Chapter 17

Jace:

I yawned scanning through the last piece of paper in the sixth file on my desk. Being the boss seemed like the easiest job in the world, but it wasnt. It was a shit show.

"Candice." I called her in from the intercom. She reported back and walked in on her excessively high heels. Her golden hair were on one shoulder as usual and lipstick so red that the bright hue hurt my eyes if looked directly at it. Her body was in the perfectly fit grey dress that reached her knees, with a deep halter neck line.

"Yes." She bent over on the table, her palms flat on the glass table. I had a huge office with white walls and of course a floor to ceiling window for the view of Manhattan. The floor was all grey wood and only under my desk and chair was white fur carpet. Behind me was a wall of bookshelves that held all my files, awards, and pictures and by the right corner of the silver entrance door was a cutting area with two white love seats.

Candice ignored the black seats in front of my glass desk and looked at me with dark lust in her eyes. I leaned back in my large black chair and cleared my throat, pointing at the six large files beside my desktop. She smiled brightly picked them up. I gave her a flirtatious smirk before she swayed her hips out of there.

"Oh, Mr. Anderson." She spoke sweetly by the door.

"Yes." I looked up from typing an email on my desktop.

"You asked me to hire an assistant who can shadow my steps and help you some more?" She threw the words, I couldnt really tell whether she was asking or telling me.

"Well, I've gotten Sylvia to hire one student." She walked back in a stiff posture. I felt bad for the position she kept up.

"A student?" I cocked my brow.

"Yes, sir. She is a mature student at the university and was looking for some early experience before she completed her last year." She twinkled.

"Well, alright." I inhaled a deep breath, "Have you done a check on her? When does she start?" I threw the questions at her. I was very serious about who worked with me. No way was I letting my works go to hell because of some snitch.

"Well, she is actually coming in today. Around one." She looked at her rose gold watch. I licked my bottom lip and locked my fingers together.

"Bring her in when she comes." I ordered and she nodded before walking away.

A mature student. I didnt know why but when that thought came to me, all I could imagine was a thirty five years old, mother of some children, desperate to start a straight life. I was going to go with my instincts and figure this woman out before hiring.

I forgot to ask the woman's name. Damn.

It was only eleven in the morning, so I decided to finish off some emails and then grab a cup of coffee. I had a meeting at two and the hotelier, Jacob Brooks was not an easy one to get on my side. I needed him to open up a new facility for the homeless where they could live a little better if they started getting jobs and showed us the proper documentation of it. He was known to be a great humanitarian so I knew he could help me with this work.

The whole business that I ran, came to its fame in the last five years, when I put my heart and soul in it. Investing thousands and then millions took us over the roof and eventually, my uncle offered me his work after retiring. He had no kids of his own so i didnt refuse the chance. I wasnt the sole owner of his business, meaning my other cousin, my uncle's wife's sister's daughter, was also to join soon when she turned twenty seven in a year.

Oh, I hated her.

She so badly wanted a connection, deeper than just some family rooted relation. I gagged when I remembered the last time we met. The way she threw herself at me and tried touching all the wrong places, that too during a damn family photo.

Jesus.

Soon, it was striking eleven thirty, so I headed down to the cafeteria for a nice cup of coffee and some club to eat. I always praised our cooking staff because the food was always excellent yet simple. The tastes were clean and to the last bite perfect. I rarely remembered, getting anything from another place in the city while I was at work.

"Hello." I knocked on the glass that covered the area of the kitchen. The tables in the sitting area could see the cooking in the back through it. My favourite chef, Holly waved from the back and gave her stirring duty on the large steel pot to the sous-chef beside her. He quickly jumped on the duty as she ran towards the counter that was open for order taking and giving them out. She leaned on the silver counter and cheered.

"Hello, son." She laughed.

"Holly, looking good here." I shoved my fists in my pants pockets and looked up on the LED for the menu.

"What have you here today?" I cocked my brow.

"Oh, beef chilly. My favourite." She mumbled, closing in and I laughed.

"Sounds good. Just a small bowl would do." I nodded and she ran back to get some. I looked over at the boy who was managing the cashier's monitor.

"Put it on my tab." I spoke quietly and he looked at me baffled.

"Sir, everyone here has to pay. No one has a tab." He scrunched his brows at me and his grey eyes glared at me. I felt anger hitting me but I had to be calm. He worked for Holly.

"What's your name?" I walked to him and he stood tall, instead of in fear. His blue and black apron said Chase on the name tag. He was my height seemed my age too.

"This is called a name tag." He cocked his brow, pointing at the name tag. I sucked in a sharp breath, feeling more anger pump in.

"Buddy, I dont want trouble." I waved my hand at him. I was the boss. I had a reputation to keep.

"Here you go, son!" Holly came back running. Her brown eyes sparkled in joy as she held the white plate with a bowl of chilly with a whole wheat bun, some butter and all the utensils on the plate.

"Holly, can I take this to my office?" I cocked my brow.

"Oh, of course dear. He'll pack it right up for you. Want me to tab it?" She questioned and I snickered.

