chapter seven

Chapter seven

Elena scanned him. "What are you doing here?"

Regan didn't miss the fact that she wasn't rude this time instead she seemed bright like a child that had gotten an early Christmas present. The happiness in those mahogany pools were luring him in. he was drowning in them. Her little arched brows were raised as if expecting answer to something. Her purple tinted bow lips were puckered and slightly open and her perfect pert nose rested above them. He snapped out of it when she waved her hand in-front of him. "I asked what you are doing here."

"I have work to do." He said flatly. He was trying his best not to act out of impulse. The way her lips moved every time she talked was too tempting and she had got a little bit of purple on them. "What are you doing here?" for some odd reason, his feet lost the power to move so he threw her question back at her.

She tucked astray hair that had escaped her loose bun behind her ear. "My friend says that the boss will soon be picking his new employees so I came to see my friend that works here to get any update that I can." She realized that she had been playing with her fingers. No. she couldn't possibly like anyone now. She hadn't healed from the brute treatment that Connor had showed her yet and she could not afford to enter another relationship now. Connor wasn't a good person. Who knew what he would do to her partner if he found out? There was no telling to that.

"I think the boss would choose you." I've chosen you already.

"Why do you think so?" her eyes widened at the statement. "Wait do you know the boss?"

"Who wouldn't pick you? Look at you coming to diligently check for updates even when it's not yet time." Because I want to have you close to me. "Do you think I know the boss?" he asked in a testing way and without another word, he turned on his heel and walked away to the garage.

Elena untwined her fingers and placed her hand to calm her frantic heart. The pieces came together now. She remembered. He was the guy that she had shoved on her way from her father's office. That was the day she had gone to talk to her father about finding work somewhere else other than her father's company but he had refused turning her mood sour and she had shoved him for walking in her way. And he was the same person that had save her that night that she had gotten herself drunk to stupor. That was the day that Conner had texted to tell her that he was in her town and had his eyes out for her. She blocked his number had had gone to drink to get rid of the fear and anxiety that coursed through her body at the time. Not everybody had a cloud of red hair on their head. And his accent, she could guess he was a Mexican Latino. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, taking in his distinct scent of Creed Aventus.

She shrugged off whatever feeling was gnawing at her heart strings and walked into the office complex to see her friend.

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Regan could not contain his joy when he got to home. He called his sister and her husband who had returned from work after checking her file severally to be double sure she was the one. He had met her after going through her file on the same day. This had to be a sign, he tought.

"I found her." Regan announced to Lucy and Zeke, holding up her file for them to see. He was as giddy as a child who had gotten the perfect birthday gift. He was practically grinning from ear to ear.

"Found who?" Lucy asked as she grabbed the file from her brother's hands to look through it with her husband.

"Isn't she the same girl you brought in that day?" Zeke asked.

"She is the one baby. No one can miss that hair, so silky and black." She ran her finger through a line of word and her head shot up. "Mum and her mum bear the same name." if Regan thought that seeing her was a sign then this was an even bigger sign. She noticed that his left hand played with the tanzanite ring on his right hand and he was so happy just talking about her. She didn't need a soothsayer to know that her Regan was in love. She made a silent wish for everything to work out well for all of them.

"She is beautiful." She said softly as her fingers caressed her outline on the tiny picture.

"Reggie you are in love with Evan's daughter." Zeke said to Regan with smiling eyes.

"I know. I was surprised when I found out. Maybe this God bring our families even closer as Evan was dad's best friend." He looked tenderly at the tiny photo in the file that they had dropped on the table of the parlour. "And I met her today."

Lucy squealed so loudly in excitement and comported herself when she got questioning looks from the men in the room. "Sorry, you had me at meet." She said smiling sheepishly.

Regan chuckled and continued, "I met her in person and since she has applied for the work, I want to keep her as close to me as possible."

"Pfft. That's super easy. Just employ her as your personal chef." Lucy replied without even thinking.

Regan and Zeke looked at her in awe. She registered the shocked look on their faces and said, "What? It'll be a win win for all of us. Reggie gets the woman he loves, Zeke gets to stay with his wife full time and I get a break from the kitchen and then the house staff gets a plus one." She stated her point with a raised set of shoulders.

Once again, they were gobsmacked. She had it coming so easily and it was perfect.

Lucy looked at the staring duo. "Yes I know I'm smart. You're welcome." She rose from her seat and headed toward the stairs for her room. "But for someone who is my brother and someone that I married, you both are really dumb." She chuckled as she ascended the stairs.

Regan and Zeke were blown away.

"That beats all the bullying we have done in the last one week." Zeke laughed at his dumbness.

"Honest to God." Regan said, joining in the laughter. "But what were we even thinking. We must be really dumb."

"I can swear that I wasn't even thinking so if you are dumb I wonder what I am."

