Ansel smirked as he saw Elisa's shocked expression. He thought about staying out of the interview and reveal himself later but then changed his mind. Besides, Anya would have a fit if he didn't show up.
"So, Ms. Elisa Campbell. It's a pleasure to meet you," Ansel said, acting as he had never met Elisa. He looked over at Anya. She was giving him a dirty look. He guessed his sister figured out that he had something to do with it, and she wasn't too happy with his tricks.
"Can I talk to you in private?" Anya forced a smile and grabbed Ansel's arm. "Excuse us for a moment, Ms. Campbell," she dragged him outside before he could say anything.
Anya punched him on the arm.
"Ow! What was that for?" Ansel winced.
"What the fuck is she doing here? Is this one of your dumb pranks? You are too old to be doing this, Ansel," she hissed.
"What are you talking about? She has every right to interview for a job," Ansel feigned shock.
"Don't play dumb with me, Casanova. I know exactly what you're trying to do. You're trying to hire her so you can keep trying to get inside her panties. You're disgusting!" Anya said in a hushed tone.
"This isn't a prank. Yes, I do want to get closer to her and change her mind about me, but I also think she can handle this job. Besides, she wouldn't be here if she didn't need it. You can't take the opportunity away from her. Now that would be cruel," Ansel said.
"Whatever, let's finish the interview, and I'll decide whether she qualifies. You are officially banned from interviewing her," Anya declared.
Ansel laughed and followed her back inside the room. Elisa still hasn't moved from her spot. She must be frozen from the shock of seeing him and has yet to recover from it.
Anya and Ansel sat down in front of her again. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Ms. Campbell. Shall we begin the interview?" Anya chirped and stared into Elisa's eyes. Maybe she can read her mind and escape from the jerkface she called her brother.
Elisa finally snapped out of her shock and looked directly at Ansel. "Is this some kind of a joke?" she asked.
Ansel straightened his back and made eye contact with her. His face turned serious. "Adams Corp. is an extremely reputable company. We would never joke about something serious like this interview! If you don't want this job, you are free to leave," he declared.
Anya wanted to choke Ansel, but alas, it wouldn't look professional. She looked at Elisa, who was staring at Ansel. She could see the hatred in her eyes. The woman did not like Ansel. Not one bit.
Anya smirked. Maybe hiring her isn't such a bad idea. Someone needed to put Ansel in place, and Elisa seemed like the kind person who could do that. "You should stay. We offer plenty of benefits and a generous amount of compensation. Besides, this could be your stepping stone to have a successful career. You'll have lots of opportunity for promotion."
Elisa nodded and didn't say anything else, which encouraged Anya to continue the interview.
After the interview, Anya caught up to Elisa in the elevator.
"I am offering you the position, just so you know," Anya announced.
Elisa's eyes turned wide. "You are?"
"Absolutely. I know you hate my brother but trust me. This is a good company. You wouldn't even have to deal with him as much. You'll be sitting at the receptionist desk, far away from that idiot," Anya said.
Elisa thought about it for a moment. It wasn't like she had a choice. She just got fired, and there was no way she could find another job on such short notice.
"I'll be happy to accept your offer. Thank you so much! I won't disappoint you, I promise," she said. She had a mixed feeling about this because of Ansel Adams, but she decided to suck it up and roll with it.
"Great! You can start tomorrow. Tiffany will show you around," Anya smiled, and they shook hands.
Elisa went home and handed Esmeralda her payment. She was starting to feel good about this job.
"How did it go, Miss?" Esmeralda looked at her curiously.
"I got the job!" Elisa beamed.
"That's amazing! I'm happy for you," Esmeralda smiled and left.
Now to convince that perverted landlord, Elisa thought to herself. She took Audre's hand and headed to his apartment, which was on the first floor. She knocked on his door then anxiously waited. The door opened after a few seconds.
"Well, hello young lady, didn't expect to see you here," he grinned. His smile disappeared as he saw Elisa brought her daughter along. "What can I do you for?"
