore a black shirt that hinted at the muscular build beneath, paired with dark gray slacks. His blazer was draped over his chair, exuding effortless power.

 

“Did you set the meeting time with the press?” His deep voice sent a pleasant jolt through me, making me weak in my knees.

 

“Yes, sir. Twelve thirty in the conference room,” I managed, trying to keep my voice as steady as possible even though I was gracefully failing.

 

I watched his eyes rake over my body, drinking in each detail lazily like he didn’t care of I noticed.

 

How could a man be so relaxed and yet so intimidating? He nodded and picked up the documents I had submitted on his desk.

 

“Mr. King has agreed to sign the contract,” He announced, surprising me. After yesterday, I was sure we had lost him, but I guess TerraLink’s reputation was hard to resist.

 

“I guess that’s…good news?” it sounded more like a question than a statement. He shrugged as he looked through the papers. My eyes fell on his fingers. They were slender and long, almost perfect.

 

“You can take your leave. I’ll call for you when needed,” he waved me off and I nodded.

 

“O-okay, sir,” I said and turned around to leave. I walked out of the office and made my way to mine. I grabbed my coffee and chugged it down when I got into my office. I needed as much caffeine as I could get, unfortunately I couldn’t get high even if I wanted to.

 

The day went on normally, involving the encounters I had with Mr. Railway. His aura was really powerful and everyone could feel it. I could even see the surprise on people’s faces when they saw us walking together today.

 

According to Katie, it had been a long time since Mr. Railway had an assistant. The last one was fired for mixing up his meetings and making a fool out of him.

 

I could understand why he was this strict. But working for a man that made me beg for him throughout the night wasn’t my idea of a perfect job.

 

My phone dinged and I opened it to see a text from him.

 

‘Come to my office’

 

My heart skipped a beat as I quickly grabbed my mirror to check my reflection. My hair was still in its neat ponytail and my makeup was intact. I needed the highest amount of confidence I can get.

 

I grabbed my notepad and walked out of my office. I knocked and stepped into his office. “You asked for me, sir,” I said as I looked at him and my eyes widened when I saw another man seated across him. He turned around to face me and then a surprised grin formed on his face.

 

“So the rumors were true?” he teased, looking back at Mr. Railway before turning his attention back to me. He was flawlessly dark skinned with a nice low cut and his goatee made him more attractive. He was dressed in a crisp white shirt and fitted black pants with his expensive black leather shoes matching his clothes.

 

“Eyes up here, sweetheart,” my eyes instantly snapped to his. My cheeks burned, and I could feel my heartbeat in my ears as Austin’s words hung in the air. My eyes found Mr. Railway ‘s and he looked like he was going to kill me.

 

“I’m so sorry,” I quickly blurred out, lowering my gaze to my feet as I hugged my notepad closer as if trying to shield myself from his gaze. I didn’t even know who I was exactly apologizing to, but I knew I was seconds away from getting fired.

 

“There’s nothing to be sorry about, pretty lady,” the man continued and Mr. Railway cleared his throat, making me internally cringe. I was definitely getting fired.

 

“No flirting with staff, especially within these walls. You know that, Austin. I’m sure you remember what happened last time,” he sounded annoyed and yet, unbothered. How was that even possible?

 

What happened last time?

 

“My bad, I just couldn’t resist,” Austin chuckled giddily and cleared his throat. “What is your name?” he asked me, making me look up at him. I turned to Mr. Railway, silently asking for permission. Only God knew what I could do to irritate him immediately and get myself fired. He nodded and I internally sighed in relief.

 

“Veronica,” I said and Austin hummed. Before he could say anything, Mr. Railway spoke up.

 

“Message Gavin and tell him to get my jet ready in two days. I have an event to attend in France,” he said and I nodded. Two days time? That’s on Sunday.

 

“Yes, sir. Anything else?” I asked. He held out a file to me.

 

“I need you to make copies and email the softcopies to the editorial manager and the marketing manager,” he said to me and I nodded as I quickly walked over to him to take it. I couldn’t ignore the way Austin’s eyes fell over me. It wasn’t in a creepy way, it was like he was trying to understand something about me.

 

I turned to him and smiled professionally, “It was nice meeting you, Mr. Austin.” He smiled back and nodded. I held my breath as I approached the door and stepped out.

 

“Oh my God,” I breathed out and held my chest as I leaned on the wall beside the door. My cheeks heated as I let out a sigh of relief and cover my face with my hand.

 

Just as I was trying to get myself together, my phone buzzed, startling me in the process and pulling me back to reality. I looked at it to see it was my uncle calling. I frowned as I wondered why he could be calling me. After my parents disowned me, none of my family members made any effort to contact me. I never actually had a stable relationship with any of them, so I wasn’t expecting anything.

 

So why was he calling me now?

 

“Good afternoon, uncle Patrick,” I answered the call, trying not to let my curiosity show through my voice.

 

“Princess, how are you doing?” he asked as I walked to my office. I raised a brow at the endearment but chose to ignore it.

 

“I’m going good, uncle. How are you and your family?”

 

His sudden concern felt as hollow as the promises my parents once made, and I refuse to let myself be drawn back into a web of their false sympathy.

 

“Everyone is doing great. I heard the news about your engagement. My condolences, my dear. You must be very heartbroken,” he said and my frown deepened. I tried my best not to get angered by his words.

 

I was definitely not heartbroken. And condolences? Nobody was dying! Uncle Patrick had always been pompous and arrogant. I knew he didn’t care about whatever happened, he just wanted to catch up with me and look like the good uncle. Unfortunately for him, I was smarter than that.

 

“Thank you, Uncle,” I said in a monotone voice.

 

“I heard what your parents did to you too. If you ever need help financially, I am here for you,” he tried his best to sound genuine and that was all I needed to make sure I never turn to him for anything.

 

“Of course, uncle. But I really need to get going now. We will talk later, thank you,” I faked being in a rush and he hummed.

 

“Goodbye, Vera,” he said and hung up. I scoffed and dropped my phone on the desk. Who did he think he is? Was this how everyone saw me? A joke? They saw me as a god-damned joke?