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The Leroy's Resort had already begun undergoing some changes. The new chefs were busy with their delicacies and a new hall was built for themed weddings. The website Regan had asked for earlier now held the contents for traditional and themed weddings. In three weeks, 'la nueva edicion de Leroy' proved itself to be the best idea that Regan had ever come up with. The department had crafted six big weddings in a row making it the longest string of weddings ever to be held in their record. The small dip that the company's profit had taken seemed to rise even more.

Regan called the 'chef continenales' for a meeting in the conference room to get familiar with them and their cooking but he had another motive which was to see Elena. The whole meeting was just a ploy.

Everyone talked in turns about themselves and what they cooked. Regan was hardly concerned with anything anyone said as his attention was solely fixed on the woman who sat right across him though he tried to be subtle with the way he looked at her.

After the meeting, Regan called for Elena to stay back. The black haired Greek had her clammy fingers tangled and she looked pale like she had seen a ghost and she hung her head.

Regan narrowed his eyes and walked over to her. He raised her head with his finger and asked, "What is the matter? You look pale."

Elena was suddenly conscious about his presence but somehow she felt comfortable around him. She raised her head and looked into Regan's honey pools. She got lost in them and for a moment her fidgeting seemed to stop for a while. "It's nothing." A lie.

"You say it is nothing yet you wring your fingers like that. Just a little more pressure and you will be sans fingers and I'm sure we won't like that now, will we?" then his voice turned a bit more edgy, "What is wrong, Elena?"

Elena looked at the man before her without saying a word to answer his question. He had done enough already and she didn't want him to be dragged into her mess. He scolded her but she could still hear the lingering concern beneath. He had saved her from those men when she had gone drinking, he had offered her a job and paid her well. Connor wasn't a good person. He was obsessive with her and would hurt anyone that dared to get too close to Elena. She decided to redirect the conversation. "You told me that you weren't the boss." She said meekly.

"Did I now?" Regan said with a disarming smile. "Come and sit with me." He gently guided her back to the oak chairs of the conference room and made her sit. He turned his chair such that she was sitting directly in-front of him sans the table being a hurdle. He observed her with such intensity that she thought her clothes would catch flames under his stare.

He face caught heat and an inky hue of red splattered around her cheeks at the dirty thought. Deep down, she agreed that she would like it very much though. She bent her head to hide her rouge coloured face.

Regan caught the blush that spread all over her face but did nothing to bring her face back up, instead he said, "We both know that me being the boss is the least of your concern. It is not enough reason for you to look this ghastly and pale and look, you are still wringing your fingers."

Her predicament returned to her and she looked at her hands like they were the most interesting things in the world. She had to keep Connor away from Regan. If Connor ever found out about Regan's soft spot for her, she was sure that he would come for him, boss or not. She decided that she would make Regan stay away for the time being until she had sorted out her mess. She willed her voice to come out strong as she said, "I am fine. It's nothing." But her voice had betrayed her by breaking in the end.

"Look at me when you answer my question. Being timid doesn't suit you and you won't believe how utterly and terribly boring women who intentionally play the part are. Now look at me darling and answer my question." He relaxed in his chair and gave her time but she remained in her position and didn't make a move to raise her head to look at him.

She was scared as hell as the memories rushed in, memories that weren't nice. She didn't even notice the endearment that he had used on her. She wrung her fingers so much that they had already turned red. Her eyes dimmed and her breaths came out strained, short and hollow.

Regan immediately noticed that she was having a panic attack. He quickly made her stand, pried open her entwined fingers and donned her arms around his body. He rubbed her back with his palm ad he goaded her back to breathing. "There Elena. Deep breaths. In .out. There you go." he said gently.

She had relaxed but she let him hold her a little longer his big strong biceps wrapped her in their embrace and she didn't want him to let go. She felt too at peace in there as though she belong in the embrace. He felt like home. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, allowing his Creed Aventus scent seep into her insides.

Regan knew that she had calmed down already but he held her seeing that she didn't object. He heard her inhale deeply and decided to tease her. Maybe a joke will get her to open up to him. "Don't go fainting on me young lady." He chuckled when she scampered out of his embrace.

She was clearly embarrassed and red to the root of her hair. But to be fair, what did Regan Leroy love the most apart from teasing people to nuts for his own amusement?

"I take it that Connor has something to do with this. Don't think that I didn't notice that he kept passing you looks during the meeting. He doesn't seem nice." He asked more gently than the last time, "What has he got on you, EL?"

No response.

He felt his patience snap and he said, "I am going to try and not be overbearing to you but trust that if something should happen to you, I'll turn a blind eye." And without another word, he left the room, his polished leather shoe clicking softly on the tiled floor.

Elena sat still on the chair and silently cursed her luck. How did Connor even know that she worked here? She knew that she had feelings for Regan but it would be best if he stayed out of the way. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if anything happened to him. She wanted to protect him. That was what people did for people that they loved, right?

With a dejected sigh, she left the conference room too.