Page 9 of Forbidden Deception
“You didn’t assign me fifteen minutes before this meeting to prepare or even read over the notes. Do better as an assistant.” He breezes past me, his shoulder knocking against mine.
I swallow.
“I won’t hesitate to get rid of you.” His hard parting words hit me deeply.
I shut my eyes, trying to be patient. No one would feel great after a mess of a meeting. Instead of focusing on his words, I try to talk to some people in the company that are still working about Rafael’s files, but I know that is far-fetched and they probably have no idea. He wouldn’t share the location of files kept for blackmail with his employees.
With Rafael at a meeting on the third floor, I am upstairs in his office spying, trying to find something. I open his unlocked computer and try to speed through his files. I click on everyfolder my eyes fall on, and yet nothing shows up. My heart races, but I try to power through.
I click on ones shared with his brothers and still nothing. Sweat breaks out on my back. It will look so suspicions if Rafael finds me in his office like this. His meeting is short, but I have to take this opportunity to look through everything.
A soft rhythmic thump of shoes echoes outside, and I jump up.
I power off the computer just as it was before as the steps draw closer, then dart away from the desk the moment the handle moves.
My foot catches on something on the floor, and I fall just as the door opens.
“Ahh!” I scream at my knees getting scraped on the carpet.
I hiss when I sit up, my knees burning from how hard they hit the wooden floor. A dark shadow falls over me, and I look up. Rafael stands there, his mouth pulled to the side and eyes narrowed on me.
“I just … tripped.” I move my hands around with an awkward laugh.
“Move aside.”
My mouth drops open. He doesn’t even bother to help me up!
“One second.” I literally help myself up and move aside for his highness to walk past me towards his desk.
“Get on with your work and wear shoes that don’t make you trip. Don’t embarrass me with your clumsiness.”
This fucker.
Rafael’s dismissive behaviour continues the next day, and the day after, and the one after. He hasn’t looked me in the eyes for any second longer, hasn’t reached out or talked to me except for email and I only saw glimpses of him. These few days are a blur of nothing.
I am waiting outside with an umbrella for my driver when a black Rolls Royce drives by, spraying dirty water all over me. I stumble back, barely saving myself from falling on my ass.
“Hey! Watch how you drive, you arsehole!” I shout.
As soon as my black Mercedes stops in front of me, I get into the back seat.
“Leo, this man will be the death of me! He is even worse than my brother. My brother looks like a saint next to Rafael. He doesn’t utter more than a couple of words at a time, and I have to force the answers out of him about what I need to know. Why do all men love being grumpy, as if it’s their whole personality? Do they not know that it’s literally so off-putting and annoying as hell?” I huff.
But… the car isn’t moving.
“Leo? Let’s go, please. I am tired. I want to soak in a hot bath and relax…” My words die when my eyes catch familiar ones in the rearview mirror.
I shut my eyes.
No. This can’t be happening.
“Leo? When did you change your eye colour?” I mutter, hoping and praying this is a dream. Please. I can’t do this.
“Please tell me I am dreaming. I must be dreaming, right?” I laugh, but it stops short when I crack my eyes open and find Rafael’s dark auburn eyes looking right back at me through the mirror.
“Mr Gustav? Nice seeing you here.” I awkwardly laugh.
“Funny, because I swear I recognise you from somewhere…” he deadpans.