Chapter three

Ivory opened one eye at a time, she blinked to clear the sleep from her eyes. She gazed around in confusion, she didn't remember coming to bed the night before. She shook it off, her memory wasn't what it used to be and she was exhausted last night.

She pushed back the sheets and made her way to the kitchen, today she needed coffee.

"Morning." She gazed into the smiling eyes of Braylen. She wanted to be mad at him for making her wait up for him but the sight of him was enough to lighten her mood.

"I didn't hear you come in," she said, closing the distance between them.

"How could you? You were asleep on your desk when I came in." He pulled open a chair for her and she sat.

"Oh." she smiled in embarrassment as he placed a cup of coffee and breakfast in front of her.

"You have been busy." She grabbed hold of the coffee and took a sip praying her body would finally feel awake.

Braylen didn't respond, instead, he took a seat next to her and brought the coffee out of her hands, and brought it to his lips for a taste.

Ivory gazed at the clock, her eyes widened instantly. She took a couple of rapid bites of breakfast, pushing back on her chair.

"I gotta get ready," she said in response to Braylen's questioning glance.

"I'll take you to work today." He said calmly.

"Nope. You'll be late for your own job." She said placing her dishes in the sink. He was behind her in a second, pulling her hands away. "Not if we work in the same building."

"I am sorry...what?" she instantly forgot that she was going to be late.

"My associate acquired Blaxx, so I will be stationed there until the company's full potential is realized." he smiled at her astonishment. He had hoped to break the news yesterday when he visited the company with Raiden yet he hadn't seen a glimpse of her.

"Your associate is--" her voice drowned out.

"Raiden De Ville." he finished.

Ivory had known Braylen's associate to be stern yet reasonable at least that was the description Braylen stuck to. However, the man she met seemed to have re-invented the meaning of stern. His demeanor was enough to make her grab a Bible. She failed to understand how Braylen was able to work closely with him and remain so level-headed, calm, and caring.

Why are you complaining?

"Bad first impression?" Ivory stood unbearably straight, her eyes glazed over, Braylen noted that she began retiring into her mind.

"Mine or his?" Ivory questioned jokingly until she remembered Raiden's reaction to her. "Wait. did he say anything about me?" she questioned in haste. She swore she would die from embarrassment if he had said anything about her to Braylen.

Braylen smiled. "Anything about you?"

"Yeah---anything bad?" her voice lowered.

"Not at all," he said. "We'll be late." he continued, blocking off any further attempt by Ivory to respond.

Raiden blocked out the complaints of Emery. He informed her of the changes as regards her assistant yet he hadn't expected the backlash of comments.

"I understand that Ivory isn't up to par with the standards expected from our employees yet over these years we have become friends and I can't bear to part with her." she gushed on and on. Somehow she saw Raiden's silence as permission to continue yet Raiden eventually ceased listening.

"Ms. Emery." his voice powerful enough to drown out her droning. He stood and so did she as if she had been caught up in a hypnotic wave. She instantly quieted.

"Personal connections are not in any of the objectives I have formulated for any business. I trust you can understand that my decisions are final." He moved towards the door, finding it unnecessary to wait or listen to a response.

His timing, though coincidental was perfect. As the door to Emery's office closed behind him, Ivory Remington appeared in his sight.

Her eyes widened as their eyes meshed, yet he remained perfectly still.

"Come with me." he slid his hands into his pockets and walked in front of her. She picked up her bag and followed without a second thought. If humans could be put into autopilot this is what it would feel like. Not a single thought entered her mind and she barely remembered anything other than standing in front of his desk will he walked behind it, taking a seat.

Breathe Ivory, just keep breathing.

"It's no surprise that I am not satisfied with your employment record." He began and Ivory felt her heart sink.

"Yet, in consideration of the years you have spent in our employment I have decided to give you a one-year probationary period, if after this period I find that there has been no improvement then I will have no choice but to let you go."

Ivory felt partially slighted. There was nothing wrong with her skills, of that she was certain, Emery often used her work without so much as proofreading and there had been no mishaps. She breathed, calming herself, it wasn't anyone's fault for believing she was incompetent after all the work she did was credited as Emery's how was anyone to be the wiser?

"Probation." she breathed the word, the aftermath leaving her throat dry and course. In that instance, it was better if she had just been fired there and then, there was no way he would see any improvement from her, especially where Emery was her superior.

"It's more generous than I have been with any other worker in all my years of experience."

Ivory laughed incredulously. "I supposed then I am required to thank you?" it was the first time since she stood in his office that she stared directly at him. She felt neither grateful nor careful of her actions.

Raiden was taken aback by the sudden transformation. The shy girl had snuck out of her shell.

"No. Such formalities are lost on me. I am not doing you a favor."

Ivory remained silent. " Clear out your belongings from Emery's space, her new assistant will be assigned today and you..." he paused, noting the slightest tinge of perplexity.

"Me?" the word was almost a whisper.

"You will be my new assistant."

