Jason's POV
A morning with the sun still rising from the horizon, dew droplets glistening in the grass and on the leaves from the trees, a few early birds rushing past my car just to avoid the morning traffic that is yet to happenâthis is the time of day that I truly love.
It's peaceful, calm, with the first rays of sunlight filtering in. This moment, every morning, calms my mood before I get entangled in my work life. It makes me wish I could just keep driving, soaking in the view of the city stirring awake.
Cafés brewing fresh batches of coffee, restaurant workers lifting window blinds and flipping open their "Open" signs, men jogging down the street while older couples walk their dogs. This moment is perfect, and there's nothing I could tire of about it.
I parked my car out front, tossing the keys to the valet, before making my way inside the building. As usual, people were already at work, rushing through their own pace to get things done. Some greeted me with a "good morning" as they walked past.
I took the elevator up to my office. Passing by Sylvia's office, I smiled to myself as I saw her inside, organizing papers on her desk. I was secretly glad to have a personal assistant who never disappointed me.
Pushing open the door to my office, I froze. There was someone sitting in my chair behind the desk, calmly smiling at me.
"Mom?" Her grin stretched wider, and she stood, walking around the table to greet me with a hug.
"Oh my god, I missed you so much!" she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around me.
"I missed you too. Wait, when did you get back?" I pulled back to see her long chestnut-colored hair cascade over her shoulder.
"Last night. I stayed at a hotel, and I wanted to surprise you here."
I smiled, holding her hands in mine. The last time I saw my mother was five months ago. I couldn't fault her for being gone for long stretches; creating her clothing line and traveling was her passion.
I had gotten used to it, but seeing her again made me happy. She was back for work, and that meant a lot.
"How was the fashion show in China?" I asked as I walked to my seat and she sat across from me.
"Amazing. You should've seen it! We held the show in the streets, and the crowd loved it. Street fashion is so ingrained in their culture. People were lined up everywhere, though we had tight security. But honestly, it was fantastic. The public got it, and the show went off without a hitch. I wish you were there, Jason."
I chuckled, clasping my hands in front of me.
"Yeah, me too. But you know meâI'm not one to miss work for too long. Maybe next time, I promise."
She playfully glared at me.
"You always say that. Speaking of which, where's that lazy business partner of yours? Shouldn't he be running the business while you take time off?"
I rolled my eyes and twirled a pen in my fingers.
"Chase is working from home. He's handling things from outside, and I can manage everything on my own."
She raised an eyebrow.
"Was it his idea to work from home?" I nodded.
A knock on the door interrupted us. Sylvia entered, holding my coffee and smiling warmly at Mom before setting it down in front of me.
"Black, no cream, two tablespoons of sugarâjust the way you like it," she said, smiling.
"Thank you, Miss Falcon," I replied, smiling back before turning to Mom.
Sylvia glanced at us and then spoke.
"Mr. Cartwright, Mr. Matthew Evans wants to speak with you in his office. He said it's important."
Mom and I exchanged confused looks before I dismissed Sylvia. Once the door closed behind her, Mom leaned forward, her expression serious.
"Why does he want to talk to you?" she asked.
I shrugged and stood up. "No idea, but it better be important. Are you staying long?"
"Nope. I'm calling someone to get my stuff from the hotel. I'm heading to your house after this."
"Which one? The house or the condo?"
"Your house. You better be home on time; I'm making dinner tonight."
I smiled, kissed the top of her head, and left for Matt's office on the 6th floor.
Matt's personality was always difficult to readâhe never took anything seriously, which meant you never knew if he was joking or being serious. But the one thing I respected was that when it came to business, he could switch gears quickly.
When I arrived, his assistant let me in. Matt sat in one of the armchairs surrounding a coffee table in the middle of his office. I took a seat across from him, narrowing my eyes as he smiled.
"Jason, thanks for coming. I appreciate it."
"Cut to the chase, Matt. What do you want?"
He raised his hands in surrender. "Hey, just wanted to talk."
"About what?"
He set his glass down and leaned back.
"My brother. He's been spending a lot of time at home lately."
"I know. He's working from home, didn't you know?"
"Yeah, I'm aware of that," Matt replied, leaning forward. "But that's not what I meant. Don't you think he's got way too much free time on his hands? He's your business partner; he should be here with you, not working from home. You're his business partnerâbusiness partners work side by side, not in separate locations. Since you agreed to this, you're just giving him more space to do whatever he wants while we're stuck picking up his slack. It's not fair."
I frowned, letting out a humorless chuckle.
"Chase knows what he's doing. I trust him. He can work from home if he wants. I'm fine handling things on my own here."
Matt's eyes hardened.
"His reputation's the problem! His reckless behavior, especially with women, is a ticking time bomb for the company. It's a good thing he's at home, where my parents can keep him in check."
I sighed and looked away for a moment. Matt had been slandering his brother for years. I wasn't about to let him drag Chase's name through the mud.
"And what exactly do you want me to do about it?"
He smirked, swirling his drink in his hand.
"Get him back to the office. Let him take his responsibilities so we don't have to do all the work for him. We all have roles in this company, so bring him back so he can do his job."
I stood up, shaking my head.
"Not happening. He decides when to come back. It's not up to me. Just let him do what he wants."
I turned to leave, but then Matt's voice stopped me.
"Do you not want him back because you like the power you have when you're running things on your own?"
I stopped, my fists automatically clenching.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
He stood, shrugging casually.
