"That won't be an issue but I do need both your hands to work efficiently and you won't serve me well without them so just do as I say.. You'll be back in three days"
'Three days!?' Jena screamed in dismay, feeling the urge to protest. She didnt like the idea of already taking days off on the day she initially started her job.
Just then, someone popped up in her mind. That girl.. Kayla!
She studied Lucien's expression carefully before mustering up the courage to ask him.
"What happened to Kayla?" She asked, her voice quivering slightly. She tried to sound casual but Lucien could still sense the worry and eagerness underneath.
"She's on a three days suspension." Lucien replied after a short moment of hesitation and Jena immediately felt a wave of relief wash over her. She was glad that Kayla hadn't been fired and that her earlier plea had been acknowledged.
A faint blush crept up her cheeks at the realisation that he actually 'heard her plea' Judging from those people's reaction earlier, it was more like she was pouring water on a stone. Her blush slowly faded after realising how embarassing it must be, blushing by herself in front of him. Though his eyes didn't seem to be on her at that moment.
Clearing her throat, she thanked him.
"Thank you so much for honouring my..."
"Suspending Kayla was totally my decision, it has absolutely nothing to do with you, so I believe that's not necessary." he replied coolly, cutting her off mid sentence.
Jena felt her spirit being let down of course. But the moment she opened her mouth to say something, Lucien caught it.
"I'll have my driver take you home."
"But.. I'm capable of getting home on my own sir I don't need someone to take me." Jena protested weakly.
"I know. But as my secretary, there are certain privileges you should and would enjoy so all you have to do is sit back and enjoy them. There's no other choice in the matter." Lucien said in his no-argument tone. But strangely, his voice sounded less harsh than usual. As if he was trying to be less intimidating on purpose.
Jena opened her mouth to argue further but thought better of it. Something about the way Lucien had spoken gave off the impression that he wasn't going to budge on this.
Seems like she had no choice. I mean, he's the boss so what could she possibly do?
She finally nodded. "Okay then." Her voice sounding calmer than she actually felt.
Quietly, she watched him put a call across to someone. A few minutes later, the intercom buzzed and she heard the receptionist announce the arrival of the driver.
With a polite nod, Jena turned to leave but Lucien's voice stopped her in her tracks.
"That'll be all rainbow." he said. "See you in three days."
Her cheeks instantly turned red. A minute ago she was already wondering if Lucien had already forgotten the cute nickname he gave her or if he delibrately just didn't want to use it yet.
"I'll see you then sir." Jena replied, her back still facing him so that he wouldn't see the flush on her cheeks.
. . . .
All the way, Jena couldn't stop thinking about Lucien. Ever since they first met, she found it so hard to do so. At first, she thought it was just a silly passing crush that was gonna go away soon but as time passed, she realised that there was more to it than just that.
But what could she do? He was a successful business man and a freaking CEO of such a prominent network engineering company, while she was just a regular girl on the other hand. Their worlds were totally different and she didn't know if they could ever truly connect.
After the party that night, Jena had never thought for once that she was gonna see Lucien again. Even though she secretely hoped she would. She couldn't believe it when Lucien turned up at the restaurant a week after they had met.
She felt as though fate was conspiring to bring them together even though they seemed like such an unlikely match. But she wasn't going to question it, she embraced it instead. She wasn't ready to let her chance slip away.
She was ready to deal with all his bad sides, from his bad temper to his arrogance, no matter how big or small, as long as it meant seeing his glamorous face that glitters everyday in his stainless and flawless beauty.
Although, there was so much more to him than just his physical appearance. She was drawn to his inner beauty too, his compassion, his amazing sense of humour and his strength. And no matter how daunting he might have proven to be, she was ready to take her chance.
. . . .
It had been three days already since she'd last seen Lucien and Jena couldn't contain her excitement at the thought of seeing him again.
It was strange how she missed him this much. When ever she found herself succumbing to her feelings of longing for Lucien, she would try to soothe herself by reminding herself that it was all his fault for being so charming.After all, it was much easier to blame him than to admit that she might actually be falling for him..
His allure was undeniably magnetic. Sometimes, she wondered if everything happening was all just a figment of her imagination.
To her, Lucien was like a master of deception, a good actor playing the part of the oblivious but charming playboy CEO to perfection. But something about him still drew her in, despite her best efforts to resist his allure.
Actually, that oblivious part of him was what kept pushing Jena to him. She had this weird yet overwhelming desire to learn as much as she could about him.
Somehow, she always felt like a prey being lured into the den of a very fierce Lion when ever she tried. A Lion that was uncivilized and seemed untamed. But despite his uncivilized and untamed nature, something in it kept drawing you closer to him, taking all the fears of being devoured completely away from you.
But Jena on the other hand was no saint of her own. She too was fierce, strongwilled and determined in her own way and whenever that determination sets in, she never backs down.
She has never been one to back down from something. Even if she encountered a million danger signs, even if all odds were against her, she would stop at nothing till she got what ever she wanted.
Though she wasn't privileged enough in the aspects of finances and power, she had her intellects and sharp mind and that was pretty much all she needed to meet a goal she set.
. . . .
Jena was in the middle of a phone call with Anna when another call came in, interrupting their conversation. She was complaining to Anna about how dreadful her three days had been for her and how much she was looking forward to seeing him again. But when she saw who was calling, she froze.
"What's wrong?" Anna asked, sensing Jena's sudden change in mood.
"It's.. It's Lucien."