I blinked at him, then blinked again as his question got registered in my mind.
"Pardon?"
"Are you looking for a man to marry?" He repeated it like it was not a big deal.
What was I to say? I already found a man and that's him?
"No, I've already found one." I tested the water by saying that.
To my dismay, nothing changed.
"Was he the one who made you leave work?"
I got confused.
"He?"
"Yes, I heard a man's voice over the phone when I asked you to come back to work."
"Oh…that's not him, it was just a delivery guy."
At my answer, his hold loosen around my wrist as if he had gotten what he was looking for.
"Alright. I'll see you at work tomorrow."
"Good night Mr Damion." I said before stepping out.
But even after shutting the door and heading to my doorstep, the car didn't move until I had entered inside.
Silence welcomed me as I turned on the light in my living room.
I didn't feel like cooking nor did I feel like taking a bath but I had to.
Thankfully, I lived in a flat, so I could move around freely.
On getting to the bathroom, I stood in front of my mirror and admired myself. While doing so, I suddenly recalled what Clifford had whispered to my ears and it made me shiver.
Something about him turned me on in a sexual way and I didn't want to follow that path of hooking up with someone I didn't have feelings for.
And the way he spoke into my ear was very seductive. Thinking about it made me feel like he deliberately did it.
"What do you see in him that I don't have?"
That was what he whispered into my ear. Was he comparing Damion to himself?
Well, he was very good looking but I still preferred Damion.
If it was in looks, they both had it. They were the same height but Clifford was more muscular than Damion. Clifford had black hair and deep brown eyes while Damion had dark brown hair with black eyes.
If it was in wealth, I wasn't sure anymore but I felt it was Damion. Yet, after our meeting today, I was no longer sure of who Clifford was. Was he into several businesses? But why would he choose to deliver things to people?
I heaved a sigh of exhaustion due to how complex things were becoming.
"What do you see in Damion, Arleen?" I mumbled to myself as I took note of my appearance.
*
~The next day~
"What's with the sudden change of clothes, Arleen?"
Damion just stepped out of his office and the first thing he noticed was my outfit as I stood up to greet him.
"No reason, sir." I answered and smiled.
He eyed me up and down before humming which meant he loved it.
I simply wore a short sleeve chiffon flamingo pink bolero jacket over a white bodyhug gown with strappy white heels. I didn't bother to tie my hair up, I let it down.
"Any special occasion?" It took a while before he brought his gaze back to my face.
Well, it was understandable to hear him ask that because I was used to dressing simple and businesslike.
"Not at all."
"Will you keep dressing this way?"
"If it's ok by you." I threw the question back at him.
"It suits you perfectly so I don't mind."
"Thank you," my smile stretched to show how happy I was.
"I have somewhere important to be and while I'm away I want you to attend the meeting at Klassik in my stead."
Klassik was a brand which had a lot of quality and quantity when it came to materials used for making clothes.
"Alright Sir. Anything else?"
"Cancel all my schedule after that and drop by at my place."
As soon as he said that, he left without waiting for me to respond and I was rendered speechless.
It's not that I was speechless about going to his place but it came unexpectedly and I couldn't even think of what we would do while I'm there.
'What do you mean by do, Arleen?' My brain asked and I quickly shook my head as if to get rid of unclean thoughts.
"It's definitely for work." I said out loud and sighed.
*
Around 10:30 am, I was already at Klassik for the meeting.
"Miss Arleen, it's good to see you."
The CEO, who was a man in his late 40's said to me.
"It's good to see you too, Mr Clark."
We shook hands like professional business people before sitting down.
"Mr Damion informed me that you would come in his stead."
"That's right sir," I nodded.
"For him to send you here, he must really trust you." Mr Clark stated while observing me.
"He does," I answered confidently without showing any doubt.
"This means he won't let you go so easily."
At his words, I frowned because I wasn't too sure about that. No one had an inkling how the future worked.
It wasn't like I didn't believe in myself but I knew that things could happen. He could decide to fire me any day or I might resign, although I'm not wishing for that.
So instead of saying anything, I chose to remain silent.
There were other businessmen and women present meaning the meeting would soon commence, however, a chair was empty meaning someone was yet to come.
"Secretary Arleen, you're here?"
A young lady in her late 30's who sat beside me finally spoke when she recognized me.
I smiled and politely greeted her.
"It's good to see you too, Mrs Jacob."
She was married to a wealthy man who was Damion's friend.
I could tell that she was elated to see me because ever since Damion introduced me to her and her husband, she liked me.
"How have you been?"
"I've been good and you?"
"Fantastic," she replied ecstatically.
"I'm glad to hear that."
Suddenly, Mr Clark cleared his throat to get our attention and it was at that moment the last person walked in.
"Pardon me for coming in late," he apologized.
I was beyond the word bewildered when I turned to see who it was.
As our eyes met, he winked at me.
Was I seeing things or was it really Clifford Edson I was seeing?