"I wanted to let you know that I got a better paying job so I'll be able to pay you everything I owed.
"Is that so?" the landlord's face turned dark.
"Yes, I will bring the money at the end of the month, I promise," Elisa said.
"Fine. But this is your last chance. Unless you pay me a little visit," he said suggestively.
Elisa tried her hardest not to show her disgust. She quickly grabbed Audre and went back to her apartment. After playing with Audre a bit, she hopped into the shower and thought about her new job. She wondered if that obnoxious and arrogant man had something to do with her getting fired. Gosh, she'd be so pissed if that was the case!
The next day she headed to Adams Corp. to start her day. She was excited and anxious at the same time. What if she makes a wrong first impression? She hoped Ansel don't try to flirt with her and make her uncomfortable. She couldn't stand him as a person, but she thought Anya was okay.
Tiffany stood up from her desk and greeted her as soon as she stepped inside.
"Oh great! You're here. I'm going to show you everything you need to know. You are to mostly answer the phone and direct people in the right direction when there are conferences and meetings here. It's an easy job, so you'll be just fine!" Tiffany chirped.
"Then why are you leaving?" Elisa asked.
Tiffany laughed and rubbed her pregnant belly. "I've decided to quit and be a full-time mom."
Lucky, Elisa thought. She wished she could do the same, but she didn't have the money or support for that kind of luxury. She walked behind the desk so Elisa could show how everything worked.
Her eyes turned cold as she saw Ansel Adams walking toward them. He looked at her and raised one of his eyebrows. "Good morning," he said, then walked into the elevator.
Tiffany sighed. "I'm going to miss that fine piece of ass," she confessed.
"Tiffany!" Elisa gasped. "Aren't you married?" she laughed.
Tiffany laughed along with her. "I am, but I'm not blind. Come on. You have to admit our boss is total eye candy. I mean, those intense grey eyes are just..." The phone suddenly rang, interrupting her. Tiffany turned to Elisa. "Mr. Adams wants to see you in his office."
Oh great, she's about to be subjected to more of his flirting, Elisa rolled her eyes and headed to his office which was in the 40th floor.
"Ms. Campbell, may I call you Elisa?" Ansel asked when she entered the office.
"That'd be fine, sir," Elisa said politely.
"Please have a seat," he motioned her to sit down, and Elisa obliged. "So, are you having a good day so far?"
"I am. I think I will like working here. Thank you so much for the opportunity," Elisa said. It wasn't a lie. She truly appreciated the job offer.
"That's great. But now you owe me that dinner date you missed the other day," he smirked.
Anger flickered in Elisa's brain, but she kept her cool. "Mr. Adams, I appreciate this opportunity, but I want to make some things clear. I accepted this job because of your sister, not you. And I most definitely won't tolerate your unprofessional behavior. I don't owe you anything," she said curtly.
Ansel leaned over to get closer. His piercing grey eyes bored into her. "And I too would like to make one thing clear, Elisa. Your life is in my hands now," he declared, his tone low and menacing.
