Chapter 4

Summer's POV

"Hello sweetie, how are you doing?" My mom said, her voice booming out from my phone which I put on loud speaker so I could dress up for work while I talked to her.

"Mum! I am okay. How are you and dad?"

"I am alright sweetie, how is work going?" She said and I noticed that she didn't say anything about dad and she also sounded kind of tired.

"Work is fine mum, is everything alright?"

"Yes sweetie, everything is fine." But let me tell you something. My mum couldn't lie if her life depended on it. There was just a way her voice rose up and shook when she lied.

"Don't lie to me mum, is everything okay? Dad? Work?" I asked looking at myself in the mirror for the last time. I was good to go in a simple blue dress and black heels.

"Your dad is sick, Summer. He has been for two weeks but he is getting better now."

"Mum! Why didn't you tell me since?" I exclaimed.

"No. I didn't want to worry you."

"Summer you are running late for work." Rosaria shouted from the living room downstairs. Rosaria was like my guardian. I preferred that to housekeeper, my relationship with her was so much more than that. She shopped for me, cooked sometimes, taught me how to cook and did practically everything my mum would have done if I had been living with her.

"You know what mum? I am coming down to LA this weekend but I will call you later, I am running late for work. I love you and tell that old man to keep his shit together. Tell him I love him." I said getting up from the chair by my dresser and making my way down the stairs, my black Varsace bag hanging off my arm.

"Ok sweetie, love you too. Take care of yourself."

"Bye." I said and hung up.

"Have some coffee before you leave, Summer." Rosaria said when I got downstairs and started heading straight for the door.

I tried to argue with her but she said I wasn't leaving until I had the coffee so I just took it really fast, burning my tongue in the process, before heading out to the driveway after kissing her goodbye.

"Morning, Ms. White." John, my driver, a forty years old man with bald head and a goatee, said trying to open the back door for me.

"Morning John, I will drive myself this morning, thank you." I said and rushed to the driver's side dropping my bag and my coat on the other seat before zooming out of the driveway.

----------------------------------------------------

Later in my office with Alex, I was trying to explain to him how to handle the shooting for the new mall we were advertising. I normally directed all of that by myself but it was on the weekend and I was going to LA to check on my dad.

"Why can't you be there by yourself?" Alex asked, I would have said whined if he wasn't so blank and cold most of the time. Honestly, he was a little rude to me considering the fact that I was his boss.

"It's none of your business and stop complaining, I didn't hire you to take up space and not do anything." I said glaring at his stupidly handsome face.

"Doing nothing? I was the one that got us the contract you know." He said scowling at me and crossing his legs with his arms folded. I tried not to stare at the way his arms bulged up under his suit. He looked so cold in a hot way with his tousled brown hair and steel blue eyes. I shouldn't have been checking him out and I felt a little irritated that couldn't help it. It was just that he was different from the last couple of assistants I'd had. He kind of looked like that type of guy that would be the boss. Too bad for him though because I was.

"You say it like I don't pay you. Just make sure you do a good job. I can't refund the money back." I said going back to my laptop.

"Why can't you refund the money back? Aren't you like super rich?" He asked raising his eyebrow. His smirk was all dark and sarcastic like he couldn't bring himself to feel anything.

"First, I can't refund the money back because we don't do refunds. Two, don't start this with me again. It would not end so well, trust me." I said glaring at him even more.

"What happened to you today? You aren't like your usual bright and mischievous self. Who dumped you?" He pushed.

I ignored the last part of what he said. He was the first person that was really noticing how off I was this Thursday and I didn't know how to feel about that. He was my assistant, he should have noticed so no big deal. That didn't stop me from coming up with some witty things to say. I always got the last word with guys.

"Guys don't dump me, I dump them. Now get out of my office before I make you and you definitely don't want to know how I will do that."

"Not until you tell me what happened." He said resting back on the chair and spreading his legs apart like he was going to take a nap right there. Even my most murderous glare didn't have any effect on him.

"Yeah right." I rolled my eyes. "Like I want to sit you down and share all my fucking secrets with you because I feel like we are so fucking close."

"Who said anything about? We are definitely not fun but I'm your assistant, I'm supposed to know this shit."

