The Devil's Deal

Five

Trevor burst into a laughing fit, right in front of me.

“That possibly can’t be right. Callie Fane is dead. The entire Fane family is dead.”

“Dad.” Wesley called. There was a warning underlying his voice.

Trevor grabbed my jaw and pressed down hard. I winced at the pain and let out a shaky breath.

“I could have sworn that you’re the same person.” He grunted, looking all over my face. I whimpered in fear, truly terrified.

“What’s your name, girl?” He breathed in my face.

“Ares.” I answered shakily. “Ares Gonzalez.” He grunted and nodded his head.

“Where are you from?” He asked.

“Dallas.” I answered almost immediately. He shook his head again and released me.

“How did a Texas cowgirl end up with a name like Ares?” He asked.

I shook my head at him. He raised an eyebrow.

“I never met my parents. My grandmother named me, and I never asked.” He nodded, seeming satisfied with the answer. He brushed down the front of his suit and gestured to his son with a nod.

“A word?” He didn’t wait for an answer and just left. Wesley followed behind, not sparing me a glance. Once the door closed behind them, I slumped and fell flat on my ass. My head felt heavy from the encounter.

My body trembled, and a wave of dizziness hit me. I quickly checked my blood sugar and saw it was normal.

The shaky response was strictly from the evil that was Trevor Crist. I shuddered and managed to make it to my desk.

The file Wesley gave me earlier was tightly clutched in my hand.

I buried my head within the confines of the figures and allowed the stock market to calm nerves.

Soon, I was engrossed in the work and didn’t realize how much time had gone by.

I was jarred back to the real world when the office doors opened and Wesley came in.

I glanced away in embarrassment. He went behind his desk and took a seat. I was aware of his eyes watching me and I tried to play it cool.

“I apologize for my father’s erratic behavior,” he said. I looked up sharply, nearly giving myself a whiplash. Wesley didn’t look like a man who apologized often. My jaw dropped at his apology. He drummed his fingers on the desk dramatically, waiting for me to say something.

“I... err... It’s.. uh.. it’s okay.” I stuttered. He nodded and focused on his laptop, clearly dismissing me. I sighed and continued with my work.

I refused to think about the fact that he had given me the job on the spot without going through with the interview. He could be leading me on. And I refused to think about Trevor Crist.

“Ares,” he called, looking up from his laptop. His voice surprised me and so I stared at him in shock. I took a second to recollect myself.

“Yes, Mr Crist?” He stated at me for a beat and reclined back on his chair.

“Ares.” He called again, as if testing out the name on his lips. I couldn’t help the feelings that rushed through me. The way he said my name, in a whisper. It almost sounded like a prayer.

“I like it.”

“What?” I asked bewildered.

“Your name, Ares. I like it.”

A smile started to build on my face. I suddenly remembered where I was and schooled my features at once.

“It’s Greek.” He said, stating the obvious. I nodded anyway, because I didn’t know how else to reply.

“I like it.” He repeated, and went back to his work. I couldn’t figure him out. I didn’t know what his game was. Clearly, he didn’t recognize me, but I could never forget him.

I took his cue and went back to work. A few minutes went by.

“I’m going to eat at my desk,” Wesley voiced. I looked up to see he was talking to me.

“Run to the restaurant across the street and get me some lunch. A cheese burger and a soda, a pack of chips and some fries too.” He fished out a credit card and threw it down on the desk.

I went ahead to pick it up. It was a black card. My eyes bulged in awe.

“Have I been hired, sir?” I blurted, without thinking. It was a stupid question. He had already told his father I was a new assistant.

Wesley chuckled. The sound felt foreign.

“What do you think, Ms Gonzalez?” He looked between me and my new desk, giving me all the answers I needed. I fisted the card and went ahead to carry out his order.

“Asshole.” I muttered under my breath. Just half a day as his assistant, and it already felt like hell. I’ve been harassed and ordered around. This is definitely going to be an interesting job.

The line at the restaurant was huge. The lunch rush was in full swing. It took me about thirty minutes to get his order and return to the office.

“If you’re going to be my assistant, then I don’t expect you to be lousy.” He griped. I bit back the sarcastic words bubbling through me and placed down the food and the card.

“Keep it.” He pointed at the card. “I don’t want to have to hand it out every time I need something from you.” I slid the card into my palm and returned to my desk.

More paperwork decorated my otherwise empty desk. I looked up in question to see him biting hard into his cheeseburger.

“I need those for tomorrow.” I glared at him wordlessly. So much for having a great first day.

“How old are you?” Wesley asked. I flicked him a look of uncertainty.

“You seem pretty young to me. Shouldn’t you be in college or something?” He continued. I shook my head.

“Twenty two. And I graduated early." I was careful to answer only what I've been asked. He nodded once and left me alone for the rest of the day.

I filed paper after paper. Before I knew it, six o’clock rolled by. I silently gathered my things while he sat back, still engrossed in his work.

“8am, tomorrow. Don’t be late.” Wesley ordered without looking up. I nodded and headed home. My back and neck were killing me.

Jaime was nowhere to be found by the time I reached home. I hurried to my room and locked the door behind me.

I opened the drawer and felt around for the burner phone I kept hidden underneath the wooden panel. I pressed the power button and turned it on, chewing my lip furiously.

Light illuminated my face from the tiny screen.

I pulled up the only contact saved in it and shot off a text.

I got in with the Crists today.

The reply came instantly.

How?

Marketing team. Wesley and Trevor were there.

Do they know who you are?

No.

Good. It’s time to set the plans in motion. c*****e.