MR.CEO'S CONTRACT WITH HIS SECRETARY.

CHAPTER FOUR

(Sarah Lockwood POV)

My heart sank. I clenched my fists tight and stood behind the closed door. His words reverberated in my mind. “Those ugly shoes”

It wasn’t the first time my boss threw jabs at me for being a conservative woman. When I first started working for him, it was understandable that he wasn’t used to being around lowly people like me, but it’s been two years! Two humble years of working under that jerk who has no manners.

He’d look down on me for not getting things right, even the slightest error wasn’t permitted, like he was perfect, and I wasn’t.

I took a large gulp of breath, consoling myself before stepping out of the five-star hotel where he was lodged.

I was going to keep it in and be the tough girl that life had taught me to be. Nobody was going to bring me down, not even a psycho like him who knew little about my life. My next stop was at Angela’s place to pick up Mila.

At home, when Mila was settled in. I took my time calculating the bills.

Every debt my late parents owed was mine to pay, the house rent, student loans running from hundreds to thousands of dollars. Mila was also my sole responsibility. The little girl had to go to school and be fed properly, unlike me, who could live on an apple a day.

Life was hard for me on its own, but the worst thing about my life was that nothing seemed to be getting better. The bills kept piling up. I sighed and dropped my pen on the table.

I picked up my phone and dialed a number, someone I dreaded calling. The phone rang for a second and a voice spoke.

“Sarah?”

I froze on the spot. He still sounded like before. His voice, as calm as the storm, did things to me but I was still in denial.

“Hey Wilson,” I whispered deliriously.

“Is everything okay? You don’t sound happy at all. Do you need me to come down there?” He was worried. I wasn’t ready to rekindle my old love with him. I only wanted to seek financial support from him.

He was doing fine with a great job back in Illinois.

“No no I’m fine, I just…” I paused when my voice hitched. I didn’t want Wilson to hear me cry. My life became miserable after he left, and it would be a shame if I cried before him.

“You’re not okay Sarah. What’s the problem? Is anyone disturbing you over there?”

I shook my head, forgetting that he couldn’t see me.

He probably took my silence as an answer because he responded.

“I’m taking the next flight to New York, and you’re not dissuading me from coming. I’ll call you when I’m there”

“No, no_” I cried over the phone, but he had already cut the line. I panicked.

Wilson was going to fly down here after being apart for three years. It'd been so long, and I wasn’t sure how to react when I saw him. And Mila… he wasn’t aware of her existence.

I knew it was a bad idea to call Wilson up, the timing was wrong, and I didn’t get to tell him what I really wanted from him. I facepalmed myself for being slow sometimes.

>

NOAH’S POV

It was the weekend, Tommy and I decided to invite Sarah over for lunch and present the offer to her. I stood at my desk stretching out my joints to ease my aches when I saw my phone beep.

I didn’t try to know who the message was from, I had a hunch Kimberly was at it again, with her incessant attention-seeking strategies. We’ve been on and off with our situation-ship. I’ve never really taken her seriously, but the woman thinks she’s got a place in my heart despite my loitering around with several others.

I’m not a man to be kept and humbled by the prospect of commitment. It was a facade made up by people to limit bodily pleasure and I reveled in being free of that.

My eyes fell on my laptop on the desk, Sarah Lockwood was written boldly as heading. Tommy had succeeded in finding her achilles heel and, like he previously suspected, she had lots of debts weighing on her.

They were so much that her meager salary wasn’t enough to settle. If I didn’t learn about Sarah’s parents' demise and how poorly she’s been managing from these reports, I would’ve never believed her life was this pitiful. It had always seemed to me like she just didn’t care about her looks, perhaps her conservative values didn’t extend to buying luxury items and socializing.

I heaved a sigh with my hands behind my back in a stretch. I dismissed the thought of Sarah from my mind. Everyone had their burdens to bear anyway. Mine was to get rid of my father and his pathetic wife.

I heard a soft knock on my door before Tommy peeped in through the slight opening. “Hey Noah, the chef has served lunch in the park and Sarah is a few blocks away. Might as well jump in the shower while I get things settled”, he instructed, and shut the door behind him when I gave him a nod.

Tommy and I have been roommates since I moved out of the mansion and got my own place. It was too large for me anyway, so I invited him to stay with me and quit paying extra money for rent elsewhere. It wasn’t a smooth ride getting a headstrong guy like Tommy to come live rent-free with me. After a battle of ego, we came to a compromise of him always having my back and getting me business deals, and before he agreed to live with me.

“Hello Kimberly, what is it?” I growled into the phone, with the intention of scaring her away once she heard the anger in my tone. But she didn’t care.

“Noah” she called in a soft voice, that didn’t get me, at all. If she thought I’d fall for such cliché antics, then she was wrong. I’ve been with a good number of women to know they’re all manipulative and shameless.

“Don’t start with this again Kim. I thought we'd talk about this. You’re getting on my nerves, and I’ll be forced to file a restraining order on you”

“But you slept with my friend at the hotel a few days ago? Why did you do that?” Her shrill voice accused.

“What are you even talking about?” I asked, frustrated, my brows creased in a stressful way. Kimberly was my bane.

“Tequila… gosh the blonde girl you were with a few days back! Have you totally forgotten?” She yelled and I instinctively pulled the phone away from my ear.

“Oh right, she’s your friend?… Honestly, dear, I had no idea. I thought she was just an acquaintance you met somewhere. I didn’t think I crossed a boundary with that”. I apologized quickly to avoid more drama.

Being with Kimberly for some years came with some strict boundaries that we didn’t cross. Like sleeping with each other’s best friends or close friends. It was off of the list, and she had honored her own side of the deal while, me… I tried, honestly, but the girl has a long list of hot girlfriends who seem to be attracted to me in every way. I can’t help it.

I could hear her angry rants over the phone, but I couldn’t help but cut her off when I saw what the time read. The line went dead, and I rushed upstairs to my room for a quick shower.

~ ~ ~ ~

My brows furrow at the person seated across from me. We were seated outside in the garden and served a gourmet lunch.

Sarah wore her usual style of brown chiffon blouse and a black skirt. My eyes narrowed to her footwear and bulged in shock at the sight beneath me.

She wore the same shoes again! I thought.

I couldn’t get myself to agree that she’s normal in any way. It baffled me how a woman wouldn’t care to look good at all, it didn’t sit well with me.

At least she had her hair neatly packed, and she didn’t smell bad, I noticed. I could use a little hope at this point.

Tommy chatted away while lunch was served, the young woman seemed displaced in the environment, like she was supposed to be serving us, not sitting with us at the grand table.

“I want you to marry me Sarah” I spoke, interrupting Tommy’s lame excuse for a healthy communication.