9. PRETEND ENGAGEMENT.
There was only one person that could tell Damien what to do—
And that was Amanda. His office was quiet, the moment the last woman had walked out. He held out the multiple résumés he’d received in the past hour before tossing them to the side.
“That one seems like Olivia—your former secretary” Amanda intruded his thoughts before he diverted his eyes across the room. She had her legs up on the couch as she went through the finances in her hands. Damien heaved a stoic sigh.
“You know with the skirt and the way she dresses. Goofy” She joked and Damien rested back in his chair, his eyes falling on the novel Olivia had forgotten in his office. He picked it up without uttering a reply to his mother. Scanning through the pink book, a smirk morphed on the side of his lips. He himself, couldn’t believe he had actually fired Olivia. “You’re going to have to make a decision soon—“ Amanda added again, and he looked to his empty coffee cup by his side.
“I don’t want someone that seems like her.”
Amanda held her next eyes, recognizing that ferocious look in her son’s eyes. But he stopped there, never completing the statement. She got up, offering to bring to some coffee but then immediately, someone barged through his door.
“Mr Archer.” He recognized Omar who breathed shallow breathes. He pointed distantly behind him. “We’ve been waiting for you. You got a meeting in B2 since noon” He continued and Damien rooted himself up from the chair. “Shit” He ran his hands through his hair. “I had no idea—“ He looked to his worksheet before grabbing his laptop. But before he paced behind Omar, he turned to his mother. “Hire anyone that’s willing to start this very moment” He commanded before leaving with the speed of light.
And Amanda had a snarky grin on her face as she walked into the waiting room. Scanning the faces of the women that had just applied—she noticed the one by the far right. Meek, and quiet. She stretched out a finger. “You” She called the one person that hadn’t been interviewed. “You’re hired.” She added.
“But—“ She stood to walk up to her. Amanda stretched the coffee cup to her, quieting the young lady. “You start immediately” And with that, she turned her back around to her, leaving her standing in utter confusion next to the girls. Now that Amanda had his whole office to herself, she opened his vault of a drawer, hefting the Archer files. “Now—“ She paused.
“Time to save this company.”
-
“How are you?”
Olivia didn’t have a hard thought before giving her reply. She’d spent half the day in that chair, on her third piece. The phone rested on the table with Agatha’s voice beaming from the speakers. “I’m okay” She finally replied as if she didn’t cry to her aunt the day before about loosing her job.
“I’m settling in”
“You’ve started applying to new ones yet?“ Agatha asked, her voice going seamlessly with the Marc DeMarco music that played in the background. “I think i should take a break. One within my means” She chuckled. “I’m thinking a week or less” For a moment, Olivia thought of how consuming working as Damien’s secretary was. And not just with respect to her time, but other things as well. “Take as much time as you need, hun” Agatha replied. “And while you’re at it, please stop by some time.”
She chuckled, drawing the lines together of the ball gown piece she was working on. She’d drawn the hips, and added a gothic corset and even a transparent dark veil to go with it. But she couldn’t help but think something was missing—and it wasn’t jewelry. Maybe it was her hair that needed to be up. She paused in silence as if Agatha hadn’t just said something.
“I’d take that as a yes.” She lowly added and Liv hummed. “Yes” She replied, off the top of her head. “It’s the eyes—“ A gasp suddenly escaped her lips before she leaned forward. Of course it was, Olivia hated drawing the faces of her models, and she’d leave them blank if her perfectionist ocd would let her.
It always felt incomplete without the face.
Sort of how she felt in that moment. A hole inside of her she so desperately wanted to fill with a hobby.
-
Damien stood there, his arms void of a clipboard or pen. The projector light dimmed, leaving his shadow lingering there. And Omar packed up his files at the end of the meeting.
His hands met the edge of the table as he let out a deep breath. “I fucked up, didn’t i?” He asked Omar who was already headed out of the boardroom. “It was something, okay?” He teased, patting his broad arms. “It wasn’t that bad. Just actually prepare next time, which is—“ He looked to his watch. “In an hour. With the finance department.”
Omar suited up as Damien looked to him. “Why are you there?” He gritted his teeth. “As this firm’s attorney, i’m obligated to be at your every meeting” He cleared his throat.
