YVONNE'S P. O. V
I was lying face down, my alarm buzzed, and with a groan, I reached the bedside stand to turn it off. A few seconds passed “Get up, Yvonne,” I murmured into the soft pillows, but made no attempt to move. I couldn't, not while I was still wallowing in shame from last night. “Really? We should go to bed? That was what I could come up with?” I hit my hands and legs repeatedly on the bed, how had I made such a fool of myself in front of the CEO? At first, it was crying in his arms, now this, what must Mr Voss be thinking of me? “He's probably reconsidering his decision to make me his Executive officer,” I mumbled. Most times, I spoke to myself. A lot. In the shower, while I'm thinking or going grocery running, sitting in front of the mirror. Edgar had told me that I needed to visit an asylum, but I shrugged it off. It was a coping mechanism for growing up alone and somewhat unloved, not a mental problem that needed fixing Slowly, I sat up. Sunglight spilled into my room through the windows I had left open, last night after I ran in, the villa hostess, a middle-aged woman who spoke only a handful of English, showed me to my room. I hadn’t come out since then, but I couldn't hide in here forever. Mr Voss would need me for something. As his personal executive officer, I'm supposed to be at his beck and call. Heck, I'm supposed to be up before he even his, handing him whatever brew of coffee he prefers and giving an analysis of his schedule It's just two days into this position and I'm already messing up. Maybe by the time we get back to Seattle, Mr Voss will appoint Lucinda instead. Some nerves twisted in my stomach. I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand and leaned over to plant my feet on the ground. My feet were aching from wearing stilettos all through the flight. It's been so long since I wore heels or dressed up the way I did yesterday, and my sudden change and consciousness of my appearance had nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, to do with impressing Mr Voss, but more of a...umm.... wardrobe change to suit my new position in SilverThorn group. I reached over to unplug my phone from the charger, checking if I had gotten another message from Edgar. Nothing. Now this was confusing. I was supposed to be thrilled about being in Italy after so long dreaming of being here, but I can't get over the sense of impending doom looming around somewhere. Why would Edgar just spin up a divorce out of the blue, and where the hell was he? I placed a call to his cell, but I've been getting the voicemail since. Normally, I would have gone to Mr Voss and requested to talk to him about Edgar's arrest, but I didn't want to put any strain on our relationship. Mr Voss was generous enough to promote me despite whatever crimes Edgar had committed; I wouldn't complicate that by bringing Edgar up. My feet ached a little as I walked to the window. “Italy,” I whispered, like it was a dream. Soft breeze blew past, whipping my hair into my face. The nature resort stretched out like a watercolor painting. Beautiful and surreal. Last night, this place looked like something from an animated fantasy cartoon, but in the light of day, with the morning sun draping over the expanse of olive trees, terracotta roofs, and the silver of the lake being the hill It was everything. “You've got taste, Mr Voss,” I muttered, but the moment I said that, another realization hit me. It's obvious Mr boos has an eye for beautiful things, I mean, choosing this nature resort rather than a hotel or suite says it all. But that would also mean he has good taste in people, too. “Oh God,” I gasped, holding the side of my cheeks. “Is he married?” I shook my head, not understanding why my stomach was a jumble of restless nerves. So what if he was married? I'm married too, and it's not like we were doing anything more than a business trip, right? A few minutes passed, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop thinking about Mr Voss's relationship or marital life. One quick search on the Internet would provide me with all the information I needed, but that felt too much like overstepping Why should I care if he was married or engaged? My CEO's love life is none of my business. My job is to be a personal officer and assistant. To be with him when he needs me and provide anything he wants. Nothing more. I tore my eyes away from the view outside my window, biting the corner of my lip. But it wouldn't be so bad if I knew more about my CEO, right? I mean, for me to understand and know how to manage his schedule