Chapter 1- In which she spits in his face
It was raining.
It was Fucking Raining!
"Damn you...you...you...UGH!" I yelled looking at the sky, staring accusingly at the oh-so-great one upstairs.
"Is there a problem, young lady?" I turned to see a wrinkled old lady scowl at me.
"Yeah! You!" I shot back annoyed.
I know I shouldn't be a bitch to an old lady but right now, I was 10 whole minutes late for my job interview and it was FREAKIN RANING!! Did I mention I’d chosen a white shirt? Yeah, enjoy the show shit-faces!
"Young people these days! How rude!" the old woman huffed and turned away.
"Why, thank you!" I exclaimed happily and gave her a mock bow, to which she just huffed again and went on her merry way, WITH A DAMN UMBRELLA OVER HER HEAD!!
I however, having ignored the weather telecast as I do every morning, stood on the bus stand, water soaking through my grey suit jacket and drenching my white shirt and grey pants. Thank God I have a jacket on or I would be making everyone's day right now.
So I pulled the jacket tighter to my body, held my bag close and screamed bloody murder at a cab coming my way.
I think I scared pretty much everyone since people gave me death glares and I heard a baby start to cry as its mother so-so-lovingly cursed at me. But the cab came to a stop in front of me and no one else came near to claim it. So no regrets on this little win.
"Synclair Inc. and STEP ON IT!!" I yelled yet again.
If you were as late as I was to your fifth job interview in a week, then you'd be crankier than I am, trust me. So don't judge.
The driver being a dear did exactly as I said and sped up so fast that I hit my head on the window screen before I had a chance to buckle up, making me yelp in pain.
"You asked for it lady." The cabbie reported back calmly, probably having dealt with bitchy brats her entire life....Wait! Her?
"You’re a woman?" I asked while rubbing my sore forehead.
"My voice not enough? Wanna see my 'girlies'?" she shot back with a smirk.
"I like you!" I laughed as I ran a hand through my wet hair to straighten it out.
I looked at her through the mirror and saw that she had a lean figure, blue eyes and apple red hair. She had a pretty heart shaped face and looked to be in her mid-20's. And she seemed to have a nice sense of humor.
"Late for work?" she asked, keeping her eyes on the road.
"Interview and I forgot to check the weather reports, as usual." I said deadpan.
She threw her head back laughing. "Nice. Name's Nikki. You?" she asked.
"I'm Savannah." Just then she stopped her cab in front of the Synclair HQ. I got out and took out my purse. "Thanks. How much?"
"$5. And keep my card and remember to stay positive. Don't go thinking that you won't get the job or you really won't. Your boss ever give you a late night, call me," she handed me a card after I paid her.
"But how do I know if you- What the...?" I finished putting the card in my bag and she was gone.
"Oh well." I shrugged and ran inside the building and away from the awful downpour.
I think the God's must really hate me today because even the elevator was jam packed and I had to wait another 10 minutes for it to go up 12 floors and come back down again.
Once the elevator doors to the 8th floor opened, I quickly walked to the receptionist's desk and waited till she got off the phone. She was blonde woman with light blue eyes in typical receptionist clothing of a light brown pencil skirt and a cream yellow blouse underneath her brown jacket.
"How may I help you?" she asked when she was done.
"Um, hi. I'm Savannah Tresscot; I was here for the interview..." I trailed off giving her a sheepish smile.
"A little late aren't we?" she raised an eyebrow in amusement.
"Yeah...as you can see…I had some really difficult business to deal with!" I told her in utter seriousness.
"Yes and it got you good, I can see." She looked at me from head to toe still looking amused at having caught my lie. "Wait here."
With that she picked up the phone again and I took the time to admire my surrounding.
The entry had a red carpet and a few potted plants, real ones. The hallway was huge with grey to white walls and several doors of dark brown wood. Don’t ask me what the material was because I have no clue; I have a difficult time identifying silk from satin. In one corner of the room there were a row of seats were two women were still waiting in front of a closed door, probably to be interviewed. But instead they looked like they were waiting to walk down the ramp.
One was a typical blond, showing more than hiding. Her short hair was styled in a pixie cut and she wore a pink pencil skirt which should be illegal eves as a micro-mini and a white shirt which was see-through without the need of rain, showing her, yes you guessed it right, 'pink' bra. Her jacket was casually hung from one arm and her nails could easily be mistaken for Wolverine’s claws.
