Emberly's POV:
There's no place like home indeed. Luckily I was asleep during the whole flight and when I hit my bed, it felt like I could sleep for days. Jetlag was a bitch and when the alarm went off in the morning, I literally wanted to call in and take a day off. I gave up on that thought noticing how busy Arran's schedule for the day is and got up to get ready for office. After having a quick shower, I dressed myself in black pencil skirt and sheer white blouse. I wore black heels that were comfortable to walk in. At least that was the plan!
"Remind me again, why haven't you guys slept together?" Cherry teased me again.
"Stop! I am not repeating myself."
"But seriously, I am disappointed. What happened to let's lose the virginity together?" She exclaimed.
"There was no such thing." I picked up the files I was working on and the car keys from the counter.
"You sure about that? I do remember something about threesome." She yelled and I rolled my eyes.
"Yes, I'm pretty sure." I pressed my lips together, suppressing laughter.
"Are we still having dinner together?"
"Yes and I may have left something for you on dressing table." I walked out of my house.
"You didn't! Bye!" She yelled and I heard her running upstairs.
After being stuck in the traffic, I made it just in time. I swiped my card and said Hi to Laura who was a receptionist. She made a hand gesture of strangling herself before continuing talking on the phone. I laughed and placed a blueberry muffin and a medium decaf soy latte on her desk. Her eyes widened and she motioned her finger towards her swelled belly and then at me. I smiled at her widely.
I noticed something was different today and I raised my eyebrow in question. There was chaos in the building and everyone appeared to be in a rush. Heads were joined together and they were whispering about something. It is always busy but not this noisy.
Huh. Strange.
I made my way to the private lifts. I could use the staff lifts but after being literally squashed between dozen people, Arran told me to use the private one. Apparently, he hated his assistant arriving even a second 'late' so he gave me a card to access it. The door was closing but I ran as fast as these heels would allow me. Just when I thought I missed, a hand stopped the doors from being closed. I rushed inside and tried to catch my breath.
"Thanks." I breathed out.
"No problem." Said a deep voice.
Looking at the tinted mirror, I tried fixing my hair when I felt someone's eyes on me. I peeked at the guy on the lift. He was tall and broad and looked familiar.
But where?
"I'm sorry but are you new here? I haven't seen you before." I questioned him politely.
He turned around and bore his cold hazel eyes at me. He did a slow look over at me but he didn't reply to my question and trust me I wasn't eager to find out either after that. I straightened myself, feeling completely off guard by the look I'd just received.
"I came back after a long time." He replied after a while. Not surprisingly, his voice was gruff.
"Okay." I didn't need another look to know I should stay away from him.
"How long have you been working here?" He questioned me, his eyes still on me.
"For quite a while."
"What department?"
"I'm Arran Raymond's assistant." My tone was outright hostile. Maybe this would make him back off.
This had his attention as he quirked up an eyebrow and smirked.
"Has he fucked you yet?" His smile was smug and my eyes widened in shock.
"What...?" I whispered, not believing myself. I panicked when he took a menacing step towards me. Then again. Almost caging me into a corner.
"I must admit you're different but I can see why he has kept you around." He leaned forward and whispered in my ear. My heart hammered in the ribcage.
My mind was telling me to kick him where it hurts the most but I was too shocked to move.
Who is he?
"You're nothing like her, or the usual. No blonde hair, no grey eyes. What's so special about you? Can't deny I like what I am looking at."
My eyes widened at the proximity and acting purely on instincts, I smacked my forehead against his nose. He took couple steps back, holding his nose and hurled curses at my direction. I was too frenzy to pay attention to him and repeatedly pressed the open button.
Please... please... open! I was frantic. Fortunately, the door opened and I was about to leap when he gripped my arm in a deathly grip. I couldn't hear anything but the loudness of my heartbeats in my ears.
"You stupid bitch, do you even know who I am?" He hissed, one hand on my arm and another gripping his nose.
"I hope she does so she can file for sexual harassment." Arran cold voice hit my ear and I let out a harsh breath. My body relaxed slightly at his presence.
The guy stood straighter and they both stared at each other. Where the guy appeared worried, happy and sad at the same time Arran showed no emotions whatsoever.
"Arran..." He said slowly.
"What are you doing here?" He motioned me to step away from him.
