Chapter Five

The only thing that she needed when she got home from was a hot bath and a heavenly meal before going to sleep. That was what she was expecting not to find her mother laughing and chatting with a man who was unknown to her.

“Mom…,” she glanced at the older man then back to her mother again.

Her mother smiled sweetly at her. “Honey, he is Mr. Charles and he is barrister. He has his own law firm. Mr. Charles she is Maya, my beautiful daughter.”

She had no idea where her mother was going on with this so she gave her signal to talk in private. Nervously knowing what her daughter was capable of she excused herself from the conversation to have a word with her.

“Mommy, what is going on? Who is this guy?”

“Like I said he is Mr. Charles and he is here to see you.”

“For what?”

“Well since I am your precious and good mother I thought of fixing a date for you. Maya, it is high time you get married. You are not getting younger. Very soon you will be thirty.”

“Mommy…,” she gasped. “I am only twenty five for cry sake. Moreover this man looks at least fifty!”

Her mother frowned crossing her arms on her chest. “No my dear. He is forty. How old do you think I was when I met your father?”

“It doesn’t make me feel better mom,” she yelled in frustration. “I just came out of a toxic and bad relationship which still hurt by the way and you want me to jump into a relationship with a man old enough to be my grandpa!”

“You are exaggerating. Just talk to him once okay? For my sake please,” she begged.

Rolling her eyes she sighed and went back to have a seat.

“Good evening Maia. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” Mr. Charles gave her a sweet smile.

“It’s Maya. Maya with a y and not Maia with an i,” she corrected him with a fake smile on her face.

“Right Maya. Your mother has told me so much about you and I finally got interested in wanting to know you personally. I want to take care of you Maya. I want you to be my woman and you don’t have to worry about money. I have a lot of it and I am ready to give it all to you. All you have to do is say yes my love.”

“Hmmm,” she hummed in response not humored by the speech at all. She turned and looked at her mother. “Mom, I am going to go to my room right now. I have so much I need to finish that I couldn’t finish at the office. Erm…Mr,” she paused realizing that she forgot his name. “Whoever, my mom will see you out and mom while seeing him off remember that I am hungry,” she gave her a quick peck on the cheek and rushed to her room.

She took a long shower which after she went to the kitchen to grab something to light to eat. A bowl of butterscotch oatmeal sounded like a good idea to get her started with where they had left off after knock off.

It was hard and a lot but with the designs that she had and her team did, her confidence was at the peak. She was sure they were going to nail this one and Mr. Handsome was going to be surprised by her.

“Lets see who you really are,” she went to goggle and searched his name. Different tabloids flooded the screen of her laptop. Some about his achievements and other about his net worth. The man was practically a millionaire and some kind of a celebrity or something. There were few pictures of him walking down red carpet events and functions with City Y’s renowned and famous female models. Talking of Chanel Gold, Rosé Emerald, Camilla Canella but most of them were Chanel and his pictures. They seemed pretty close and there was even a rumor about them dating but he denied the claims in an interview.

She went to his I*******m account and once her eyes fell into his grey ones she was lost completely. The man is cute. Very cute. Everything about him was just extra.

His charming and intoxicating smile with dimples. His perfect white teeth. His height was just her preference. Those locs were looking good on him and the man knows how to dress up.

“Who be that? He is handsome,” her mother asked standing behind her.

“Jesus Christ mommy!” Maya started with a high pitch voice. “Don’t sneak up on me like that! You almost gave me a heart attack and I could have died!”

“Heart attack? No, you can’t die. Not before bringing a man home to marry you. Not before you give me grandchildren. If you like die after fulfilling your responsibilities as a daughter.”

“Mom, I am fulfilling my responsibilities. I am working to take good care of you. I love you and I buy you gifts on your birthday.”

“Who told you I want that? Maya, I want a son in law. You are turning thirty and you’re still single. You have turned down all the men I have brought in for you.”

Maya sighed wanting so bad to bang her head against the wall. “Mom, I believe in love okay and not hook ups besides the men you bring for me are not my type but your type. Way too old for me.”

“There is a difference between love and hopeless romantic. You’re the second option Maya. You’re hopeless romantic. You think love is all about what rainbows and unicorns. Seriously young lady you have to find love in order to live your happily ever after.”

“Okay mom I have heard you. Can I please continue with my work now?”

“You still haven’t answered my question. Are you having an affair with this man?”

Her eyes widened at the question and the answer came immediately. “No! Of course not. Mom if I am having an affair trust me you will be the first one to know. He is just my boss and I was just trying to figure him out.”

“You don’t like him?”

“Mommy no I don’t. If I ever like somebody I will tell you about it okay?”

“Okay. Okay, you know I love you right?”

“I know mom and I love you too but I really need you to please let me work.”

“Alright fine,” she kissed her forehead and walked to the door to leave. “By the way you two won’t look bad together. You would actually look great together. Don’t let him pass you by. Get him,” she winked at her as she closed the door.

“God, I am surrounded by toxic people,” she grunted turning back to her laptop.

