"Your schedule for the week," Julian says, handing Gabriel his schedule book. He grunts in response and tosses it to the side, turning back towards the window.
Julina clears his throat. "I also have news pertaining Miss Rose that I discovered just this morning."
As suspected, this catches Gabriel's attention, trying to hide it but he fails miserably. Julian has been working with him and for him a very long time, he can read Gabriel like a book, something the master doesn't like admitting.
"What is it?" he asks. In the back of his mind, there could be a million things wrong now, with how much chaos she seems to have in her life, no thanks to him.
"She seems to be taking a break from modeling, there were a few articles that broke this morning, anyone has yet to get a personal comment from her, but she has confirmed it on her social media and her agent Mrs. Janet has also personally confirmed it. No further comments as to why were made, and Miss Rose seems to be remaining silent about the matter, not including many details on–"
"That will do, thank you, Julian."
He hides his smile and bows. "I'll take my leave. Call me if there is anything else."
Gabriel lets out an exasperated breath, leaning his head back against his chair and looking towards the office door.
What is this girl up to now?
After taking some time to look online, Gabriel confirms what Julian said. Athena hasn't made any comment as to why she is stepping away from the spotlight. Is he working her too much? She just asked for a reduction in her hours, albeit a minor reduction by just 10 hours, but he assumed it was so she could still balance her career and side job here.
If it wasn't to focus on her modeling, what was it for?
He wants to call her into his office and find out why by accusing her of lying about her reasoning for wanting reduced hours, but she never actually gave him a reason why. He can't outright ask her, the chances of her speaking about her personal or private life are 100 to 1.
It's clear that Athena Rose, despite being someone who lives under constant spotlight, likes to keep two very separate lives. Her public and personal life, two separate lives – and it seems two completely different people.
The woman he saw online and the one he met in his office were not the same person. For a second, he had thought Athena was pranking him, and sent her unknown twin in her place for the meeting to try and get out of working or paying him back directly.
But the aura she carries with her is unmistakable, he could feel it even through the interviews she gave. The confidence that seems to roll off of her and envelop the room she is in, no matter how big it may be, attracting all attention to her. It's also the modest appearance she has as well, how she knows she could dominate everyone in a room, but still knows when to bow her head to earn respect and make strong connections.
He feels that even if she were to have been born into a poor family, with her skills and looks, she could climb any ladder she set her sights on. She was able to catch his eye just walking on the street, just by the way she held her head high and shoulders tall, even though she looked distraught and uncomposed in the moment, she still looked elegant.
It's one of the few reasons he felt compelled to offer her a job with the casino. The fact that she is smart, a quick learner and has great observation of her situational surroundings was just a bonus for him.
The only other reason is this intense interest he seems to have for her. It's rare for him to want to waste time on someone, let alone a female he knows he won't have the time or risk to entertain, a woman so frail yet defiant isn't a woman he can have by his side.
When the day comes where he does take a wife, it will have to be someone familiar with his world, the devious plots he is involved in the and the scheming rats surrounding him, constantly watching his every move to find even the slightest weakness.
They tried to find it just by seeing her enter his office, meaning they have people planted inside his casino, a thought he hasn't been able to sleep with since the day Athena was almost kidnapped. Another thought that hasn't settled with him; she almost lost her life because of him.
Yet she still insisted on taking the job, knowing the massive risk that comes with such a simple position.
She really is proving to be something else...
***
"Why are you taking a break from your career?"
Chloe stops mid-step, having just stepped into his office, and she is already being interrogated she feels.
How does he already know about that? It was just released online yesterday.
She didn't peg him as someone who follows gossip columns and celebrity tabloids, but it also doesn't hurt for a big-time president as himself, to know what kind of gossip and news is being talked about online, when it comes to an employee of theirs.
Chloe has now acted as Athena and lived comfortably in her body without any physical or mental resistance for almost a month now. The headaches have become fewer now but that also means she hasn't remembered anything new. She has pulled off the act so well, however, that she feels she might not need her past memories of Athena and call almost call herself Athena Rose now.