“You were my father’s last hire”
“Even though i could never understand why we need an attorney all of a sudden” He’d gone ice and Omar chuckled deeply. “To save this company, Mr Archer.” Was all he said before pulling apart from Damien—who stood there with hands in his pocket and brows arched in utter quagmire.
“Shit”
His voice echoed through the empty boardroom as he stood there, still lacking his dose of morning caffeine. And he could already feel the migraine striking his temples. It was the little things that she did—little things like getting his usual coffee on his table even before he got in. Little things like scheduling his meetings on a clipboard for him. Little things that Olivia did.
And it had barely been a day, but somehow he was already a mess without her. But his ego would never bring him to admit it.
Omar walked into the coffee room as usual. He had a pattern through these office doors he still tried to get used to. And when he pushed open the door, his eyes met a familiar one.
Alli was also used to coming here during his quarter hour break.
“Are you stalking me?” Omar sat into his chair. And Alli resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “You wish, Omar” He called his name, and the other, liked the way it sounded from his lips.
There was a pause between them before Omar made a sound with his watch. “It’s two pm, you know?” He said and Alli looked to him. “And?” He flatly said.
“You’re not doing Jummah?”
“You’re not a good muslim” Omar was quick to judge and Alli looked back at him. “Why aren’t you praying as well?” He asked. “How are you sure i haven’t already?” He threw back a question and Alli pushed a lump down his throat.
“Because you were just in a meeting with Mr Archer?”
He tilted his head, with a mischievous smirk on his lips. “So you were stalking me?” He whispered. “Only because you did” Alli replied. “Or maybe you’re interested.”
Alli turned to pink, choking on his coffee. “Come on now, don’t flatter yourself.” He walked past him and out of the doors, leaving Omar’s lingering eyes behind him. And unlike Damien, he was used to smiling, chuckling and getting his emotions out there.
But with Alli, he wasn’t sure what he felt. This was first time—an awakening. But it was much more complicated than that, unbeknownst to both of them.
-
After a long day, Damien retired to his office—only to find his mother by his dark drapes. He halted by the door, taking in a deep breath and she didn’t bother looking back at him.
There was a mileway distance between them and his eyes darted to the multiple documents scattered across the table. He looked to Amanda who had her hands against her hips.
“Since when have you known?” She suddenly asked. Damien drew close to his desk, running his hands through the paper. “What?” He asked and Amanda turned back to him. “Since when have you known our finances have been plummeting?”
“What?” He softly asked and Amanda asked. “What are you saying? We’re a multi billion dollar corporation” He replied and all she gave was a jeering laugh. “And where do you think we stock up cash that amount?” She asked.
“I looked at our shares, and most of our investors are pulling out since Hank died. There have no idea who you are and a ravaging article certainly didn’t help” His hands cracked against the table as he leveled her eyes. “Shit” He cussed.
“Yes, shit” Amanda echoed. “All the loads of shit because we’re a public company and if a majority of our investors pull out, we’d be left with nothing—“
“We?” Damien turned away and she scoffed. “You want to do that right now?” She raised her voice. “I don’t give a shit about me but i know you—i know you too well to know that you’d never forgive yourself if you lose your father’s legacy” She added. “Times has changed from what it usually was—since we went private and we need these people to stay afloat in an already crippling economy. That’s how we stay being a multi-billion dollar corporation” There was a crack in her voice.
And he remembered what Omar had said earlier—
“To save this company, Mr Archer.”
“You think Hank knew?“ Damien felt his heart sink and his head ache. “I don’t know Damien but you have to do something if you don’t want this place to completely shut down. Now you can do this all by yourself, or you could let me help” She whispered. “You could finally let me help you, and help this place.”
“I have a finance meeting in an hour. I’d have them know of our status” He looked around the files and she scoffed. “Do you not know how this business works?” She asked. “The last thing you need right now is staff fleeing out of fear. You don’t want to let the whole company know you’re already struggling” Amanda said.
“So what do we say we do?”
“We?” It was Amanda who echoed this time. “I thought you wanted to solo the shit to the ground. The last time i checked i was only your guest. Nothing more” She replied and Damien resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “You want a job. You can have it. CCO or whatever but you tell me how to save this company.”
