(Sorry for the late chapter. I have a high fever)
[General POV]
Near the Whitebeard business office, a black-haired woman was sitting in front of Claire near the port as the latter read her resume. The woman had a clear view of the ocean while Claire was sitting with her back to it.
Claire then smiled awkwardly and said, "Francesca Dart. I read your resume…and…"
"You don't have to mind your words with me. I, for one, know that my resume is ordinary. I have no outstanding achievements, nor do I have a wide network of connections. Which leads me to the question, why did your boss offer ME…an interview, and also paid for my flight ticket to LA? Frankie asked in confusion.
Her no-nonsense attitude startled Claire a bit, but she quickly collected herself and asked, " When did he email you?"
"Last night." Frankie replied.
"And he told you to come in today?" Claire said, a bit mad about Edward's overbearing CEO attitude. She was planning to lecture him, but Frankie's next answer saved Ed.
"No. He gave me a week's time. However, I could do all my research about the company from the website and finish it very quickly with the help of my friend Diane and since I found nothing wrong or ambiguous about it I decided to come here today to ask about your intentions in person."
Claire chuckled a bit and asked, "Why? Do you feel that there is something wrong with the company?"
"The generous salary, the potential employee housing, and the future trajectory of the company he mentioned in the email, honestly, I thought this was a front for organ harvesting or human trafficking. The offer is too good to be true, especially for someone like me"
"Luckily for you, we are a legitimate company." Claire joked.
"I know." Frankie said seriously, making Claire's smile freeze.
"A-Anyway-"
"I'm not pretty enough to tempt a rich man, nor do I have a connection with him in any way that I know of. I've lived in Utah all of my life. So tell me Claire, why me?" Frankie asked the question that had been bothering her for a while now.
Claire was silent for a while, but as the Vice-Director of Logistics, she figured that this was a test from Edward, and she needed to handle the interview properly lest Ed thought she was bad at her job.
"I can't answer on his behalf. If you're really curious about that, maybe you can ask him later on once you've taken the job. But for me, I…I am impressed. You received the email last night, and apparently you finished your research so fast you're here today. Your efficiency is off the charts. I'm embarrassed to admit this but I became super excited about working with you as soon as I heard that."
Frankie was the one that was stunned then. Her no-nonsense character usually turned people off, as they would see her as a pompous prick. To have someone think kindly about her persona made her blush a bit. The last person who did that was Diane, her 'platonic' friend and partner in managing her life.
Claire continued, "To be honest, Edward doesn't hire people based on achievements, but rather potential and personality. There were a few people he chose, that made me question his ability, but he has not missed his mark yet though, he seems to have this unparalleled talent for seeing through people…."
As soon as Claire said that Dylan walked past the pier carrying a box of tablecloths in his hands. Only to stumble on a tiny rock, and stagger to the fence until his body was flipped over when he hit the fence without slowing down as he fell into the sea once more.
The sound of the splash startled Frankie, but Claire just smiled wryly without even looking back and said, "Well… he nailed everyone except for Dylan."
"DYLANNN Are you okay?!" Dwayne ran to the fence quickly to provide some help.
"NO NEED. I can swim now." Dylan said with a smile on his face as he swam dogstyle to safety.
Frankie and Claire both turned their attention back to one another after Dylan's proclamation. Frankie asked, "Who is Edward? Isn't Theodore Newgate the boss of this business?"
"Huh?...Oh yeah right. He's not on the list of employees. He is Ted's…Theodore's son. He's the one who is mainly in charge of the whole operation. Edward Newgate. Surprising right?" Claire asked with a smirk on her face.
"Why is that surprising? There are a lot of children who helped their family in the business." Frankie asked, confused.
"Not that, he's Edward. Edward Newgate? You… don't know him?" Claire asked, confused by Frankie's reaction.
Shaking her head slightly, Frankie said, "No. Is he someone famous?"
"He's…a new artist, his songs are pretty up there. I think my husband and daughters mentioned an award or…. something…He was even on TV a few times!"