The struggle she has within herself to let go of her identity as Chloe Brass is still something she can't decide on. She feels she has no reason to continue holding on to her identity as Chloe Brass and can fully embrace her new identity as Athena Rose.
But she also still feels she wouldn't have come as far as she has, if she had let go of herself as Chloe. Until she can come to a decision, or until she enacts her revenge on the Rose family, she will continue to hold onto her identity as Chloe and play it by ear.
"Have I become invisible, Miss Rose?" Gabriel asks. Calling her Miss Rose instead of Athena is a clear sign of his irritation.
"N-no, Mr. Monroe. Sorry, I was just lost in thought. I've had a lot going on recently in my personal life and it has been distracting me from my other life endeavors. I see the potential in the opportunity you have given me, and I do not want anything to get in the way of my focus or dedication here."
Gabriel raises a brow in curiosity, hitting the nail on the head. He knew the reason she asked for reduced hours was for a more personal reason. But what?
Her mother passed away last year and since then, her father has taken over everything to do with the Rose group company, becoming acting president. It's already publicly known that Jaden Heroux, who is still going by Jaden Rose despite his marriage being over and already taking another mistress.
The only way for him to secure his spot as President of Rose Group, is when Athena turns 21 and turns the company over to him. If she doesn't and decides to take over the company instead, he will have to step down and take on another position at the company, whatever Athena decides that might be.
She has made it clear she is dedicated to taking advantage of this work opportunity and focused on learning as much as possible.
Does that mean, she wishes to take over?
He wants to ask her more, but doesn't want to turn their study period into an interrogation, already springing a rather surprising question on her as soon as she walked in. He had already told himself that he wouldn't ask her or pry into her personal life, but it had been bothering him ever since he found out.
"What will we be learning today?" she asks, taking her usual seat in front of him. Their meeting today is no different than their last. Yet why does he feel so nervous? She is dressed in the same professional clothing style that she has dressed in since the first day they met, but today he is noticing her appearance more.
Her green eyes seem more vibrant than he first noticed, their color almost glistening under the early morning sun. It makes him wonder what their color would look like when flushed and dazed, shaking his head to make the image instantly disappear.
That was a rather unwelcoming thought...
What is wrong with him? He never loses this much focus in a meeting, regardless of how beautiful the companion sitting across from him is. He has been aware of Athena's beauty from the moment he spotted her on the street, it isn't something that should still be affecting him after how many times they have met.
Yet it is. So much today, it's the first time he is unable to gather his thoughts properly enough.
"Is everything alright, Mr. Monroe?"
He hates how she calls him that. Everyone calls him that, because they know their place below them.
But someone like her shouldn't be below him. She should be in a position like his, running everything. She has a mind and eyes that well exceed his own and she is barely near the age he was when he took over his own company.
If her plan is to take over her family's country, that will only add to the growing interest he has in her.
"I wanted to sit here and go through these books with you. They're the master cheque books, the ones that keep the records of all transactions and bets made at the tables. From my understanding, you have only been dealing with the cheque books for the slots."
"T-the master cheque books? I don't think I'm qualified to handle that."
"Athena, I hired you not only because you owe me for almost running you over, and despite that instant, you have proven to have a keen eye for underlying things. Things that go unnoticed to the normal naked eye."
We aren't taught as children to see the bad and greed in everything, and as adults we learn how to hide our corruptive intentions better, but there is always the rare person who can see through someone's bullshit and to their true intentions.
Athena is one of those rare people. She can tell when someone has good or bad thoughts towards her and what their true intentions for her are. She isn't a woman easily fooled or manipulated and doesn't seem to have a problem confronting someone when she feels someone is trying to fool or betray her.
"I need someone like that to help be my eye when I can't see. It might seem luxurious to be here in this office all day, but that means I'm not out there. Anyone has the capability of betraying another if persuaded well enough. I can't always see what is going on out there, and I need someone I deem capable to act as my eyes and ears."
"So, you put me in charge of those books to try and pick out embezzlement?"
He nods. "Precisely, but naturally I don't trust you completely, so I placed you in charge of a minor impact area. It's quite hard to cheat at slots, and therefore doesn't make a whole lot of money or attract attention, not when compared to our betting and playing tables. That's where you will find the scammers and card counters, as well as those who are looking to try and embezzle, because the boss is never around."
