Collux Haven,
"Good day." A lady waved, standing in front of Carstair's desk.
She uses her right hand to comb through her thick silky black hair. Her seductive smile radiated as she waited for the secretary's response.
Carstair took a glance at the lady's face with disgust but masks it with a forced smile. "Good day miss, how might I be of service?"
A glimpse at the walls of the lobby, she furrows her brows in confusion at different colored blank posters.
'Why is there no one in the lobby, aside from him?' She wonders in her thoughts but doesn't say.
Taking a look at the secretary's tag on his desk. She leaned forward to give him a good view of her cleavage, "Carstair, I need to see your vice chairman."
Scoffing at the words and attempting to stir up his desire, Carstair took yet another quick body scan of the lady.
Her front tuck bodycon mini dress with plunging v-neckline had him stifling a laugh.
"Do you have an appointment with him, miss?" He questions coldly.
Offended by Carstair's action toward her, she picks up a mug on the table and makes use of it by lightly hitting the table in a knock-knock gesture.
Ignoring her effort to create a scene in an empty lobby, Carstair forced a ruse smile as he switched on his approach, "Could you please tell the reason for your visit?"
"It's confidential between your boss and me." She replied with a mischievous smile.
'If it's confidential, then I'm a superhero disguised as a secretary.' Carstair deadpanned in his thoughts.
Resorting to his last option of conversation with the lady, he questions her name.
His attention was drawn to the computer screen in front of him, he lightly tapped the screen as a holographic keyboard emerged below his hand.
"Miss?" Carstair calls on her attention, slightly triggered by her silence.
Straightening her posture, she rolled her eyes. "Is there a reason I need to introduce myself?"
Taking pride in himself for being a competent secretary, he frowns at the lady's words,
'Dear lord, why was a bitch sent my way?' Carstair thought with regret.
Speaking through gritted teeth, Carstair sarcastically gave a reply, "I don't see a name tag on your dress or your table."
'Please just spare me of her miserable existence!' Carstair begged in his thoughts whilst locking eyes with the lady.
"Is there a problem there?" A voice came from behind her.
Turning, her face lit up to the approach of a familiar face–it was none other than Mr. Maxwell, the Administrative assistant to the Vice Chairman.
"Maxwell, darling!" She opened her arms in a warm embrace of familiarity.
Carstair stared at the two, shocked to witness that they knew each other.
"Mr. Maxwell," Carstair greeted with a bow.
Nodding in acknowledgment with a smile, "I will take it up from here."
Carstair looked down at his keyboard, giving a nod. "Yes, sir."
Behind Maxwell, the lady stuck her tongue to mock Carstair's current situation.
Flipping her hair, she walked towards the elevator, accompanied by Maxwell.
Carstair raised his head as a wicked grin flashed across his lips. 'Just you wait.'
Stepping in, Maxwell places his hand on the fingerprint reader.
A soft chine could be heard as the doors slid shut in front of them.
A synthesized female voice greeted, [Welcome Mr. Maxwell to Collux Haven!]
"The Tenth floor," Maxwell commands.
Ding!
[Voice recognition verified]
"Has it always been like this since my departure?" The lady questions, pointing at the reader and the introduction of an AI in the elevator.
Maxwell chuckled at her question. "As curious as always, Miss Olivia."
"Much has changed, even this building has gone through lots of renovation." Olivia comments.
Leaning to his side, Maxwell whispers, "no one has access to Mr. Hess' office without authorization."
"And you are the authorization?" Olivia whispers back with a smirk.
Maxwell burst into a peal of laughter at her words before his mood completely darkened. "What do you think?"
–––––––––––
With another soft chime, the doors slid open and they both stepped out into the hallway.
The hallway was dimly lit by several hanging white bulbous spotlights, which were focused on every centimeter of the floor.
Pointing at a bright silver rectangular tag that read 'Rayden Hess', Maxwell took a step back.
"You're not accompanying me?" Olivia questions.
Shaking his head, "It's you he wants."
There was something about the way it was said and a glimpse of a devious smirk on Maxwell's face before he bows to leave.
"Wait!" Olivia calls out in a whisper, suddenly filled with doubts about being wanted.
Turning around, Maxwell tilted his head in confusion.
"Is there something I might have missed while I was away?" She questions timidly.
With the same devious smile, Maxwell took a step back into the elevator without a response.
'He's my fiance, what could go wrong?' Olivia repeated in her thoughts.
Walking towards Rayden's office, Olivia's mind races with numerous possibilities of her arrival being a mistake.
She came to a stop in the middle of the hallway. Turning around, she casually walked backward, reaching the elevator, and turned around again.
The feeling of indecision and panic hit Olivia as she stood in front of the door with her hand clenched for a knock.
Click!
The door automatically opened before she could signify her presence with a knock.
"Took you long enough." Rayden's chilly voice broke the awkward silence.
Slipping in with light steps, she jumped in fright at the slam of the door behind her.
"It's been a while, Livia."
A handsome young man with short dark brown hair, he had his glasses giving off a bright reflection and obscuring his red pupils.
There Rayden was, sitting on a black swivel Aston chair, his desk clutter-free. Instead, he had his hands steepled in front of his stern face.
Dressed in a white chic vest with four buttons, and a fairly deep v-line. Underneath it has a solid gray shirt with its top unbuttoned for a more casual look.
Smitten by his looks, Olivia pushed back a loose strand of her hair, momentarily forgetting her initial doubt and panic.
"Five years has been a long time." She asserts, masking her nervousness with a smile.
Gesturing to an empty chair in front of him, Rayden watched with keen interest while she walked over, sitting so gracefully with her hands on her exposed thighs.
She had expected some sort of compliment from him as she awaits his response.
Getting to his feet, he walks over to her side, sitting on his desk in front of her.
Leaning forward, Rayden gently pulled her chin up as he searched her eyes.
'Have I finally gotten his attention?'
With her heart racing, she closes her eyes and puckers her pink lips in expectation of a kiss.
'So easy.' Rayden scoffed in his thoughts as a smirk played on his lips.
Pulling away, he grabbed a hold of her neck.
In a state of panic, Olivia's eyes shot open. "R– Ray?"
Letting go of her neck, he combs through his hair and lets out a sigh of disappointment.
Olivia had her hand on her neck, hyperventilating and staring at the table in shock.
Glaring at her trembling figure, he pulls off his glasses, places it on the metal desk, and wipes down his face.
"After all these years, you still don't have the answers?!" Rayden yells in a fit of rage, criticizing her incompetence.
It was one thing that his father had forced an engagement to Olivia on him after their first meeting four years ago.
It was another to have her fail at the one task he had given her to prove herself worthy of being his companion and officially make their status public.
Punching his fist down on his desk, he barks, "because of this, those fucking monsters razed down my secret facility! They escaped with all my data on them, Livia!"
Olivia stared in terror at the dent that had formed on it, pushing back so she could get up.
Holding onto the armrests, Rayden hissed. "Where do you think you're going?!"
"Nowhere!" She whimpers, her voice breaking off in gasps.
Humming to her answer, Rayden chose to overlook her initial attempt at running.
Pulling her chair closer, he leaned forward for a whisper into her ears, "you came to me of your own will, why leave your fiance's office so soon?"
Responding almost instantly, she cries out, "I will never..."
With a bright smile, his face lit up from the assurance, "Good, good!"
Olivia exhales, glad she could narrowly escape his sudden spark of rage.
Her heart sank deep into fear and panic at his next words.
"Do you have what I need?"
–––––––––––
Author's note
¶ Do check out the weekly auxiliary chapter[Bonus chapter task] to know how you can participate.