Under Scrutiny

Chapter 8

Ana's POV

At the door of my office was an angry looking Marcus furiously typing on his phone.

" Where have you been?" He said in a deep yet calm tone.

" I... Went for lunch." I stammered. He stared at me scrutinizing me from hear to toe. His look wanted to make me shrink into the ground.

" I don't see any food with you." I glanced at my hand embarrassed.

" I.. never.."

" We have a meeting in the next thirty minutes get ready for it." He interrupted my blubbering mess. " You're going to be taking the minutes so don't make me look for you." He said sternly before walking away. I let out a sigh of relief immediately he entered his office. I don't understand how I can walk into a room full of powerful and rich people confidently but I turn into a stammering mess when it comes to Marcus Blinge. His aura has a way of making me intimidated or maybe it's just the evidence he has against me.

" Miss Miller I want to believe the conference room has been set up." Marcus said as he walked past my office to the elevator.

" Set up?" My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Before I could run out of my elevator to ask him he had already gone. I had just ten minutes left before the meeting to figure out what he meant by set up.

I knocked on the brown mahogany door before pushing it open. I had to get help from the only person i was acquainted with.

" Hey, Ana right?" Jolene said in cheerful tone.

" Yea."

" Please have a seat."

" I don't really have that luxury of time, I need to figure out how to set up the conference room for a meeting. Do you have an idea?" I said frantically.

" Yea... You just have to place a bottle of water on each seat then make sure the place is clean, project in good condition and I think that's all."

" Thank you so much Jolene. You are a lifesaver." I said before rushing out of her office.

I glanced at the wall clock in the conference room. Two more minutes, I glanced round the room again to be sure everything was in their places.

The door opened and Marcus walked in with an older man. They both had a striking resemblance, must be his father. " Who's this?" His father asked him. "She's my new personal assistant, Miss Miller."

" Good day sir." I greeted with a smile but the older man responded with a scowl. Soon the conference room was now fully occupied and I took my seat beside Marcus.

As the meeting began, I pulled out my notebook and pen ready to take notes but as the meeting dragged on I found my mind wandering. The man standing in front making the presentation was droning on about sales prices and new strategies to be implemented and I couldn't help but feel my eyes glazing over.

I glanced around the room trying to appear interested like every other person in the room but my mind kept drifting away to who knows where. The fact that Marcus was sitting right beside me wasn't helping matters either. From the corner of my eyes I could see his eyes fixed on the presentation, his jaw clenching in concentration and his expressionless face.

As the meeting went on, my attention span began to dwindle. I found myself doodling mindlessly on my notepad. I wonder how my mum is doing, I hadn't seen her since the surgery was concluded. I just hoped she was fine and it was all worth it. Before I knew it the meeting was over and everyone was exiting the conference room.

" Miss Miller, my office now!" He instructed as he walked out of the conference room. I followed shortly after making a quick stop at my office to drop a file.

" Where is the minute for the meeting we just concluded?" He said while I stood there frozen like a deer caught in a headlight. " I... Uh...Mr.." the words refused to come out.

" You didn't take anything down." He spoke better gritted teeth.

" I'm sorry sir." I said feeling my face heat up in embarrassment.

" I guess I shouldn't expect much from you. You're dismissed." His expression was stern. I furrowed my eyebrows in anger at his condescending tone but I bite my tongue not wanting to get him riled up. This was not what I had imagined my first day to look like.

It was closing hours already and Marcus wasn't around so I decided to go to the hospital to visit my mum. I walked into her room and the sight of her made me smile. She was sitting up on the bed eating her food, it was the first time in months she was eating by herself.

" Hey mom" I said bending down to hug her.

"Hey sweetie, why are you crying?" She said wiping the tears that fell from my eyes with her thumb.

" It's happy tear mum, how are you feeling?"

" I feel better, but Ana where did you get the money from."

" I'm happy you're better now. Look what I got you, your favourite flower, hibiscus."

" Ana, don't try to change the topic. Answer me?"

" You don't have to worry about that, I worked hard." She looked at me in a way that shows she doesn't believe me but she drop the topic.

I went back to the penthouse later that night. " Where the fuck have you been Ana?" I heard in the dark immediately I opened the door. I flipped the light switch on and Marcus was right there in all his glory. He was sitting on a sofa with a glass of whiskey in his hand, still in his work attire.

"I don't think that's any of your business." I said before moving to the fridge to get a cup of water. As I closed the fridge to go away i bumped into something hard, Marcus. He had sandwiches me between his body and the fridge. He was so close to me that the proximity was messing with my brain. He lowered his head, I could feel his hot breath fanning down on my ear and neck.

"As far as you're mine, It is always going to be my business."