"Speak already Antonio and quit staring like that. It's rude to stare." He leaned in closer till his lips were barely an inch away from her ear and whispered to her. Suddenly, she stood frozen as he moved away to enjoy the look of horror on her face.
"You're kidding," she barely whispered, only making his grin grow wider. "You must be out of your mind!"
"You have till I get out of the shower to determine your brother's fate..."
"W-What about Lauren? You can't..."
"I never said I was firing her Andrea. Now, the ball is in your court. Either you work with me...as my personal assistant..."
"Antonio...."
"Or your little brother and the rest of your family suffer the consequences."
"Y-You wouldn't harm them. You're not as cold as you portray yourself to be. You're...."
"Underestimated, that's what I am. As I said, you have till I step out of the shower to make your decision. I trust that you're not that dumb to test me. In the meantime, I'll leave you to start mentally preparing for what's to come. I'll see you in a while."
***
Lana and Andrea's apartment...
Lana had just arrived at her apartment with Jackson. He had been so reluctant to let her leave but she felt very guilty about staying.
"I still don't understand why you want to come back here. You should just move in with me. My penthouse is big enough for us, even bigger. We could..."
"Jackson stop. We've been through this already. I can't just move in with you and leave my sist..."
"Foster..."
"My sister!" she repeated, cutting his interruption.
"Sure, sure, your sister. But she's old enough to take care of herself...or is she ill? Is there a problem with..."
"Jackson, stop it. She's fine, physically and mentally," she said, "more than me, apparently," and sighed.
"What do you mean by that? Are you unwell? Should we see a doctor? What's it about?"
"You, Jackson, you!" Lana blurted. Shock was sharp in Jackson's eyes. Just before he could say a word, she spoke, throwing her hands in despair. "What's wrong with me?! You cheated on me, on your birthday, at your party, where people we both know were. You made me a laughing stock. You insulted me with that because I defended you, tooth and nail, anytime someone doubted your intentions towards me. That wasn't even the first time you cheated and thank God Lily didn't know that or she'd probably be behind bars...but that day, at your party....that was the last straw. That was what I told myself. I made up my mind to never take you back again but look at me. I did exactly that the very day you came back and apologized. You don't love or respect me anymore Jackson. What I don't understand is, why do you keep coming back?" A stream was already flowing down her face.
"Lana, you're wrong and deep down you know it. I love you so much and I'm truly sorry for everything I've done that hurt you. I want to be better for you. During the time I was away, I was seeing a therapist because I really do want to be better. I love you Lana," he said, cupping her cheeks and pecked her lips, "so much."
"J..."
"Lana, I was waiting for the perfect time to do this but I can't stand it. I'm getting scared with how conflicted you are now...." he said with his hand reaching for the inner pocket of his blue black blazer and went down on one knee. Lana was stunned, her heart racing and pounding heavily, not sure whether that was a good thing on not. Instantly, the thought of Lily's reaction crossed her mind and then, she started to worry. "Lana..."
"Jackson wait," she said holding the fist he pulled out of his pocket with both her hands. "Let's take it slow. We just got back together not long ago. We..."
"You're having second thoughts about staying with me, aren't you?" he asked, disappointment clear in his hearty question.
"No, no, it's not like that," she responded assuredly.
"Then it's your beloved sister, isn't it?" His question sounded more like a statement, as he rose to his feet and slowly pulled his fist out of her grip.
"It's not just her. I meant what I said. We just got back together last night, even if you never saw it as though we broke up, I did. Let's just take our time this time around. Okay?"
He slowly rose to his feet and caressed her cheek before planting a soft kiss on her lips.
"I really do love you Lana."
***
"Since you've decided to stay silent. I'll see you when I'm done with your...."
"Okay okay okay, wait," Andrea rushed out of bed and stood as a barrier between Antonio and the door, to stop him from exiting the room. "Antonio, this is absurd. You..."
"Out of my way Miss Cabrera. This really isn't up for negotiation so you're wasting my ti..."
"Antonio, you don't want this. We both know we can barely stand each other so what on Earth...."
"Well, precisely the point. Once you're officially my employee, I will deal with you, as I please and you'll finally know your place. Now, it's either you deal with this or your brother takes the consequences for you."
"This is your revenge?" she asked, shocked and horrified.
"Certainly. I assured you you'd regret the day at the airport, did I not? I'll count to 5, after which, if you fail to make a choice, I'll conclude on punishing your brother for your deed and his."
"No need. I'll be your personal assistant and obviously, your torture toy," she said coldly.
"Brilliant," he said, walking over to his closet. He came out with a file, opened it up and placed it on the centre table. He took out a pen from his blazer and offered it to Andrea. "Sign here."
She was indeed perplexed with how ready he was to make her his 'servant'. She took the pen and picked up the file, ready to examine the bundle of sheets clipped together. Her jaw dropped at how much it was. "What the..." she gasped in astonishment. Andrea let herself loose onto the sofa in dejection, reading the contract.
"What are you reading for? To determine whether you still want to suffer your fate or let your little brother do it for you?"
She lifted her gaze to glare at him but he merely smirked cheekily. She instantly scribbled her signature and handed the file and pen to him. "There you go. Now that you have what you want, give me your word that you'll let my brother go," she said determinedly with her arms crossed over her chest.
"You're in no position to ask me to do anything. Don't forget I'm your boss now. In case you didn't know because you ignorantly failed to read the contract before signing, you begin work two days after you are fully discharged by the doctor..."
"You bast..."
"Complete that and you'll be very sorry Andrea Cabrera," he threatened with a stone cold gaze. "I'll take my leave now. Enjoy your grace period and try not to worry too much. It won't help you get better soon so you can finally start your dream job." He majestically walked out of the room with a satisfied grin, leaving behind a raging and panicking Andrea. She was left to her wild imagination to drive her mad, wondering what's next.