Sylvie
This was probably the worst thing to ever happen to me since after getting embarrassed by Antonio. I had been too excited for this damn trip that I completely forgot to turn off all my sinks before travelling. The landlord, Mr Zachary, had just called to inform me minutes ago that my apartment had been flooded, and that it was all my fault for leaving a sink running. Although this wasn't a mistake someone like me could make, I really couldn't blame anybody else but myself.
I had apologized to the landlord, but he didn't seem to care. Apparently the couple staying beneath my apartment had been affected, and they were actually the people who noticed that water was dripping down from the ceiling of their apartment.
The landlord made it clear that I was paying for every damage my carelessness caused the couple, and quite frankly I had no idea how I was about to pay them for anything. I already spent the little spare money I had on shopping, and I still had to replace my own damaged properties, there was no way I was getting through all of that without running into debt.
After ending the call with Mr Zachary, I had raced straight to Michael's room to inform him of the situation. I knew it would be rude of me to just leave without saying anything to anybody, so I decided to at least inform him. I needed to get home as quickly as possible so I could handle the situation at home, and he was the only person who could give me the permission to leave. I also needed his permit in order to get a free flight home, otherwise I wouldn't be able to leave Wales until the trip was officially over.
"What? How did that happen?" Michael asked, his voice laced with genuine concern. It wasn't my intention to burden him with my personal problems, but I knew I had to tell him everything in order to receive his permission to leave.
I lowered my head in embarrassment, ashamed of my own mistake. It was a very dumb mistake and I had no idea how I was going to forgive myself for it. Finally mustering the courage to speak, I replied calmly, "I left a sink running, and it flooded the house." I answered, and could swear I heard him chuckle just for a millisecond.
"I'm sorry about your apartment, but you can't leave so soon, you just got here." Michael replied. I understood that he was trying to look out for me, but right now my resting could wait. I could potentially end up homeless if I didn't rush back to London and resolve the issues this very moment. I didn't have money to rent a new apartment, and I most definitely did not have money to spend on hotels for every night I spent there.
"I know, but it's urgent. I could lose my home, my important documents, they're all in that house." I argued firmly, my impatience slowly beginning to seep out in my character. I couldn't risk being homeless, I already had enough on my hands at the moment, and being homeless was not something I'd like to deal with.
"It will take far too long for you to get back to the London. Your properties would all be destroyed before you get back." Michael pointed out as though that part wasn't already obvious. "How about this, I'll send somebody to handle the issue back there. They'll also get you a better place to stay and cover the expenses for the damages. Is that good?"
I stood silently across the room, my mind buzzing with the proposal he had just laid out. "I need your assistance, and I think this is a lot friendly for the both of us," he said, a generous smile on his face.
Stunned, I tried to process his words. In all my years working here, nobody had ever cared about me or my problems. The weight of gratitude and confusion settled in, battling for dominance within me. "Thank you, Mr Black," I managed to say, my voice tinged with shock and surprise.
"I told you to call me Michael." he corrected.
I nodded, still absorbing the unexpected generosity. While I stood there looking at him, I wondered why he was being so kind? Why this sudden act of kindness? I used to think that he pitied me for getting embarrassed by Antonio at the party, but this was beyond what I'd consider pity, nobody would go this far just because they felt bad for another person.
Summoning the courage, I asked gently, "why are you being so kind to me?"
He kept mute for a while, his eyes staring into the depths of mine as though searching for an answer. I didn't want to seem ungrateful, but I've lived my entire life with people being nice to me only to seek for something else in return. Unlike the bunch I've met, I had nothing that might be big enough to satisfy somebody of Michael Black's caliber. To avoid being in debt and becoming a target, it was necessary for me to know the answer to that question.
"Don't overthink anything Sylvie, I'm merely being nice to my assistant. I would have done the same for anybody else working with me." He chuckled and walked close to me, our bodies inches away from each other's. "Were you thinking about something else? What was it Sylvie? What were you thinking about?"
I backed away slowly, out of both fear and embarrassment. My lips trembled as I answered. "I wasn't thinking about anything else. I'm just not used to getting these type of favours from people. Especially not from rich cold billionaires."
Michael smiled, and seductively ran the tip of his tongue over his top lips. "So what type of favours are you used to then?"
"I'm actually not used to any." I replied curtly before making a move for the door. "Thank you for everything once again. I better get going, gotta rest for the big conference tomorrow." I chuckled nervously before running out almost instantly. There was always tension around him. Even though he was a lot nicer and gentle to me than Antonio was, I always seemed to anxious whenever I was around Michael Black. His presence alone had my heart racing for absolutely no reason, and his voice had my head running wild with thoughts. It was unhealthy for me to remain near that man for long.
I headed back to my room, a bright smile on my lips as I pushed the door open. In the same instant, my smile fell as I caught sight of the figure seated on my bed. With clenched fists and suppressed rage, I marched forward to confront him. "What on earth are you doing in my room Antonio?"