As Andrea paced back and forth in her office, her mind raced with thoughts of the impending conversation,the telephone rang out, making her heart skip a beat. She knew instinctively that it was her boss- Mr. Mickelson. A sense of trepidation washed over her, leaving a trail of cold chills down her spine.
With a hesitant hand, she reached for the receiver, her fingers closing around it like a vice. She took a deep breath, before lifting the phone to her ear.
"Hello?" she said, trying to keep her voice steady.
The sound of his voice on the other end of the line sent a shiver down her spine."Hello, miss Smith" he said, his tone firm but measured. "I need to speak with you about the situation. Please head to my office".
"Why is he calling me? What have I done again?? Was I wrong ??" She asked herself as her legs moved to his office. Soon she was standing before him, his dark gaze hovering over her but for some reason she was scared anymore, it was as if she has embraced his darkness. Scared??? Why should I be scared?? If I'm going to work with this man then I will have to embrace him with all his flaws.
He looked at her with his hands on his chin and a devilish smile as she stood across his table. She stood there like a soldier ready for battle despite being afraid of the war ahead but ready to embrace the terror that awaits her. 'My little solider let's see what you're made of' he thought to himself
"Going straight to the reason why I called you here, your suspicions have being confirmed and you're right about her, Prisca" He paused waiting to see her reaction but nothing really interesting changed in her expression,she face gave the 'No news' expressions.
"So with your suspicions being correct….. I have a task for you" he continued.
'A task for me…. Is he now after my life or what? I did what I was told and the Thief is now known what else does he want from me.' She thought to herself as tiny droplet of sweat slid down her skin, leaving a glistening trail from her hair line to her chin.
He noticed her resolve became a little weakened when he say sweat drop from her face. "Retrieve the file" He said suddenly which was accompanied with a deafening silence with her heart beat being the only sound that was heard.
'Retrieve the file?? How on earth am I supposed to do that?? Why can't he just call the police to retrieve it? Why do I always find myself in this kind of situation.
Why? If I may ask, you have a lot of resources at your disposal why do I have to be the one do that for you sir." Her lips moved suddenly breaking the silence in the room.
He rubbed his forehead head with his fingers Puzzled on how to explain the situation to her. "First of all I don't have any evidence to proof she stole the files and I have no idea where she is. Secondly, even if I go to the police who knows they might have destroyed the the file there by making me look like a fool and I'm pretty sure you don't want since you'll be the one to bear it all and also all my hard work to bring them down will go to waste" he said making a charmingly innocent face with a mischievous smile that appeared to suspiciously warm. "I guess you can figure the rest out by now since you're not so dumb after all" he continued.
'He's right, all his efforts might go down the drain if he decides to do tackle this directly and all the possible outcomes of that action is not looking so nice' she thought to herself.
"Okay sir…. I will do that for you but on one condition" she said firmly.
'Wow… my little scared solider is now as brave as a lioness…. You know how to surprise me now don't you, the guts to give a condition for doing my bidding is so crazy especially from my PA' he thought to himself almost laughing aloud.
With a firm voice he asked what the condition was. "I will do your bidding for you only if you agree to stop being so cold towards me ….." A deafening silence filled the room as Liam thought of the request.
'Stop being cold huh, this is the warmest I've ever been with anyone and you're asking me to this?? Do know how cold I can be. Well I'm done with you yet, I'm just getting started let's see how well behaved you are little solider'. A sudden laughter filled the air, Andrea was caught off guard by a sudden, unexpected sound - his laughter. It was like a warm ray of sunshine piercing through the icy façade she had grown accustomed to.
For a fleeting moment, she forgot about the tension that usually gripped her in his presence. She was transfixed by the sheer magnetism of his smile, the effortless elegance with which he laughed.
But, like a mirage on a desert highway, the warmth vanished as suddenly as it appeared. His laughter ceased, and his expression transformed back to its usual stoic mask. The dimples disappeared, the crinkles around his eyes smoothed out, and his gaze turned cold once more.
The abrupt shift left her feeling disoriented, like a ship caught in a sudden storm. She struggled to reconcile the two contrasting images: the handsome, laughing man and the cold, unforgiving boss.
He cleared his throat, his voice returning to its usual detached tone, "you will have to work for it miss smith, show me how smart you are and maybe I will consider your request, probably show you a little kindness" The warmth had been extinguished, leaving only the familiar chill of his demeanor. She felt like she had imagined the whole thing, but the memory of that captivating laughter lingered, leaving her wondering if she had glimpsed a hidden side of her enigmatic boss.
"Okay sir i will and don't go back on your words sir," Andrea said to him as she left his office. The moment she got to her office her sudden boldness disappeared into thin air, she started gasping for air, there she remembered that she hasn't been taking in enough air. Her face was covered with beads of sweat, the room became a bit too hot for her. She sat down and the conversation between herself and her boss began to replay on her head.
As She remembered his laughter and smile, he lips curved in to a smile. 'He's actually not that bad, maybe circumstances of life made him that way and I promise you Mr. Mickelson, I will show you that there's more to life than darkness and coldness, I will make you smile genuinely again. That will probably be after I've accomplished my mission or rather your task', she thought unknowingly to her, she's starting to develop feelings for her boss Mr. Mickelson.