"Yes, that would be lovely." I looked over at Chase who watched Holly work the screen. His eyes widened for a split second before they snapped up at me. I raised my head and gave him a stern look before thanking Holly.

"Here you go, boss." Chase placed the brown paper bag on the counter, looking down at it.

"Less chatting. More work." I warned, before taking the bag and walking away, without another glance.

Some workers gave me a close look as I passed them by and I felt pride at being looked that way. I liked being acknowledged and everybody knew, that guy should've as well.

Poor bastard.

Selene:

I inhaled a deep breath as I stood in front of the tall building. My palms were sweaty and the small hair on the nape of my neck kept sticking to the sweat forming there. I couldnt believe I was standing there. I just prayed to God that I didnt meet Jace. I prayed my job was somewhere in the middle floor of management where I would be one of the invisible workers and never have to see the CEO. I just needed to work there for six months, until graduation, so I could move to another continent if I had to. Jace couldnt know the truth. It would shatter him.

Gulping in a loud breath, I took the first step towards the building. The large semicircular steps were long and short to take but somehow, everytime I walked up higher, I felt the air thin around me.

Grabbing every piece of strength in me, I took more steps and finally entered the building. The lavish area boggled my mind. So well furnished and perfectly conditioned. Everyone seemed as though they lived royally and the receptionist was busy in her desktop. I cleared my throat, fixed my tan pantsuit. I was only wearing pants, paired with a tucked in white chiffon shirt, that had a bow on the high neck.

"Hello?" I called out, holding my black portfolio folder close to my chest.

"Yes?" She looked up. She was well dressed in a dark red, body fitting dress with a jewel neckline and no sleeves. Her face crinkled and the grey golden hair on her head were in a perfect low bun.

"I'm here for-um- Ms. Candice Baldwin?" I cleared my throat.

"Oh, well, you must be the assistance." She smiled through her beige coloured lips. I nodded with a small smile.

"I will just call her up." She nodded and dialled the sleek silver intercom, hidden under her desk.

"Hello, the girl you asked for is here. She's asking for you." She spoke and then nodded.

"Wren?" She called one of the men in a black suit, by the door.

"Yes?" He took off his glasses and slid it in his jacket's breast pocket.

"Lead her to Ms. Baldwin please." She ordered and he nodded. His blond head turned to me and he pointed me to the elevators at the far end of the huge hall. I nodded feverishly and let him guide me. He walked with waves to the passer bys and I found him so relaxed for the job he was hired for.

"I'm Wren." He smiled at me, opening the uncrowded elevator. I found that curious but followed him in. He sort of put a calming effect on me.

"Selene." I took his raised hand that held itself out as we entered the brown elavator. The yellow light sparked the golden railing. He stood, facing me, near the buttons log and I couldnt see what floor he'd pressed.

"Well, you seem nervous." He smiled so bright that soon I had forgotten to worry about what I was looking for.

"I am. I just need this good job. You know." I ran a hand through my wavy hair. Believe it or not, the fear had made me forget that I had sprayed my hair to give them a fixed look. And now it sucked as I felt the smell of the spray in my hand. It was lavender scented so I didnt feel so bad.

"You look good for this. Dont worry." He complimented and I chuckled. I needed that. A confirmation that I looked presentable for the job. Although, Jelly had left no moment for me to not know that I looked "hot".

"How high is her office?" I snickered and just then the elevator stopped and the doors opened. He waved for me to take the first step out to the small room. She sat on her chair behind the table. Her desk was a large silver box with a fancy sign letter 'A' hanging on it. God, everytime I looked at that 'A' my heart would flutter and all I could think about was what he looked like now.

Yeah, I had never dared to search up Jace Anderson on the web. Nor did I watch him on any business news. I just wanted to forget the man, for his sake. My heart ached all of a sudden and I stopped midway my walk to her.

"Well, come on." She called out, standing from the desk and walking around to me. She was in her body fitting grey dress and Lord only knew how she could walk in those high heels. Here I was in a maximum three inch pump heel that still felt like they would pierce through the heel into my sole.

"Hello." I gulped in the cold air of the space and raised my hand. She waved it off.

"Yeah. Selene, is it?" She questioned, pointing at me.

"Yes, ma'am." I, awkwardly, brought my hand back around my file.

"Hmm, well before we start anything, my boss wants to see you." She pointed right and I followed her finger to the large silver door in the wall. It wasnt how shiny that made me shit myself...

It was what the door read.

Jace Anderson, CEO

On a metallic black plate in white.

"Oh, no." I couldnt breathe.

"Excuse me?" She bent over and I held my breath.

"Uh, um, I think there has been a mistake. I'm here to work for um, um-" I couldnt remember the damn name given to me, "- Candice!" I yelled and she looked taken back, "Candice Baldwin." I replaced my voice at her disgusted expression.

"Is everything alri-" we heard a sound calling out but stop in between. I turned my head to the source in reflex and regretted the moment of it.

There he stood.

Tall and handsome.

Jace Fucking Anderson.