My response must not matter, or he must trust me to follow instructions because he turned on his heels and started walking into the house.

I was impressed, but I was even more so when we got inside the house. The living room was so large, I wondered how he wasn’t lonely living alone. An exquisite chandelier dropped graciously from the center of the ceiling, and the velvet upholstery was sure to catch anyone’s attention.

I made myself comfortable on the sofa while he excused himself to fetch some things. I had known the Carrs to be very wealthy since I was a child. And presently, their business is flourishing more than ever.

Though Allison was hardly home, she still reached out to me whenever she could, and I was grateful.

Christian’s smell pervaded the house’s atmosphere, penetrating my senses. I could tell that I was being swayed by it. However, now I was no longer the bashful young girl I used to be. I was a twenty-four-year-old woman capable of having a job and keeping it.

I admitted Christian Carr was a man I always admired. Everything about him charmed me; he exuded this chivalry that most men did not possess. It made me appreciate him more. From what I had always known about him, he was kind, tender and supportive.

Now, here I was in his living room, almost unsuccessful at concealing my childhood emotions.

“I’m back,” he announced as he walked into the living room. It was almost like it was his runway. “I’m not sure if Allison told you everything about what we do, but Robust Technology is a tech company that uses AI to improve people’s health. Through food, but we’re trying to branch into pharmaceuticals.

He handed me a couple of documents. “Here’s a brief report on what we do.”

I nodded slowly as I took the documents from him. He considered four documents brief? Looked like I’d be doing more studying.

“Thank you,” I said, and then Christian was off to work while I had ‘brief’ documents to go through and find out what the company was about and what was required of me.

*****

On Christian’s insistence, I resumed work the following morning.

Robust Technology had high ratings and, therefore, was top-notch. The employees were so uniform in their professional attitude that you would easily recognize them amidst clients and strangers. They strictly followed the company’s code of conduct and were very diligent at their respective departments.

I heard that Christian was recently appointed CEO, and his father, the Chairman Sebastian Carr, was retired.

His office was situated in a long, quiet hall conducive to treating critical matters in the company. My desk as PA was just outside his door, and an intercom buzz called my attention to him whenever he needed me.

I totally fell in love with my desk on the first day of work. Christian had asked for a vase of fresh flowers to be placed on it. It added a touch of color to the polished, monotone surface, and I was thankful for his thoughtfulness.

When the intercom buzzed for the second time that morning, I gently stood up from my seat, smoothed down my skirt, and quietly walked inside his office. His office was like a study with books stacked on shelves. His cologne overwhelmed the entire space, marking it as his territory.

The walls around the room were paneled in rich mahogany, and a thick, plush carpet ran endlessly across the space. Towards the end of the room, Christian’s desk backed the window from which light rushed into the room. It had a sublime view.

“You called for me, sir.” I stood in the middle of the room and kept my arms by my side. The etiquette class I took on YouTube taught me this much. I’ve lost so many jobs; it was only a matter of time before I started looking for help and I started online.

“Yes, could you please come forward?” He softly said. I came close enough to see his smooth face shine resplendently against the backdrop of the scenery. It was glorious.

“I think this is enough distance; you don’t have to stay so far away.” He said.

“Alright, sir.” I agreed. I actually didn’t want to stand so far away from him, either. I was merely being polite.

“Yes, thank you. Here, have it.” He handed a flash drive to me. “There is certain data that needs to be sorted and organized there. I hope to get a report by...” He glanced at his expensive silver wristwatch. “Eleven am.” He ended.

“Definitely.” I prepared to leave.

“And I need a cappuccino.” He added.

“I’ll get that right away.”

“Thank you.”

A few minutes later, when I returned with the coffee, he was already on a call and out of his desk.

“Thank you.” He mouthed and continued talking on the phone.

He was so calm, yet he looked disturbed and irritated. I found myself lingering on the spot. Suddenly, he turned to me, and our eyes locked. I panicked and quickly walked out of the room. When I was behind my desk, I wondered if I had crossed a line. His gaze had been rather sharp. However, I tried to put my mind at rest.

I inserted the flash drive into the computer system and immediately began the task. I was not used to it, but it was quite simple.

This whole experience would be a breeze.

Chapter Two

Christian

In a life I was trying to forget, I told a girl that her entire personality blew my mind. And even though I wasn’t asked to elaborate, I mentioned persistence as being one of my favorite characteristics.

I didn’t know what it was like to be on the receiving end of this attention. I wouldn’t have mentioned it if I had known that Aurora couldn’t take a hint. She was insistent as they came; she wore me down with the constant calls and requests to meet.

Yes, it was true that everyone in our family thought we were going to get married. The marriage would have benefitted both families, but it still didn’t explain why she wanted to be with me. She broke up with me in the first place, not like it was the first time, but I didn’t want to make up with her this time.

I was done being thrown around like a yoyo.

If only I knew a way to communicate this information to her, in a way that she would get it because it was apparent that she didn’t understand a single word that came out of my mouth.

The doorbell rang. I raised my head to find Fiona coming into the room with a smile. I offered one back to her, all thoughts of Aurora and her persistence moving to the back of my head to focus on Fiona.

I thought it was amazing how I, the CEO of one the leading tech companies in the country, seemed to be taken in by Fiona. Our relationship was easy, and I’d attribute it to the years we spent together as children.

She used to be my younger sister’s best friend and nothing else. The five-year difference in our age was glaring as kids, and I made sure I brought it up at every given opportunity. But these days, I only thought about how much she has grown as a woman.

Allison should have warned me about how hot her best friend had become through the years.

“Good morning, Mr. Carr.” She saluted, her eyes smiling brightly against the morose background of dawn.

“Good morning,” I responded, and she walked in, her steps coordinated like a model’s.

I liked the finesse that could always be spotted in the way she did things, and now, thinking of it, she had been like that since we were kids. Her box of toys had been very intact, while Allison had made a mess of her own. Even her books had been so neat, you would have hardly spotted a wrinkle.

So yeah, Fiona Reece was still the same. Nothing had changed in her save for the body.

“I hope you had a good night’s rest.” She said when she was in front of me.

“Ah, not really.” I sat on the nearby sofa. “Take a seat, please.”