Chapter Three

Anna's POV

No, I didn't receive any more text from Scar, and no it didn't make me feel any better. It left me in a panic and made me more watchful than a hawk. I could also feel Erica watching but I pretended not to notice because noticing meant talking and I wasn't ready to do any of that.

I threw myself into work as if my life depended on it. It was a busy month for us as we were expecting a visitor, a big one or so I heard. Even Trevor and his jokes didn't help. It only took him a while to realize that something was off about me and he didn’t stop bugging me about him when I couldn't take it anymore, I snapped at him.

An action I regretted because he was a sweetheart and didn't deserve any of my ill-treatment.

Trevor was a colleague whom Erica could swear on her life that he had a thing for me but I didn't think it was true though. Trevor was way out of my league and the last thing I needed was a man. 

The last time someone tried to get with me I ended up in the hospital and I was still dealing with it.

“Seen Trevor?” I asked Erica.

“Trouble in paradise?” She asked with a smile that enhanced the features of her face.

“There is no paradise Erica” I tried not to roll my eyes plus I didn't have the time for this conversation.

“Well, if you say so. I think he left to buy lunch”

 Why was she painting her nails at work?

“Why are you painting your nails here?”

“Relax, it’s lunchtime okay?” she said like it was obvious.

Erica and I worked in an art gallery, I was a receptionist and I got the job because of Erica. She was somewhere up there as one of the assistants on some title I could never remember. It was unprofessional and I know it was.

I went back to being behind the desk as usual and Trevor came in almost immediately. When our gaze collided, he looked away almost immediately.

“Trevor?” He was looking at me now. “ I am sorry for snapping at you, it is just…my time of the month” I blurted out. Why did I have to say that? Why did that sound so weird?

His eyes went wide, his cheeks turned a soft shade of pink and we both burst into laughter.

I couldn't understand why people were so busy.

It was Friday and everyone was running, they seemed busier than usual. I didn't dare ask anyone what was happening, not with the speed they were taking.

“Anna, what are you doing? The owner of this place will be here in less than ten minutes”

What owner? Where? Ten minutes?

“I thought she was coming in next week?”

This time I was on my feet trying to arrange my skirt and pushing away a few strands of my hair that had fallen from the bun I had made.

“Yeah, but a change of plans and it's now a he, not a she” Erica was smiling.

“Oh?” confusion was evident on my face but Erica was already dragging me to the conference hall where the “she” that had suddenly become a “he” was going to meet everyone.

“Did you even listen to anything from the last meeting?” Erica asked on our way.

I sighed defeatedly.

Many of the staff were already seated so when I heard the screeching of the door, I thought it was one of the staff because I was too focused on a new piece of art that stood proudly on the wall. There was something about it, something familiar. I was sure I had seen it somewhere but where? Was it in a movie?

Suddenly I was hearing “Good day Sir” from every corner of the room after which the room suddenly grew quiet enough that you could hear the sound of a pin if it fell at that moment.

The new boss-owner was looking from one face to another. Why did he look familiar too? Was I losing my mind?

He was looking at me like he had suddenly remembered something.

“You?” That voice, the accent. My brain remembered almost immediately. Fuck me! It was the jerk from the rainy evening. Hold on, he was my boss?

I was doomed.

“You!” I squeaked out nervously like a mouse. He looked amused like he was trying not to laugh at my facial expression. He continued from where he stopped, almost like he hadn't spoken to me at all.

A few people spared me curious glances. I didn't hear a thing from the meeting, I was too worried about the termination letter I was sure I was going to get at the end of the day.

 What was I thinking that night?

I should have just minded my business after I said sorry. Panic washed over me. When I saw people begin to leave I guessed the meeting had ended and I followed immediately.

Erica was fast to pull me to a corner once we were outside.

“What?” I don't know why I was feeling irritated.

“What just happened? The whole “you” thing” Erica pressed on ignoring my tone.

“The asshole I told you I bumped into the night Scar happened” I tried to ignore the shiver at the mere thought of his name.

“Oh wow! You didn't say he was hot” She eyed me.

“He looked pretty normal to me” I was leaving.

“Neh, he looks beyond normal and he has an accent too “ she followed me.

“Focus Erica! what if he fires me?”I sounded so sober.

“Huh? Why?”

“Because I was rude to him or something?”

“I don't know, you were both rude. I don't think he's going to do that” She was smiling, I hated the fact that Erica was always smiling.

Sometimes it was creepy and it made me wonder if her cheeks didn't hurt and with her graceful steps, she left me standing there dumb.

With the events of this week, I believed karma was after me, maybe karma was after me for offending someone I shouldn't have, and that was why it came biting me in my ass.

At the end of the day, I didn’t receive any pink slip, it still didn't make me feel any better.

“Erica, what happened to she that became a he?” I asked her during dinner.

“What?”

“I mean the CEO that suddenly became a man”

“Are you still on that? Did you even listen to anything from the meeting?”

 It was now my turn to smile sheepishly.

“You did not?” Erica gasped.

“I thought he was going to fire you and I have you.” The last part did the trick Because was smiling again. Then she shook her head as if to shake off whatever spell I had cast on her.

“It's not working Anna” She was trying not to smile and she failed miserably at it.

“But you are smiling,” I pointed out.

“Fine! But you have to listen on your own Anna, you are always zoning out…”

“Tell me about the CEO” I changed the subject.

Erica gave me a pathetic look. “ Well I heard his aunt was watching over it for him until he came of age, it belonged to his mother- she died when he was younger and his aunt was supposed to come to introduce him but I think something came up”

“How do you even know all of these?” I asked her.

“Because unlike you, most people have used the internet and the Gallagher story had once caused a stir and I can't believe you couldn't recognize popular Caden Gallagher, every lady's sweetheart and see he's on all the covers of Hey magazine” she had her phone in front of me with a picture of a Greek god with messy black hair and the deepest shade of blue eyes ever.

Did he look like this?

I couldn't remember.

“Told you he was hot,” Erica said, watching me closely.

I shook my head, ignored her, and took the dishes to the sink.