A gleam of victory appeared in Ruby’s eyes. She felt nothing short of a heroine, Nate needed her, not only was he going to lose a huge amount of money, his company was going to make it to the bad press. It was every reporter's dream to get dirt on Nate Jacobin.
Nate was now having a word with the representative. Ruby took a minute to admire his office.
The grey drapes complemented the upholstery which she could tell cost a fortune. His office was immaculate, not a single speck of dust in sight. The ornate figurines looked like they were polished with oil.
She drew in a breath as she walked round the office, there were no pictures of his family or even him.
“Same old cold hearted Nate”she mumbled to herself as she took her seat
“Miss Ruby, are you still down for the job?” Nate asked as he walked in
She couldn’t miss the hint of desperation mixed with irritation in his voice. It was the first time she’d seen him under pressure, Nate was always cool and collected.
Something about his frustration wanted to make her smooth out the stray strands of hair on his perfect face.
She shrugged off her thoughts, now wasn’t the time for that.
“Of course, I would take the job, you look very pitiful” she smirked and was satisfied with the look of rage on his face.
“Also, I want a down payment by the end of today” she quickly added.
Her landlord threatened to throw her out by the end of the week as she owed two months of rent.
*************
Ruby was conscious of the six pairs of eyes that stared at her. Nate had hurriedly assigned her to an office and she began to work. After about two hours, she was presenting the hurriedly drafted business plan to a board of CEOs. These people were well respected and prominent in the business world. They also had the power to help advance her career and status.
She held her breath, she was done presenting the business plan and was waiting for a reaction from the board.
“Honestly, I’m impressed” she heard one of them say, nodding his head.
She finally let out her breath, all along, she was scared she was going to mess up the business plan and Nate would happily fire her just a few hours into her new job.
“With this business plan, the reconstruction site would be a huge success” a lady said
Ruby gave her a warm smile, she had seen the woman a couple of times on TV but had forgotten her name.
It was a dream come true, everyone seemed impressed.
Nate cleared his throat and the room went silent. Ruby felt herself hold her breath again. When she was writing the business plan, she desperately hoped that he was going to approve of it. She hated herself for it but couldn’t help it. Years ago, when she wrote her debate points, she would pay extra attention to the details in hopes that he would be impressed and finally notice her.
“The presentation is not bad”he said dryly
He was content with the frowned etched on her face. It was one of the best business plans he had heard in his entire career and he agreed that she was important to his company.
Ruby thought of a thousand things she could do to him right there and then. Not bad? How rude can this man be? She scowled as her fist curled into a ball.
She had just won his company a huge contract and he wasn’t thankful.
She scoffed as she took her seat, she couldn’t understand why she was affected by one silly comment. Her brows furrowed as she hoped he would choke on his water.
An hour later, the meeting was dismissed after Nate signed the contract.
“I think of you as a jerk and I’m not sorry for dumping hot chocolate on you” she pouted as she cornered him when they were out of earshot.
“You realize I’m now your boss don’t you?” He glowered
He was in a better mood after he signed the contract, the last thing he wanted to see now was the annoying brunette with funny glasses.
“I saved your company, the least you could do was to say thank you and probably give me a raise”
Nate scowled, he had never met anyone with Ruby’s audacity, she was quick to speak her mind and criticize him.
“I can see clearly that you seek my approval but you have to work harder to get it” he smiled smugly
He was glad he was finally getting back at her.
He wasn’t generous with his compliments and believed his workers had to work extra hard to get them.
“Why the heck would I seek your approval? You mean nothing to me!”
Ruby could feel her voice shake and her emotions got the best of her. Yes, she sought his approval but she couldn’t help it.
All through her stay in high school, she wanted him to say at least a word to her but he never did. Now, they were working together, he was being mean to her.
“Miss Ruby Barlow, I suggest you mind the tone you use when speaking to me” Nate warned, his voice low and stony.
“Oh really? You’re so incompetent you couldn’t draft a business plan yourself” she fired
Once the words left her lips, she regretted it.
Ruby wasn’t one to ever lose her temper or get annoyed easily even in the worst situations but with Nate, everything was different. She loved and hated him at the same time.
“Excuse me” he mumbled and walked out
Ruby sighed as she slumped into a chair and watched his retreating figure.
“Why did he have to push me to the wall?”she cried “Did I go too far by calling him incompetent?”
She groaned and she rubbed her chin worriedly.
She had disrespected him yet again and he could fire her if he wanted to.