"I came back."
I was about to take a step away from him but his hand on my arm tightened. My eyes widened and met Arran's whose eyes stormed with rage but his stance remained still.
"I can see, but the question is why?" Arran stepped inside the lift and took my hand. He gently pulled me to his side.
"I've missed this. I need this." His grip on my arm tightened again. It was painful that I am sure it would leave a mark. It must have shown on my face because Arran narrowed his eyes as his face dust in worry but it replaced with anger once again.
"Wrong. I don't remember recalling you saying this when you left." Arran glared at him and gripped his hand on my arm. With a shrug, he freed my arm and pushed me to his side.
"I want to apolo..." He stopped midway, assessing the two of us intently.
"Don't. You don't get to leave and then come back whenever you feel like. Leave, you're not needed here." Arran replied back curtly.
This statement clearly angered him. "Don't forget who I am." He snarled.
"How can I big brother?" His jaw tenses and his eyes hardened.
I was again shocked. This is Arran's brother? Him? But I heard they were close.
"Arran..." He tried swallowing his anger but he was still agitated.
"No Adrian, you've fucked this before, I will not let you fuck everything again. You clearly don't get to harass my employees. State your fucking business and leave." Arran spoke in a deathly tone. Even I felt the chill running down my spine.
"You don't get to make those decisions. I'm a fucking Raymond, the heir to this company. Have you forgotten?" He shouted.
Clearly, Adrian was done being nice.
"This is where you are wrong. You might be the firstborn but you know it very well who this company belongs to, don't you? Isn't that's one of the reason why you left?" Arran was glaring at him with so much intimidation, that it actually made me feel scared for him.
This shocked Adrian and Arran laughed humourlessly, "Oh you thought I didn't knew?"
"Well I don't fucking care. I'm back to reclaim what's mine." Adrian tried regaining his control.
"You can try but you won't succeed. Won't be the first time." Arran said sarcastically and this added fuel to Adrian's anger.
"This is where you are wrong little brother. I don't remember losing to you ever or shall I remind you? How have you been? Do you want to know how I've been?" Adrian's eyes swept down at my body and then he shifted back to Arran's.
"I never cared." Arran said nonchalantly. Adrian just smirked.
"Well, let me tell you anyway. My bed is warm every night. She's amazing isn't she? One of a kind. Only get betters over the time like a fine wine." He seethed.
Arran took a threatening step towards him. I panicked once again.
"Stop!" Mr Raymond loud voice was enough to stop them both.
"Don't forget this is still my company and I won't hesitate to pass it to your uncles if you behave like children. Arran cool down and meet me in an hour. Adrian, come with me. You cannot walk in and act like a fucking royalty. You lost that title when you left the company willingly. Now you have to live with the consequences whether you like it or not. Follow me." He said sharply and both of them went quite. Adrian passed one last look to Arran and walked away.
"Did he hurt you?" He touched my upper arms lightly.
"I'm fine." I assured him softly but even he could tell how visibly shaken I was.
"I'm going to kill him." He growled his jaw clenched.
"Arran, I'm fine but what about..." I frowned. I was about to ask him about his brother but he cut me off mid sentence. I had so many questions that I wanted to ask him but I didn't know where to begin with.
"This place is about to turn upside down and I want you to be careful." He said coolly as we made it to his office. He stopped midway and looked at me.
"Yes, Sir." I tried smiling for him. He relaxed a bit but I could not miss the haunted look in his eyes.
"Good, it seems like I have to pay a visit to my father."
"It was an order." I teased him.
"Get the files ready for the meeting. Don't be late and don't mess the printers or the fax machine. I have been receiving a lot of complains from the HR."
"I never heard of such complaints." I bit my smile.
"I am sure you didn't." He rolled his eyes and muttered sarcastically. He looked away from me for a minute before turning back to me.
"Hey... are you okay? That was...." I touched his arm. He stiffened then exhaled deeply. His brows were furrowed and he seemed in a deep thought.
"Grandpa had his will rewritten after his last health scare. According to the will, this company will be passed down to me. Adrian must've found a loophole. He is back for that reason only." He said bitterly.
"Arran..." I spoke softly. I felt pang of sympathy for him.