"You and Chase share the company. But I get it, you like the control when he's not around. You're the boss when he's not here, and that feels good, doesn't it?"
Anger surged through me. Who did this asshole think he was?
"No. I want Chase working from home so he can handle things without people like you breathing down his neck. I know how his mind works. Believe me, he's better off without you around."
I stormed out, slamming the door behind me. Matt knew how to push my buttons, and for once, I almost wanted to punch him. But I knew better than to let my anger control me.
Next time, though, he wouldn't be so lucky.
Shay's POV
I parked my car in the underground parking lot and went through the back entryway that leads to the lobby.
I was in a good mood to be back at work again and couldn't stop smiling to myself along the way. I waited for the elevator and looked around; there weren't many people here. Finally, the elevator doors opened.
There was only one person inside, a beautiful woman with long brown hair perfectly curled, wearing a vibrant red dress, dark sunglasses, and a long white open trench coat.
I smiled at her before getting inside the elevator and waited for the doors to close. I took a step back to lean against the wall behind me, but my heels stepped on something hard lying on the floor.
I looked down and saw that it was a beautiful necklace with a small diamond pendant hanging from it, which definitely looked real. It took me a minute to realize that the necklace could belong to the woman who had just gotten off the elevator.
When I looked up, it was too lateâthe doors closed, but I managed to catch one last glimpse of her white coat flowing behind her.
I pressed the open button repeatedly, and when it finally opened, I rushed out of the elevator and looked around for her. I couldn't see her anywhere inside, so I ran outside to look for her.
People were walking all around me, and it was hard trying to look over their heads just to find that woman. I finally spotted her long brown hair heading down the street to the left, and I wasted no time in running after her.
The thought of being late to work didn't even cross my mind. All I cared about was returning the necklace to that woman if it really belonged to her.
"Hey! Excuse me, Miss! Wait!" I yelled above the crowd.
She finally turned around, pulled down her shades to her nose, and frowned at me. I stopped in front of her, trying to catch my breath, before I showed her the necklace.
She kept staring at me weirdly, and I slowly reached into my skirt pocket and held out the necklace.
"Does this belong to you?" I asked between heavy breaths.
She took off her sunglasses, grabbed the necklace from my hand, and then looked back at me.
"Yes, where did you find it?" I pointed behind me.
"You dropped it in the elevator. Figured it belonged to you." She smiled gratefully at me and placed the necklace inside her handbag.
"Thank you so much. I would've gone mad if I'd lost it for good. This was actually a precious anniversary gift from my husband, so it really means a lot to me. Thank you again. What's your name, sweetheart?"
"Shay." She grinned happily at me.
"Shay, what a lovely name. I really appreciate what you did, let me buy you coffee to repay your kindness." I quickly shook my head, but her hand was already on my arm, urging me to go with her.
"I really can't. I have to go back to work because I'm already late. Maybe next time." She rolled her eyes at me and started pulling me toward the nearby coffee shop.
"Do you work at C&E Holdings?"
"Yes."
"Then don't worry, your boss won't get angry at you for being late when he finds out you were with me."
I couldn't say no. She was already taking me there for coffee, not letting me disagree any longer. Somehow, she knew Jason and said she'd cover for me for being late.
So, I guess I can let this happen just this once.
"You can call me Lisa, by the way." She added while we walked inside the coffee shop and sat at a table for two right in the corner.
"So, tell me, what do you do at C&E Holdings?" She questioned while opening the menu in her hands.
"I work as the company secretary." She gave me an impressed look before looking back down at the menu.
"Wow, I never would've thought you're a company secretary. Aren't you a smart cookie?"
I chuckled and picked up the menu from the table.
"I am a fashion designer handling my own clothing line. I just got back from a trip to China for a street fashion show, and I was actually at the company to see my son. I haven't seen him for five months, and I kept telling him to come to my fashion shows, but the guy has dedicated his time to work full-time."
She signaled for the waiter and gave her order, and then I ordered a cappuccino. We talked about other things while we waited for our beverages, and I was starting to feel comfortable around her, talking freely to her.
Besides, she was also fun to talk to and had a great sense of humor. Our drinks finally arrived, and we continued talking about the funny, ridiculous things that happened during some of her shows.
"I just noticed you really have pretty eyes. Are they hazel?" I nodded with a smile.
"They are." She sighed dreamily and held her cup of coffee up to her face.
"I'm a sucker for pretty eyes, and yours are extremely gorgeous. My son also has a thing for women with pretty eyes, but he's still single, and I have no idea why. I don't want him to be single forever until he grows old like I am. He could even go out with his pretty assistant, and I wouldn't mind at all. As long as he occupies his time with something else other than work."
"Does he also work at C&E Holdings? What's his name?" I asked before drinking my cappuccino.
"Of course, he works there. Well, he owns half of the place, actually. Jason Cartwright is my son."
I nearly choked. I couldn't believe what I had just heard... she's Jason's mom?
"Oh my god..."
I was stunned. Out of all the people in the world, and I'm here having coffee with none other than my boss's mother.
"Dear, are you alright?" She asked in concern while passing me a paper towel.
"I'm okay. I'm fine, actually. Just surprised, I guess." She stared at me and then started to smirk.
"About what? That Jason is my son?"
I chuckled and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
"Yeah." She started laughing and waved her hand dismissively at me.
I was so shocked to be here having coffee with Jason's mother that I let her do all the talking, and I just listened. My mind was full of questions, but I had no time to answer them.
Right now, all that mattered was leaving a good impression and having a good time with Lisa Cartwright.