"Oh. I don't own a TV. Nor do I listen to mainstream music." Frankie said while shrugging her shoulders.
Claire froze as she heard that.
…
[Edward POV- Back to School]
As I froze, my skill was suddenly activated, bringing me out from the storm in my mind. I noticed a subtle curling of Taylor's lips as she pretended to be afraid, and realised that she was trying to freak me out.
'Damn. I had almost fallen into her trap.'
Hiding my amusement, I pretended to be in despair before purposely stuttering and said, "A-A-Are you s-s-sure?"
"Yes. I am 100% sure." Taylor said.
'Hmm…She didn't clarify. I guess, she wants to use the vagueness in her sentence to make it seem like I freak out over nothing. Ooowww but Taylor sweetie, you have no idea who you are messing with…you have really underestimated me! Play with fire and you shall get burnt… This is really my forte!'
[Taylor POV]
As soon as he freaked out about the 'pregnancy', he would play right into my palms.
"That's…"
Yeah that's right. Say it. Show me that you hate it.
"That's…wonderful." Ed muttered with a smile on his face.
I froze. He took a step forward and wrapped his hand over my waist as he pulled me in closer to him.
"So we have one from the ten children you had planned." He said casually as he kissed my forehead. My mind quickly falls into a spiral as both of my fear and anticipation were trying to win the struggle they have against one another.
"Wait-Wait-WAIT! You aren't mad?" I said, desperately trying to push his face away before he could sneak in a kiss again. My mind was a mess right now. Shouldn't men freak out when you do this.
'We have careers on our own. We are still young. We are destroying our future. Abort it. And a lot more similar reactions. This must be the first time ever someone in our situation has responded nicely to the potential of having a child together.'
My breath quickened, and my heart beat vigorously as I imagined a life with him. A normal life in the country, with no one to bother us, no one to judge us, just me, him, and our 11 children.
My stomach was filled with butterflies, and I may or may not be currently considering not correcting his misunderstanding right now.
But then, Edward added with a downcast expression, "However, it seems that we have to separate now."
"I KNEW IT! MEN ARE ALL THE SAME-"
"When you get out of jail, we can be together again. I will wait for you with our child, and raise them properly in your absence." Ed continued, not minding my outburst.
"Eh?" My mind short-circuited. Then I realised it, making my face pale. There was a hugeeeee oversight on my part. He was still a minor! Wait- NO! It was legal in California.
"NOOO!! Ed! I'm not-"
As I freaked out, I saw him smirking and trying to cover up his laugh. Anger filled my chest and blood rushed to my head as I realised I had been tricked by him. I stomped on his feet, making him exclaim in pain.
"JERK! I am not that old! And I'm not pregnant!" I shouted before I stomped away. "I'll wait in the car!" I said as I needed some time to calm myself down.
[Edward POV]
"Oww my foot." I laughed before Taylor walked away. I ran to the music classroom and grabbed my beg before running after her.
"We'll continue the session tomorrow. Finneas, bring Billie tomorrow okay?" I said.
"Wait- ED!" Alex called out.
"I have an emergency! I gotta jet! Sorry guys!" I said and got out of there before anyone could ask anything. I ran outside the school to the parking lot, and opened the door of the tinted Mercedes SUV that Taylor drove over here.
"We were getting ice cream right?" I asked to change the subject as I saw her still fuming in the driver's seat.
She was taken aback and asked, "We were?"
"Didn't we agree on that before?" I asked, tilting my head in a fake confusion. She broke into a smile, and she hid it quickly to pretend that she was still angry and said, "OKAY! But you're buying!"
I smiled and had to coax her for a long time afterward even though I was the 'victim' of her prank.
She wasn't completely kidding though. She was late, She was supposed to be at the shooting for her music video in 20 minutes, and we were still 40 minutes away from the set.
"Soo…Ice cream or no ice-cream?" I asked with a mischievous smile on my face.