The second was decent enough to wear a slightly larger grey skirt and black top underneath her grey jacket. She had long black hair and green eyes and a face pretty enough to be on a magazine. Why were these women even here for a PA position when they could’ve easily been models?
I was snapped back to attention by the receptionist, Tina as it said on her company card, who was putting her phone down. "You’ll have to wait. Since you’re late, you can only go after the two of them. I'll call you when it's your turn."
“Thank you,” I told her sincerely as I turned and went to stand a little further than the two model wanna-bee’s. People like them usually think everyone's a rival. Even plain old me with my honey brown hair and dull brown eyes and a community college degree on a scholarship.
I started to shiver a bit as I stood there in the air conditioned room. I guess Tina noticed my distress as she motioned for something to a guard and the next instant he brought me a small cup of deliciously warm coffee. Not your usual receptionist, I see. Anyone else would’ve just ignored me.
"T-T-Thank you" I stuttered out at her and she gave me a small smile before going back to typing away at her computer. She had a stack of files lined up on one side of her desk and as soon as the previous candidate came out, she rushed in with the files and didn’t come back out until half-an-hour later.
After about waiting for about 2 hours and five cups of coffee, the last of the interviewees finally stormed out, dramatically banging shut the door and making me cringe. If these women weren’t hired, then there was no way I would be either.
"You're next." Tina said politely, pointing me towards the door with a sad smile. I could tell she had very little hope for me passing this interview. After all, Synclair Inc. was a multi-million dollar textile company and I was the plainest of plane Jane’s.
I stood from my seat and took a deep breath, holding my coffee cup in one hand for warmth and my portfolio in the other; I strode into the office confidently, which went out the minute I walked in.
If it was freezing in the hallway, this had to be freaking Alaska! I dare a polar bear to live here.
But then I took in the office and frowned.
It was a board room with one of those long tables with chairs on both sides and the view of the city through a glass wall. The head of the table was occupied by what I’m guessing was Mr. Synclair, but he was facing the glass wall and hence, had his back to me.
"Come forward and sit. No need to delay this any further with your mindless gaping," came a deep male voice.
My frown turned into a scowl but I kept my mouth shut. It was hard but I managed to do it. I needed a job and he had an opening and not to mention, I desperately needed the money to survive past this month. So I walked forward to sit in the chair right next to his as he didn't mention any specifics.
"What made you choose this chair?" came the voice again. Something about it kept nagging me at the back of my head. Why did it sound familiar?
I thought about the answer and then replied, "Well as your personal assistant, I should always be near you in case you need anything. And also to take notes or give you some information whenever you need me.” I thought and then politely added, "Sir."
"And what makes you think you'll get the job?"
"Positivity. If I come here thinking I'll fail then there would be no point in this interview because I would never think 'myself' capable." Thank you, Nikki!
"I see." And then he began typing in a laptop, which was probably on his lap. “It says here that you graduated from a Community College? I’ve had people from Harvard interview for this position. What makes you special?”
Harvard? Interview for the position of his PA? Wow! The magazines did say he was one of Seattle’s hottest bachelors but I hadn’t quiet noticed how big of a hotshot he really was until now. I was busy looking for a job that would help me reach my goal; it’s too bad I hadn’t had time to flip through the magazines.
“But shouldn’t people with a degree from Harvard be applying to be your Secretary or your company employee instead?” I shot back. “They are way too overqualified to be your personal assistant.”
“Excuse me?”
Oh shoot! Me and my big mouth got me in trouble again. I took a small sip of my coffee since I had started shivering again and also because I knew I’d never get this job now. However, I hadn't expected him to turn towards me so suddenly and neither had I expected it to be 'him'.
So as a result, the coffee I had in my mouth just shot out and onto his expensive suit and face. And then we spoke at the same time:
"WHAT THE HELL!"
"NATTY POOH!"
