Chapter 13 "Cinderella's ankle"

He placed her foot gently on his leg.

"Bring me the first aid kit" he ordered. He opened his bottled water and used it to wash her foot carefully. Annie was surprised that the grumpy CEO could be so caring.

"I'm very sorry, Sir. I didn't mean it. It was an accident. I tripped and knock the model into the water by accident" Annie said, pleadingly.

"Bring me the first aid kit or do I have to keep yelling" Travis said, it was a ragged command.

"Do you see what he is doing? His assistant is getting all his attention while he is ignoring me. A little fall won't kill her. What's up with that?" Shirley said, really pained.

"What do you want him to do? Ignore her? Just relax" Luke replied.

Shirley hissed and walked away.

One of the staff brought the first aid kit. Travis collected it and dropped it on the nearby stand.

"When I talk to you and you don't answer, I feel even worse. I didn't mean it, it was an accident. I'm very sorry" Annie uttered, feeling really bad.

Travis ignored her. He took the band aid and tied it carefully around the injured area of her leg.

"Did this just happened?" Travis asked, pointing at a dark spot on her ankle.

"Oh no, it's just a birth mark" she replied. Annie wondered why he ask. Does that means he truly care about her?

"I've bandaged it firmly. Don't put on any weight on it today. Take it easy okay" he said.

"Hmmm" Annie hummed.

"Just sit down and take it easy" Travis said and drop her foot gently.

"This is just a master servant relationship, don't think too much" he whispered before standing.

"Thank you" Annie smiled.

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"Cinderella sprained her ankle. My nerve are shot. She ruined everything. What an idiot!" Shirley hissed.

"Did you see the way Travis carried on? He ran over to help her. Who would have thought he would do that to her....she awakened the hero in him. It's as if he was waiting for someone to sprain her ankle" Flora said.

"Stop that immediately. I'm in a bad mood already. You don't have to rub in" Shirley silenced her.

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"Alex, did you see what Annie did at today's shoot?" Travis asked his driver, on their way back to the office.

"Unfortunately not sir, I wasn't at the shoot" Alex replied.

"Alright let me fill you in. She bumped our model into the water. I think she didn't like her shoe so she knocked her in" Travis told.

"I swear, it wasn't on purpose. You know me. Do you think I would really do such a thing?" Annie said. She was sitting beside the driver's seat while Travis dominated the back seat in the limousine.

"I don't expect that from you" Travis said.

"I promise it was an accident Mr Travis, I was putting on he shoes and the next minute, she slipped like a wet soap and she fell into the water" Annie bantered.

"Sir, sometimes women feel aggressive towards each other" Alex said.

"Aggressive? I'm not aggressive" Annie said in an argumentative tone. Travis smiled at her expression.

"What makes you think I'm aggressive? I really don't want you to think I'm an aggressive person" Annie said.

Travis smiled, he loves how she argued, it reminds him so much of a girl from his childhood, Her name is Leilani. The only light in his dark world.

"Forget about it. Are we convinced, Alex?" Travis asked.

"Okay, when you say we are" Alex replied.

"Okay, let's say we are" Travis replied.

Soon, the car drove into the company and pulled into a halt.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Travis was busy staring at the invitation letter on his desk. Vogue magazine has invited him to be a cover for the year's fashion saga. The offer was quite tempting, his eyes were still on the invitation when he heard a knock at the door. He knew it was her without trying.

"What is it, Annie?," He asked.

Annie opened the door slightly and limped in.

"May I go home?" She asked.

"Of course. You should have gone home straight. You worked very hard today and you're having trouble standing on your foot" he replied, his eyes still not leaving what he was reading.

"I have a lot to do but I'm done....hmmm...I..." Annie stammered.

"Annie is there a problem?" He asked, this time, his eyes on her.

"No, yes. My bag fell into the water and my shoes were in my bag so they got wet....."

"I don't understand...so are you asking me to go dry them for you?" He asked, no feeling in his eyes.

"No, God forbid. I can't order you around...I mean....I mean..." She starmmered and for the first time, Travis felt bad for shouting at her.

"It's not a problem, it's just difficult to ride the bus with this heels, that's why I always have flat shoes with me. I will get new ones as soon as I get paid. May I go now?" 

"Yes, it's fine. Go ahead" he signaled.

"Thank you sir" she replied and limped to the door.

She carried her bag and walked out of her office, Flora and her cohorts made jest of her as she limped to the door. Even Luke and Shirley did.

"Even the band aid is green. She is very classy" Luke said and they all laughed.

"Oh please" Shirley laughter took longer.

"Annie" Luke called and she swiveled her head to his side.

"How is your ankle?" He asked.

"I will survive, Luke. I'm going home to rest" she replied.

"You really made your mark today. I know your type, they simply have to be the centre of attraction and attention" Shirley taunted.

"Who could be the centre of attraction when you're around, Shirley?" Luke asked and everyone laughed.

"Hmm I have to go before I miss the bus" Annie said, embarrassed.

"You ride the bus??",

"Ohh how adorable. Why don't you use a yellow taxi? Surely you have a transport ticket, what a poor thing!" Shirley made remarks and Annie swallowed into nothing.

They all hate her.

"I actually have one too, it doesn't work when you want to share a taxi plus there is no ticket for Thaitan" Brenda said, coming to Annie's rescue.

"And the bus don't take cash" Brenda added.

"You're kidding" Shirley laughed.

"Why would I be kidding? I have a card too. The underground trains are quicker" Brenda replied.

"Brenda, are you making fun of me?" Shirley asked.

"Of course not, Shirley? Why would I make fun of you? Would you like a card too? The company will pay for it" Brenda said.

"Oh no please" Shirley said in a classy manner.

Annie smiled at Brenda before limping out.

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(Santiago's mansion)

"Thomas, what if Travis doesn't birth a child with the girl? We will have to pack our things and end up on the street, I won't survive it" Lila said, feeling really worried.

"I don't think Annie will he able to carry out the plan successfully. Shirley is very unpredictable, she is poison. I think we should start supporting her instead so she can be with Travis" Thomas replied.

"Please don't mention Shirley's name in this house. If Travis be with Shirley, we could just as well pack our things and get out. I want someone I can control" Lila said with pride.

"But then the poor girl you found isn't up to the task and can't even lie. Well we started this thing and we will finish it, there's no turning back" Thomas said with a sigh.

"You out to have said that earlier, we would finish what we started" Lila affirmed.