"Ice cream!" she said decisively. We stopped by an ice cream shop and bought mint-chocolate chips for her, and chocolate fudge for me. She desperately wanted me to buy the 'Chubby-Hubby' cookies and cream ice-cream, but that name scared me so much that I had to reject her suggestion.
"Hey…Are you guys…" The fat ice-cream shop owner felt that we looked familiar as I was paying for the ice-cream. Taylor lowered her baseball cap while I smiled at him and said, "Yeah we are. We're your regulars. I'm surprised you recognize us. Had you finally stopped adding liquor into your morning coffee Adam?"
He was startled and he rubbed his face in embarrassment, no longer caring about our identities. Taylor widened her eyes and stared at me, but I subtly made a 'shush' gesture at her to avoid her revealing my lie.
"I'm…Yes. I stopped doing that. I also joined AA. I'm working really hard now." Adam said as he took the money from my hand.
"Good for you. I believe you can beat your alcoholism Adam. You're also becoming much skinnier now. It won't be long till the ladies queue up." I said with a smile.
Taylor nudged me as she thought I was going too far, making us finally exposed, but Adam's mood was lifted by the joke, and he laughed out loud before saying, "You know what. For my regulars, no charge! Take this!"
He gave me my money back to my surprise. "Adam-"
"No. Take it. I owe it to you. I haven't felt this good in years!" He said with a wide grin on his face. He was being pushy, so I reluctantly took the money back and waved goodbye at the man as I walked out of the store.
Taylor asked curiously, "Are you really a regular here?"
"Nope. This is my first time coming here." I replied casually. Taylor stopped in her tracks as she was shocked by what just happened. I walked to the driver's side of the door and asked her, "Gimme the keys."
"No! You don't have a license." She snapped out of it and admonished me immediately.
"Yeah, I don't. But if you want to make up for the lost time, you should really let me drive."
She shrunk her head back and asked quizzically, "Really? How?"
"Give me the keys and you'll know." I replied.
…
After I drove the red Porsche like a madman before, it was like a switch had been turned on inside my brain. I wanted to drive a car so much.
"S-Sl-Slow down! There's a bump ahead!" Taylor screamed while still holding her ice cream cone near her face. I was driving near 80 miles per hour on a 50 miles per hour road, and it scared her very much. I spun the wheel and turned the car into a small alley instead of getting to the main road after the speed bump. Taylor leaned on my shoulder from the centrifugal force, and said angrily as I accelerated through the narrow gap between the buildings, "You're done! Stop stop stop!"
I laughed and through my shortcut, we managed to cut 10 minutes in our arrival time after avoiding the main route.
"You're crazy!" She said with ice cream smeared on top of her lips.
I laughed and said, "You're the one who said you were late." The car moved smoothly as we finally moved out of the city, and there was no other car on the road in front of us.
"Hey. You got some ice cream there." I notified her.
'
"Hmm? Where?" She asked, leaning forward to try and look at the back view mirror to see which part of her face was smudged.
"Here. Let me wipe it." I said as I took a tissue from the box nearby. She smiled and pursed her lips at mine to wait for my fingers. However, I leaned forward and kissed her, licking the ice cream above her lips at the same time. She widened her eyes, and became a bit abashed as she didn't expect the sudden attack.
"What's with you all of a sudden?" She said with an embarrassed smile on her face.
"I just think it'll be a waste of tissue paper. You know, I need to kiss you, to save our resources…and also save the world in the process." I joked.
She laughed and leaned to the side, putting her hands on my thigh as she whispered, "Handsome, and also environmentally friendly."
"That's what it said on my merchandise label."
Taylor smiled and blew her breath in my ears before she whispered, "I missed you."
I turned to her and said, "I missed you too. And get your hand off my pants. I'm trying to drive over here. Shit- Cops. Act normal."
Taylor saw the cops too and cursed, "Damn!" She went back to her seat and pulled her seat belt immediately. The cops stopped the car, and I turned the window's down.