Ivory huffed incredulously. "No." she shook her head incessantly.

Raiden hadn't anticipated a response so the thought of her blatantly refusing what he considered a direct demand stunned him. He stood from his desk walking around to the front, he brought his arms to his chest and leaned back against the desk. The sudden movement needed so as to allow Raiden to contemplate his response.

"I wasn't exactly making a revocable offer."

"How do you propose I'm supposed to prove my worth if I am stuck as an assistant? I am in a losing battle." Ivory countered, her eyes holding his intensely forgetting the vicious fire contained in his dark orbs. For once every folic of her that acted as an inhibitor ran silently. She thought about nothing else save and except for the years of injustice she endured.

"You're suggesting the position is beneath you?" Raiden was fascinated by the outburst.

"Not beneath me but restricting." Ivory wasn't backing down. She was tired of keeping her thoughts and desires bottled up, she was already at the point of nearly losing her job so what was the point in being submissive? The way she saw it she hadn't much to lose.

"Fine." Raiden conceded after a moment's consideration, he saw her frustration, and some part of him, a part he didn't know existed, felt a sense of duty.

Ivory hadn't expected his reaction to being so calm although she wasn't certain what he was conceding to and her heart raced in anticipation and fear. This man held her future in his hands and he clung to that glass orb unafraid of its fragility. Ivory did a double-take, exhaling the anger she had felt and trying to calm her crazed heart. It wasn't fair of her to direct her frustration at him, he knew nothing regarding the relationship between herself and Emery and in turn had no knowledge of her experience or competence.

"Fine?" she echoed cautiously, finally finding the opportunity to speak.

"I am considering your concerns and thus have a counter-proposal. Since you feel as though you lacked opportunity I shall designate to you added responsibilities through which I will assess your ability. However, you will not be granted a higher position, you will be hereinafter my assistant, you will work inside of my office space under my supervision and the probation stands. I am giving you a fair chance here and any screw-ups will be your responsibility to bear and yours alone. ." he waited for a response but she had chosen this moment to turn silent and her eyes had averted from his. He had reasserted his dominance, although he had to admit he never once lost dominance. In every room, he entered he held the reigns comfortably and effortlessly yet in the space of five minutes he hadn't realized his position was challenged, revoked, and returned in an eye's blink.

"I don't have much of a choice do I?" she exhaled heavily.

Raiden shook his head in the negative. "No."

Ivory couldn't hinder her eyes from intruding into the personal space of Raiden, of that there wasn't much to start with. His office was unevenly partitioned by a glass wall that did not promise privacy....for either of them. She was seated behind the smaller partition, her chair and desk granting her an undisturbed view of Raiden's profile every time she gazed up. She had never before experienced such awkward trauma, this man smirked devilishly at his computer and her heart skipped. She was almost certain it had something to do with an intimate correspondence. Yet, she cursed herself for wondering what this otherworldly specimen would be like in the sheets.

It was clear that his proximity was stifling her and any form of concentration she might have had. Ivory shook her head and inwardly scolded herself, she had to prove him and everyone else wrong and for that, she inhaled and told herself that his presence was not detrimental. She turned her attention to the computer decorating her table and promised herself to put her best foot forward.

Raiden would be lying if he hadn't noticed how unsettled Ivory was, he knew her eyes kept flickering towards him and it was enough to make his lips ease into a smirk. He despised his workers harboring foolish fantasies about him but he was pleased with her discomfort, it told him that attraction was certainly present. He cleared his head and his smile faded as his mind was put to more important subjects.

Ivory was concentrated, her mind focused until the sharp, soft, and haste knock at the corner of her desk alerted her to her surroundings once more. Her head flew up and her eyes glimpse Braylen halfway to Raiden's desk, a smile instantly formed, her gaze returning to her task after he was seated.

Raiden found it unfortunate that he had to observe the semi-discrete acknowledgment between Braylen and Ivory. He wasn't certain of their relationship but he was certain of her feelings towards Braylen, the ridiculous smile on her face said it all.

However, he couldn't pinpoint any serious affection from Braylen. There was something there but Raiden guessed that the extent of affection can be called into question. He wiped the thoughts from his mind, he had to admit to himself that he found her attractive but that was the entire story, what she and anyone else did was none of his business especially since she worked for him. As long as Ivory was employed under him, she was off-limits.

Under him.....

He wandered aimlessly and he inwardly kicked himself back to the present.

"I brought the files you requested." Braylen sank down into the chair.

Raiden nodded.

"Ms. Remington, you may take your lunch hour now." Raiden's voice echoed into her mind and she immediately jumped up, excited to be away from his presence. She nodded and moved to leave the office.

"Actually, I have to get back." Braylen eased back on his chair and stood, making long strides towards the door.

"Ivory." Braylen enclosed his fingers over her arm and drew her attention to him outside of Raiden's office.

"Hi." She responded on instinct.

"I'll pick you up around seven, my mother invited you to dinner," he said in hushed tones, granted her a smile, and strode off.