Shattered Illusion

Chapter Four

Despite Olivia’s meteoric rise and infectious smile and simplicity, whispers always followed her. Her beautiful face and unique attitude had earned her favor in the eyes of many, but it also brought along envious glances.

Her competence was often questioned, and she was always put in a tight spot. Of course, it stemmed from the moment everyone had gotten to know that she had not been granted an interview before getting a job, that too, with the help of Alex, a man whom a lot of ladies in the company found attractive and yes, the dream man of many.

Olivia, on the other hand, had no idea why Mr. Alex was being so nice to her. When she had told her father, the only companion she had, he tried to comfort her and claimed she was only lucky even though she believed there was more to it than luck.

Rumors had, however, begun to spread about the relationship between them with her being the evil one in the story. Every rumor that had passed did have a twist to it. The bottom line of it all, however, was that she had seduced him and made him fall in love with her yet pretending to be innocent and know nothing about it.

“Hey....” Alex’s voice jolted her out of her concentration like a splash of cold water in the face. Her head snapped up; eyes momentarily disoriented from the bright screen. “Having a stressful day?” He questioned with a smile on his face.

“Hi....” A nervous chuckle escaped her lips as she stood up and folded her hands behind her. “I am sorry, i..... I did not know when you came in. I was a little.......”

“Occupied with work?” He questioned, leaning against her table. Again, she let out a nervous chuckle, searching for nothing in particular. His presence somehow made her nervous. Her stay there was all because of him, and she had thanked him for days after that. Days after days.

“It is time for lunch.” He peeped at his wristwatch and then at her. His smile widened even more. “Would you.... want to have lunch with me?” He questioned, folding his hands across his chest. She tried to speak but instead, let out a soft laughter.

“Thank you for the offer, Sir, but I...I am quite occupied, hence I regret to inform you that I will pass.” She responded.

Gazes had become fixated on her, and it made her quite uncomfortable, but there was little to nothing she could do. She just could not avoid it.

“First...... no formalities. I am Alex. You can address me as Alex and… I do not take no for an answer. We are going to have lunch together,” he insisted.

At that point, she knew she could not object anymore, hence she nodded and suspended all of her business. It could wait till after lunch.

“Shall we have a chat while we take a walk to the cafeteria?” He questioned, staring at her with amusement, and she obliged. She had seen the stares... the seductive stares he got from several women, and she was not fit for any of them. She was certain all he wanted from her was friendship or, perhaps, the good luck charm she exuded, according to her father, was what attracted him to her.

“Tell me..... do you live alone?” He probed. The stares increased, and she could see them turn to others to gossip, which was certainly about her. Just three weeks into resumption, she had become one of the most talked about subjects at the company.

She, however, decided to ignore it and focus on their conversation instead. She had no control over what they said. Instead, she had control over her emotions and how she spoke.

“Not at all. I live with my father.” She responded; her arms crossed behind her.

“And your mother?” He questioned and she let out a sigh.

“She... she passed away a couple of years ago.” Her voice was laced with a bit of sadness and as he knew that it was sensitive for her, he decided it was best he changed the topic.

“I am sorry for your loss, and I am even more sorry for bringing it up.” He demonstrated dramatically, and a soft chuckle escaped her lips.

“It is fine.” She responded and with that, they walked into the cafeteria. Thankfully, the oppressive weight of stares began to lift off her as they walked into the cafeteria. Instead, it was replaced by the comforting hum of conversations and the clatter of trays.

Rather than accusatory glances in her direction, there were curious glances at the menu, and rather than pointed whispers about her, there were murmurs about one issue or the other that was unrelated to her. The cafeteria seemed like a temporary haven for her.

“Lunch is almost over. We have to hurry.” She spoke, not taking her eyes off her wristwatch. Her brows crinkled. She hated being late no matter where she was heading. Devotion and commitment to her job was something that came to her naturally. More like a trait within her.

Well, she had to hurry..... he didn’t have to, anyway.

A smile formed on his face as he stared at her. The look of worry on her face weirdly made her cute.

“Do not worry...” He brushed his hands against hers. “We will not take too much time.” He spoke and she let out a nervous smile. They were served their meals, and she began to eat, quite time conscious and he could not help but stare at her.

He could not help but wonder how she would react if she got to know the truth about who she was and all she had. He was, however, puzzled at how she had never heard the news or perhaps... what could have made her leave her uncle. He just had too many questions to ask her, and he knew he had to ask her somehow. ‘

“You are quite hardworking, in addition to your beauty. I admire you a lot.” He spoke and crossed his hands behind him as he watched her blush on their way back to their respective offices.

“I do appreciate it.” She responded, not looking him in the eyes. She was quite shy. Her gaze, however, was still constant on her wristwatch. They had just a couple of minutes left.

“Come on....” He lowered her arm as she lifted it to check the time for the umpteenth time. “We are here now. You do not have to check. I made sure we were not late.” He assured her, and she let out a nervous smile.

Words failed her. At that point, she wanted to return to what was laid down for her.

“I enjoyed having lunch with you. If it was this cool in an office space, I cannot help but wonder how it would feel away from the office when you do not have to constantly check your time in a haste to return to your workspace...” He teased and laughter erupted from their mouths.

He always had a way of making her smile and she enjoyed it.

“Dinner together, tomorrow at your convenient time, what do you say?” He questioned and she could only play with her fingers. It was unexpected.

“I am sorry to turn down your request, but it is not quite viable. “ She responded. They had gotten into the office building and again, the stares had resumed, quite contradictory to the serene environment she had met and loved on her first day of resumption.

“You do not want to have dinner with me?” He sniffled and feigned being heartbroken, although his eyes were dry and his posture remained relaxed.

“Of course not.” She chuckled. “I am not avoiding having dinner with you. I just have... some chores to do.”

“What a pretty petty way to deny the obvious!” He threw his hands in the air.

“Stop being dramatic!” She chuckled and he did the same too. “I wish I could, but there is a lot for me to do and... I won’t be free for a while. We could pick some other day.”

“Alright then...” He shrugged. “Lunch tomorrow isn’t a bad idea, is it?”

She shook her head in the negative.

“Alright then. Have a wonderful day ahead. I will drop you off and no, I do not take no for an answer.” He raised his hands and walked away from her. A smile formed on her face as she watched him walk away. She was even more confused. Was he interested in her or simply playing with her emotions?

Letting out a sigh of contentment, she walked into her office. She was one minute early.

“You aren’t the first, you know?” The sudden intrusion of the voice in her thoughts caused an icy terror to wash over her, momentarily causing her heart to leap. Her soul tried to escape through her eardrums.

It was her office partner whom she didn’t know had returned because she daydreamed while working in the office. “Neither are you going to be the last. You are just the girl of the moment and it is a matter of time before he discards you like other girls.”

Olivia’s brows arched in confusion. Was that the reason for the stares?