and other stuff, I should know if he has a family, a wife so beautiful, I wouldn't hold a candle to her, and children with wide and happy smiles. My heart started beating fast for no reason, I placed a hand on my chest and glanced to where my laptop was on the coffee table. Just one quick search. Wouldn't hurt right? I flipped an imaginary coin in my head, and then I breathed out a sigh. Just one quick search, nothing more. I pushed off from the wall and settled on the little chair beside the coffee table, then I opened my laptop and typed in his name CLAYTON VOSS I hit the search icon and leaned forward with eagerness. The browser loaded, and almost immediately the results came in Clayton Voss CEO of SilverThorn Group. Schooled in London. Degree in Business and Engineering. I scrolled past all those, there was important information, but not what I wanted. So far, there was very little I could find on Mr Voss. No scandal, no public relationship, or woman. All the pictures of him were just from some business conference, his graduation pictures, and a few from college. I let out a breath I didn't know I've been holding “Phew. So that means his single” I voiced out, but realized how odd it sounded coming from me, who was Yvonne BAXTER. A married woman. “Get your head together Yvonne” I should have turned my laptop off, but for no other reason than sheer curiosity, I kept looking at his pictures. My breath hitched when I came across a picture of him in a tailored suit, same deep blue as his eyes. Phew, his eyes.... Heat trailed up my neck to my cheeks. Many women would kill to work for a man so devastatingly handsome and wealthy, too. I clicked on the image to enlarge it, observing the fine lines of his brows and the sharpness of his jaw. Just then, a knock startled me. I shot up to my feet like I was caught doing something bad. “Signora” The villa hostess's voice floated in through the door. “Signora?” My shoulders dropped with relief. It was the hostess. I left my laptop open and crossed over to the door, but when I opened it, it wasn't the hostess standing there. It was him. My heart jumped out of my mouth “S...sir?” My Voss gave me a lazy smile, he was casually dressed in a crisp black button-down shirt and slacks, a bemused expression on his face, and two cups of coffee in his hands. His eyes lingered on my disheveled hair. I took a conscious step back “Buongiorno Yvonne” he greeted, stretching out a cup towards me. “Oria brought these cups of cappuccino for us. ” He gestured to where the hostess stood beside him. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't even move. Was I having a panic attack? I stood still, noticing the exact moment Mr Voss's eyes changed from warm to concerned. His eyes slid behind me, as if he was searching for what made me instantly freeze His eyes found something, and his lips pulled up at the corners in a smirk. MY laptop MY LAPTOP!!! I whipped around to the very glowing, very obvious laptop screen with his face zoomed in. Panic slammed into me like a sledgehammer. I slowly turned back to Mr Voss where he stood by the doorway with a gleam in his eyes. Without thinking, I let out a shriek, snatched the cup from his hand, and slammed the door right into my boss's face.YVONNE’S P.O.VMy body was something I had long stopped caring for.What was the use, anyway? When my father always made me feel worthless, when Edgar would always talk down to me, and point out my flaws‘I wish I had a son’‘A boy would have been more useful to me’‘Are all girl children always this dumb, or is it just you Yvonne?’‘For once in your life, you can finally be useful to me. Marry Edgar and prove your worth’ •‘Your teeth aren't white enough. Go to a dentist’‘Your hips are too broad. Fix it’‘Your right breast is bigger than your left, you should do a surgery’‘You are never wet for me and you don't moan properly, don't complain if I sleep with someone else’Those words from my father and Edgar used to ring in my head like a broken record without a pause button, but since Italy...since him, their voice quietened.The girl her father had looked down on and the woman her husband had looked down on were different from who was standing in front of this
