His secretary

Chapter 18

Emma's POV

Today was finally the day he was coming back home. I even told mom to cook a special dinner since I was bringing him home for a family dinner.

After tending to the calls some about when Cain would come back, some about the shipment from Los Angeles and others taking care of old men like Mr Cervantes who had nothing good to say about Power Corp.

David brought in the morning newspaper on my desk, his face not that gushy as usual.

"Now before you see this, I want to know what is going on between you and the boss"

I suspected he might have noticed Cain's little stunts, I mean David has a knack of putting two and two together within a matter of seconds. But Cain had been careful he had gone low key so as not to arouse any suspicions that he was courting me. Well some like David are too sharp to hide things from.

"Nothing is going on. Now would you quit being nosy and give me the dang paper"

"Ooh- kay"

I looked at the front page of the newspaper and what I saw made me mad and a little okay not a little but so sad. I didn't realize that my tears were inches from falling had it not been for David towering gaze I would have collapsed. My heart concorted into painful lumps that interfered with my breathing. I once more looked at the headline:

'Newyork's most eligible bachelor tamed?'

Why that lying son of a gun!The cover photo portrayed him clearly making out with some woman dressed in a black off-shoulder dress with her hand laced with his. And were they making out in a garden? I thought he was attending a conference?!

I should have known! He's still the same same Cain Powers and he'll never change!

Cain's POV

The conference was such a bore. Mr Montevalde's speech was a bit extreme he was still the same bragging bastard, bragging about the profits his business was making it or how his company was going to make the world spin. Please, he wishes!

Going at the counter I took another sip of the champagne. When would this be over? I can't believe it's been this long without seeing her. Once this thing was over I'd take the first flight to Newyork asap. I loosened the bow tie on my neck as I gulped down the last of the champagne before someone called me from behind.

"Cain? Well... well if it isn't Cain Powers?!"

I turned to the blond in the black off shoulder dress coming up to me for a hug. I couldn't believe that it was her, it had been ages since we last saw each other. She looked gorgeous not quite the little kid I would play with in our backyard.

"Lee? Wow! It took me some time to recognize you. Look at you?!"

"Always the sweet talker, Cain. I go by Leila now."

Leila, I remember she used to whoop our ass for calling her that, she always liked the name 'Lee'.

"So what brings you here?"

"Business as usual. Dad's trying to keep up the publicity of his business"

"And lemme guess you're here against your will just to make him happy"

I knew I hit a button but I was still concerned about her. She was my first crush and I worried for her. Since we were kids she always tried her best to make her dad proud. Apparently the old man expected to have a boy but the opposite happened. Ever since he loathed his own daughter making her from up to be sullen and determined to prove to him that she was still as capable as any male out there to carry on with the legacy.

"I...I...Well...I can't do this..."

Her shimmering eyes begun to well up with tears and she stormed out there like a runaway heartbroken bride. This captured everyone's attention making me opt to run after her. Finally coming out of the rest of the crowd I followed her. And who knew that Centro cultural de belém had a remarkable garden as this. The garden included a water garden, ornamental flower gardens and vegetable gardens. The gardens laid out in formal patterns with low box hedges that one could easily get lost in. After minutes of searching I saw her silently sobbing near a water fountain.

"Look Lee, sorry, Leila. I'm sorry I'm such a jerk after all these years we see each other and I'm the first to make you cry...Can...Can you just forget I said anything"

"You're not wrong Cain" she turned her face to me inching towards me.

"You've always been honest. I mean you are the first to see through me even after all these years. I'm such a loser in thinking that dad would ever be proud of me for dodging myself in the men's world of business."

She was much more and she knew it. Sure not in business but in arts, dang she was still the same girl who managed to make a full potrait of Barrack Obama in fifth grade. Consoling her, I wiped away her tears assuring her that she needed not pursue business for her father when she had raw talent in arts. I guess she understood my console for something else since she went ahead and smacked her lips on mine. It took me by surprise and I wanted to push her away but she was hurting.

The sudden image of Emma in my head, the remembrance of what a fantastic moment it was for me to kiss Em for the first time jump-started my arms to part from the childhood friend kissing me at the moment. She wasn't Em, she couldn't be and the feel of her hand on mine did nothing to my heart.

"Lee, I can't"

Her eyes carried some sort of pain but I couldn't lead her on when my heart belonged and was already captured by someone else.

"You're a wonderful woman, you'll meet someone who..."

Her hand went on my mouth and she forced a smile.

"I don't the pity party, Cain. I'm fine. I get it, there's someone else"