I dragged myself back to the present, the happy memory fading away. I glanced at my phone – it was almost 7 pm, time to meet the client according to Alex’s instructions. With a wistful sigh, I headed back inside from the beach As I made my way down the hallway, I paused outside Alex’s door. Part of me was really aching to knock, to talk to him and ask why he forgot about today but I knew doing that would be a wrong move. After standing there for a long moment, I forced myself to keep walking to my own roomOnce I was inside, I began preparing for the meeting, and in no time I was dressed. As soon as Alex saw me, his eyes swept over my outfit choice and he frowned slightly. “You can’t go like this. For the kind of client we are meeting, impression is everything.”"Oh..." I felt my cheeks get hot with embarrassment. "I didn't really pack decent business clothes for a trip like this.""A client important enough to have this meeting scheduled at a place like this is going to be big on lu
“I guess since the meeting is postponed, I should start packing up?” I asked as we made our way back to our room Alex gave a curt nod. “Yes, you’ve had enough of a break from work. Polo pays you to work, so you need to get back to it .”His blunt words stung a bit, but I tried not to let it show. "Right, of course. I'll get my things together then."Back in my room, I slowly began gathering my belongings, taking one last long look around the luxurious suite. I wished I could stay longer and fully enjoy the experience. With a sigh, I finished packing and climbed into that heavenly plush bed, quickly passing out.The next morning, I freshened up and ate a light breakfast before getting a text from Alex to meet him downstairs. I headed down to find him already waiting by his car, impatient as ever. The drive back to Polo's offices passed in silence, per usual. Once we arrived, the first thing I did was text my mom: “Hey mama, I’m back at work. See you later tonight. I love you.”As I
Derby's car horn was blaring like crazy. I had totally spaced on Celine's birthday party, and I rushed around like a headless chicken trying to get ready. When I was finally done, I hurried downstairs and headed for Derby's car with an apologetic look on my face."Girl, I was expecting you to look all dolled up for how long you kept me waiting," Derby teased, raising an eyebrow."I'm so sorry. You wouldn't believe what went down," I said, throwing my hands up."You forgot. That's what I'm thinking," she grinned knowingly."Did you get her a gift? I don’t know if we can stop somewhere to get her something, but I have no clue what she's into or wants," I admitted with a frown."Your presence is enough. I'm sure she's not expecting you to come bearing gifts," Derby reassured me, focused on the roadIs this how we'll get to the place? I'm sure a snail is faster than you," I teased, sticking my tongue out playfully."I'm trying, but I can't move any faster," we both laughed, shaking our he
I hurriedly dried up my hands and went to have a closer look. As I left the bathroom, I was jolted by the unexpected view - a man had Celine against the wall and grabbed her arm fiercely as she cowered in fear.Get off her!" I shouted without thinking, rushing towards them. The man twisted his head back, a nasty smirk distorting his face. "If you don't get out of this damn place, you'll end up in this situation," he let out venomously. He turned back to Celine, giving her a shake. "So you screamed for people to come out?" "N-no, I didn't," Celine stammered, trying to shrink away from him. "I'm sorry..." Her obvious terror made me feel sick and I couldn't abandon her to this brute's abuse. My hands shook uncontrollably as I fumbled to locate my phone, bringing it to the front to capture the tension.“Leave now… Or face the consequences with the police,” I said, my voice quivering.The man looked at the phone as if he was thinking about his options. I held my gaze without flinching,
I pulled out my phone to call us a ride. But before I could, Celine emerged from the building looking exhausted. I palmed my phone and turned to face her."Let’s just go to my place, okay?" I said gently. "You don't need to be alone right now."Celine nodded wearily, looking so downtrodden. “Thank you...I owe you one, for real.""Don't even worry about that," I waved it off. "Just focus on taking care of yourself right now, okay?"I called a ride and we waited outside until it arrived. The short drive to my house was silent. When we arrived, I led her inside and up to my room.Here, you can borrow some clothes to freshen up if you'd like," I offered, rummaging through my dresser. "And take the bed, I can crash on the floor."Celine shook her head. "No, Sophie, I can't put you out of your own bed. The floor is fine for me."You're the guest though," I insisted. "You should be comfortable."After some back and forth, she finally relented and accepted the t-shirt and shorts I passed her.
I'm Sophie, Mr. Hernandez's assistant," I replied, trying to keep my tone polite and professional despite her scrutinizing stare.The woman's eyes narrowed as she looked me over again disdainfully. "Hmm, and you can't wait for him at the office?"I squirmed uneasily under her stare. "I'm just following Mr. Hernandez's orders. May I please come in? I'm already running late."She gave me one final disparaging look before finally stepping aside with an exaggerated sigh. I hurried past her into the house, quickly looking around for a couple of seconds before heading towards Mr. Hernandez’s home office.“Good morning, Ms. McDermott,” one of the housekeepers offered me a friendly smile as I walked by.”"Good morning," I replied shortly, increasing my pace. I didn't have time for pleasantries."Um, Mr. Hernandez asked that no one disturb him for now," the housekeeper called after me hesitantly.I paused mid-stride, turning back towards her with a frown. "Oh, is there a problem?"She offered
Alex frowned as he looked over the pile of documents between us. "This proposal from PharrellTech for the Wilson Renewables Project is a lot more aggressive than I expected."I nodded grimly. "They seem determined to undercut us at every turn to try to score this lucrative contract.""Walk me through their pricing strategy," he said, mouth set in a hard line. "How are they able to come in so far below our projections?"Pulling up the detailed analysis I'd prepared, I clicked through the key slides. "From what I can gather, PharrellTech is willing to take an initial loss by slashing their Phase 1 implementation fees nearly in half."Alex's eyes narrowed. "Surely they can't keep up those razor-thin margins for the full multi-year rollout, can they?""That's the gamble they're making," I explained. "Get their foot in the door with Wilson at any cost. Then once they're embedded, they'll try to nickel and dime their way to profitability with endless boosted 'service fees' and 'consulting c
I blinked, momentarily disoriented as I resurfaced from the memories. The harsh clang of Mia dropping an armful of files jolted me fully back to the present.She didn't even spare me a glance as she grumbled under her breath, gathering up the scattered papers with jerky motions."Mia..." I began hesitantly. She glared at me and rolled her eyes, waiting for me to continue.“Mr. Hernandez asked me to let you know that you’ll be accompanying him to the investor dinner tonight instead of me.”Her eyes widened in amazement, then quickly sharpened. “Is this a joke or something? Why would Mr. Hernandez want me there instead of you?""I...told him I wasn't feeling well," I admitted, the lie tasting like ash in my mouth. "He said to have you assist him at the dinner."Mia studied me closely for a long moment, likely trying to decide if I was lying or not. Finally, she seemed to accept my words as the truth, her lips curving into a satisfied smirk."Well, well. It seems Mr. Hernandez is finally