Chapter Six

His chest was thumping so hard you could hear it from miles away. Having his sister back home isn't exactly the sweet reunion anyone would hope for. You see, Grace Chadly is really the sweetest person to have walked the earth. Her heart was just as cold and unyielding as her father. 

Jeremy has always been at loggerheads with Grace. They barely ever agreed on anything, and she always took the side of their father. And Arthur never failed to make it known that Grace was the only one of his children who disgraced him the least. And when he suggested a marriage of convenience between her and Walter Gray, she was all too eager to accept and please her father.

Jeremy always wished that Grace was born a boy; maybe his father wouldn't be so hard on him. Even though Grace was set to be the chairwoman of the family's business, Jeremy still had to be front and center as Grace had to travel quite often. Having her back in two days' time was really putting him in a nervous situation, so much so that he spilled coffee on his shirt as he read the papers and prepared for work. Swearing under his breath, he tossed the paper aside and changed out of his white button-up shirt into a gray one, which accentuated the gray in his eyes.

In no time, he was out the door and in his car to begin the commute to work. He turned on his favourite song, “Don't Dream It's Over” by Crowded House. The smooth melody helped to calm his nerves. It's not like he was scared of Grace; it's just that he couldn't handle someone just like his father breathing down his neck, and she sure as heck was going to give him a lot of flak about the last quarter’s numbers.

Sighing heavily, he pulled into the parking lot of the office building and made his way to the elevator. The elevator door dings as it parts, and he locked eyes with a beautiful brunette. He gave her a curt nod and stepped into the elevator. Turned his back and punched in his floor number. A few seconds later, the elevator stopped, the brunette started making her way out, then slightly brushed past him. Then, just as she got out, she looked over her shoulder at him and gave a sly smile. He was momentarily stunned. Did she just flirt with him? And who could she be? Those thoughts were quickly gone as soon as the doors of the elevator closed and his phone started ringing almost immediately.

“Hello, Jeremy Hastings. How can I help you?” he spoke calmly but a bit coldly into the receiver. “Hello, mr hastings, this is gabriel pavano. I'm calling on behalf of Mr Arthur. He has instructed me to tell you to remember to pick up Mrs Chadly from the airport at 2 pm in two days' time.” Jeremy pinched the bridge of his nose. Does his father have it out for him? Or does he delight in seeing him miserable? “I will send you an email in an hour containing further details, Mr Hastings.” “Will that be all, Gabriel?” “Yes, Mr Hastings. I hope you have a great day ahead.” “Thank you, Gabriel. Have a great day ahead,” he said, walking into his office.

With Miss Ridley gone for her mini vacation, he had to handle some admin tasks by himself, and that included handling his schedules. Although mis ridley had tried to get him a temporary receptionist or a virtual assistant at the very least, he refused her offer. In his words, “I only trust you with handling my work and daily schedules, Amelie. I'd go crazy if I had to leave it up to someone else.” At that, she conceded and told him to put a call through to her if he ever needed anything, and he just nodded his head and waved her off, urging her to go home to begin packing for her vacation.

Right now he was faced with a mountain of work. He was sure he cleared his tasks yesterday, so how come they've piled back up already? Or are his staff members secretly giving him part of their work to handle simply because Miss Ridley wasn't here to sort through them first? He dropped his suitcase and got started with work. Two hours later, the landline rang, startling him. He was so focused on work that he lost awareness of his surroundings. 

“Hello, Mr Hastings, I'm just giving you a call about your scheduled meeting with the marketing team. We started about twenty minutes ago, sir.” “Oh shit,” he swore under his breath. It totally escaped his mind that they were having a meeting that day. “Sir,  I wanted to know if the meeting was still on. I could go ahead and cancel or reschedule it sir” “no its totally fine Greg. It totally slipped my mind. I'll be with you in a minute.” “Alright, Mr Hastings”

He stood up from his chair, adjusted his tie, and made his way to the boardroom. Today hasn't been so smooth without Miss Ridley keeping him on track. He owed her a raise when she returned. He could see the team already seated in the boardroom, and he quickened his pace to join them. “My apologies for keeping you waiting; thank you for your patience,” he said and took a seat at the head of the table. He scanned the people in front of him, and his gaze stopped short when he saw the brunette from the elevator. He had never met her before. Was she new? He didn't even know the marketing team was hiring. Well, I guess he wouldn't know since he didn't handle every minute detail of the company.

Holding his gaze, the brunette smiled wildly atJeremy,y and he was once again bewildered. What was her deal? Did she know him from anywhere? He just couldn't understand her weird and overtly familiar attitude toward him. Sensing a bit of confusion from Jeremy, Greg made a move to clear the air. “This is Miss Beatrice Cooper, our new hire. She's the new Growth Marketing Manager. She's also going to the social media angle of our business. Miss cooper, this is mr jeremy hastings, the Managing Director of Hastings & Co.”

Jeremy extended her hand to Miss Beatrice, the brunette. “Welcome to Hastings & Co., Miss Cooper. It's a pleasure to have you join the team. I hope we're able to help you carry out your work and provide a favourable environment that fosters growth.” Shaking his hand, she responded with a sweet voice, “Thank you, Mr Hastings. I look forward to giving my best and moving the company to even better heights. And please call me Beatrice,” she finished, tucking her hair behind her ears. Jeremy nodded curtly and looked to the rest of the team .“Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend this meeting. As you know, our numbers from the last quarter are in. I would love to commend you all for your hard work. The sales and marketing team really impressed me. Now, let's discuss plans and strategies for the next quarter.” Right on cue, his phone lit up. The caller ID showed that it was from his mother. He clenched his jaw subconsciously… he knew why she was calling.