Chapter 2- In which she is hired"WHAT THE HELL!""NATTY POOH!""What?"All I could do was point an accusing finger at him with my mouth gaping open like a fish, while his familiar blue eyes swam with confusion."Do I know you, Miss...?" Nathan Synclair looked at me confused and maybe a bit outraged."Tresscot," I seemed to have finally found my voice. So I cleared my throat and tried again. "It’s Savannah Tresscot from Bellevue High School.""And you're calling me...by that hideous name because...? Wait...Bellevue?" Realization finally dawned in his eyes as he looked at me properly from head to toe. "Nerdy Savvy?""Finally! And don't call me that!" I scowled."Then stop calling me that god awful name!" He shuddered in horror.Now that he was no longer facing away from me, I had the chance to look at him properly for the first time. He looked exactly the same as he had in high school but som
Chapter 3: In which this is all part of a planRoan was a...interesting guy, to say the least.He had the usual does-anything-my-boss-orders type of vibe but he had a way of looking at everything with suspicion. And if you hadn’t guessed it yet, yes, he was looking at me in the rear view mirror every few seconds like I was about to pull out a gun from my pocket."Are you an ex-army man, Mr. Roan?" I asked out of curiosity.His back stiffened as he turned off the highway towards the lane that led to my apartment complex. "Whatever do you mean miss?" His tone was heavy with a British accent. God, I loved guys with sexy accents...but Roan was wayy above my league."You just look at everyone on the road like they are gonna jump in front of the car a throw bombs at it." I told him what I had observed."That’s an interesting observation, Miss..." Roan must have forgotten...oh wait! Nathan didn't mention my name to him,
Chapter 4: In which she runs out of beginners luckMonday morning I made sure to check the weather in the news, on the newspaper and on my phone before going out of my house. And although it said sunny during the day and partly cloudy in the afternoon, I took an umbrella with me just to be extra careful.Beginners luck seemed to be on my side since I was able to catch the bus right on time and reached the office at exactly 8.30AM and rushed to the elevator, which too, surprisingly, was less crowded than usual. I hadn’t been able to admire the ten storied building the first time I came here and I wasn’t able to do so today either, but I was sure I’d get the chance this evening or probably tomorrow morning.Reaching my floor, I headed straight for Tina, who kindly showed me my new cabin and gave me directions to the cafeteria. Apparently, she was the Ms. Moore that Nathan had been talking about and she wasn’t just a recepti
Chapter 5: In which she is a picky eater.Back in high school, I was the total nerd and a teacher’s pet. Hence the name, Nerdy Savvy.I was the typical nerd with too much to think and remember in science and math than to care about fashion, though I never wore baggy jeans and tees. Thing is, even though I was a nerd, I had a GPA of 3.6 and I wasn’t the brightest person around. I didn’t come from money and I was more concerned about getting into a good college that losing my virginity to the top jock...which just so happened to be Nathan Synclair.Although, here the phrase 'don't judge a book by its cover' found its useful application. He was the typical dark haired, blue eyed quarterback of the football team, Nathan was the person who always came first in class. He had it all, a dick and the brains.But that didn't stop him from harassing the hell out of me or making down-market sexual jokes...or making me do all his hom
Chapter 6: In which she takes a walk down the memory lane Samuel McKenna. My older twin brother.It’s been ages since I last saw him and yet, it felt like we hadn’t parted at all.Out of the two of us, I'm the one with mom's honey brown hair while Samuel got our father's blonde. But we both have his brown eyes. It's an unusual color actually, not quite brown but with a bit of gold...hazel maybe...nah! It's too weird a color to even have a name. But while my eyes only had a few specks of gold in them, Sam was blessed with a light golden ring at the edges.I really wanted to go over to him and hug him tightly, because this was the first time I’d seen him in four years, but I couldn’t. Our circumstances had never been kind to us."Hey, you okay?" Nathan's hand waving in front of my face broke me out of my trance."Huh? Oh! I’m completely fine...just perfect. Why would
Chapter 7- In which she reconnects"Savannah, she's our step- sister."My ears are probably ringing from hugging him so tightly. "Excuse me? Am I halluci-hearing, if that is even a word, or did you just say that the bimbo at your table is our step-sister?” Not even a half-sister, a step-sister. A child who wasn’t even his own! A daughter!Samuel sighed. "No Sav, that is not a word and yes...I did just say that the woman at my table is our step – sister," he shifted from one foot to another uncomfortably."That fucking bastard!" I was beyond pissed. I wanted to murder the one person who was behind all of my misery, my oh-so loving father, Gregory McKenna. "She died, Samuel! Mom is dead because of the bastard! He even abandoned me because he said he didn't want a daughter; he said he was with our mother only to have a son! And now you're telling me that he had a
