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“The three o’clock conference call with Ebony Group concerning the merger, and the appointment with Journalist from Times for an exclusive.”
“Oh right.” I responded. “Kindly reschedule with the journalist for Friday and also place a call across to Howard to keep him abreast of the new developments.”
“On it, sir.”
Cat was my longest standing assistant. She’d been working with me for three years, and considering my temperament, and reputation, it was a wonder how she has put up with me for this long. I might be in Malibu, but through Cat I was kept in the loop of everything that happened in my New York office.
Coming to Malibu had a lot more to do with escaping the pressure of the office and the stress of an upcoming merger. Work these days had lost its usual excitement, having been replaced by a sick feeling of routine. A part of me was hoping my little stay at Malibu would cure me of that in a few weeks.
“Um, sir?” Cat was back on the line.
“Yes, I’m with you.”
“He called again.”
“Shit! Does the old man never get tired? What the fuck did he want this time?”
“Well, he complained that the money you gave him the last time has finished and his rent is expiring next—“
“Tell him I’m not a goddamn mother Theresa, Cat!” I interrupted with a stomp of my fist on the kitchen table. Although I wasn’t sure that analogy works for this situation.
“I’ve had it up to here with their unending demands, I’m sick of it!”
“I understand sir. This time he says it’s different—”
“It’s always different, isn’t it? Damn it!” I ran my hands through my hair in frustration as I try to regain my composure. “Send him whatever he needs with a strict warning that if he blows this off again, I’m not helping.”
“Alright, sir.” Cat responded.
“And, Cat?”
“Sir?”
“Replace our office lines, I don’t want any more contact from him. He’s dead to me,” I said angrily.
There was a long silence from Cat’s end and finally she released a small sigh.
“Noted, sir. I’ll get to it immediately.”
I flung my phone away from me in annoyance. My father never cared much about me as a child, a deadbeat dad who had eagerly given me up to the monastery as soon as he had the chance. He came crawling back to my life recently, but all too soon, his real agenda had surfaced. I was nothing more than a moneybag to him. I didn’t owe him anything. Nothing! And I’d be damned if I allowed him to manipulate me once more.
A sharp burst of wind blew the sitting room curtains wildly. A whooshing sound that grew more eerie by the second. I opened a window and peered out, the sky was a reflection of my dark mood. Rolling black clouds gaining momentum and circling fast. The weather forecast was wrong.
The storm had begun already.
CHAPTER 3
SOPHIE
I woke up to feel a sharp breeze on my face through the crack in the curtain. It felt a bit chilly. My night had been restless and my dreams troubled. Briefly before going to bed the night before, I had reflected on Raymond's unexpected intervention and began to see him in a different light. Despite his initial gruffness and arrogance, I realized that he had shown a surprising level of concern for my well-being.
Unable to think of anything else, my mind kept drifting back to the way he had looked at me as he drove me home. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but there was something about the way he had acted that was different from our previous interactions. It was as if he had softened towards me, even if only slightly.
I found myself feeling more forgiving of his earlier behavior and decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe there was more to him than meets the eye. After all I can't deny that I am intrigued by the man who had saved me from danger, and as I stood up from my bed with a lazy stretch and yawn, I found myself thinking about him more than I expect to.
I randomly selected a dress from my closet, and I headed downstairs to prepare something light for breakfast. The sky looked quite gray today which was unusual because I had the distinct feeling that I woke up quite late. I quickly scanned my wristwatch. 12 pm?!
This is really unusual.