Elisa felt ill as she was on her way out. She almost changed he mind three times and decided to stay home and wait. But, she gave herself a pep talk and forced herself to go see Ansel. She couldn't wait until he came home from work. She needed to tell him now. The secret she had been keeping was driving her crazy. She felt like she was about to explode! She saw Audre in the kitchen and expected her to ask where she was going, but Audre was too busy chatting and laughing on the phone. "No, I love you more," Audre declared on the phone, then giggled. It's been a month since she came from the camp. Ever since then, she had been seeing Aleks. She is always on her phone texting him or having long conversations. Ansel groaned and complained about it at first, but he had eventually accepted their relationship. Aleks was a good kid, after all. "I'm going to have lunch with your dad. I'll be back soon," Elisa announced before leaving, even though she w
It was the last day of Summer Camp. Audre was sad that it ended, but she looked forward to going back home and be with her sisters. But then again, she knew she couldn't see Aleks first thing in the morning after she leaves and thinking about it made her sad. She wanted to see him before they all went their separate ways. She still had a few hours left before Steven came to pick her up. Aleks was in his cabin packing up his things. His eyes lit up as he looked up and saw her standing by the door. "Hey Curls, came to say goodbye?" he asked. Audre nodded. She couldn't hide her sadness. "I don't like this. I want to be with you," she said quietly. Aleks took her hand and pulled her closer. "It's not like we'll be separated forever. I'll see you when we get back home." He wrapped his arms around her. "Then we can continue the naughtiness," he whispered in her ear. Audre giggled. "My dad would kill you. He said I'm not allow
"I'm coming with you," Aleks announced. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" Audre asked. "Why wouldn't it be?" Aleks looked at her questioningly. Then he remembered he never told Audre that he met her parents already. "Well, I forgot to tell you. I met your parents so it wouldn't be awkward. Audre looked at him with surprise. She didn't realize when she would ask her father for help. He'd actually want to meet Aleks personally. She felt horrified as she thought what kind of questions her father might've asked Aleks. "Um...how did that go? Meeting with my parents, I mean," she asked awkwardly. Aleks chuckled. "They aren't that bad," he said. Audre felt relieved. "Okay, then you can come with me. I could use your support." Aleks pulled her into a hug and kissed her hair. "I am always here for you, Curls." Audre felt grateful. "Okay," she said and smiled. Steven drove her to her parents' house alongside Aleks. Audre
Audre took a shower and got ready to meet Aleks at the treehouse. Her heart was beating fast as the time drew nearer. She felt restless. She swore to him that she wouldn't let him touch her unless they finished their talk, but she didn't know if she would stop him. It's not that he was the only one who gets turned on when they are close to each other! She quietly left her cabin. Kim and Kimmie were fast asleep. They went to bed early after working an almost 12-hour shift. "Hey you." Audre halted as she heard a voice behind her. She stepped back as she saw a shadow of a man approaching. "Little Audre. Don't you remember me? It's your uncle Kaelan," the man said. Audre remembered instantly. She had seen him passing by when her mom took her to her grandpa's house. He never bothered to say hi to her or tried to have a relationship as her uncle. What was he doing here at her camp of all places? "Yes I know you but why are you here?"
"Do you think Kaelan would go after Audre?" Ansel looked at Elisa thoughtfully. "I wouldn't put it past him. I just can't believe what kind of man he had become. He had always been a kid who got himself wrapped up in bad situations. I tried to help him as best as I could, and I never thought he would fall this far," Elisa shook her head in disappointment. "I know you did, baby," Ansel said and kissed her forehead. "But he doesn't know where Audre is. How would he know that?" "I know, but still...what if he had been following her or something?" Elisa frowned. "You are right. We need to keep a lookout. Good thing the camp is almost over, but until then, maybe I should send someone to keep a watch over her," Ansel said. Elisa shook her head. "Audre will not be happy about this," she said. "I'll make sure she never finds out. So who is it that Kaelan owes money to?" Ansel asked. He hadn't thought about Elisa's brother ever since he almost
Audre was confused after hanging up the phone with her mother. It seemed that everyone remembered Aleks but her. Also, she sounded worried. What was she so concerned about? Audre decided to confront Aleks about how they met the first time since the last time she asked, he gave her a vague answer. She waited until she was done with work. Then she sneaked away after everyone was asleep. Aleks asked her to meet him at the treehouse earlier, so this was her chance to ask questions. "Aleks, are you in ther..." she gasped as he grabbed her arm and pulled her under him. "Hey!" she protested and tried to sit up, but he pushed her back down. "I missed you," he said and covered her mouth with his before she could say anything else. She moaned as he nibbled on her lower lip softly, then slipped his tongue inside her parted mouth. She closed her eyes and kissed him back, then pried his lips off of hers. "Wait...Aleks...I wanted to talk to you abou