Chapter 8: In which he's a jerkThe sun streaming in through my windows woke me up with a start.I gasped and sat up as quick as I could without getting a whiplash and looked at my bedside table. The small digital clock showed 10.23AM in bold numbers."Shit!" I yelped, struggling to get up from my bed but I just ended up being tangled up in my covers and fell off the bed with a earth shattering yell...only to realize...that it was Saturday."UGHHHHHH!" I face palmed myself and fell back on the floor.It had been two weeks since our dinner date at that fancy restaurant, with me finding out that I had a step-sister and knowing about Nathan's parents and it was safe to say that Nathan has been avoiding me ever since. I mean, we talk all the time considering my job as his PA, but he keeps using that bossy voice on me and keeps piling a heap load of work on my desk so that I was buried in my work all day. I think I went four wh
Chapter 9 -In which she is a little too late. "I knew you'd call me. Can’t stay away, can you?"The husky, seductive voice came from the other end of the line and I was momentarily thrown off-guard by it. I narrowed my eyes at the phone. Holy hell! Was Nikki trying to seduce one of her customers?“Umm…Nikki?”There was a sudden screeching sound and the line went dead silent for a few seconds before I heard her voice again. “Umm…who’s this?”“Hi, this is Savannah.” I told her with a smile before remembering she couldn’t see me. “You dropped me off at Synclair Inc. a couple weeks ago. Sorry, I know you don’t re-”“Ah! The interview girl! How did it go?” There was instant recognition in her voice."Wow…I'm surprised you remember me at all," I said as I shifted from foot to foot while standing in the near-empty bus st
Chapter 40: In which she gets all that she ever wanted.2 Years Later:"Manager! Five more orders!""Bring in the list!" I said, tossing the ingredients in the huge wok in front of me. Did Brittney skip today? Damn that woman! I'm so-"Dear God!"The scream nearly had me flipping the pan over. I looked behind me to see a familiar redhead running towards me full speed."Drop that thing right now, young lady!" Nikki took the handle of the pan from me and handed it to a flustered looking Brittney. "Are you crazy? Look at the size of that thing! Good thing I saw Britt right in the middle of Central Road and gave her a lift."Vibrant as ever, Nikki took my hand and pulled me out of the flaming hot kitchen and to my cabin. It was October, fall hadn't yet set in but the temperature outside felt quite chilly today. Or maybe the kitchen had turned into a furnace? Ugh! I need to start thinking about expanding i
Chapter 39: In which she gets her justice."Wow!" I held the dress up with both hands, the soft pale lavender gown flowed like liquid silk to the floor. The gown was form-fitting and yet floated like the wind around me. The whole gown had white floral embroidery and appeared to be designer. The material sure didn’t feel cheap.It was the most beautiful gown I'd ever seen and definitely more than I asked for. I owe her a big fat thanks for this.Placing the dress on my bed, I lifted up the dress bag when something fell out of it and on to the floor."Savannah."Startled, I looked around the room for whoever had spoken. Found none. I was alone in the entire apartment and I'm sure I'd locked the door after Lyric left."Nikki?" Am I loosing it?"No Savannah, you're not losing your mind it's really me talking."It took me a couple seconds
Chapter 38:In which she learns the whole story."Hello, daughter."Vincent grip tightened on my hand as soon as I dropped my mask. My heart stopped beating as I stared wide eyed at the hazel eyes that reflected mine, so similar yet so cold."Didn't think I'd find out you were here tonight?" He pressed down harder on my arm, making me yelp. But the music prevented other people from hearing me. "I'm your father, darling. I know everything.""H-how?" I gasped out as he kept on backing me to a corner. His hands kept getting tighter around my wrist. Any more pressure and he will leave bruises."Remember when Hugh Grant visited Nathan Synclair's office all of a sudden?" He asked. My eyes widened. Hugh works for him? "Look there."I followed his gaze and found Huge standing with another man a bit older than him, by their familiar features, I could tell it was his father."You thought you'd get away with backst
