18. Emergency

I walked into Elias Enterprises with two bodyguards behind me, and all heads turned around to stare.

My nude heels clacked against the polished floors as I made my way through towards the reception desk and pushed my sunglasses onto my head.

"Ms. Elias, so good to see you here, how can we help you?" The man at the front desk asked me. I fixed my light blue blazer and straightened my cream coloured pants as I looked around.

"Where's Alexander?" I asked him impatiently and he clicked a few keys on his laptop before looking at me apologetically.

"He's in a meeting as of now. He'll be free in an hour." He explained and I took in a frustrated breath and ran my hands in my straightened hair.

Not now Alex...

"Okay, thanks. I'll see to him myself." I thanked the man who nodded briefly and I quickly made my way into the elevators, the people parting for me and making a way for me to pass through.

As soon as I got in, I pressed the button for Alex's floor and waited patiently for it to go up. The elevator stopped on a few floors and people got in.

I tapped my foot on the ground impatiently and fifteen minutes later, I was nowhere near the top so I got off on the next floor and decided to take another elevator or the stairs.

My phone started ringing and I knew who it was so I ignored it and put it on silent, shoving it into my bag and walking through the cabins where everyone seemed to stop doing what they were doing and just stare.

What's their deal?

"Ms. Elias!" I heard my name being called and stopped to turn around when I saw a man walking towards me briskly. My bodyguards stopped him immediately and looked at me.

"It's okay, I know him." I told them and they let him go.

"Mr. Edwards." I regarded him and he smiled, his greying hair combed back and his fatherly smile on display, while he sported a navy blue suit.

"Ms. Elias, so good to see you here after such a long time. Is everything alright?" He asked me and I nodded.

"Yes I have an emergency and need to see Alexander immediately. Hope everything's going well." I said looking around at the gaping people and some who were running around frantically.

"Yes, of course. Glad you're back. I'll let you go now." He said and moved aside and I gave him a nod before walking off towards the other elevator. As the doors opened I turned towards my bodyguards.

"You guys can go now, I'll be fine. Get something from the cafeteria you guys must be hungry." I said remembering they couldn't have breakfast of my 'emergency'. They hesitated at first and I sighed.

"I'll be fine, I can knock people out too. Go now." I told them and they nodded before walking off as I got into the elevator when another voice stopped me.

"Hold the elevator please!" The man shouted and I immediately put my foot through the door as he scrambled in, breathless, and looked at me gratefully.

"Thank you so much." He said, running a hand through his dirty blonde hair and arranging the files in his hands.

"No problem. Which floor?" I asked him.

"Uh.. the top one..." He said and I nodded.

"Good then we're heading to the same floor." I said and he gave me a smile, flashing me his perfect teeth, and fixed his grey coat jacket and straightened his tie. Only a few people came into the elevator and we were almost to the top when the man beside me spoke.

"I've never seen you before, are you new here?" He asked me and I shrugged.

"You could say that." I said, realising he didn't know who I was, and honestly, I was thankful.

"Why are you going to the top floor? I mean, I don't mean to be rude, it's just that it requires special access and only a few people can go up there because it's the CEO's floor." He said and I smiled faintly.

"I have some work up there. I came to see someone. What about you?" I asked him and he smiled again.

"I'm the head of marketing, Nathaniel." He said and I nodded before frowning.

"Nice to meet you Nathaniel, I'm Thea." I said and we both shook hands as he looked at me intently.

"Please, call me Nate... Wow... You're really beautiful." He suddenly blurted out, making me grin.

"Thanks." I said and he scratched his head sheepishly.

"Sorry. I tend to blurt things out. Not that it isn't true, I mean, you are really pretty." He said nervously and I laughed lightly, the people in the elevator turned around to look at us and immediately turned back when they saw my face.

I cleared my throat and pushed my glasses down, which Nate didn't seem to miss because I saw his slight frown and confusion.

"It's okay, I like honest people. Thanks." I told him smiling reassuringly and he sighed in relief.

"Good..." He replied and we both stood in silence, waiting for our floor and I took this chance to look at him since I was wearing glasses.

He was quite handsome, I'll say that, with dirty blonde hair and light blue eyes, he had a good build and was taller than me. Yup, definitely handsome.

When the elevator stopped, everyone got out except us two as we waited for our floor and thankfully no one came in again.

"You look young to be the Head of Marketing." I said and he grinned.

"Yeah... I guess I got lucky.. I'm not that old though. Do I look old?" He asked me and I chuckled lightly and shook my head.

"You look like you're in your twenties... twenty four, probably?" I asked him and he flashed me a big smile.

"Yup, you got that right. But you look pretty young... twenty?" He asked me and I shrugged.

"Almost. I'm still nineteen." I said and he looked at me in disbelief.

"Really?" He asked me and I nodded as the elevator dinged and we both got out, walking in the same direction.

"So I'm guessing you're still in college?" He asked me and I nodded as we reached Alex's P.A's desk and I immediately remembered why I was here.

Shit.

I quickly walked up to him and he stood up immediately after he saw me.

"Luke. Is he free yet?" I asked him impatiently, drumming my fingers on the table as Nate came to stand beside me.

"Almost, there's still a little time left." He said and I nodded, moving back a bit as Nate started talking to Luke and showed him the files. After a while he too came to stand beside me.

"So you're here to see the CEO?" He asked me and I shrugged, but before I could answer him the door to Alex's office opened and a man in a suit and black hair walked out with a briefcase in his hand.

I looked at Luke who shook his head and I sighed, tapping my foot impatiently when Nate went into the office with his files. Another fifteen minutes later, my phone rang again and I quickly turned it off, and exhaled.

"Fuck this." I said under my breath and quickly walked into the office, ignoring Luke's questioning and confusing gaze as I barged in without even knocking and everyone's head turned to me.

Here goes nothing.