Certainly, I Don't Like This Man

*Jenny*

"So?" Ebony asked out of the blue upon entering my room. She must be curious as heck. "So, what?" I dumbly answer back while combing my hair at my vanity table.

"Oh c'mon, " She then slumped herself at my bed, "Don't you have SOMETHING to tell me?". I played dumb and think for a second then made an 'Aha!' reaction. "Right, right, umm, I'm sorry about the McDonalds– ".

"Urgh! No, not that! Don't play dumb with me!" She interrupted me with a fed-up face. She sat up straight then poorly imitated what Noel told us earlier, " 'I'm sure Jenny will explain everything to you, Ms. Blades' ". I nearly laughed at her imitation; Noel doesn't sound like that at all. "Well? Why were you with Mr. Locke? The very man in YOUR dream?".

"I told you, I got lost, bumped into him and helped me get here.". It wasn't the whole story. I don't want to tell her about my encounter with Louie and that dangerous incident that I went through, knowing Ebony, she will only blame herself and feel guilty about it. She has enough worries; I don't want to add more.

She stared at me for a few seconds with one of her eyebrows raised, "Do you really think I would buy that? That the two of you just met COINCIDENTALLY and he helped you with directions?... Well, you being lost isn't news–".

"Hey!".

"C'mon… I know you better than anyone, you wouldn't just get lost, something probably bothered you or spook you out.". Oh great, she won't let this slide, won't she? She will probably bug me all day if I don't spill anything.

"Ebony–".

"I promise I won't be hysterical." She held out her right hand up like she was taking an oath. I held down my comb and turned to her. I deeply sighed then said to her, "Fine… Promise you won't freak out?". She then nodded rather quickly and fixed herself up, ready to listen to what I'm about to share. "Okay… Before I bumped with Noe–I mean Mr. Locke, I, um…" I gulped before continuing, "I bumped into Louie first.".

"Oh…" was the only word I heard from her. I then continued, "He asked me out for some coffee for old times' sake, I agreed so we went and we briefly talked." I paused for a moment to see her reaction. She made small nods then asked, "So, what did guys talk about?".

I gulped again before answering her with, "He said he wanted me back–".

"WHAT?!–".

"You promised!", I immediately reminded her. She held herself in then sat at my bed again. She blurted out, "Did he say why? What about that chic he flexed about?".

"Well, he said they broke up and she wasn't really, you know… me.". Remembering it makes me upset again but I continued, "And then he said he wouldn't let HIM take me away from him.".

Ebony gasped and commented, "No way…". I bitterly smiled at her. She then added, "What an asshole.".

"Then I got upset and walk-out on him. My mind was in chaos, I just wanted to get away from him as far as I can and–".

"That's when you got lost then bumped to Mr. Locke…" She completed my sentence as I nod in agreement. "Oh, Jenny." She then went to me and hugged me. I giggled at her action and told her to stop it. I stood up and gently broke the hug, "It's very late, let's get some sleep, okay? We still have work tomorrow.". She agreed and went to her room.

Not long after I shut my eyes, I went to dreamland. It was the same dream again where Noel transformed into something beastly. What does this mean? Is Noel a dangerous man? Is it bad to be attracted to him? He drives fast but that doesn't mean he is dangerous. He did save me from those hideous men. Should I be afraid of him? I am now confused. Morning came and we had gone to work. Everything seemed normal when I received an outrageous email. I rushed to our manager and demanded an explanation.

"It's their conditions–".

"Conditions?!" My voice came out rather louder than I expected, "Since when did we do favors for a client? Have you read these CONDITIONS? They're outrageous!". Our manager tried to calm me down, "Yes, yes I did. I relayed it to the management, I do have the same sentiments as you but they approved it anyway. They said it's just a matter of personnel change–".

"Personnel change? Are they crazy? We almost lost a few accounts with these sudden changes before, we just regained their trust, we can't lose them again. Many of our accounts don't like sudden changes, one account even said they only wanted me to supervise the inspections and no one else, their trust is that thin! I'm sorry Mr. Walter but I won't agree to this, it's too risky."

"Even if those conditions are meant to build a partnership with one of the most prestigious companies like ours?" A proud male voice echoed thru the room and caught both our attention. The man wore a suit that seemed to be a bit tight for his size. His locks matched his golden hair as he scans the room. He was also accompanied by one female personnel, his secretary I guess. Our manager then exclaimed, "Oh! Mr. Locke! What a surprise!". Locke? Is he related to Noel?

"Nah, just call me Kyle, that name fits my brother Noel more." Oh, they're brothers. He locked his sight on me then he smirked. What is this? Is he mocking me?

"Jen, come closer." Our manager gestured to me so I slowly approached, "This is Mr. Kyle Vonn Locke, CEO of Wolfeland Industries. He is the brother of Mr. Noel Darcy Locke," He then reached out his hand to me, "Mr. Kyle, this is Ms. Jenny Del Cruz, one of our Technical Officers.". I took it and we shared a handshake.

"I came here to greet our new partner but it seems something is still amiss... So?" He said after we let go. He must be referring to his previous question so I sternly answered, "To answer your previous question, my answer is yes. One new account cannot outweigh the proven loyalty of earlier accounts even with its highly acclaimed status.". He smiled then he started chuckling. I got a bit annoyed but I continued, "I cannot simply let go of my current accounts and handle only yours. Also, to be on-premise for the next three months is a bit outrageous.".

"I can see why she picked you.". I halted when I heard him say that. I was picked? By who?. "Then let's make amends, write up your counter-proposal in regards to these conditions and we'll see if it is acceptable.". He then motioned to leave the room but before they left, he said to me, "Better not disappoint me, Ms. Jenny.". I crossed my arms while our manager respectfully guide him out while saying, "Of course Mr. Locke, thank you for the opportunity.". He left us with one last cheeky look. Certainly, I don't like this man.

After he left, our manager turned to me. I straighten up as he approached, "You stubborn kid," He sighed, placing his hands on his waist, and lightly shook his head, "C'mon, I'll help you with that proposal.". Relief ran through my body, we've been through this before and our manager knew the outcome very well if we just let it be. I am glad he is with me on this one. I saluted him and exclaimed, "Yes, Sir!".