Chapter 37: In which she faces her worst nightmares."We're late.""Fashionably late.""And whose fault is that?"I gaped at him in astonishment and watched his face break into a devilish grin. "Oh no! No, no, absolutely not! It was your fault and you know it!""Maybe...." he shrugged, reversing the car into a suitable parking spot in front of the Town Hall, which took an hour to find! Was everyone on the planet here today? I was nervous enough that I had to face my worst nightmare tonight and this just made it worse."Is it me or did the entire town just decide to show up?" I squinted my eyes at the rush of people entering the Hall. All dressed in beautiful gowns and tuxedos; designer masks turning them incognito."It's definitely the entire town." Finally able to park, he switched off the ignition and looked at me. " It's Christmas Eve, what did you expect?""I thought this was a private party." I shrugged. I
Chapter 36: In whichhe knows."Savannah, where are you, you said you'd be here today. If you've gone back to your hometown then call me when you get time. I'm worried about you and....We need to talk....I have a lot to tell you, so please, call me back?""Shit!" I ran my hands through my hair and paced around the room. "What now? He's going to ask a hell lot of questions! Questions I can't answer."I got a call from Sam this morning telling me that he wanted me to skip office today because he had plans. Just when I thought I would be able to face Nate confidently again…this happens. What was Sam doing and why I had to skip office? I didn’t ask because I trusted his judgment. But how can I not call Nate? But what if I spoiled whatever Sam was planning?Damnit! I wanted things to be simple. Living in our country house with my mom, a simple job, maybe get married and have a simple life. That had been my d
Chapter 35: In which he realizes…Nathan's P.O.V :Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.I shut the alarm off.Why had I set it in the first place? I had hardly slept a wink last night, playing the scene where I acted like a dick and slammed the door shut on Savannah's face, over and over again.Why on Earth did I have to be so dramatic and over-reactive! She said she'd explain everything on Christmas. Couldn't I have patiently waited another month to clarify things? And besides, the photos were taken from a certain angle. That guy could be kissing her forehead for all I know!Last night, we had an amazing moment. Not just dancing with her, but seeing that old couple together, happy and so in love even after 50 years of being together. I wanted that to be us.Maybe....it can still be us.I jumped out of bed and dived into the shower. I needed to see Savannah and for that, I had to get to office,
Chapter 34: In which she gets a bad end to a good day."Any comments on dinner, Chef Tresscot?" Nathan raised an eyebrow, smirking."Hmm..." I took a sip of my champagne, cherished the fizz as it went down my throat. Hey, it's not often that you get offered champagne on a surprise date, albeit it's one that had been a mean little trick by adearfriend.....you're so dead Tina! "I think I'll let it pass. The champagne made me forgiving."Nathan mock gasped. "Even after I went through so much hardship to order your food!"I laughed, almost snorting the Champagne out of my nose in the most unladylike way possible in the process. But it did manage to get Nate snorting with laughter. I glared. Such a gentleman, isn't he?"That's what you get for using that sassy voice on me, missy." Nate commented.An announcement on the mike interrupted us. "Ladies and Gentlemen, may I have your kind attention please!" Spoke a
Chapter 33: In which she has two days left to Christmas.Nikki's P.O.V :"Hey!" I gave her a big hug. "I'm glad that you guys made it.""Well, we deserve a good time too!" Tina laughed, looking completely different from her usual secretary self. Gone were the prim and proper shirts and pencil skirts. In her place stood a wavy blonde haired woman of 32, dressed in a figure hugging red dress with gold heels and hoop earrings, a tiny gold clutch in hand.I was dressed up too, in a green shift dress that reached just above my knees and a white pearl necklace. But I looked nowhere near as hot as this dang girl!"This is my husband, Raymond Moore." She pointed to a man in his mid 30’s, short black hair and brown eyed. He wore a black shirt with red cuffs and black denims. They looked good together."Hello, Raymond," I smiled as I felt arms wrap around my waist. "This is Lyric, my fiancé. We saw each o
Chapter 32: In which shegets tricked into..."Is this it?" Nikki asked as I got into her cab. "It's the sixth one we've visited this month that suits your budget.""I think this is a pretty good location, but I'll go over the contract and review our previous visits before I finalize anything." I told her, tucking away all the necessary paperwork into my bag.Nikki turned on the ignition and reversed out of the parking lot, switching gears as soon as she hit the main road."You sure about this site? It's a bit far from the city…" Nikki looked at me concerned."A bit." I smiled at her reassuringly from the passenger's side. "But it's the perfect spot with the crossroads nearby. It's also close to my hometown. It's about a 10 minutes drive from here.""I know. I brought you here remember?" She smiled, her attention back on the road."How can I forget?" My mom's birthday. I'd been late to reach her but Nikki