“Next,” A sultry feminine voice called out from the office opposite the sitting area, with a shiny metal plate, bearing the words, ``Conference room, attached to the closed door.
Amelia Ross’s eyes darted to the end of the sitting area, to see a woman who appeared to be in her early twenties, rise up from the plush sofa, with her sleek leather bag hanging from her shoulder and a file in her grasp. Quickly, she sauntered towards the door, her seven inches stilettos clicking against the marbled floor, as though she was announcing her entrance. Amelia tried peeking into the conference room, but she was too far away to see anything besides a set of chairs before the door was closed once again.
Ducking back her head, she counted about seven more women before her. A hot breath expelled from her lips as she forced herself to settle into the sofa, in a bid to calm her erratically beating heart.
It was her first time applying for a job, after recently graduating from college. As a fresh college graduate with zero experience, she knew finding a well-paying job wasn’t in the cards for her but the moment she stumbled upon a DCL Inc(s) ad on the internet, she decided to give it a try, after noting the job requirements. All that was expected for the position of an assistant to the CEO, Ryan Davidson, was basic education. As shocking as it was, the pay was even more shocking. The multi-billion dollar company was willing to pay more than a few thousand dollars for the position, with such basic minimum requirements. Also, she’d noticed the ad specified that only women between the ages of twenty to twenty-four were expected to apply for the position. While it was a strange requirement, Amelia was glad she fit into it perfectly, at her ripe age of twenty-two. Without giving further thought to the strange job ad, she quickly filled in her information, and luckily for her, she got an email from the company the next day, inviting her for the interview.
Pressing her palms flat on her thighs, she attempted to straighten the crease on her black pencil skirt_one of the few pieces of clothing she owned that she could wear to an official environment. Truly, she was intimidated by all of the women that showed up for the interview as they all appeared impeccably dressed in their simple yet expensive clothing. All she could put together in the short period she was invited was just a white blouse and this black skirt that she had managed to iron at her neighbor’s home, as her electricity had been cut off the previous day, due to the large bills she hadn’t been able to cover for months.
While Amelia was battling with her raging anxiety and the inferiority complex threatening to choke her, the queue kept moving until it finally got to her turn.
“Is there anyone still out there?” the same feminine voice she’d heard earlier on called out, disrupting Amelia’s thoughts.
“Yes,” she called back immediately, before slamming a palm over her mouth and hastily rising to her feet. Slinging her small black bag over her shoulder, she held onto her files and approached the door, her beating heart dropping to her stomach.
Calm down. Calm down. It’s just an interview.
She repeated these words in her head like a mantra, attempting to swallow down her nerves and increasing anxiety.
With a slight knock on the door, it opened and she stepped in to see a man seated at one end of the large glass table, his piercing gray eyes, directed at her in a cold calculating gaze. Amelia’s anxiety increased by ten folds from the heat of his stare, and she felt her mouth suddenly dry up.
“H-hi… I-I mean good morning, Sir,” she stuttered, still standing by the door, unsure of what to do, nor what was expected of her.
“Come forward and take your seat,” the woman sitting beside the man spoke, without glancing at Amelia.
Amelia recognized the voice as it matched perfectly with the one she’s been hearing. Quickly, she scurried towards one of the available chairs, a few chairs away from the man and the woman, and took her seat.
“You’re the last applicant?” the woman questioned and Amelia proceeded to nod, still feeling slightly uncomfortable as she could still tell the man’s gaze was still fixed on her. Inwardly, she wondered if the previous applicants had received the same treatment. “Tell us a little about yourself,”
Gulping, Amelia began;
“I’m Amelia Ross, a Business Administration Graduate from LaGuardia Community College. I’ve just recently graduated, hence I have no previous working experience, but I recall from your job advert that I won’t be needing that?”
The woman gave a slight nod.
“It’s nice to meet you, Amelia Ross. I’m Sylvia Lancaster, the secretary to the CEO, and here with me is Mr. Davidson, the CEO of DCL.”
For a moment, Amelia’s mouth popped open, her eyes growing wide as her eyes strayed from the woman’s eyes to that of the man who had been staring at her unblinkingly since she stepped into the room.
Truly, she hadn’t expected to be interviewed by the CEO, and neither had she seen the man before. It has skipped her mind to do quick g****e research on her proposed employer before showing up for the interview. Now sitting in the same room with him, she couldn’t explain how she was feeling, with her heart racing, and a cold sweat breaking out of her skin, despite the chilling temperature of the room.