"Emberly, Adrian will do anything to bring me down. He might even hurt you, please be careful around him and try to avoid him as much as you can. I wont be always there to protect you." He placed his hand on my cheek and spoke softly.
"He may be physically stronger than me but I got him good. I swear I heard the most satisfying noise of my forehead hitting his nose."
He tried not smile but couldn't help it.
"I am proud of you. Are you sure you're okay." He searched my eyes and I reassured him.
"Good. Can you put all calls on hold for today? I will pay a quick visit to my father. In the meantime, can you print out the deal we have finalised and send a copy to finance?"
"Got it." I quickly wrote down everything. With one final look, he left and I sat on my chair, suddenly feeling exhausted. I sat down on my chair and fanned my face with my trembling hand.
What was that? I thought they were best friend but they couldn't even stand to look at each other. I shook my head, trying to get my mind to focus on work. After a while Arran came back but he walked straight to his office. The intercom rang and I picked up.
"Don't pass any calls for next two hours. I will be on conference call with Mr Hitachi." He didn't wait for me to reply.
I carried on working, diverting any call I receive to appropriate departments. I was typing an email when the phone rang. I picked it up at second bell.
"Hello this is is..."
"Put Arran on the phone."
The caller ID showed it was Arran's mom.
"I'm sorry Mrs Raymond; Arran is in conference call right now. May I take your message or would you like him to call you back when he is finished?" I said sweetly after regaining my composure. I heard an irritated sigh.
"Miss Rae, let me get this straight for you. When I tell you to put my son on the phone I don't want to hear any excuses. I want you to transfer the damn call to him straightaway. I do not wish to waste my time explaining this to you again. Is it clear enough for you? Now can I please speak to my son?" She said sharply.
Well shit!
"I'll put you on hold for a second while I confirm with him. It won't take long." I said as calmly as I could.
"Don't you dare put me on...." She raised her voice but I quickly pressed the hold button.
Oops!
I knocked on his door softly and opened the door slightly. He paused and shot me a glare. He hated being disturbed. How well I knew that!
"Can you hold on for a second? There's an emergency situation here." He pressed the pause button before retuning his attention to me. "What the fuck, Emberly?" He whispered.
"Your mother. She's on the line. She won't take no for an answer." I tried reasoning.
"I told you not to..." He was trying hard not to shout.
"She would not take no as an answer." I repeated as if I am trying to convey the message!
She will kill me. Just take the call.
"Fuck me! Pass her through." He knew his mother better than I knew.
He went back to the conference call, probably wrapping the call up whilst I transferred the call to Arran.
After an hour, we were in the conference room for Arran's meeting. The tension was palpable. I wanted to reach out and help him but I didn't know how.
The meeting itself was extremely important to Arran. It was regarding his proposal for investing in Special Education scheme for children in needs. It was a non-profitable project, dedicated to Belle and worth millions. I felt surge of proudness watching him give the presentation. A lot of them were nodding in appreciation too.
"This is our proposal and after getting approved...."
"Can I point something out here?" Adrian interrupted.
"You may." He narrowed his eyes at Adrian.
"While I agree this is an excellent idea, I don't think our budget should be this significant. It may sound harsh but why is this beneficial for us? Why not carry out making donation like we normally do? Why take 100% ownership in this project?" Adrian said.
"We are providing help, we are not doing this to maximise profit." Arran gritted. You could tell Adrian was testing Arran's limits.
"It defeats the whole purpose of this company. The costs incurred will be too high. From my experience, I am yet to see a positive result for such ambitious project. Are you willing to take such a huge step knowing the end results will be in deficit?" He threw his pen on the folder. Many people in the room visibly tensed.
"Our strategy is not only to maximise the company's profitably. It is also to promote social sustainability. We are contributing to improve the lives of the children's who are born with learning difficulties. We will be actively contributing in creation of jobs, giving back to society and providing a service that will improve our brand image. We have more to gain out of this project."
"It's a great proposal, Arran." Luke said, his eyes seizing Adrian in a challenge.
"Says who? His lap dog?" Adrian sneered whilst everyone in the room held their breath.
"Don't forget this lapdog is also a shareholder in this company. You may want to consider the way you treat your shareholders. I won't hesitate to pull out. Family or no family" Luke snapped back.
"Adrian..." Mr Raymond warned him.
