Chapter 54: Encountered with Darrel Part 2

Although Aishleen loved her father dearly, she never developed a love for his company. It wasn't that she found the work and the business too difficult, it was just that for some reason she never developed an interest in the company's business. No matter how much her father tried to help her get used to living in a business environment, or to learn about his business early on by taking her to work from an early age. Aishleen even remembers him setting up a small desk in his private office so she could pretend to be his personal assistant.

Her father once denied to everyone that all his efforts had failed until she begged him to give her the freedom she longed for. So when he gave her what she asked for, permission to stand on her own two feet in her career, it came as a complete surprise to her.

"I can't stop you from pursuing what you want, my princess," he told her the day she left town to begin her education. "There's no point in forcing you to do something that's not in your heart. It's better to give you the opportunity to spread your wings and reach higher, because I know you're capable of achieving whatever you want. You have the talent and the motivation. And I have no right to take that away from you."

Once she started, it took her a while to learn the company's work system. Even though she had studied business in college, her skills in that area were still not enough to take over everything right away. Fortunately, she was given the freedom to work on a mobile basis, which meant she didn't have to stay in the office and spend long hours in a boring atmosphere, and had free time to study and research at her own pace.

At first, she resisted being pampered. But later she understood that in the end it was something her father would do just to keep her by his side. Being her father's spy was not easy. Aishleen had to focus on her work while also paying attention to her colleagues. She was assigned to work side by side with Darrel Stone so that she could get to know the man better and, in her father's own words, get inside his mind. Working side by side with him and her father has required her to have the occasional late-night meeting or stay late in the office to work extra long hours. And those times were usually shared with Darrel.

There was one night when she was finally able to sit down and talk to him—all suspicions aside, along with the jealousy she had developed thanks to the rivalry that had loomed over her since she had started working there.

"You look tired," he said as she stretched her stiff body and limbs after sitting at the computer for a long time. "You shouldn't be working so late at night. It's not safe for a woman to walk home at this hour."

She rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Are you looking down on me because I'm a woman, Darrel Stone?"

He gave her a smile instead. "No, I'm just concerned about your health. After all, you are the boss's daughter." There was something in his words that made her uneasy.

If there was one thing she disliked most from the men around her, it was their comments on how a woman should do this or that, but the choice of words he gave her did not make her feel belittled. Although it was very disturbing. However, she had no idea what was going on at the time.

"I know how to protect myself," Aishleen brushed him off.

"I'm sure you do. But it is also my duty to protect you, Ms. Valega."

She had made it known to everyone around her that she saw him as her rival at work, and she had also made it known to herself the night he was invited to dinner at her family's home.

His father invites him to stay for drinks and conversation, and he invites Aishleen to join the conversation as they talk about how life is going at the company, while exchanging jokes about what they have heard from some of their business rivals. But when the conversation turns to work, the initially friendly banter turns into a lengthy discussion about the work system.

Just between Aishleen and Darrel, of course.

"You can't force people to work hard by checking everything all the time, especially with new people. They're already having a hard time getting used to this system," he said sarcastically after she mentioned that all data had to be checked manually while the technical department prepared the new system for use.

"What then? Are we just going to sit back and wait? The whole company will collapse before the system is up and running," she scoffed.

She was not one to get angry easily when someone disagreed with her, but his sarcastic tone was condescending to her, as if the man not only disrespected her as a person, but also belittled her opinion. "And who said anything about double-checking every time? What I'm suggesting is that we look for more experienced people to find the source of our problems. That way, when the system is up and running, we'll know what to fix and what to look for."

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Darrel's eyes darken. But she refused to stop or take the time to interpret it, thinking that he was just upset that she didn't agree with him anymore. That only made her continue her argument, "New employees can follow at their own pace, so they have more time and opportunity to practice while waiting."

Darrel licked his lips, taking the time to sip his drink slowly before preparing to reply to her statement, only to be stopped by her father, who suddenly let out an amused laugh from the side.

"I always knew it was a brilliant idea to have you two by my side. I feel like you two are there to speak on behalf of my conscience, because what you just discussed are all things I have discussed myself," the middle-aged man downed his drink after bursting into laughter.

"Funny, really," her father smiled at them, with a smile she knew had more meaning than he ever showed. "Like you were two sides of the same coin."

Things began to change after that night.

****

Aishleen felt that Darrel's attitude toward her began to soften, and he began to value her opinions more. He did his best to show how much he respected her, how he listened to every thought and idea that she put forward, how he never questioned Aishleen's decisions regarding all matters of the company, and he began to choose to make suggestions rather than disagree with every input that Aishleen made to the higher-ups of the company.

Darrel was never shy about showing how much he loved Aishleen. And instead of feeling good about the attention he was giving Aishleen, she grew suspicious and wary of the changes.

"What are you doing now?"

She finally asked the man as he walked beside her after a brief encounter. He had been more polite to her over the past few days, helping and accompanying her whenever he could. And now he was accompanying her as she walked to take a break for the day.

She stopped walking when she realized that Darrel would neither leave her nor let her go, following the woman's plan to have coffee alone for the third time this week. And it was only Wednesday.

"Must you always question my intentions?" He said, furrowing his eyebrows as he smiled teasingly at her, as he always did when he wanted to start his silly argument with her.

Aishleen stood up straight and raised her head, earning another smile from him. He was used to her being cold in front of him, a shield she put up to push him away.

"I was raised to always question everyone's intentions. Everyone has secrets. That was the first thing I learned as a child." The woman's words made him smile, but she ignored his smile and added, "And one of the things I've learned over the years is to question someone, even if they're too nice."

"Is that what I seem to be doing to you? Am I being too nice?" the man shrugged, still smiling.

Aishleen chose not to answer him, instead challenging him to make a move by standing her ground, unwilling to show any expression until he spoke his true intentions out loud.

"I have no reason other than the fact that I admire you more than anything else," the man's words escaped his lips, much to Aishleen's surprise. He approached her calmly, his eyes never leaving her. "Give me a chance to prove my sincerity to you. One dinner. I won't ask for anything more."