Ruby was very much comfortable in her new work space, the office overlooked the busy streets of Oregon, giving her a view of the city life. She had pretty much settled in and hung up some pictures and other decorations.She groaned as she turned to her side, the only downside to her spacious office was that it was adjacent to Nate’s own so she could see whatever was going on in his office. He had pretty much avoided her for a week straight after their fight.It was almost as if they were in high school again, back then, she was quite sure he didn’t know she existed but now she was sure he knew she existed and he was just ignoring her. “Hey” a voice called, stirring her from her reverie of thoughts “Hi”she smiled back “I’m Ethan and this is Cassie”he said, gesturing to the blonde beside him Ruby nodded and gave them warming smiles. She had been busy throughout the week and had barely had time to socialize with her coworkers. “Oh hi!”Cassie squealed as she placed a tray of c
Something about the tweeting of the birds and the rise of the sun above the horizon set Ruby in high spirits. She had spent the weekend tanning on the beach with Esme. During her little getaway, she skillfully avoided all Esme’s questions concerning how her date went and who her new boss was. It felt wrong hiding it from her but she wasn’t ready to tell anyone yet, Nate was a pain in the butt for her; at the same time, she wanted to be around him.Having to see him all week was annoying enough. She smiled as the elevator door opened, she was humming a song about the day going to be a good day. “Why are you late?” A harried looking Maggie asked as she walked into the office.Ruby frowned, work started by nine and she arrived half past eight so technically, she was very much early and had a good thirty minutes to herself. “Nice morning to you too” Ruby replied sardonically “Mr Jacobin has been in a bad mood all morning, he specifically asked that you make him a cup of coffee”
The angry growl of lightning pierced the air, what had promised to be a sunny day had now become a gloomy rainy day. Nate shifted his eyes from his screen to Ruby’s office. Her mass of mousey brown hair was now put in a ponytail as she typed away on her computer.Serves her right, he thought.With her around, he was always edgy. He had expected her to throw a fit and stomp into his office when he asked her to make him coffee or when he handed her the pile of files. She was suspiciously calm, too calm which irritated him. He frowned, he needed his daily dose of coffee but couldn’t get it because Ruby had ruined it for him. “Who the hell added so much sugar and whipped cream to their coffee ?” He asked himself Of course the answer was sitting right there in his company, the annoying brunette whose office was opposite his.He quickly cleared out his table and got rid of the paper he wasn’t using. His table was a mess as he had buried himself in work all week. “Why the hell have you
Ruby’s eyes lit up in recognition of the platinum blonde hair. She had seen a woman walk into Nate’s office, she couldn’t see the woman’s face but she was quite sure she was one of the prettiest women alive. She looked like she just walked out of the cover of a vogue magazine, the hair bore a striking resemblance with that of Taylor’s. Taylor had bullied her constantly that Ruby couldn’t forget the distinct color of her hair. She could feel the throbbing of her heart. Could it be that Taylor was still Nate’s girlfriend? She had heard Taylor moved to Beverly Hills and was pursuing a successful career as a model. She felt a sickening taste form at the back of her throat. It had been thirteen years since she was last bullied but the memories were still very fresh. She could remember how violently Taylor always yanked her hair even when she yelped in pain. One particular incident between them had scarred her for life. She couldn’t think of it without almost crying. Taylor was m
It was her first board meeting in attendance with other workers. Seeing Taylor after all these years had disoriented her so much that it felt like she had to withdraw to her shell again. She was well acquainted with some of the workers, most especially Ethan with Cassie by the side running her mouth as usual. The workers were seated in the boardroom as they waited for Nate. Ruby would have rather sat far from Cassie but she needed information on why Taylor was in the office so she took the seat between Ethan and Cassie The steaming mug of coffee in front of her warmed her up, lately, she had been feeling some type of way especially with the whole Taylor thing. “You look so pale”Cassie commented Cassie had now earned the name ‘hawk eye’ because she never failed to miss anything.Ruby ignored her comment as she sipped her coffee, just like Ethan, she had learnt to ignore and accommodate Cassie. “Did you hear about Mr. Jacobin's girlfriend?” Cassie said to Stacy who worked in th
The dinner table looked like it had been carefully put together by an artist. Grilled turkey sat right in the middle of the table. Mrs Wyatt had put together so much effort into the dinner. She ensured the expensive chinaware plates were placed carefully. The room was well decorated with candles lit in strategic corners of the room. A harper played at another corner, releasing soft melodious tunes. Nate overheard one of the servants say Mrs Wyatt flew the harper all the way from Ireland. That was how much extra she was.One Christmas when she was hosting a party, she invited ballerinas to grace the occasion and had real swans in the hall. One of the swans got flustered, causing a tray of food to topple over. Nate resisted the urge to laugh at Mrs Wyatt’s efforts. She was so extra when hosting dinners and made it look like she was hosting a royal event. Ever since he was in high school, it was always the same routine with Mrs Wyatt inviting his family over for fancy dinners. She
Ruby decided to spend her lunch with Ethan and Cassie at the cafeteria. She now enjoyed spending time with her colleagues and getting to know them. Some of them were impressed by how she won the contract and how she got the biggest office. For the first time, she didn’t feel left out or awkward, almost everyone got along with her or at least were formal with her.They were seated at a table at the corner of the cafeteria. They ordered a couple of burgers and soda “I heard Reynolds company and co is going bankrupt” Stacy said, bringing up a topic of discussion She was now used to the gossip girls of the office, she rather found them interesting and listened to them when they talked. “I heard so too” Cassie remarked“I heard Reynolds was jilted and duped by his soon to be wife which led to the bankruptcy”Ruby had heard about it from Esme, it was a sad story. Reynolds' company was doing just fine until the whole thing happened. It saddened her that people were heartless and were ou
After an eventful weekend with Taylor lashing out at him and him ruining dinner, Nate was back to work. He had sent flowers to Mrs Wyatt and Taylor, apologizing for ruining dinner. He was rather offended by their actions but brushed it aside. He didn’t believe in long term commitments or love and wished they could respect that. Taylor’s persistence over the years was the only thing that had kept their so-called relationship going.There was no actual bond between them. He pushed his thoughts of Taylor aside as he reread an email that caught his eye. He had received an invitation from an association of businessmen to attend a conference in Florida. He was asked to bring a plus one, preferably a coworker. He frowned, he couldn’t think of anyone. Taylor wasn’t an option because she was going to stir a lot of drama and he didn’t want unnecessary attention from reporters. As for the workers in his company, the only person he could think of was Ruby. There were other people who h