by Mel Ryle
Beside me, William cleared his throat to grab the bartender’s attention. When he finally tore his gaze away from me, he stiffened in recognition.
“Mr. Maxwell. Is there anything I can get you?” he asked in a low voice.
“I’ll have a whiskey, and please stop flirting around or I’ll fire you this instant,” he answered calmly, yet his eyes hardened while he looked at him.
“Yes, sir. I’m sorry, sir. I’ll be back with your order right away.” The bartender stumbled with his footing and his eyes widened in fright as he backed away from us.
I turned to look at William when the bartender was out of hearing range. He, on the other hand, was looking around the room to avoid my gaze. I simply continued to stare at him and waited until he looked back. When he did after a few seconds, his annoyance mirrored mine.
“What?”
“Why did you say that to him?” I asked with clenched teeth. The man was ticking me off more and more since I met him.
“He wasn’t concentrating on the job that I paid him to do.”
“Really? So, why the hell did you fire me? I didn’t flirt and I did my job right,” I hissed, eyeing him with a deadly stare. I’ve always wanted to ask him that and this seemed like the right moment for it.
His eyes zeroed on mine. “You were being unreasonable and you made a commotion. Plus, you insulted me by not even recognizing who I was,” he replied with a growl, his voice low as he leaned closer to me. He was close enough that I could feel his hot breath fanning my face, which made my stomach twist at the proximity. I pushed the feeling aside and allowed my anger to consume me.
“I wasn’t being unreasonable. You were the one who overreacted. You can’t blame me for my lack of knowledge. I just moved in town for Christ’s sake,” I replied angrily, my voice a whisper as I leaned closer to him.
He stared me down and remained quiet for a second. I didn’t move away from my spot so that I wouldn’t look weak. I could still remember the smug look on his face earlier when I retreated at his advance. So we both stood there face to face, glaring at each other.
We were interrupted from our staring contest when someone cleared his throat. I didn’t know how long I could last under his gaze, so I was glad that was over. We both looked at the man who interrupted us. It was the same man who was with Alexandra. I stared at him longer than necessary so I could get a good look at him.
He was handsome. His exotic, tropical beauty, with his dark hair and tanned skin, made him stand out from most of the light-haired and fair-skinned people in the room. With his muscular build, almost identical to William’s, it would be impossible not to notice him. The grin on his face was teasing as he looked back and forth between William and me.
“Would you two get a room already? Both of you are oozing with sexual tension,” he said with a grin.
“Shut it, Michael. I’m not in the mood right now,” William warned as he turned away from him when the bartender placed our drink in front of us. His glare made the bartender back away in retreat.
“Hi there. I’m sorry if I haven’t properly introduced myself.” The man turned to me as he held out his hand. “My name is Michael Hamilton, Alexandra’s fiancé. You must be... Andy, if I’m right,” he continued as I shook his hand for a second, nodding in confirmation.
“It’s nice to meet you,” I mumbled nervously since I wasn’t sure how to interact with him. He just smiled at my timid reply.
“Don’t be shy. I may look huge but I don’t bite. I could hardly kill a fly,” he stated with a laugh.
I chuckled along with him. My nerves slowly subsided at his carefree personality. If only Mr. Mogul would be this amiable, then I wouldn’t have said anything rude to him in the first place.
Michael started a conversation with me, asking me about my new job as his fiancé’s assistant. He also asked about my degree and where I was from. He looked delighted when I told him I grew up on a farm. He said he always wanted to live on one, but it was near impossible since his work was in the city. William stayed with us and listened to our conversation in silence. From time to time, I glanced at him while I sipped my drink. And every time I looked at him, his eyes would catch mine. It was like he never tore his eyes away from me.
