Never Again
🌷
“Sometimes the best thing you can do is not think, not wonder, not imagine, not obsess. Just breath, and have faith that everything will work out for the best.”
~•~
•E V E L Y N•
The day wasn't peaceful for Xavier Knight as the faded memories of my betrayal were floating right in front of him. He masked the anger on his face gracefully as he averted his eyes from my face.
By losing the extra pounds gave him a more chiselled face than before, that was what you first noticed about him: a hard, chiselled face, like that of some ancient Greek statue. The way his white shirt had covered his forearms was telling me that he had spent his share of time in the gym. And, then, finally, there was his eyes…. His forest green eyes that horrified me in the last five years. They were dark pools of immeasurable depth, pools of agony that you could drown yourself in and never again come up for air.
Once messy dusty brown hair was now perfectly blended in gel to his right side, and against the current fashion of light beard, he was clean shaved.
But, if the last five years had taught me anything, looks are deceptive. I was not that girl anymore who ran after everything that screamed beauty, that girl died years ago.
"Miss...?" He studied my face with his calculative eyes, waiting for me to tell him my name. My file remained untouched as he didn't bother to look into it. He wanted to hear it from my mouth, as if he wanted me to feel the pain that he felt in these last five years, the guilt that lived with me corroding each and every cell of my body.
"Evelyn." I replied, lowering my gaze as I was unable to look into his eyes.
"Evelyn Knight?" He asked as if he wanted me to confirm it.
"Williams. Evelyn Rose Williams." I said, my voice got thickened with guilt.
My eyes flickered to his hands which were now balled into fists, indicating that he was trying to control his anger, like he was really good at it. A faint hint of smile played on his face, probably he was thinking about the cruelty of destiny that had brought us together after so many years.
He was about to part his lips to embarrass me further with another question when the door opened and someone walked inside. I kept my face still, even though curiosity arose in my mind regarding the intruder.
"Xavier, you need to be in the conference room. The British delegates are waiting for you." A masculine voice said.
"Oh, the British delegates are here, that would be fun." Xavier said as his lips twitch into a heart warming smirk. "Chris, continue with the interview." He stood up, giving me the chance to admire him.
"Miss Williams, Mr Walker will continue your interview. We will meet soon." The last line was for me to hear and for him to see my reaction on it. Keeping my face straight, I gave him a nod and then he walked past me.
The footsteps came closer as I felt the pair of eyes on me. The man started with a 'Hello' as he reached his desk, flopping on the chair without casting a glance towards me.
He had a very gentle smile on his face as I said, "You're the CEO, Mr Chris Walker." And instantly regretted it. "Sorry, it's just I didn't know the CEO would be taking my interview."
He chuckled before passing the glass of water to me while watching my nervousness. "It's fine. And the interview is regarding the post of my private secretary, so it'll be better if I take it personally. Hope you don't have any issue with it."
What Xavier was doing here? I thought.
As if he read my thoughts, Mr Walker answered, "Because I was busy in the meeting, so Mr Knight was taking the interviews. Shall we start?"
I gulped hard before nodding my head. He passed me another smile and looked into my file. Interlocking my fingers, I looked at his face, trying to read his expressions. He studied my file cautiously after which he closed and kept it away.
"Why did you take a three-year break after high school graduation?" He asked, staring intently at my face.
I couldn't tell him the exact reason could I?
"There were some family issues." I told him to which he nodded.
"You had a good GPA in high school. You could have easily enrolled in some best institute, why community college then?" He asked, leaning back into his chair.
Licking my dry lips nervously, I replied, "Like I said, there were some family issues. And financially I couldn't afford to join any big institute."
He nodded like he understood and asked a question which felt like a kick into my gut, "You had a profound interest in the fashion industry, why did you join business school?"
Searching through my brain for the appropriate answer but I didn't find any. I pulled my hair behind my ear and tried to think of an answer.
"Yes, I was really into the fashion world. But at that time, I had some big issues to deal with and as the time passed, I lost my interest in it." That was my best answer to which he nodded, again like he understood. But, I thought otherwise.
"Any special skills, Evelyn?" He inquired using my name this time.