"Good afternoon officer. What can I do for you?" I asked the rough looking man who was leaning in to look inside the car from the window. Unlike the ice-cream store owner, he recognized me immediately and took off his sunglasses.
"Edward Newgate? God, I'm such a fan of yours!" the cop said. "What are you guys doing here? Wait is that-"
"Yeah that's Taylor. And I really can't say what we were doing. You understand right?" I said, hinting at him.
He widened his eyes, darting his pupils between Taylor and I a few times, with his expression changing from disbelief to happiness as he did. "My daughter will be so happy if she hears this."
"Then, it'll just be a secret between us, and your daughter." Taylor added with a grin on her face as she hugged my arm.
"Yes ma'am. Alright. You guys can go." He asked.
"No need to check for Id? You guys are looking for suspects aren't you?" I asked curiously. Taylor pinched my waist, hard. She then whispered, "Why the hell did you ask? Did you forget you don't HAVE a license?"
Luckily for me, the cop didn't hear what she said as his walkie talkie was turned on this time. He leaned in again and said, "That's right. I won't tell you what the case is, but it has something to do with a serial strangler."
"Wait. The Tea-time Stranger?" I asked in surprise.
"I knew you could guess it. Unfortunately, it seems that the guy has moved his sight to this area. There have been 2 cases in the neighborhood already. You kids be careful alright?"
"Yeah we will. Thanks officer Malone." I said.
"Thanks officer." Taylor said. I rolled the window back down, and drove away from the police check in a calm manner. Taylor then turned to me and asked, "You know. I still don't get it. How can you guess their names?"
"Whose names?" I asked.
"In the ice-cream shop, and now with the officer. How?" She asked. I turned towards her in disbelief, and said, "You know they were both wearing name tags right?"
"..."
"Then, let me change my question. Why did you call them by their names?" She asked after thinking for a while.
I shrugged and said, "It makes them feel good about themselves. And when they do, it's easier to get them to have a nice impression of us."
"After that, we can get away with almost anything." I said with a sly smile. She rolled her eyes at me, before falling into contemplation about what I just said.
…
We arrived at the set of 'Love Story' Music Video Production.
"OH boy here she comes." Taylor muttered as we saw a stern looking staff member walking towards us.
"Just be calm." I replied. "I'm here to support you if you decide to lie."
"Taylor! You're finally here!" She then saw me, and she scrunched her brows as she asked, "Were you late because you were on a date?"
"No. There's a major traffic jam, Jessica. A strangler is loose in the neighborhood." Taylor replied.
"What?" Jessica asked, confused. Then, her lips curled upwards as it was the first time Taylor ever called her by her name. Then, her face turned angry again and she said, "Anyway. Glad you could make it. You need to change your outfit now."
"The princess outfit right? Did you work on that? That looks really nice." I said. Jessica then broke into a huge grin and said, "I know right? It took me weeks to finalize it."
"I can see that. I can't wait to see how Taylor looks when she wears it." I replied. Taylor blushed and Jessica put the clothes on her arm before saying, "Go and change. We don't have much time."
The female director with black hair and bright blue eyes walked towards us with a cup of coffee in hand before offering a handshake to me, "Edward Newgate right? God, I love "Enemy" so much, I even bought the short version and used it as a ringtone."
"Well thank you for your patronage. You're Mrs Trey Fanjoy right?"
She raised one of her eyebrows and said, "I'm surprised you know me. I'm only active in the country music genre after all. Do you like country music Ed?"
"I wouldn't say I hate it."
"Well then, maybe we can work together sometime."
"I would love that."
After exchanging pleasantries with the director, she walked me through the set and talked about her inspiration for the video. She even told us how she draws her ideas from the renaissance and the regency era periods, and also asked me about my opinion on the matter.
One thing that needed to be noted though was that you had to be careful when you talked to her, otherwise, you would quickly find yourself being among one of the extras in her videos, and be forced to wear renaissance era style clothing as you somehow had to participate in a ballroom scene. Like I currently was.
"Walk me through how my presence in the video is good for Taylor again?" I asked.