I scoffed. "Get back to work Alex, I don't have the time for this."

"Just so you know…" He started to say and I knew whatever was going to be nice so I cut him off. "Out!"

And it seemed like I had to say that every time he started to waste both of our times.

It was two hours after the normal closing hour, which was 4pm, but Alex and I were still in my office trying to brainstorm ideas for an advert for a plastic industry.

"This is so hard. There's only little anyone can think of a plastic industry." I groaned running my fingers through my hair. Even my creativity couldn't seem to be able to find something that boring. A tired-looking Alex was sitting in front of me, hair sticking out everywhere from running his fingers through it multiple times, his tie was hanging around his neck and his blazer was on one side of my big mahogany desk.

"I am so hungry." He mumbled sliding down on his seat.

"Pizza?" I asked.

"Yeah." He started to fish out his phone lazily from his pocket. "What type?" He asked.

"Pepperoni with extra cheese." I said and he nodded like he approved, dialed the pizzeria and repeated the order to the person on the other line.

"20 minutes." He said after hanging up. "So, is this how it has always been for you? Do you stay at the office late with all your PAs trying to come up with an idea for an advert?"

"Absolutely not. All my PAs so far have been either slackers, perverts or spies. None of them has lasted more than two weeks with me." I answered.

"Hmhm, I'm none of those."

"I hope." I said even though he didn't seem like that kind of person.

"Why do you let people judge you?" He asked and the question was so out of the blue, it caught me off guard.

"What do you mean?" I asked frowning at him.

"You know, you let people think you are this spoilt rich person with no decency or dignity. Why?" He asked with a shrug.

"By people, you mean you. Anyway, people are allowed to think whatever they want to think. Even if I was just some spoilt bitchy person, what they think wouldn't change me in any way."

He was going to say something but a knock on the door interrupted him. Thank goodness because I didn't want to talk to someone who thought of me like that.

"Come in." I shouted.

"Someone ordered pizza?" A guy entered carrying a box of pizza and smiling at me flirtatiously. Kids these days didn't have boundaries. He glanced at Alex and I watched as his smile faltered. I wondered what he saw. Probably the same nothing I had been seeing but I couldn't tell because Alex's head was turned away from me.

"Drop the pizza on the table." Alex said and his eyes followed the pizza guy as he walked up to the table and dropped the box of pizza on it. The guy stood there for a while looking between Alex and I uncomfortably and it took me a while to realize that he was waiting for his money.

"Alex?" He turned his glare away from the pizza guy and looked at me confused before realization dawned on him. He fished out money from his pocket and gave the pizza guy.

"Keep the change. Buy yourself a fake beard, maybe it will help." He spat out at the pizza guy who just nodded and speed-walked out of the office.

"Why were you being mean to the poor guy?" I asked not bothering to hide the amused smile on my face.

"Are you going to start eating before I finish this?" He asked, a frown on his gorgeous face and I noticed that he was holding a slice of pizza in his hand, half of it already gone. I quickly lunged for a slice and started to devour it, not even caring that he was staring at me. It turned to an eating competition until it was remaining one slice which we were both currently staring at. I looked up at him and realized what he was going to do as we both lunged for the last slice at the same time. I swatted his hand away and took the slice, smiling victoriously at him.

I was about to take a bite when a movement caught my eye and the next thing I know, the pizza was snatched away from my hand and I stared surprisingly at Alex who was standing by my chair with the pizza in his hand. That was fast and different, I thought as he started to move it to his mouth.

"No!" I shouted lunging for the pizza, tackling him to the ground. The pizza was still in his hand as I tried to take it while he just took it out of reach. He wasn't even laughing or smiling as he did that. I took the time to realise the position we were in. He was lying on his back and I was straddling him. I used it to my advantage as I leaned in. He froze as he realised what I was going to do. I leaned in closer and pretended like I was going to kiss him but I used the opportunity to snatch the pizza from him. I stood up and dusted myself off, grinning at Alex, still lying on the floor.

"I always win." I said arrogantly and started to eat the pizza but he didn't even react or look at me. Well, I had the pizza, who cared?