Her gaze locked on the man’s, unable to look away, and neither did he. It was as if he was trying to play some form of mind game with her with the way he seized her up, his eyes crinkling at the edges with his thin pink lips set in a mean line. From the short moment Amelia had been in his presence, she could tell his glinting gray eyes weren’t the only nice features he possessed. His clean-shaven square jaw and his jet black hair all slicked back, gave him a fierce, yet handsome appearance. She couldn’t help but to liken him to a caged Lion, lying in wait for his prey. There was something about his eyes that screamed mischief.
“The role you’ve applied for is that of the personal assistant of Mr. Davidson,” Sylvia’s words disrupted Amelia’s inner monologue, causing her eyes to return to the woman, who was now scanning the files Amelia had dropped on the table. “While your job doesn’t require many qualifications, we’d love for you to be well educated and I think I’m impressed with what I’ve seen in your documents.”
“Thank you, Miss Lancaster,” Amelia nodded in appreciation, offering her a small smile.
“Judging by your qualifications, you’re one of the most qualified applicants for this job, but notwithstanding, we need to make sure you understand the role you’re applying for.” Sylvia’s eyes met hers and drifted to Ryan Davidson’s eyes for a nanosecond before returning to hers. “As his personal assistant, you’ll get as personal as he wishes,” she emphasized each of the words as though driving a very important point home.
“I understand that, Miss Lancaster,” Amelia chimed in.
“And you will not be working for him here, in fact, your job is not to the company but to his home. And it’s Mrs. Lancaster,” she corrected with a smile but Amelia’s attention was lost on her first words.
“I’m sorry but could you explain what you mean by working in his home?”
“I’m hiring you to act as my wife for a year, Miss Ross,” Ryan spoke in a relaxed tone, her name slipping from his lips in a drawl.
Amelia’s head whipped in his direction, eyes wide as saucers and mouth agape. This had never crossed her mind when she’d asked for an explanation. How could a man as good-looking as him be willing to pay a woman for such? If he wanted a wife, she was sure he had more than a fair amount of women that’d be willing to occupy the position, even if not for love but for his money and social status. While resorting to such a way in finding a wife?
“Excuse me?” she spat out before she could control herself.
“You heard me right, Miss Ross. Your job as my assistant is to act as my wife for a year, and this arrangement will only be between the three of us in this room. You’ll stay in my home for the duration of the contract, you’ll escort me to social events, and bear my surname and in return, all of your financial needs will be met. By the end of twelve months, you’ll be paid handsomely and our agreement shall become null.”
“Why would I want to do that?” she questioned, still in shock.
“There are other candidates willing to take up this offer, Miss Ross. I have no time to respond to incessant questions. I’m only choosing you because you’re educationally qualified and you appear to be off the social radar, compared to the rest of the women that have applied. If it’s something you can not do, you may walk out.”
Although his words came out harsh, Amelia decided to calm down and consider his offer and the situation_living with a man she knew nothing about, to get paid a huge sum of money. Honestly speaking, it wasn’t reasonable to agree to the terms of this job, but considering the financial state of things for her, could she truly give in to this offer?
Her thoughts were interrupted by his next words.
“Will you sign the contract?”
It’s been five months since Amelia moved in with the CEO, Ryan Davidson. After proper consideration of the benefits of the contract, she’d gone ahead to sign it without second thoughts. It wasn’t like she had much of a chance to reject it. Apart from being a fresh college graduate at that time, the possibility of finding a well-paying job that could actively settle all of her bills and student loans was close to zero. She saw Ryan’s offer as a means to an end and a new beginning. Hence, she’d taken it after much deliberation, proceeding to sign the contract that pronounced her as his wife for twelve months.At first, it had been hard to wrap her head around the scenario and to fit into the role perfectly, considering she knew nothing about the man. It was as though she was sharing a home with a stranger, but with time, she got used to it as Ryan also dedicated his time to making her feel open and comfortable around him. She quickly learned that beneath his hard exterior, there was act
“A room for the week,” Amelia said to the man behind the counter, who she assumed was the motel’s manager. “That’ll be three hundred dollars,” the slightly obese man behind the counter spoke up, adjusting the glasses resting on his nose to look up at Amelia.Without uttering more words, she handed him her credit card to pay for the room, and he gave her the key and the room number after she’d filled out the visitors' form.“Have a wonderful stay,” he called out to her but she was already on her way out to locate her room.Amelia was easily able to locate her room, inserting the key into the keyhole to open the door before stepping in with her luggage. As soon as she was in, she locked the door from the inside, her eyes quickly roving around the room to see it was clean and neatly arranged with white beddings covering the small bed, and a mini tv hanging on the wall directly opposite the bed. Releasing a breath, she pushed away from the door and headed towards the other door in the ro
