Chapter 49
I couldn't believe Aiden dared to say those things. The sheer thickness of his skin was astounding.
On the other end of the line, his assistant's voice was pitching higher with panic. "Mr. Smith, what do we do? The phones won't stop ringing. I think they all want to terminate their contracts."
"Elizabeth! Get your ass over here right now!" Aiden roared into his phone.
I disconnected the call.
Listening to the chaos erupting on his end, a satisfied smirk I couldn't suppress curled my lips. My objective had been achieved.
I had momentarily forgotten I wasn't alone in the office until I turned and met their gazes.
Alexander arched an eyebrow at me. "That happy?"
His question snapped me back to reality, and the smile vanished from my face. I shook my head, a wave of awkwardness washing over me. "It's nothing."
My reaction felt strange, or rather, openly celebrating my revenge on Aiden right in front of Alexander was what felt strange.
Charles, ever the diplomat, cleared his throat softly and slipped out of the office, leaving Alexander and me alone in the vast, quiet space.
The atmosphere immediately grew thick with a palpable tension. I sat behind my desk, breaking the silence in a low voice. "So, what exactly are my job duties?"
Since he had gone to the trouble of getting me into the company, complete with formal onboarding, there had to be actual work for me to do. My primary mission was his protection, but on quiet days, I couldn't just sit here and stare at him.
"Start by familiarizing yourself with my schedule," he said, his voice a low rumble. "From now on, you're to be with me at all times during work hours."
My mouth opened, a protest forming on my tongue, but I couldn't find a single valid excuse.
'With me at all times.' The phrase hung in the air, laced with an intimacy that felt entirely out of place.
"Right. Well, I'll go get you something to drink, then," I managed, gesturing toward the empty coffee mug on his desk. "It'll be a good way to learn your preferences."
Seizing the cup, I made a quick escape toward the breakroom, the flimsy excuse a welcome lifeline.
Being alone with Alexander was unsettling, especially under the weight of his direct, analytical gaze.
I was used to it, of course, but it still managed to trip a wire of nervousness deep inside me.
Worse, this was a professional setting, and being sequestered in a private office with him was just begging for speculation.
I had barely stepped into the breakroom when two female colleagues subtly closed in on me, their movements smooth and practiced. I didn't even notice them until they had blocked my path.
"You're the new girl Mr. Windsor brought in? Haven't seen you around before," the one who spoke first said. Her tone wasn't exactly friendly, but it lacked outright hostility, feeling more like a cross-examination.
I studied her face, saw no overt aggression, and replied, "Yes, today's my first day."
"Straight to being Mr. Windsor's assistant? You have some kind of special connection?" The other woman chimed in. "Don't tell me you're a relative."
A dry smile touched my lips. "If I were his relative, do you think I'd need to work?"
The logic seemed to land. They exchanged a look and nodded. "Don't get the wrong idea," the first woman clarified. "We're just curious. No harm intended."
Observing their expressions, I couldn't sense any real malice, so I didn't immediately turn away.
I'dalways been good at building rapport in new environments. Since they had initiated the conversation, I responded with an open, easygoing signal of my own. "I'm new here. We're colleagues now, so I hope we can all get along."
After a few more exchanges, the initial wall of unfamiliarity began to crumble.
I held up the coffee mug, deciding to lean into it. "So, do either of you know what Mr. Windsor usually drinks?"
It was only then that I realized, for all my talk of taking care of him, I knew pathetically little about Alexander's personal tastes.
The two women looked at each other, then shook their heads in unison.
"Mr. Harper usually handles all that. You'd be better off asking him."
"Yeah, definitely. Want me to show you where his office is?"
I glanced at the other colleagues still peeking in our direction from outside the breakroom and nodded. "Just tell me where to find it."
Staying here wouldn't get Alexander's coffee made, and finding Charles was the perfect excuse to escape the prying eyes. It was the best option I had.
"Down the hall, all the way to the end. You can't miss it."
"Okay, thanks."
Clutching Alexander's mug, I walked briskly toward Charles's office, feeling the burn of curious stares on my back. I practically fled into his room, shutting the door behind me.
"Ms. Spencer?" Charles jumped, startled by my sudden appearance, and quickly rose from his chair.
"Mr. Harper, I need to get up to speed on Mr. Windsor's preferences," I said, getting straight to the point. "He hasn't assigned me any specific tasks, and I need to find something productive to do."
Charles handed me a file. "This document contains some of Mr. Windsor's personal preferences and a list of things to be aware of. You can start with this."
The file was thicker than I had anticipated. I flipped through a couple of pages, my eyes widening at the dense text detailing every minute aspect of Alexander's life.
A pang of sympathy hit me. I looked at Charles. "All these protocols? Mr. Harper, you have my sincerest condolences. This must be exhausting."
He seemed taken aback by my reaction, his smile a bit stiff. "It's not so bad. Actually, Mr. Windsor is much easier to get along with than you might think."
"Is he?" I cleared my throat. "Well, thanks for the file. I'll take it back and start studying."
On my way back, I stopped by the breakroom and, using my newly acquired crash course from the file, prepared a cup of coffee that met his exact specifications.
But when I returned to the office, it was empty. A quick glance at his digital calendar showed me he was already in a conference room for a scheduled meeting.
Staring into the vacant office, a strange, inexplicable sense of unease settled over me.
Just then, a hand landed on my shoulder, the touch firm and deliberate. I spun around and came face-to-face with a woman whose expression was pure provocation.
My instincts screamed, and I took a step back, my body tensing. The woman froze for a second, then reached out to grab my arm.
I sidestepped her again, but she simply closed the distance, aggressively linking her arm through mine and pulling me close.
"What are you dodging for? Got a guilty conscience?" Her voice dripped with disdain.
I had no idea who she was, but the malice radiating from her was unmistakable. I tried to wrench my arm free. "What do you want?"
A stranger initiating such an intimate, forceful gesture would put anyone on high alert.
She only pressed closer, leaning her weight against me as she lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "You need money, don't you?"
Her tone was so certain, as if she could see right through me to my most desperate circumstances. I was about to tell her to get lost, but her smug, all-knowing expression sparked a flicker of curiosity. I decided to play along and nodded slowly.
"I do. What, you have a way for me to make some?"
A triumphant smirk spread across her face. She leaned in even closer, her voice now a seductive, tempting hiss. "Make a deal with me. I guarantee you'll earn more money than you could spend in a lifetime."