How was I supposed to develop special skills when life didn't give me a chance to learn! I was too busy trying to survive on my own, fighting for the food to eat and learning special skills were of secondary priority to me.
"I can be a great negotiator, and I make great coffee." I said and a smirk appeared on his face.
"Great negotiator, then very well. And coffee is a major requirement." He commented.
Mr Walker was about to ask me another question, when a person standing right behind me asked a question which froze every tissue of my body.
"Do you think of yourself as a loyal person?" Xavier asked, while he walked past me and stood beside Mr Walker as his eyes held me captive.
"What?" I asked, dumbfounded.
"Loyalty is royalty, Miss Williams. And a very important quality that we want to see in our employees." He stated in a very cold and distant voice. "So, do you consider yourself loyal?"
I didn't know what to say, and I was not going to give him any reaction that he wanted me to express.
"Indeed, Loyalty is Royalty, Mr Knight. And I consider myself very loyal to this job." I said and his eyes were now fuming in anger.
"You can go now, Miss Williams. Our team will contact you if you get the job." He dismissed, sliding my file towards me.
Whispering a small thank you to him, I stood up and walked out of the room, but not before committing his chiselled face to my memory.
We will meet soon. His words were ringing like a bell into my ears and there was a high chance that we would meet again.
Never Again 🌷 “Characterize people by their actions and you will never be fooled by their words.” ~•~ •E V E L Y N• "Are you two hundred percent sure it was him?" Kat asked the same question for the tenth time and I narrowed my eyes at her. "Yes Kat. I'm definitely sure." Rolling my eyes at her as I thought even if I hadn't heard his name, I'd still recognise those alluring eyes anywhere. Whenever my situation got worse, it would be his face that would appear in front of my eyes, telling me that Karma was definitely biting my ass off. "I ain't getting the job, right?" I sighed, eating the last slice of pizza left. "Lying is against my morals, darling." She said, amusement dancing in her eyes, but as she looked at my face, Kat got equally worried. Kat had always been my constant support since the day I met her, and I can't pay her back, at least not in this lifetime. But now, I desperately need a job. To regain my self-respect, my personality, to be independent. "Eve, look at
Never Again 🌷 “Hate is a terrible thing. It's a wasteful, stupid emotion. You can hate someone with all your heart, but it'll never do them a bit of harm. The only person it hurts is you. You can spend your days hating, letting it eat away at you, and the person you hate will go on living just the same. So, what's the point?” ~•~ •E V E L Y N• Sitting outside the office of Mr Walker, I waited for him to arrive. Despite my protests, Kat didn't let me wear my old clothes as I was dressed in her floral color pencil skirt and black button-up shirt, I looked really decent and professional. And finally the heels, which she stubbornly made me wear. I applied some natural makeup on my face and let my strawberry hair down so they reached my waist in light waves. It was already fifteen minutes past eight in the morning, and I had no idea what I was supposed to do and where to go. Time passed as it was exact nine in the morning, when I watched Mr Walker walking out of the private elevator
Never Again 🌷 “The beauty of life is, while we cannot undo what is done, we can see it, understand it, learn from it and change so that every new moment is spent not in regret, guilt, fear or anger but in wisdom, understanding and love.” ~•~ •E V E L Y N• “If it was up to me, I would not even let you work in any of the companies in New York, let alone my office.” Those painful words kept ringing in my ears, stealing me of my peace of mind. I was already swimming in the pool of guilt, hearing those words from his mouth had left me in a puddle of misery. For years, I have been running from my past, facing the difficulties, but his face has brought me back to the place from where I started. To zero! "Damn! Babe!" Kat's yelling pulled me out of the trance. Turning my face towards her, only to find har staring at her laptop's screen with 'puppy- dog eyes'. "Why the hell didn't you tell me your Xavier Knight is the living Greek god?" "He's not mine, and secondly why on earth are y
