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I couldn’t find the words in me to reply. I was stuck looking at her, glowing in the victory she thought she had achieved. She was mesmerizing. And that was reason enough for me not to want her here. She was perfect. So perfect that she seemed almost tailored to my taste.
I had a gut feeling she was trouble. I just couldn’t pinpoint why I felt that way and so strongly about a stranger. But something about her set off the red flags in my brain, leaving me a little more than just uneasy.
Little did we both expect the bomb my dearest father was about to throw into this pit just as Jamie was about to leave the room.
“You’re hired!” He said in a firm tone, drenched in finality, stopping her straight in her high horse march before reaching the door.
“WHAT?” Both Jamie and I practically shouted in utter disbelief. How the fuck was he even considering hiring someone so inexperienced? I already had a stack of work I could hardly finish, never mind having to babysit a fresh out of college, provincial loudmouth, architectural toddler.
“You can’t be serious,” I immediately protested. We had agreed that it would be a mutual decision, and yet, once again, Mr. Adrian Dornier couldn’t help but shove me into the corner and take the wheel alone.
The eye roll my father directed my way was the only reply I got.
“On your way out, please provide your information to Michelle at the front desk. She’ll see that your contract and payment terms are sent to your email for acceptance. You start Monday.”
“Mr. Dornier–”
“Liam will be personally supervising your integration, Miss Harden.” My father cut Jamie off, “He’ll see that you don’t have any trouble settling in and getting acquainted with the Verten project. I’ll see that you don’t have any problem with him. If you do, please come straight to me.” There was no hesitation in his voice and it was my turn to reply with an eye roll.
There it was again. His lack of trust in me was crystal clear in just a simple one-liner.
“Mr. Dornier, I truly appreciate this opportunity, but I don’t think this will be a good fit for either of us.” Thank God she was displaying some brains.
“Miss Harden, I was under the impression you actually wanted this job. Am I wrong?”
“No, Sir, not at all. It’s just that–” Jamie averted her eyes to me, pleading for help or maybe considering her options. Her whole demeanor had shifted, losing the confidence I saw just a minute ago. She grasped her jacket above her chest, hiding her cleavage and shrinking into herself, showing me her whole hand – her earlier assertiveness was nothing but a poorly held-up mask. Smallville apparently couldn’t handle the pressure after all.
“I do believe I’m perfectly capable of judging the people I hire myself. I’ll see you on Monday, Miss Harden. You may leave.”
Jamie stood there stunned, her words lost in her perplexion.
“Miss Harden,” Mrs. Parker said, holding the door open for her.
“Oh, hum... Thank you,” Jamie mumbled while she struggled to keep her composure, grasping her stuff tighter against her chest as she left the conference room. It was more than clear to me now that this was all a setup. My dearest father was setting me up to fail. What he probably didn’t count on was me seeing through his bullshit.
Did he really think I would drop the ball because of a hook up? As alluring as she was, my mind was set, and AD was what I wanted as my future.
The challenge had now tripled in complexity. I had to deal with Mr. Mercier and his sketchy shit, an intricate project with colossal proportions, and now an inexperienced, spoiled brat to call my right hand. On top of all that, I couldn’t deny how distracting Miss Jamie Harden was.
I can’t wait to start!
I took a deep breath and waited for everyone to vacate the conference room, stealing a moment alone with my father.
“Why?” I simply asked as soon as the door closed.
“Why what?”
“Are you so invested in seeing me fail that you don’t care if you jeopardize the company and lose the Verten project?” I tried my best to reel in my anger using proper vocabulary in place of all the foul language running free in my mind.
“Quite the contrary. Miss Harden is perfect for the position. Her portfolio is impressive and more than experience, she’ll excel at keeping you grounded. Obviously she doesn’t refrain from saying whatever is on her mind. She’ll also be quite a good complement to something that you lack.”
“Oh really? And what is that, Father?”
“Humility, Liam,” he replied matter-of-factly as he walked towards the door. “Oh, and Son, keep your hands off her.”
The grin that was plastered on his face made me even more furious. So much for logical decisions!
Without hesitation, I shot Jimmy a text with Jamie’s resumé and all her details demanding a thorough background check, my fingers angrily typing on the screen that took the punch of my sour mood.