YVONNE’S P O V“A healing spa?” I asked, cautiously.Mr Voss undid his seatbelt as the driver parked in front of the spa. I undid mine as well, not quite believing this was where he meant us to beWe both stepped out of the carMy brow pinched, the late morning sun warm on my skin. ”Is this where we're meant to be, sir?”My eyes darted to the wooden sign that read the place's name. Terme d’Argento – Home of Exclusive Holistic Retreat.Mr Voss came over to my side, I could feel his eyes on me, looking at me the same way he was doing at the gazebo.My throat dried up. The way he looked at me sometimes...I know I shouldn't feel this way; he probably doesn't even see me past a timid employee, but still, I couldn't help the way my toes curled or the way my breathing stalled whenever he glanced my way.That moment at the gazebo was the best and worst, because for one moment, I had thought the look in his eyes was admiration, or maybe even more—Desire?But during our drive here, I just reali
CLAYTON'S P.O.V“I'll be waiting for you at the gazebo,” I said and softly clicked the door shut I stood outside her room for another minute or two, listening to the soft rustling as she likely scrambled to pull herself together. It made my chest tighten. AgainThe way she cried and kept apologizing, I was ready to pull the door down if she hadn't opened it.It wasn't just embarrassment—even though she had no reason to be.Her tears were born from years of breaking; it was the kind that came from someone who was chastised too much, who had been made to believe that they were small and insignificant.I recognized that kind of broken. I had lived like that before...before she came into my life and filled it with rays of sunshine.Now years have passed, and our places are reversed. I fisted my hands by my side, my jaw tightening as I difWhat the hell had they done to her?The Yvonne I knew was bold, and cheerful, with the brightest of smiles that can chase away the darkest clouds.Thi
YVONNE'S P O VSlam.“Holy flying fish brains, Yvonne!” I slapped a hand over my mouth, my eyes as wide as saucers. “Yvonne” Mr Voss called softly from behind the door.I slammed the door in his face. My very rich, very powerful, very Capable to fire me by the end of today bossA sob slipped out from me but it was muffled by the hand over my mouth “Yvonne” Mr Voos called again, softer than the first time. The sound of his voice suggested he was leaning close to the door.I forced myself to speak. “Sir”Somebody kill me now and slowly too, I deserve it. How can I be making mess after mess all the time? It's been barely three days and I've managed to earn myself a lifetime of shame and humiliation.Tears welled up in my eyes. How do I explain his photo on my laptop? How do I explain slamming the door into his face?“Yvonne are you alright?” He asked, his voice rising with something like worry.I shook my head, opening my mouth to speak but my throat was clogged. I couldn't get any wor
YVONNE'S P. O. V I was lying face down, my alarm buzzed, and with a groan, I reached the bedside stand to turn it off.A few seconds passed “Get up, Yvonne,” I murmured into the soft pillows, but made no attempt to move. I couldn't, not while I was still wallowing in shame from last night.“Really? We should go to bed? That was what I could come up with?”I hit my hands and legs repeatedly on the bed, how had I made such a fool of myself in front of the CEO? At first, it was crying in his arms, now this, what must Mr Voss be thinking of me? “He's probably reconsidering his decision to make me his Executive officer,” I mumbled. Most times, I spoke to myself. A lot. In the shower, while I'm thinking or going grocery running, sitting in front of the mirror. Edgar had told me that I needed to visit an asylum, but I shrugged it off.It was a coping mechanism for growing up alone and somewhat unloved, not a mental problem that needed fixing Slowly, I sat up. Sunglight spilled into my
YVONNE'S P. O. V It felt like a dream. Not only had I become the CEO’s Executive Personal Officer overnight, but I was also on an all-expenses-paid trip to Italy. And he had made it happen in a flash. Granted a lot was going on in my life right now. I had called Edgar, texted him, but I wasn't getting any response, and I was...worried. This wasn't Edgar, and I had a funny feeling about his sudden disappearance, but what conflicted me more, was him. Mr Voss. What did he mean by two weeks for us? And why did my body react in strange ways? I shoved my questions aside as the jet touched ground. I had gone back to working during the flight, all the while painfully aware of the man sitting beside me. His scent of something woody and husky and luxurious, the way his body filled the seat with dominance, and the memory of how safe I was in his arms. It was difficult to think clearly with Mr Voss in my space. Thankfully, he didn't discuss that night or Edgar, and I didn't ask why he ha