I didn’t let that thought bother me and gave all of my attention to Michael while he told me a story about his work as a lawyer. Though he didn’t get into details, because of some confidentiality agreements, he narrated his day-to-day happenings in court and his office. In the middle of the conversation, Alexandra joined us and kept the conversation flowing freely with laughs. But William neither laughed nor flinched as Michael joked around. He just stood there like a statue. From the corner of my eye, I noticed Alexandra’s expression fall as she glanced at her brother. I pretended that I didn’t see her reaction.
After a solid half an hour of talking, we stopped when the crowd was called to the other room for dinner. I decided to take this time to head out. I didn’t want to sit in a room filled with posh people because I just didn’t fit in. Alexandra tried to convince me to stay, but I made up an excuse of having an appointment I had to attend to. I tried to make my appointment sound important so I could be excused. However, she let me go under one condition: William was taking me home since Kevin was dispatched elsewhere.
I wanted to protest her request, but the stern look in her eyes shut me up and I relented right away. Alexandra is the kind of woman you shouldn’t question—especially when she has already made up her mind. William looked unwilling as I was, and we both looked at her with pleading eyes. After a moment, William sighed in defeat and offered me his arm again.
“I’ll drive you back to your apartment. I don’t like eating dinner with those people anyway,” William mumbled to himself. “Please tell mom I’m heading out,” he added aloud as he glanced back at his sister.
I waved goodbye while William dragged me towards the main door. As we got out, he ordered a man in a black suit, who was standing in front of the door the whole time, to get his car. This was my cue to let go of his hand. I slowly slipped my arm out of his grasp but he put his other hand on top of mine and stopped me. So I stood awkwardly with him as we waited for his car.
When I heard the soft hum of an engine, I looked up and saw a sleek black car parked in front of us. William tugged me towards it as I looked at his ride with wide eyes. He let go of my arm once he left me in the front passenger door. The driver of the car got out when William reached his side of the door then gave him the keys to the car. I restrained my giddiness as I caressed the hood of the car while they made the exchange. I’ve only seen this kind of luxury ride in the movies. It might either be an Audi or a Mercedes.
“Are you going in?” William asked, breaking my trance.
I looked up at him in disbelief. “Are you for real?”
“Yes. Please get in before I change my mind,” he commanded as he opened the driver’s door and hopped in.
I shook my head at his overbearing attitude. I opened the door and got in slowly, my eyes absorbing every single detail of the car. When I finally closed the door, with the engine already revved up, William hit the gas pedal and drove us to the freeway in less than a minute. The rumbling engine brought life to the silent night.
In about thirty minutes, the car slowed down when we arrived at a familiar street and he slowly parked the car in front of my apartment building. I opened the door as quickly as I could before he could say anything. But as I stood on the pavement, I felt guilty about my hasty exit, so I stooped low enough to see his face again.
“Thanks for the ride,” I choked out, my voice strained from the effort.
He looked at me with a poker face as he nodded. I waited for a moment for him to reply, but he didn’t say anything. It annoyed me as hell.
“You can at least say ‘you’re welcome’,” I said sarcastically and rolled my eyes.
“Sorry. And you’re welcome,” he finally said in a low and equally strained voice.
I felt exhausted just from having this conversation with a man who didn’t even like human company. I didn’t say goodbye to him as I walked towards the glass doors that led to the lobby of my apartment. When I closed them behind me, I heard the faint sound of the car as it screeched away on the street. I sighed in disappointment when I found the pavement empty.
I stood there watching the empty street and I felt like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. But with my head now clear, it finally dawned on me: How did he know where I lived when I didn’t tell him anything?
Ten
As I walked up to my place, I contemplated about what happened earlier that night and my time spent with him. My mind raced on the thought of how he knew where I lived. It was weird how he consumed my thoughts. He clearly held some sort of power over me, and that sent a shiver down my spine. So I decided to retaliate. For starters, I needed to know my enemy. Luckily, I know the best person for the job.
After I finished changing, wearing my usual white shirt, jeans, and Converse, I knocked on the door across mine. I hoped that she wasn’t busy or asleep. In a few seconds, a female voice called on the other side of the door and told me to wait. When the door opened, I gave my new neighbor a small smile in greeting.