                                   ***

Maya was having a silent prayer meeting with God standing outside Christian’s cabin. After two days of sacrifice and long nights she was praying that he likes what she brings on the table today. They have worked so hard for this and if he doesn’t like any of the design they would be disappointed and she will have to kiss her job goodbye.

After the prayer she knocked on the door and waited for him to allow her in. When he did, she opened the door and he was talking on the phone standing by the balcony.

“Mom, you don’t have to continue doing this,” he said. “I am not a five year old boy anymore. I am twenty eight mom,” he paused for the person on the end of the line to talk. He let out a exasperated sigh throwing his head back and that’s when he saw her. He must admit she had a great taste of fashion the button up belted shirt dress and the black heels were spot on. He gesture her to come over to him and asked her to sit which she did. He continued with his call.

“Alright mom thanks for the food. I will eat all of it for you. See you love you too bye,” he disconnected the call and spun around to face his guest.

He cleared his throat and sat down besides her. “Show me what you got.”

Maya went on her professional mode and displayed the designs to him one by one and explaining each element of the design.

“So what do you think sir?” she eagerly waited for his answer but he wasn’t saying anything. He was just staring at her.

Truth be told he was astonished and impressed by her skills but his face was void of all the emotions. That was one of his skills, he knows how to find his emotions best for a situation to favor him.

“What have you thought about the exhibition?” he finally asked his gaze still on the designs.

Maya cleared her throat. “We usually use highly reputed models for the display and advertisement of our clothing brand and our lingerie. I was thinking we could use Chanel Gold for the lingerie afterall we have been working with her for the past two years as for the men we could go for Kevin Scott,” she replied.

He nodded. “I want us to use two female models this time. Chanel is a great choice but her face is already everywhere. It’s a compliment. She is good but we need a new skin and face to go with her. What do you think of Opal Knight.”

She almost chocked. He was not serious. Chanel and Opal were basically rivals in the modelling industry. To get the two to work together is like waging world war two! The two are just nemesis and there is no hope that they will ever be friends. On top of that what was she going to say to Chanel who happens to be a nightmare to work with.

The woman is terrible. She treats people like they are insignificant and for some reason the hot model doesn’t like her. The last time they had a photoshoot for their women office attire she turned her into a loyal servant even though she had an assistant to do all the refreshment serving. All in the name of the company and her job she had to fulfill the demands of the overbearing woman.

“Sir…the idea is not bad. Both the models are popular and people would buy absolutely which ever brand they lay their hands on but I don’t think they will be willing to work together though. They hate each other since they are each other’s competition.”

He glance up at her. “Ms. Rose, it’s your job to make sure that this pulls off. They have to do this together. Get them to work together. Do whatever you have to do to make this work.”

She literally wanted to die. She won’t be able to do it. She won’t be able to stand the heat at all. “Sir…I understand that you don’t like me but what have I done? Is this your revenge of what happened between us three days ago?” She couldn’t resist but ask him. What else was she suppose to think?

Christian frowned. He hasn’t forgotten about the incident but that is not why he was doing this. He wanted to be sure whether to trust her or not. She has already partially won his trust and if she can pull this one off then she has won over him completely.

“Ms. Rose, I don’t mix business with pleasure and for your own information whatever happened was a mistake. I don’t wish to talk about it. You should be focusing on more important things,” he sternly said. He eyes travel over to her pouted lips. The look on her face indicated that she was hurt and disappointed by his sharp reply. No matter he couldn’t take the words back. He didn’t mean to be harsh and he didn’t mean that. It was unexpected but he sure doesn’t regret it. It was all coming at him so fast. He doesn’t know her but his heart was yearning for her. It was beating for her. The feelings and the emotions were strange to him. He has never felt this way towards any woman. She is a first. Normally it takes a while for him to fall in love but instantaneous attraction? It was happening for the first time.

“Alright sir I will look at it,” came Maya’s soft voice. “I shall take my leave now sir,” she stood up from the chair and turned to walk away from there. She was hurt and she didn’t even know the reason why. It’s not like they were dating or something. She just kissed him when she was drunk nothing more.

“Ms. Rose wait!”

She halted and twirled around to face him. “Yes sir.”

“Eat lunch with me. I reckon that you haven’t had lunch so come have lunch with me. My mother sent a home made lunch for me and I don’t like eating by myself.”

Maya raised an eyebrow. “Umm… sure?”

He briskly nodded beckoning her to come back and sit down.

She couldn’t fight the smile that was threatening to come out. She was super delighted to have lunch with him that she forgot about her friend whom she was suppose to eat lunch with. The excitement was written all over her face when she saw the food.

“Forgive my mother. She likes cooking too much of things,” he stated while serving her plate. “She is a mother afterall so yes it is reasonable. The only thing she forgets is that I am not really a heavy eater.”

“You are the only child?” she asked looking at his face. He was a masterpiece indeed.

“No,” he replied. “I have a sister. She’s twenty three and annoying.”

She giggles softly and Christian was sure he has never heard such a beautiful sound in his life ever. His eyes meets her radiant smile and he couldn’t help but smile as well.

“You should laugh more. You look beautiful,” he blurted out making Maya to almost choke on her food. He smirked at that. “It’s a compliment and very true.”