The ringing of the alarm clock jolted Amelia from her sleep, as she quickly reached for it to turn it off, not wanting it to disturb her toddler. Groaning with the need to get back to her peaceful slumber, she pulled the covers over her head, hoping to catch a few more minutes of sleep before rising up to begin her day, but her attempts were futile, as her busy mind was already awake. Her eyes popped open and were greeted by the dull light streaming from the windows as it was the early hours of the morning. She stayed in bed for a short moment before rising to her feet to begin her day. Her first destination was the kitchen to get her usual dose of morning coffee. She’d never been a morning person, nor did she like drinking coffee. But as a mom, with a job and a daughter to prepare for school, the caffeine helped her get through her mornings without the constant feeling of laziness that always threatens to drag her back to her comfortable bed.While she brewed coffee from the coffee
When Amelia had accepted to get lunch with James, she’d expected them to merely take a walk to the restaurant a few blocks away from their office building but James had shocked her by walking her to his car.“Aren’t we going for lunch?” she questioned with a furrow in her brows.“Yes, we are, but in a better place where they make heavenly meals,” he winked at her before opening the door to the passenger side of the car for her. Amelia got in, wondering where he could be taking her before he jogged around and got behind the driver’s seat, pulling out of the parking lot.They drove in comfortable silence for about ten minutes before they came to a stop at a five-star restaurant.“James…” she glanced at her, half-smiling.He only responded with a smile, winking at her.“I don’t know when you’ll give me this chance again, so let me enjoy it, will you?”“Very well then, dazzle me,”“I plan to, my lady,”Getting out of the car, he walked round to get her door for her but she was already out
Amelia couldn’t remember a time in her life that she’d ever felt so positive and at peace with herself, and the direction her life was taking. These new feelings of inner happiness and glow had her feeling like she was living every day of her life on cloud nine, with no worries of the future constantly nagging at her. Choosing to have James in her life was truly the best decision she’s made in a while. As usual, it was a Friday afternoon and they’d closed early from work, as was the norm. James had driven home with Amelia, intending to spend the rest of the day with her and Dora. While Dora was still in school, they decided to have some quiet time to themselves before the toddler arrived. “What do you wanna do?” James asked, wrapping his arms around Amelia’s waist, and gently pulling her against him. They’d just stepped into her home. “You have something in mind?” she questioned, glancing up at him, but he reached for a stray strand of her luscious brown hair and tucked it behind he
Amelia’s initial shock and horror wore off the moment the man standing in front of her spoke. “Hello, Princess,” he smirked. But his words only ignited the fury that had been brewing in her, her face turning a darker shade with her heart thudding loudly. “Babe, we have to leave early…” James popped out from behind Amelia, his words dying on his lips when his eyes landed on Dora and the strange man holding her. Before Amelia could quickly rectify the situation, Dora’s eyes lit up the moment she saw James. “This is my dad. He’s back,” the toddler innocently informed James in a cheerful voice. Amelia saw the sudden change in Ryan’s facial expression, an amusing glint flashing in his eyes as they raked over James, before returning to rest on her. For some reason, she could read the mockery in his look and that only infuriated her more. Apart from having the nerves to show up at her apartment like they were old friends, he had the guts to show himself to a child he had no claims to, e
The next morning was a Saturday and Amelia’s plans of sleeping in were destroyed by the loud ringing of the doorbell. She tried ignoring the visitor but they only kept disrupting her sleep by continuously ringing the bell. Annoyed by whoever it was, she marched out of her room towards the living room with a deep scowl etched on her face. But her anger only increased when she threw the door open to see Ryan standing there, impeccably dressed in a suit even at that ungodly hour of the morning. A hiss of annoyance slipped out of her lips. Coupled with the sudden rage that descended upon her at his sight, she resorted to slamming the door against him but Ryan was quick to grab onto it, successfully wielding his arm between the door and its frame while forcefully shoving it open, despite Amelia’s hold on it.She was so shocked by his sudden intrusion that she stood still, staring at her with wide eyes and an open mouth.“Good morning, Princess,” he said in a voice too cheerful for Amelia’
Amelia stirred the eggs in the pan while often glancing at Ryan and Dora, seated at the kitchen island, both playing a game on Ryan’s phone. As much as she was livid at the man, the sight of her daughter so relaxed and happy in his arms had her heart-melting. Quickly, she returned her attention to the eggs, needing to prepare breakfast quickly so she could leave for work. She was still busy cooking when she felt the heat of his body beside hers.“You need a hand?”Amelia rolled her eyes at his act of kindness.“Whatever you’re up to will not change anything, Ryan. At the end of the day, you’ll walk out of our lives and get back to whatever you’ve been doing for the last five years,”“I don't ever want to go back there,” he murmured quietly, staring at her with remorse in his eyes. Amelia was quiet for a while, staring into his usually dark brooding eyes that now held a vulnerable expression, and for a moment, she forgot how much he’d hurt her and wondered what must have happened to