Amanda smirked, placing a finger to the table. “I made a call.” Damien remembered how she was always ten steps ahead of him. Ahead of everyone. So maybe, he did need her. “I made a call to several of the investors pulling out and a deligate of new ones, including some of the original board members” Amanda continued.
“But it doesn’t end there.”
“Raznak Soviet.” She called. “He’s a fine Russian investor whose single donation can keep us afloat. I had a word with him and he’s currently in Vienna. He wants a meeting with you. And I”
“Both of you.”
Damien arched his brows. “Both of who?” He slowly echoed, looking around him before his door suddenly opened and in came the new secretary, Joan. She placed the coffee next to him before standing aside, letting Amanda assess the best of her. “Pending the moment you meet Mr Raznak, you’re an engaged fine gentleman—“ “What?” Damien interrupted her suddenly. “Listen to me, Damien. You want to save this company, you’re going to have to play the part” She replied.
“And why can’t i play the actual role of being the single man my father appointed as head of the company?” She chuckled. “Because son, investors need assurance. They need concrete ascertainment that this line wouldn’t crumble after you. You have no idea how this works but you know of your father” She said.
“Hank was well, hale and hearty until one morning he didn’t wake up—“ There was a crack in her voice. “And what if God forbids, the same happens to you? What happens then” She calmed.
“Listen to me Damien. You’re going to have to pretend, not for you nor for me. But for Hank, because that is the only way we come as close to convincing Raznak to reinvest in us. If we’re sure there is no death to this bloodline. Not anytime soon” She added. “I—“ He stuttered. “What about Luke? And what if they see through the lies after about two years without a wedding or ac child?” He asked his mother.
Joan took her queue to awkwardly leave the tense room, and she closed the door behind her. “Now you know Luke wants nothing to do with your father’s company. And besides, Hank already made it possible that he wouldn’t want that either” Silence fell between them before he asked.
“And the other question?” He asked. “We will cross the bridge when we get there” She walked all the way to him, taking his hands in hers. “And—“ Damien whispered. “Who will be the woman? Who will be my wife?” He gazed fixedly into her eyes and her eyes went to the door and back at him.
“I think you know who”
“The new lady?” He asked. “It’s too complicated to drag her—“ And the moment he looked back to his mother, she held up a book to his face. A romance novel by a certain William Hopper—
—one that Olivia had left behind. “Jackpot” Amanda whispered and he scoffed before realizing she was being serious. His face straightened before he stepped back. “Olivia?” He asked.
“Hell to the fuck no.”
“About saving your father’s company? You said you’d do anything—And ive seen the way you look at her. With hate, and disdain and a very strong passion. No one would tell the difference between such strong feelings and love. That way, it’s more convincing.” Damien was numb, quiet. “How would she ev—I fired her. Plus she would never agree to this” He scoffed lightly.
“There’s only one way to find out” She waved the book in his face and his shoulders fell. “And one way to get her back” His eyes went to the coffee that had already turned cold on his table.
He fell into his chair. “Can i think about it?” He asked. “Sure, you have ten minutes while i go settle Joan. It’s hard being fired the very day you got hired—“ Amanda whispered and Damien wedged his hands against his chin. “That’s on you” He replied.
“It’s on you for letting your ego get the best of you the moment you decided to fire Olivia. You know that girl did nothing wrong—said nothing wrong. And now you’re going to go look for her” A sly smile crept to her lips as he ravaged through the documents.
“I haven’t agreed. And she hasn’t either.”
“It isn’t a big deal. Pretending to love someone is much more easier than love itself” Amanda whispered and her son leveled her eyes. What he didn’t know, was that it would be exceptionally hard with two people that already had history.
-
Olivia had a towel round her chest as she glided her hips to a Yazoo song. It wasn’t until she heard a knock on her door that she paused it, running towards it. “Who is it?” She struggled with putting a shirt on but there was no reply.
Her first guess would have been Agatha, or perhaps Alli.
But the moment she pushed open the door, she realized how wrong she was. Before her was the woman she had seen that day in Damien’s office and her jaw dropped. “How did you find—“ He walked up her porch with a hand in his pocket.
“Olivia?” She called and she reluctantly nodded. “We have a proposal for you—“ Amanda took off her glasses, matching her gaze and Liv pushed a lump down her throat. “If you let us in—“
To be continued…