"I've been looking through all the books that come through at the end of the week very thoroughly, I haven't detected anything out of the ordinary. I assume you want me to do the same thing with these?"
"Not just that. Do you remember what we talked about last week, the fundamentals of working a business? I want you to take those tactics and implement them here. It has been revealed that there is someone working here that shouldn't be, there should be evidence of that in the books. They have been secretly embezzling funds from the lost income and bets, something that is frequently overlooked because it is income that never ends up moving anyway."
You would think that would be an area that is an obvious pick for fraud, but Gabriel doesn't have the time to look over every cheque book that comes through and keep track of every bookkeeper that overlooks them for him. Many of them have been bought off or replaced in the past. He has Julian now to cover the floor and make sure that there aren't any unfamiliar places, but even he himself is only one person.
It's one of the many risks that comes with running a company alone, with only a handful of people you choose to trust but can't always help when needed.
"Why can't you look over these with me? You trust me that much to handle these on my own?" she asks, her voice shaking a little at the anticipation and pure gold she is holding in her hands. She has never been trusted with such a task before, she is holding the opportunity to get her hands of millions of dollars, and he's simply handing it all to her.
This could be a test of trust, or a sign that he is suspicious of her.
But she has worked her hardest the past few weeks and done nothing to make anyone think she has the intentions of stealing from the company, or doing anything that could harm her position there, or the odd amount of trust Gabriel seems to have placed in her, in such a short time.
So, then what is his motive with all this? He did say his initial plan was to look over them with her today.
"Does that mean we won't be having a study session today?"
"Yes, unfortunately something urgent has come up that I need to tend to right away, so I'm afraid we will have to pick this up again next week. In exchange, this is an opportunity for you to possibly earn a promotion, based on how you handle this task on your own."
He walks over to grab his jacket from the coat rack, telling her to pack up her things as well, though she barely had the time to unpack anything other than take off her own coat. He hands it to her and points at the books.
"Those are copies so don't worry about taking them home with you this week and studying them. Take notes and write on them if you please, just try not to lose them, they do still hold vital information that if put in the wrong hands, can do a lot of damage."
She nods firmly. "I won't mess up this opportunity or do anything that could possibly put your company at risk. You have my word, Mr. Monroe."
"Oh, so it's back to Mr. Monroe? Are you still upset with me, Athena?" he asks, a smile slowly spreading across his face.
She covers her mouth with her hand, not realizing her mistake. She also notices the slight twitch in his lip and irritation behind his eyes.
Does he not like it when I call him Mr. Monroe?
That's not possible. He is the President of Monroe Group and head of his family, he is someone who needs to demand respect to uphold his reputation, especially from an underling junior bookkeeper as herself.
Yet he insists she call him by his first name and doesn't fail to call her out every time she doesn't.
"I'm sorry, it just slipped out..." she apologizes but trails off when she notices how close he has become.
Was my back always this close to the door? She feels behind her and in fact, she is almost pressed clean against the door but there is still barely a hair length between them. She can see the bright white specks that dot the outside of his grey eyes, twinkling like tiny sparkles in a pool of liquid silver.
"Do you not like being called Mr. Monroe?" she asks, her big mouth never seizing to stop when words vomit from it.
"I don't like being called that by you," he responds quietly, so hushed it seems it is meant for only him to hear.
Breaking the trance they have both fallen into, she hears the click of the door behind her and feel his arm pressed against her side, his hand gripping the handle.
"I'll see you on Monday, Athena," he whispers in her ear. A shiver runs up her spine rather than down and it feels like all the air is sucked out of her lungs, causing her to choke up and do nothing but nod in response.
He opens the door for her and she all but flies through it, calling out a good-bye over her shoulder. She rushes past Julian, who tries to wish her farewell but fails, watching her run out the front door in a blur.
"What was that all about?" he asks, still looking over his shoulder. "Oh, my God."
There is a smile placed on Gabriel's lips, one Julian has never witnessed in his entirety knowing him.
One of pure joy and bliss, stretching from ear to ear.
Athena Rose... who are you?