Chapter 8… I THINK I DO
"Is there anything else you would like me to do for you, sir?" Jazmine asked, looking tired and stressed out.
Austin looked up at her before raising his head to glance at the clock. It was three hours after working hours. He scribbled something on a piece of paper and handed it to Jazmine.
"You may leave, Miss Roosevelt. Hand that over to Ariel, I believe she hasn't left. She can leave too."
"Okay, sir." Jazmine turned around to leave when Austin called out to her again.
"Did you reschedule my meeting with the Cardinals?" He raised a brow.
"Yes Sir."
Austin nodded.
"You may leave now."
"Goodnight, sir," Jazmine greeted but Austin did not bother to respond. .
After Jazmine had left him in abstract silence, Austin returned to his work and in a few minutes he was done. Austin grabbed his phone and was about to leave when it began to ring.
He took a glance at the caller I.D and silenced it, before tossing the phone into his pocket and walking out of the office.
.*.*.*.*.*.*.
The weekend came for Jasmine on a platter of gold. She had the whole of Saturday and Sunday to recover the sleep she lost in the name of waking up early.
After her chores on Saturday afternoon, she had gone grocery shopping. She didn't even bother to bathe before going. When she returned, she arranged the veggies in the fridge before grabbing her towel and headed to the bathroom for a quick shower
She returned to the bedroom with the towel around her waist. After drying her hair, she changed into a pair of sweatpants before crashing into the couch and turning on the TV.
Jazmine busied herself with the TV and her phone as she waited for Ariel. In one week, she and Ariel had become the best of friends.
An hour later, she heard a car honking outside and she stood up to peep from the window. She saw Ariel's flashy red car driving into the compound and she flashed a smile.
Jazmine returned to her seat, just when Ariel burst into the house.
"You're here. Thought you wouldn't make it." She sneered.
"I thought you would be sleeping," Ariel teased, smiling widely. "You know you're sleeping beauty."
Jazmine grinned and got up from the couch. She headed for the kitchen with Ariel trailing behind her.
"What are we making?" Jazmine yelled, grabbing a jar of cookies and climbing on the table.
"Say, fries?"
"Deal… You're making it!" Jazmine announced, rubbing her tummy happily.
Ariel shook her head and grabbed an apron. "Get out! Go get the cheese. I don't see any here."
Jazmine gave a mock salute and dashed out of the kitchen. Ariel was a very good cook, one whose cooking she would always crave for.
Jazmine had just gotten out the door when a message popped up on her phone's screen. It was from Austin.
'Miss Roosevelt, pack your bags, we leave for Ontario by Monday morning. Don't be late!'
Jazmine read the message over and over again, with wide eyes, until the words imprinted themselves in her mind.
Ontario?
"Ontario is in Canada, right?" She asked herself before breaking into a grim frown.
Barely a week in Chicago and she would be flying to Canada. How wonderful, she thought sarcastically and hissed before walking on.
.*.*.*.*.*.*.
"He said we'd be leaving for Canada -Ontario, to be precise," Jazmine announced gloomily and threw a piece of fry into her mouth.
Ariel nudged her side and wiggled a brow. "That's great! He called me to clear his schedule for the next week."
"It's not nice, but,"-Jazmine frowned. But, when she thought of how beneficial it would be to her reason for coming to Chicago, she smiled. "It's great, yes."
Ariel, confused, raised a brow at how quickly her friend's expression could change. Since she couldn't understand why, she decided to change the topic.
"Hey, have you met the new guy in the marketing team?" Ariel asked dreamily. "I swear he is cute! Mark, that's his name."
Jazmine chuckled. Ariel and cute boys did no harm.
"You're crazy."
Ariel pouted and began to clear the dishes. "I'm not! He's handsome. Nice abs, nice body, long hair... He's everything!"
"You should have seen how beautiful he makes the team shirt look!" She added in her defense.
Jazmine gave a small wink and smirked. "Do you like him?"
"Who wouldn't!?" Ariel retorted in shock. "I mean, he's not as handsome as Mr. Sylvian, but he's handsome!"
Jazmine burst into a fit of laughter. She pointed at Ariel.
