Chereads / The sweetest surrender / Chapter 9 - Chapter 9: 24 hours

Chapter 9 - Chapter 9: 24 hours

It was 7am in the morning when Andrea walked in the building heading straight for her office. She bumped into a beautiful girl, the scent from her hair was fruity,her small stature made her adorable. 

   "I'm so sorry miss, I was in a hurry so I no…." The girl ended half way when she saw it was Andrea.

   "Prisca right…?" Andrea asked in a surprised tone as she could barely recognize her from yesterday. Shae seemed different 

    "Andrea! So good to see you again, I never thought I'll see you again so soon after yesterday. Know it's a big building and you're the New PA so I thought i wasn't going meet you again" Prisca said to her in a cheerful manner.

      "Oh that…. I guess we can all meet during lunch break then… I'll really love to hear more about you and this company." Andrea said with a smile.

   "Yes sure…. I'll be on my way now but I'll be looking forward to having launch with you today Annie" she said with a wave without looking back.

   "Annie huh…." Andrea mumbled as she went to her office.

   

    Few minutes later she arrived at her office, stuck between check if he's around or not. After gather as much breathe as she could, she mustered the courage to check on him. She slowly opened the door with her eyes closed, when the door was opened enough for her head to pass through, she then opened her eyes and to her own surp thee boss wasn't in the office. She exhaled in relief and hoped deep down he wouldn't be at the office today.

   She decided to continue with her work and tried comb through the heap of files brought to her office this morning. After a while, she was done with the first set, she quickly arranged them to be sent to his office. She opened the door and saw him walking into his office along with his friend, Mr. Miles.

   "Miss Smith! Do you know it's actually to good see you here…" Theo said with mischievous smile.

   Liam on the other hand was left with a raised brow, questioning himself why she's still here. Isn't she scared of him? With what she saw yesterday any normal person won't be resuming today except she's not normal.

   "I'll be in touch Li… Mr. Mickelson" Theo said as he left the office. 

   Liam went straight to his chair without saying a word to Andrea who was carrying a pile of files. He sat down and asked to keep the file on his desk which she did.

   "Would you like a cup of black coffee sir?" She asked 

   Liam was left in another state of surprise as he looked at her wondering what she has going on in head. Asking him this felt weird to to him, He gave her a cold stare to her to see her reaction. something felt different about her this morning, he could see the fear in her eyes but her resolve was stronger. She seemed like a person prepared to put him in his place by proving his judgment about her wrong. He wondered how long this new boldness of hers would last.

Andrea on the other hand was terrified of his presence, she could literally hear her own heart pounding fast. She tried her best to hide it and show a strong and fearless face. She didn't know what had gotten into her when she asked.

   "Yes,please" Liam said taking his eyes off her.

   "Okay sir" Andrea said before the leaving the office.

   "Andrea Smith...… how much of this can you take?" Liam thought aloud when she left the office 

    Shortly after, she returned with the coffee and took a deep breath before pushing the door open. As she pushed open the heavy wooden door, a sliver of light from the outer office illuminated her determined stride. Her heels clicked on the polished floor, a steady beat that echoed her racing heart. With a deep breath, she entered the inner sanctum of her boss's domain, a tray balanced with precision in her hands.

On the tray, a single cup of black coffee seemed to gleam in the soft light, its dark liquid surface unbroken by even a hint of cream or sugar.Her eyes, bright and focused, met those of her boss, his gaze piercing from behind the imposing desk. For an instant, their eyes locked, a spark of mutual understanding flashing between them. Then, with a quiet confidence, she approached the desk, the tray extended like an offering.

"Your coffee, sir," she said, her voice low and smooth, as she set the tray down. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafted up, filling the air with its rich, bold scent.

  "Thank you" he said back to her as he took the cup from her.

   "Anything else sir…?" She bit her lips as she asked him

  "Nothing else… please excuse me" he said to her wondering where the new found boldness came from overnight, although deep down he admired her boldness and her ability to quickly adjust even though he saw the fear in her. He found it interesting and as a new task or a toy to play with. Breaking her confidence and showing her how scared she was sounded interesting to him. 

    Andrea got to her office and started panting immediately like she was being chased by a wild dog, she was sweating profusely. She managed to calm herself down and commended herself for what she did. She couldn't wait to tell Elisa what happened, she was about to call her best friend when the telephone rang and to her surprise it was her boss. 

  "To my office Now" he commanded and this time he sounded so angry like he could actually kill right now.

  "OH MY GOD!!! What have I done this time? How will I face him? I managed hold up my end earlier but with his current mood how will I do that. Either ways I just have to."she said to herself as she went to see him.

    She entered the office and she was scared to death, the aura her boss was emitting is nothing like before. It was cold not just cold but icy and hot infact, if there's any other word that can be used to describe something more harsh that cold. Her hands started shaking, the oxygen was too dense for her to take in

   With a glare he asked "where is the file I left in the office yesterday?"

   "File.... Wha…what file sir"

   "Don't act dumb with me miss smith, you alone had access to my office and you're asking what file??" He said to her trying be as calm as possible 

  "Sir bu…but…I didn't take anything and I…I…I don't even know what you're taking about… sir… what file?? Just tell me and I'll help look for it" Andrea said almost stammering and trying too hard to not to cry.

  "What do you mean help me look for it? Nothing has ever gone missing in this office until today and yo…"

  "What do you mean sir, are you trying to say I took the file sir?? Are you trying to accuse me? I've never stolen before in my life why would I now and of what gain will the file be of to me? Why will I steal something I have no idea what the content is." Andrea said angrily as she forgot he's her boss and interrupted him.

   "With all due sir, I can't let you question my principles and my upbringing. Tell me what the file is about and I'll help look for it." She continued and walked towards the drawer to search for it.

  Liam felt a sting in his chest as she said those words, was he really accusing her of it? What if he's wrong. All the same I can't show any sympathy towards her and act all soft now.

    "24hrs miss Smith, find me the files and who took them and I will apologize to you in front of the workers here or else you'll submit your resignation letter" He said with a stern look on his face