Chapter 9 HIRE HER

TRAVIS' P O V

‘‘Joe's teacher called this morning, Sir…’’ Kevin relayed the information to me after he started the engine, and driving away from Cohen Dawson’s place. I looked in all of the places to see if I could find Katrina, but she was nowhere to be found.

‘‘What did she say?’’ I asked, while heaving a sigh and leaning back in my seat, thinking that it was another complaint as a result of several times of incident that my son was bullying other students.

‘‘She informed me that Joe bullied another student in the school…’’ Kevin said.

I couldn't help but feel annoyed as I ran my fingers through my hair. I have tried to explain to my son numerous times that it’s not good to bully other people, but he does not appear to pay attention to what I have to say. Witnessing my son’s behaviour these past few months made me believe that he was in need of the guidance that a mother figure might provide.

All of a sudden, an idea popped in my mind.

The records from the investigation that Kevin provided for me, indicated that Katrina was only four years old when she made her first visit to Dawson's estate. She didn’t go home that day, because her aunt, who took legal custody of her and became her legal guardian after her parents were killed in a car accident, sold her to Dawson family.

The Dawsons treated her well and even sent her to attend a prestigious private school for her education. She participated in a music club when she was twelve years old, and by the age of fifteen, she had already mastered playing the piano. She has a passion for singing as well as music, but I was perplexed as to why she did not enroll in a course at a college that specialized in music. Instead, she studied business management.

Katrina Sinclair was now twenty-five years old. She married Cohen when she was only twenty, the same age when she gave birth to my son. And now, she was working as Cohen Dawson’s secretary, and no one in his company was aware that she was actually his wife.

‘‘I want you to send Joe in private music lessons and let him study piano as a punishment…’’ I instructed Kevin, and he nodded, without taking his gaze off the road. ‘‘And I want Katrina to become his piano teacher…’’

‘‘What?’’ Kevin questioned while displaying a look of bewilderment on his face. ‘‘I... I’m sorry Sir, but how in the world could I possibly do that? I mean, you’re aware that she is working at her husband’s company at the moment…’’

‘‘She is going to be out of work very soon, Kevin...’’ I said with confident as I let out a muffled chuckle. ‘‘Trust me…''

Taking into account the way in which her husband has been treating her, I do not believe that she would be able to continue working for the same company as her husband under the circumstances that currently exist.

However, the decision will ultimately be determined by Katrina, specifically whether or not she will continue to put up with what Cohen is doing to her. It was painful to be betrayed, and I had no idea how Katrina was coping with the situation.

‘‘I want you to keep an eye on everything Katrina does and report any relevant information to me, understand?’’ I gave his shoulder a tap with a little more force than usual. ‘‘Tell me once she’s hired as Joe’s piano teacher…’’

‘‘Yes, Sir!’’ Kevin said, as he parked the car in the basement of my company, Parker Manufacturing Incorporation. I was confident that he would carry out my instructions, because he never once failed with any of the works I had assigned him.

………………***********………………….

KATRINA'S P O V

I groaned as my alarm clock screamed around the room, indicating that it was six in the morning and it was time for me to get ready for work. As soon as I opened my eyes, I was hit with a crushing weight in my head that I knew was caused by the fact that I had shed tears right before I went to bed last night.

I slowly got up, stretching my limbs before I set my feet on the ground and they brought me to the bathroom to take a shower.

I nearly died when I saw my reflection. My cheeks were red and puffy, and there were bags under my eyes. Just to top the look off, my hair looked like an absolute bird’s nest. And when my eyes looked down on my knees, I noticed that they had some bruises on them.

My entire body began to shake when I recalled how I almost died and getting hit by a car yesterday. I sighed tiredly. I quickly washed my face, and brushed my teeth before I stepped into the shower.

While I was under the warm water jet, my thoughts kept revolving around what happened yesterday. The image of Cohen having sex with the fake doll kept playing over and over in my head, which made me feel sick to my stomach, and brought fresh wave of tears to form in my eyes.

I am going to work today, and I’m going to see him again, my cheating husband. I never thought that I would feel this pain from him. The torment was far more excruciating than it had been when he wedded me but refused to touch me after the wedding, until now.

This was the worst kind of nightmare imaginable, and it was all my fault for loving him. I still love him even though he continued to hurt me.

I blow dried my hair before smoothing it out and tying it up into a high ponytail, and began with natural make-up to cover my puffy eyes, and cheeks.

I donned a white chiffon blouse, which I tucked into a pair of black slacks before fastening a belt around my waist. Then, with a sigh, I grabbed a black coat and put on a pair of black heels.

I made my way to the living room, and saw Tina sitting on the couch, waiting for me. ‘‘Aren’t you going to eat breakfast first?’’ she asked, her tone was firm, but there was a tinge of concern in it.

‘‘I’ll just have a coffee in the office…’’ I said as I led the way out of the house and into the garage.

I had difficulty driving as a result of the vehicle accident that occurred when I was four years old and in which both of my parents were involved. It was quite traumatic for me, and up until this point, I hadn't recovered from the effects of it.

Tina was the one who would constantly transport me to the office where I worked as Cohen's secretary. I detested my work, but I had no other option. Other than this one, I have no experience working any other jobs.

Tina and I got in the car, and she started driving the approximately twenty-minute trip to the office.

‘‘Thank you, Tina…’’ I said, and climbed out of the car, walking my way towards the entrance of the building.

‘‘Good morning, Miss Sinclair…’’ The security guard greeted me, and I gave him a small smile before I walked in, heading straight for the elevator.

The elevator was packed with employees from Dawson's Corporation, and the ride felt like it lasted an hour. As soon as the elevator doors opened on the fifty-first level, I took a deep breath, and walked out. I started making my way to my seat, but I came to an abrupt halt when I noticed my cousin Ella talking to Cohen.

‘‘Oh, you’re here…’’ Cohen said in a nonchalant manner as soon as he noticed me. He was wearing a broad smile as if there was no tension going on between us. ‘‘Katrina, Ella is working as my secretary from now on…’’

What? But how about me?