“Andy, hey! I almost forgot. I’m taking you out for drinks tonight,” she stated, giving me a warm smile. “Please come in for a second as I get my things,” She gestured for me to enter.
“Thank you,” I walked into the room and scanned her place. “I didn’t want to bother you, but I wanted to ask you about something,” I said as I reached the living room and stopped by the couch.
“Sit.” She walked towards a sliding door on the left side of the room before she stopped to point at the couch. “What do you want to ask?” her voice was thick with curiosity.
“You know William Maxwell, right?” I asked, taking it slow rather than bluntly asking her about him.
“Vaguely. The magazine I work for did a spread about him. From time to time, we feature him and his sister,” she replied nonchalantly, “Why do you ask?”
“Well,” I paused for a second as I thought of a good excuse so that I wouldn’t sound like a stalker, “I’m going to be working for him this Monday, and I don’t really know the man.”
“Okay. Sure, I can tell you what I know. Let me change first and we can head out to the coffee shop across the street. The tenant who lives in the apartment beside mine owns it.”
After she said that, she opened the sliding door and disappeared into the room. I waited as she quickly changed. When she stepped out, she wore an outfit almost identical to mine, but her chic top outshined my plain white shirt. I stood up by the time she walked towards the door, trailing a foot behind her.
When we reached the coffee shop across the street, I was awestruck at its warm and tasteful design. It had a vintage feel to it with the dark red couches and wooden tables and chairs. It reminded me of the mansion I just went to earlier in the evening.
We sat down at the far side of the room where two lounge chairs faced each other with a wooden table in between. Ally stood up as she asked me for my order. I wasn’t much of a coffee drinker, so I asked for her suggestion. It took a while before she came back with our drinks and two bagels on a tray.
“Don’t worry about paying. It’s my treat tonight,” she stated as she placed the drinks and food on the table between us.
“Thank you,” I said as I gave her a small smile.
When she sat down on her chair, I grabbed the caramel-colored drink and took a small sip. The drink was sweet yet it had a bitter aftertaste.
“What is this drink called?” I asked out of curiosity.
“It’s actually my favorite. It’s caramel macchiato,” she replied with a beaming smile.
I took another sip of the drink again, tasting it a second time. Though I usually don’t like any bitter food or drinks, the sweetness of the caramel balanced out the bitterness of the coffee. After a few sips, I couldn’t believe that I was starting to like its bittersweet taste.
“So, what do you want to know about Mr. Maxwell?” Ally asked, breaking my fixation as I took another sip of my caramel macchiato.
I gulped down the drink and felt nervous as I asked the first question at the top of my head.
“Who is William Maxwell?”
She chuckled and shook her head, “Can you be a little more specific? The question is too vague.”
“Oh. I mean what's he like personally and professionally?”
“Well, I don’t know about his personal life, but when it comes to business, the man is a force to be reckoned with,” Blinking a couple of times in awe. “He dropped out of Harvard Business School on his fourth year after his father died to help build the Maxwell empire. In less than two years, he kept the company afloat and increased its market value. I think he didn’t sleep within those two years. The company had expanded from a small real estate company to a corporate conglomerate.”
Her voice filled with admiration as she told me William’s accomplishments. Throughout the conversation, Ally revealed details about William that I could have read in newspapers and magazine, but she also added a piece of information that the tabloids didn’t reveal. It was the reason behind his hard, arrogant exterior. Though it was only her assumption, it was substantial enough for me to ponder more later on.
William Maxwell was the heir and next in line to the Maxwell Enterprises. During his adolescence, he was rebellious. Thus, he had forfeited the fortune of his father to his sister, Alexandra Maxwell. She ran the company alongside their father, but she didn’t like the business world. She wanted to be a chef. So she gave William a chance to redeem himself by going to Harvard Business School. While he studied, his father was diagnosed with a kind of cancer that had a very high mortality rate. His father died before he could finish school. Their company was handed over to his sister, leaving him with nothing. In his resentment, he left school.
