Chapter 16

HAILEY

When Monday morning rolled around, Hailey was set on pretending like nothing had happened. She strolled into the office as if it was just another day.

“Hailey, you had us all worried!” Clara exclaimed. “Where have you been?”

“I was under the weather, couldn’t make it in,” Hailey replied, keeping it vague.

“You’ll have to catch me up on everything that happened in the Maldives.”

Hailey fought the urge to tense up. “Of course.”

“Right now, we have a meeting, Hailey. Drop your stuff and head to the main boardroom,” Clara instructed.

In the boardroom, Clara claimed a spot near the head of the table. Hailey chose a seat in the middle. Everyone was waiting for the meeting to start.

Valerian entered the room, his gaze sweeping over everyone. His eyes met Hailey’s for a moment before he looked away.

The meeting kicked off with the announcement of a formal business dinner with other companies.

The dinner was a charity event, a chance to give back to the community while also promoting their brand.

After discussing a few more points, the meeting was adjourned. Everyone was buzzing with excitement about the event and the potential rich dates they might meet.

During lunch, Clara pulled Hailey aside. “Could you do us a favor?” She gestured to the other girls who were giving Hailey hopeful looks.

“Sure,” Hailey agreed, trying to fit in.

“Could you ask Valerian if we can bring dates to the charity dinner?” Clara asked.

“You guys are unbelievable. I don’t want to lose my job!” Hailey protested.

“But you already said yes, Hailey! And they can’t fire you. You were out for a whole week and they didn’t fire you,” Clara argued.

Hailey sighed. “Fine, I’ll ask.”

The girls all watched her expectantly, so Hailey headed to Valerian’s office. She stood outside his door, hesitating for a good fifteen minutes.

Finally, she gathered her courage and knocked. There was no response. She knocked again.

“Come in,” Valerian’s voice echoed from inside.

She jumped slightly and pushed the door open. Valerian was sitting at his desk.

He looked up as she entered. Clara gave her a thumbs up as she closed the door behind her.

Hailey approached Valerian, her nerves making her fidget. She wasn’t sure how to broach the subject.

Valerian stopped writing and looked at her. “What is it?” He asked, his gaze questioning.

She stumbled over her words. “Um…good…no, afternoon, sir.”

“Hailey, what are you trying to say?” He asked, irritation creeping into his voice.

She took a deep breath and blurted out, “Can we bring dates to the event?”

Valerian looked confused for a moment before he grumbled, “You’re not bringing a date—end of discussion.”

With that, she hurried out of his office.

She returned to Clara and the others at the front desk. “He said no.”

“You didn’t push hard enough! Please, try again,” Clara pleaded, pushing Hailey back towards Valerian’s office.

Hailey knocked on her boss’s door again and peeked inside.

Valerian put down his pen, looking exasperated. “What now?”

“Sir, the others—”

“No, Hailey!”

“But—”

“No buts. My answer is final—no dates!”

She returned to the office and told the other clerks, “He said yes!”

They all cheered. “We knew you could do it!” Some of them even hugged her.

As the day came to a close, Hailey was left wondering how she was going to convince Valerian to let her coworkers bring dates.

She changed into her uniform and boarded the bus, but no ideas came to her.

When she arrived at work, she greeted Matt, who didn’t seem too thrilled to see her. She had been working for about an hour when she heard the girls gasp.

She followed their gaze and saw Valerian and a group of powerful men. Matt led them to a table for six.

The girls began arguing over who would get to serve them. Sarah called Matt over. “Who should serve him?” she asked.

“I’m sure Valerian would be more than happy to have Hailey serve him.”

Hailey looked at Matt, unable to ignore the bitterness in his voice.

Matt thrust the drink menu at her, a clear signal that it was time to broach the subject of dates for the company dinner with Valerian.

She approached their table, menus in hand.

“Good evening, Hailey.”

The voice was unmistakably Colhane’s. She flashed him a warm smile. “Good evening, sir.”

After taking everyone’s drink orders, she turned to Valerian.

“A Long Island.” He closed the menu and handed it back to her.

Leaning in, her lips brushed against Valerian’s ear, drawing the attention of the other men. Even Valerian seemed taken aback.

“Sir?”

Valerian gestured for her to continue. “Can we bring dates to the dinner?”

Her question caught Valerian off guard—he looked down at her, surprised.

He gently pushed her forehead back with his finger, a clear sign for her to step away. She went to place their drink orders.

Returning to the bar, she found her female coworkers fuming. “What the hell, Hailey? Keep your hands to yourself!”

She wanted to clarify, but now wasn’t the time. She had already put her day job at risk by lying about the date situation.

She returned with their drinks. As she placed Valerian’s drink in front of him, she leaned in again to whisper, “Please, sir, my job is at stake.”

Valerian turned towards her, their lips almost touching, causing her to pull back slightly. “We’re ready to order our food.”

She took their orders and sent them to the kitchen, only to be met with a barrage of angry glares.

When the food was ready, she served it to the table. She repeated her earlier actions with Valerian. “They won’t even be noticeable.”

He looked visibly irritated. “Can we just eat?”

She retreated, feeling defeated. After they finished their meal, she cleared their table.

They ordered coffee, which she promptly brought over.

As she handed Valerian his coffee and was about to walk away, she felt a hand grip her wrist. It was Valerian. Her heart pounded in her chest as everyone watched.

“I’ll allow them to bring dates,” he said. Before she could express her gratitude, he added, “But only if you’re my date.”