"I am well aware who you are Mr Owen but I stand with my decision. I vote against this proposal and I request the board to give me few days to come up with a better proposal and present to everyone on board meeting. Our time should not be wasted in such useless proposals." Adrian scoffed, closing the folder. I did not miss the slight hurt in Arran's eyes.
"That isn't necessary. As Arran mention, this project is not to maximise profit but to raise awareness. This is Raymond's way of contributing towards the society and just to let you know Adrian, your grandfather initially approved this project. Do you really want to challenge him?" Mr Raymond questioned him, daring him to argue back. Adrian turned a shade redder.
"Adrian...?" Mr Raymond raised his eyebrow in question when he didn't reply him back.
"No..." He replied stiffly.
"No what?" Mr Raymond asked him again, sternly.
"No, Sir." He gritted out his reply but clearly he was not done with his tantrum.
"You, in the corner, make me a coffee..." He turned his anger towards Stella, one of the employees whose job was to record meeting minutes.
"Her job is not to make you a coffee..." Arran pinched the bridge of his nose.
Adrian was really testing his patience. He wasn't this calm even on good days and it won't take him this long to remain calm either.
"Then you're fired. Get out."
Many people took a sharp inhale.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Arran finally had enough of him.
"Stop! Adrian, fix your attitude or consider yourself gone. No excuses. The meeting is adjourned." Mr Raymond said harshly, preparing to get up.
"Before that... I propose a meeting to be held in two weeks time." Adrian spoke, causing everyone to remain seated.
"What for?" Mr Raymond sighed.
"I want my position back in this company and it is only fair if we follow the rules. I have a right to request for a vote if I find the current CEO incapable of his role, which I do."
All heads snapped towards Arran.
"Jesus Christ... You must be fucking kidding me?" Arran rolled his eyes, not taking his threat seriously.
"If you are not afraid then I don't see the harm. I want to know where everyone's loyalty lies." He eyed everyone in the room. Most of them shifted uncomfortably in their seats.
"I know how it will work... no, I know how you work. We have worked hard to get where we are. It's not only about me contrary to what you may believe in. You are disgracing the company, Adrian. But if that is what you want then consider it done. I want to apologise to everyone for this mess. Thank you for your time." Arran said sharply.
"You, in my office right now!" Mr Raymond pointed at Adrian who was smirking now. No doubt planning something ridiculous again.
Everyone slowly left the conference room except for me, Arran and Luke.
"That fucker... I'd rather die than vote for him. Incapable? As if you didn't double the market worth of this business. Arran, I need to talk to you about the proposal. Do you have time?" Luke loosened his tie.
"Sure, I'll have Emberly to clear my schedule for this afternoon." He looked at me and I nodded. "Go over the emails, notify me with any updates. I'll be back after lunch. Don't wait and have your lunch at time." he said softly, his eyes peering down at me.
He stood a foot away, his fists clenching on side. I wanted to reach and hold his hands but I hesitated, my eyes drifting towards Luke. Luke's eyes widened momentarily before he grinned at me.
"About fucking time!" He yelled. Arran rolled his eyes and my face burned red.
My day flew from there. I was feeling exhausted after countless calls and emails. It wasn't easy to inform all the shareholders about the meeting but after stating the urgency of the matter they agreed. I knew they were curious about how this voting will end in. Arran's project was outshined by today's commotion. I couldn't help but feel disheartened. Adrian may have possibly distracted the investors away from this project.
I shook my head and went ahead stapling the papers together. The room was a mess right now and if Arran ever saw the state of his room he would have a meltdown or make sure I will have one. I was humming along with the song playing on the radio when I accidentally dropped one of the file and all the pages fell out of the folder.
Shit. Shit. Shit. Double shit!
I was on my knees collecting the paper when I heard clicking of heels against the marble floor. The red heels stopped in front of my vision. I followed my gaze and met with grey eyes.
My eyes widened when I realised who it was.
Sophia.
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I am really nervous posting this chapter so I really HOPE you guys enjoy this chapter.
What do you think of Adrian?
Sorry for the cliffhanger but I will make sure to post the next chapter within a reasonable time phrase.
The chapters are not edited so feel free to point out any mistake.
Enjoy, vote and leave a comment.
Ameerah x