Alexandra was quick on her feet and allowed William to take the company’s position as CEO under her guidance. William took it as an opportunity and strived hard to prove something to someone who was already dead. Although he was known for his rude and unapproachable aura, he was still famous with the ladies. Since he had the name, the money, and the face, no one with tits could resist his charm. He was also known as a player who only sleeps with women rather than get into a relationship with them. The last relationship he had was in college to a now-famous supermodel.
I absorbed the information Ally told me about the man who might have my life crushed with one phone call. I swallowed a lump in my throat as I thought of some defense so he couldn’t hurt me, but I found none. The man owned more than half of the city’s businesses and real estate properties, with local and international branches. He was the worst kind of enemy. And I had the worst kind of luck. I just had to be one of the few people that could piss him off.
I sighed in defeat when Ally finished. I was definitely screwed. I didn’t know how to face him on my first day at work. I could only pray that I don’t cross paths with him at all… But then I remembered something that made me want to jump off a bridge: since Alexandra’s office is right beside his, then my desk was located right outside of it!
After finishing our drinks and bagels, we headed back to our apartment and said our goodbyes. I quickly locked the door and headed towards the bedroom. I plopped onto the bed and curled into a ball, not bothering to change into my pajamas. I sighed hopelessly and thought, ‘How the hell was I going to deal with Mr. Mogul?!’
The next day, I woke up with a bit of a headache. I didn’t mind the pain and rolled out of bed. When I finished taking a bath and dressed in my usual outfit, I skipped breakfast and went to the hospital right away.
One of the perks of my new place was the short bus ride to and from the hospital my father stayed in, which helped me save time. As I got there, he had just finished eating his breakfast. He was shocked to see me this early. I started telling him about what ha
ppened yesterday after he put away his dish. I skipped the part when Mr. Famous and Serious took me home. I don’t know why I skipped that, but I felt like I had to.
By lunch, I’d already covered most of the details, even having coffee with Ally. My father’s eyebrows scrunched together when I started telling him about William Maxwell. I mentally smirked at his reaction. Maybe it was a response to the way I was narrating the story, but what can I say? A person can only tell a story from their point of view.
When afternoon came, Terry visited with Andrew. It was the first time my father met Terry’s boyfriend. He wasn’t judgmental and was very carefree the entire time they stayed for a chat. I also told them about my night at the most talked about party. Andrew was taken aback when he knew I was going to work for Alexandra Maxwell. He almost lost his ability to breathe from the shock. He started questioning me about everything. I got uncomfortable at one point, which made Terry cut him off and lie smoothly about leaving for work early. In reply, I smiled to him in thanks.
I left a few minutes after Terry left because my father insisted that I head home. I didn’t want to go since I wouldn’t be seeing him until the next weekend. My new job was quite time consuming. I’m not complaining, though, since I had a higher paying salary and a free apartment. Money can sometimes change the way you think.
Monday arrived and I reluctantly got up from bed at five thirty in the morning. I may be a morning person, but five thirty is just too early for anyone to be up. However, I wanted to get to work before it started. I needed to be ahead of his game or he’ll take advantage of me again. I can’t allow him to weaken my resolve.
Once I finished showering, I stood in front of the closet to decide what I was going to wear. I found at least ten different kinds of skirt and pantsuits, all lined up neatly. I haven’t really checked it since all my clothes fit in one drawer beside my bed. I’m surprised Alexandra included clothes along with all the free stuff she had given me.
With careful hands, I caressed the soft fabric of each suit and felt its silky texture under my fingertips. I couldn’t help the huge grin creeping on my lips. For a few minutes, I stood there, contemplating on what to wear for my first day at work. I couldn’t look too uptight or too sexy. I just needed a balance of the two to look killer. As the saying goes, you have to look the part to play the part.
