Chapter 4

Force

I stare at my wristwatch, feeling so annoyed. Just one more snap and I'm about to burst. Damn it! I've been waiting here for God knows how long. What time is it now? That person is really wasting my time! I don't like people keeping me waiting. There’s no way I’d waste another two hours waiting for that bullshit person.

I’m so done!

“Ouch!” I yell in pain as my head bumps into someone the moment I stand from my seat. "Shit. . ." I curse, clutching my hurt temple.

Seriously, this day can't get any more annoying. “What the hell is wrong with you? Don't you know what social dis—” A hand cuts me off from talking.

A man in a corporate suit appears right before me. His chest smells like vanilla perfume dancing through my nostrils.

“Where do you think you’re going? I've just arrived and you're leaving?”

I raise my face to have a clear sight of him. My eyes grow wide the moment I recognize who it is. A ghost from the past flashes through my mind. I have tried so much just to get rid of my past and now he's here, standing right before me. I can't believe my eyes.

“Be quiet and take a seat,” he says, which makes me come back to my senses.

I keep my composure and clear my throat as I remove his hand from my mouth. “Excuse me. Have we met before, mister?” I ask with a creased forehead, pretending that I don't know anything about him.

His lips curl up into a lopsided grin. “Well, I believe we have. I think you know who I am.”

I raise a brow at him. “I'm sorry but I think you have mistaken me for someone else. So, if you don't mind, I need to go,” I say before turning on my heels to flee.

“You must be Elle, right? Or Brii? Depending on which alias you prefer the most.”

I stop on my track hearing what he just said.

“Or to be certain, you must be Brianna Eleanor Garcia?”

Slowly, I spin around to face him, only to see him grinning mischievously at me. I scoff, arching my brows. “Well, what do you want from me Mr. Prince Dave El-Greco?”

“It's going to be a long discussion. Why don't we take a seat first,” he tells me as he grabs a chair and sits down.

“I have no time. And who are you to tell me what to do?”

“Well, you're supposed to meet me today, are you? The one you have been waiting for.”

I shake my head harshly. “Ah, right! The one who kept me waiting for nearly two hours. Pretty unprofessional, aren't we?”

“Just be thankful I showed up,” he crosses his arms.

“I have to go! This is useless—”

“Okay, you may leave. But expect a complaint memo tomorrow morning. Your reputation as an agent will go downhill for closing a company deal like that. Mrs. Salazar will surely be disappointed for hiring an impatient agent like you. That's troublesome on the company's end, isn't it?”

“Hey—”

“Whose job is at stake? Is it mine?”

I can feel my blood rushing to my head. He's such a pain in the ass. How dare he pull that guilt-trip card to use against me? I clench my fist, trying to suppress my anger. I need to calm myself down. I don't want to lose my job and end up living on the street.

“Let’s start . . .”

His eyes narrow in amusement seeing how my mood shifts. “I'm glad you were able to weigh the intensity of the situation right away.”

“Don't put all the blame on me, sir," I say, emphasizing the last word to make it clear to him that timeliness in the world of business is significant. "It’s your fault, too! You and your tardiness. Wouldn't you do the same thing if you waited for damn two hours? For sure, you'll do worse than I did.”

“You never change. You really like to complain a lot and point your fingers at someone else, don't you?”

A sharp exhale escapes from my mouth, There's no point in arguing. I'm here to do my job. I'm trying to be rational but seeing him drives me mad. My tongue clicks and I decide to ignore him.

"Let's get this over with," I place a few pages of documents on the table before clearing my throat to channel my business-like tone. “Salazar’s group of companies offer—”

“I’ll approve and sign these documents, but in return, you need to change the entire duration of your stay stated in the contract. Make it one week instead of five days."

“What?!”

“You heard me,” he says before signing the proposal papers. “There,” with a blank face, he hands in the document to me. “I will be leaving in the next few days, Davvy needs assistance while I’m not around.”

My forehead creases. Davvy? I feel a pang on my chest.

“We've made a deal then. I'll drive you to your place so you can pack your things fast,” he stands, gesturing to me to follow him.

“Are you kidding me?” I glower at him.“Hold on. You don't tell me what to do! And who the hell is Davvy?”

His eyes darted towards mine. It looks serious and it is long before he speaks again. “You'll get to know her later. Just do your thing first, Brianna.”

His words hit me fast but I don't want to make assumptions without any basis. Possibilities are shouting in my head but I have to shake them off my mind. I don't want to jinx things up.

“What if I don't want to do it?”

A sarcastic smile forms his lips. “There's nothing you can do about it honestly. Putting up a fight won't do you any good. So, if I were you, I would stop messing around.”

“So, you're using your power just so you can manipulate other people and make them do things for you? Are you for real?”

“Everything has been long-planned. And I believe it's the right time to do it. Even if it's against my will, there's no turning back. I can't buy time any longer. So, whether you're into it or not, you should get the things done.”

“Wow. It’s against your will yet here you—” he cuts me off by dragging me out of the cafe. I try to grab my hand back but he won't budge. “Mr. El-Greco! Let me go—”

“There’s a lot of people here. You don't want to make a scene here, do you?”