After all was said and done, Alexander and Seraphina went to bed a while later.
Yet they both still woke up about the same time they normally would despite their short sleep. Seraphina hurried to the Lockwood Company. She had to prepare her proposal for the Maverick contract; which was due by tomorrow.
Alexander, on the other hand, made sure to finish all of his house chores. After that, he proceeded to the Maverick Corporation.
.....
Today was a bit more hectic than the previous one. He had to go through the company's financial records, analyzing their expenses, profits, and why exactly a company that once ranked in the top 300 in the global market now dangled at the bottom 900.
That being said, the Maverick Corporation still remained one of the richest companies in Pantheon Valley.
"Sir, may I come in?" Grace knocked at his door.
"Yes, come in."
Grace Pemberton walked into Alexander's office. Alexander lifted his head from his mountain of work and looked at her.
The first thing Alexander noticed was how short her skirt was. It was a deep blue, skin-tight skirt that ended just below her top thigh. Her makeup was fuller, and her blouse had its top button loose, revealing her cleavage.
Despite all this, "slutty" was not the right word to describe her. She was just super hot, like a hot secretary in a more kinky genre.
"Nice skirt," Alexander said in a vividly sarcastic tone before burying his head back down.
"Thank you, sir," Grace replied with a blushing smile, as she coiled a strand of her hair between her fingers.
"That was sarcasm, Grace," Alexander spat out bluntly.
"Oooh."
The light on Grace Pemberton dimmed instantly. Her mood went from blushing and cheery to gloomy and heartbroken.
It was no secret that Grace had an immense crush on her boss. If she didn't, why would she dress like a slutty secretary for work, or blush, smile, and laugh at every single word that came out of Alexander's mouth?
It was obvious that Grace Pemberton liked Alexander a lot, and hearing him throw a sarcastic comment at her appearance broke her heart.
"Is there a problem with it, sir?" she asked politely.
"It's too skimpy," Alexander blurted out, his head still buried in his work.
"Okay, sir," she replied in a low, weeping tone as she proceeded to leave his office.
Alexander could sense that she had been offended. The last thing he wanted was an assistant displeased with him. One of his grand business philosophies was 'having happy workers is a key step to corporate success.'
Alexander raised his head. "Miss. Pemberton," he called her to a halt.
"Yes, sir?" She turned and replied.
"It is actually a really nice skirt you have on, but just not in my office, or anywhere in this building, for that matter," he clarified.
"If you were in a bar or restaurant, I'm sure it would look gorgeous on you. In fact, you'd be an instant head-turner." Alexander complimented harmlessly.
But to Grace Pemberton, his words were far from harmless. Her brain was reaching boiling point; her cheeks were so red they could be mistaken for ripe tomatoes.
'Did my boss just flirt with me? OMG, he's so into me,' were a few of the thoughts that roamed through her head as she zoned out.
"Hello?" Alexander tried to call her out of the trance. "Grace!"
"Yes, sir, 6:30 at the Purple Swan," she blurted out excitedly.
"What?" Alexander replied, confused.
"Our dinner date reservation," she said.
It was then Alexander understood what had happened. While she zoned out, Grace had imagined Alexander asking her on a date and telling her to reserve the appointment.
"Grace," he called, rubbing his left hand against his forehead.
"Yes, sir?"
"I am married," Alexander said, flaunting his middle finger ring to her face.
'Of course, how could she be so dumb to have missed that?' she cursed at herself.
She was so invested in her crush on Alexander and making him feel the same way for her, she forgot to check whether or not he was still on the market. Never had she felt more embarrassed in her entire life.
"Oh my god. I'm so sorry, sir. I had absolutely no idea," she apologized.
"It's alright," Alexander replied to save her from her own embarrassment, but deep down he too was perplexed as to how a smart, brilliant woman could miss such a glaring detail.
There was an awkward silence between them for a while.
"I guess I should start going now," she said.
"Yes." Alexander replied, then suddenly it dawned on him. "Wait a second, Grace, why did you come to my office to begin with?"
"Oh, yes. The Bishop family just submitted a request proposal."
"What request proposal?"
"To nullify the Lockwoods from the construction contract applicant list. I told them we already did, but they were certain that another would come again to submit a proposal."
Alexander let out a wry grin. "Interesting," he said to himself aloud.
He hadn't considered that Ethan Bishop would go so far as to use his connections to the Maverick Corporation to sabotage Seraphina's chances of winning the contract.
"What is interesting, sir?"
It was time he showed them what true power was.
"Grace, a woman will come from the Lockwood Company tomorrow to submit her proposal. I want you to give her the contract immediately." Alexander said.
"Okay Sir," Grace replied. She was stunned but she knew better than to question his decision.
"In fact, double the contract budget allocation to two hundred million, and sign it to her right on the spot."
Grace Pemberton was again taken aback by Alexander's brash decision, but still she knew better than to question his reasons.
Alexander Chase was the smartest man she had ever met or worked with. His ways were far beyond an average human's comprehension, so whatever move he made, she was sure he had a viable reason and explanation for it, even if it might be far into the future and too complex for others to see or understand.
Yet one question still plagued her mind. One question that, if she didn't ask, her entire nervous system might explode.
"Sir, if I may be permitted to ask, who is this woman?"
Alexander spun his chair around, took a sip from his glass of vodka, and replied,
"She is my wife."