CHAPTER TWELVE

Aurora's POV

I should have seen this coming, it was my fault for being so naive so I had no one else to blame but myself. My feet managed to take me out of the office before the tears started streaming down, I entered my own office wiping it all off at the back of my hand.

Get yourself together, Aurora.

I scolded myself internally, if a man that I had cherished and adored for years could easily betray me for my sister then why was I surprised that Mr Xander who was more of a stranger to me than not would do the same–choosing another woman over me.

It stung, it was like reopening a wound that had not fully healed and revisiting that numbing pain of betrayal.

Well, this only means that I will have to show him just how great of a secretary I could be. If I proved to be invaluable to him then he wouldn't need to replace me even if he got involved with another woman.

With that new resolve, I called Simone after a casual greeting and I said; “ is it possible for us to be meeting more often?” I asked him, “I feel like there is so much that you still need to teach me, and I'm even willing to compensate you so–”

“Is there a problem? You seem to be in a bit of a hurry, not that I mind the eagerness.”

Oh no, am I being too obvious?

“No, nothing is wrong. I just feel like I should be able to handle much more if I'm going to continue to be his secretary…”

“But there's no need for you to overwork yourself like that. It's not as if he has plans to replace you anytime soon,” he said it like a joke, but the silence that stretched after on the line was enough to expose me that he had hit the nail on the head.

“Don't move, Aurora, I'll be right there!”

I dropped the intercom and he kept his promise hardly 5 seconds had passed before he was shuffling into my office, slamming the door behind him, stepping before grabbing a chair and sitting down.

"All right, spill the beans what happened?"

It sounded like a question between girls having a sleepover but it hardly seemed as casual, in fact he looked more tense and worried than me.

"I don't know where to start," I replied honestly, tapping my fingers on the table in front of me. Truthfully there was no way I could explain why I was worried about my position without revealing the contract between me and Mr Quin.

So I had to be smart about it, telling him just enough to get the picture, but not all of it.

"I just feel like he might not be satisfied with my work, the truth is that from the beginning I don't feel like I actually qualified for this position. Honestly, I feel like I have a personality higher than anything else."

"Aurora, Mr Quin is not fickle like that. Has he told you directly that he's thinking of replacing you or he's unsatisfied with your work?"

I genuinely pondered on that for a second, then it flicked back into my mind that I was just a secretary. The main thing that's kept me in this world was because I was also playing this contract wife, if I no longer had that edge then...

"I guess I'll have a more straightforward conversation about it with him,"

"Yes!" He exclaimed with excitement slamming my table so hard the vibrations reached my fingers.

He backtracked, "sorry, I got a little excited there... Don't take it the wrong way but if you lose this job I'll have to come back to temporarily work as his secretary again and that..." He visibly shivered, "...is not something I would look forward to,"

After Simone left I had a lot to think about, but I pushed it all to the back of my mind and continued with the grind of my day until it was finally time to clock out. The thing I had to do was sort out some files, I hastingly completed that before Mr Quin could call me over to his office.

He had probably already tried to reach me by intercom before he dialed my number, but I was worried that if I picked up the phone I would end up spelling everything to him. I'm breaking out into tears showing just how vulnerable I was, embarrassing myself all over again.

As much as I was disappointed with myself, I had no courage to face him. At least not for now, I had made it down the last floor and was about to exit the building all together when somebody grabbed me by my arm and I was forced to look backwards.

"Now where is my little secretary rushing off to in such a haste?"

I felt red all over my eyes skipping around before I pulled out of his grip. In that instant, he released me but held me down with his eyes.

"Aurora, we need to talk… Why were you not getting my calls and texts? Is your phone switched off?"

I was about to answer that when my phone went off blaring in my purse, without taking his eyes off me he told me to answer.

I did, my trembling fingers putting it on the loudspeaker.

"Aurora, have you spoken to Mr Quin? He's looking all over for you!"

"Simeon–"

"I know he's a hard man to work with, but the pay is really good too and–"

Mr Quin took the phone.

"Is there anything else you'd like to say?"

Simeon instantly recognized his voice and cut the call, ugh coward.

Mr Quin lowered his eyes to me.

"Aurora, be honest with me, what's going on?”