Never Again 🌷 “We each begin in innocence. We all become guilty.” ~•~ •E V E L Y N• Quickly turning away from the sight, I followed Kat through the crowd, hoping that he didn't see me. Not knowing why, but I looked back and we locked gazes. I couldn't look away, he was staring at me intently like a lion watching his prey. Feeling a tug just as I lost my focus on Xavier. Kat was already pulling me with her. We then arrived at our booth, so I could take a seat. "You wait here. I'll locate Mason and will get our drinks." I nodded and she strutted off. As she left, I observed the crowd was dividing itself into half and was dispersing to their respective sides, making a void in the middle of the stage. A handsome man walked down the aisle with a drink in his left hand, looking right into my eyes. And to my surprise, the man was none other than Xavier Knight himself. What was he trying to do? I thought. Xavier was standing in the middle of the stage, while the DJ announced, "Ladi
Never Again 🌷 “Sometimes life has a cruel sense of humor, giving you the thing you always wanted at the worst time possible.” Lisa Kleypas ~•~ •X A V I E R• Would you call it bad luck or the worst timing, if you end up working with the same person you spent five years hating? Evelyn Rose Williams, the girl that I loved with every nerve fibre in my being. But now, I despise her the most. Immature, materialistic narcissist who just cared about herself, who played with each and every person's emotions as they were pawns in her life. The girl who could stoop down to the lowest, if it benefited her in any way. The girl once ruined my life, and I'd never let that happen again. After five years of messing with my head, why the hell was she back? Why couldn't she just leave me alone?! The frustration that was stirring inside me was driving me damn crazy. I saw her getting appointed as my secretary, all thanks to Chris. And after getting appointed as the secretary of the CEO of a mult
Never Again 🌷 “True love will triumph in the end-which may or may not be a lie, but if it is a lie, it's the most beautiful lie we have.” John Green ~•~ •E V E L Y N• Wishing that Sunday didn't happen because unfortunately, I had to face Xavier today at work. It was a Monday and I planned to avoid him like the plague. I wasn't going to indulge myself in his business until he apologized for his behaviour the other night. If he even remembered, I thought. I arrived at work at an earlier time, so I started to sort out all the files that needed to be signed and reviewed by Xavier. Engrossed in work, I didn't even notice him entering the office. He didn't usually bother addressing my presence, so today was no different. After a while, my phone started ringing. Looking up from what I was doing, answered the unknown number. Before I could even greet the person on the other end, I heard, "In my office, along with all the important files." And then he cut the call. Way too quick, M
Never Again 🌷 “Just ask how I'm feeling, I want to say. Just ask and I may tell you. But no one does.” Melina Marchetta ~•~ ~FIVE YEARS AGO~ •E V E L Y N• Ever since I knew about the dreaded agreement between Williams and Knight, I had cried myself to bed every night. Seeing as Marc wasn't here to comfort and change my mood, I was left on my own. After I ate, I took a nice warm bath and retired to bed early. Never had I ever imagined that for the rest of the week after I agreed to meet Xavier, I would have to handle a lot of my school work to complete it early. As Xavier Knight would arrive from New York to here in California on Monday, I also had to finish off my school work for the next few weeks. Trying to smooth out everything by myself and by Friday night, I finally let out a breath I didn't know I was holding all week. My weekend flew by so fast. I didn't even get the chance to relax my nerves. I had to divert my mind from him as I kept dreading for Monday. Waking up a
Never Again 🌷 “To hurt is as human as to breathe.” ~•~ E V E L Y N• Engrossed in our previous memories, I haven't heard Mr Walker entering my office. "What are you doing inside your office during lunch time?" Mr Walker's voice reached my ears and I immediately turned towards him. "Mr Walker actually-" "Didn't I tell you to call me Chris?" She asked, smiling as I nodded in yes. "Yes Chris, I just finished reading our new project." I told him and he sighed, leaning in front of my desk as he placed his hands on it. "We don't work like that here, Evelyn. Besides lunch hours are prohibited to our workers, using it for work. Now, come on." He motioned her to follow him. "But Mr Walker… sorry...Chris wait.." before I could say anything further, he had already gone into Xavier's office through the joined door. Sighing, I dragged myself up from the desk and trudged towards Chris' office. The sight of two people greeted me who were sitting in front of his desk, one of them was Xavi