"Do you have feelings for Austin?"
"Who?" Ariel feigned a dumb look. "I didn't say that. But, don't you like him too?"
Jazmine was quiet.
Did she like him?
Well, she didn't hate him. That did count as liking him… right?
To her, Austin Sylvian was just a spoiled kid who grew up in a rich family, and had every single thing handed to him on a platter of gold. At least, that was how she pictured him.
Although , she had a gut feeling that underneath his cold, annoying, bossy, and impatient self, there lay a sweet prince charming. To be frank, she did like him.
While Jazmine was lost in her thoughts with a smile on her face, Ariel stared at her with wide eyes. She grabbed Jazmine's shoulders and gave it a violent shake.
"Jazmine! Snap out of it, Jazmine!"
"Uh!" Jazmine snapped out and broke into a grin. "What did you say?"
Ariel frowned.
"What the hell were you thinking?"
Before Jazmine could answer, she smiled and held her waist. "So-" she wiggled her brows. "-do you like him?"
"I think I do… I'm not so sure about it." Jazmine shrugged, only for Ariel to break into a loud shriek, clapping like a teenager.
"You do! I knew it!" She yelled.
"Uhm- knew what?" Jazmine's brows rose in confusion. What was Ariel saying?
"Knew you like him of course!"
"How?"
Ariel sat on the table and began to ramble noisily, without making any sense. Jazmine had to bang her hand on the table to get her to shut up.
"I'm just gonna go pack up," she said to Ariel and got up to leave the kitchen.
Ariel nodded and waved her off, smiling smugly.
*****
Monday Morning came quickly. Jazmine did her chores and got dressed early. After that, she went back to beg as she waited for the driver.
About an hour later, Jazmine was standing outside her house as Austin's driver packed her bags into the car's trunk. She had taken two bags -a large suitcase with her clothes and a smaller one that held a few handbags, purses, toiletries, and her undies.
When he was done, he held the door for her to get in and they drove away. The car didn't go to the company building across the street but Jazmine didn't ask. Wherever it was that the driver was headed to, she knew Austin was there.
It made her wonder why she trusted him. For all she knew, this man could be planning to kidnap her but she cared less as she stuck her leaning her head on the window, looking outside the window, taking in the view of the streets they had passed until they arrived at the airport.
Jazmine got out of the car and stood by the side as the driver unloaded her bags. Her eyes kept searching around for Austin because she was feeling nervous.
Who wouldn't?
All she could see were tall, huge, and bulky men in tuxedos standing around.
A few minutes later, Austin finally arrived. But he wasn't alone. He was carrying a little child whose head was nestled in his neck. Though, Jazmine could clearly tell it was a girl as she wore a dress.
'Did he have a daughter?' Jazmine thought carefully.
Watson did not mention him having a daughter. That must mean he did not know. She needed to inform him as soon as possible.
Plastering a smile, she greeted him.
"Good morning, Mr. Sylvian."
"Miss Roosevelt," Austin acknowledged with a small nod and kept walking. Jazmine followed behind him in silence.
As they walked, Austin took the time to brief Jasmine on the journey ahead.
"We will be having a meeting, preferably a conference in Ontario and it will last for one week. I believe you don't need to be told how important this means to both the Sylvian Co and the other party. I mean ZerAnderson Group."
Jazmine nodded. "I understand, sir."
"Good!" They came to a stop before a young man who bore a striking resemblance to Austin. Jazmine looked at the two, she did not need to be told it was his brother. She also got to know that they would be traveling via Sylvian's private plane; that alone, made her excited.
A few minutes later, all processes were completed and they were in the plane. Jazmine watched as Austin gently went to place the child in his arms in the cabin before coming to sit across her.
He grabbed a file from his briefcase and handed it over to her.
"Here, it contains everything you need to know about this conference…"
"... And it's important." He added.
"Austin, I think we should do it."
Jazmine turned around to see the man from outside coming from the cabin, the one who looked like Austin. She hadn't seen him enter the plane at all.
He paused before her and smiled brightly, disclosing a set of fine dent as he stretched his hand and introduced himself.
"Alexander Sylvian. You must be Jazmine, right?"