Chapter One
1127 Words
Daniel stared at the woman sitting across from him. Yes, he was shocked, but that only lasted for the first few seconds. Now, he was just logically evaluating the situation, and he came to the conclusion that she was not sane. Pretty, yes. Extremely even, but definitely not sane.
She cleared her throat impatiently and said curtly
“Listen mister, I don’t exactly have all the time in the world. I would assume that this would be an easy decision to make?”
Feisty, he noted. He gave a small smile.
“Quite easy actually. It’s also a bit amusing, considering that I don’t get marriage proposals from strangers that often.”
“It is as much a business proposal as it is a marriage proposal. Think of it as an easy way to make some money, quite a bit of it at that. Infact, I could ensure that you never have to work another day in your life.”
Because he was a creature of habit, he glanced quickly at his wrist, checking the time. That singular action came with a jolt of reality, he didn’t exactly have time for this conversation.
“While this has been a thoroughly entertaining conversation, I do need to get back to work now. My lunch break is over.”
“Well then” she said, reaching into her purse and pulling out a jotter and a pen, she scribbled quickly, tore out the page and slid it towards him. “Call me when you change your mind. Don’t sit on it too much though, the position of my husband is a highly coveted one”
He watched with intrigue as she stood up and gracefully walked out of the cafe with her coffee in her hand. She had quite pretty legs. He picked the little piece of paper. It contained her first name and phone number.
“Sydney” he said to himself. Definitely an interesting encounter. Now it was time to go back to his not so interesting editor job.
Three weeks earlier….
Sydney was having a good day; she had just successfully closed a multi million dollar deal for the Behemoth company, making it the fifth large deal under her belt in the one year she had run the Florence branch of the family business. She had also just got off the phone with her brother Connor, her favorite person in the world. Because she was having such a good day, the mood swing she felt when she got the call from her dad was intense. No one got on her nerves like her parents did. She answered the call.
“Hello Dad. How are you doing today?” Her tone was flat and generally uninterested. No need for pretenses, they both despised each other.
“Same as always” Donovan Ashfeild replied curtly. “The doctor came over the other day. Apparently, I am at high risk of a heart attack if I don’t slow down, whatever that means”
“Oh?” She replied, only half listening. She skimmed through the pages of the document in front of her. She had a lot of work to do. This call was definitely not a welcome distraction.
“I’m thinking about taking a step back. I thought I would be able to hold out for a couple years until your brother is ready to take over. But the doctor thinks I will be dead by then if I don’t relax a bit. So I need you to come home.”
Sydney stopped turning pages. Now that definitely got her attention. Her father went on
“I need you to fill in for him while he completes his education. You’re doing a good enough job in Florence but the main branch is more important right now. I would feel better if I have someone from the family running things here.”
Sydney wanted to complain. She wanted to throw a tantrum and refuse to leave Italy. She loved it here. She had built a good life here, but that would be too out of character for her. And anyway, the only reason they allowed her to remain in Florence and run this branch after her education is because she had promised to return home whenever she was needed.
“Is this completely unavoidable?”
“I wouldn’t call you if it wasn’t” he barked back
They were both silent for a few seconds.
“I will need about a week to tie up loose ends here. Send my replacement before then” she said, her voice still flat.
“Of course. Make sure you don’t leave anything unfinished”
And that was it. She was going home. She dreaded home.
******
Daniel was an early bird. He was always one the first few people to make it work. He was also very diligent with his work. These reasons, coupled with his brilliance, were why he was able to land the job of the news editor in just five years of working with the Behemoth papers. It was a Tuesday morning and just like he does everyday, he stopped at the cute, little cafe ten minutes away from work to get his coffee before driving to work. He was a morning person, that was when life made the most sense to him.
He always got to his office thirty minutes before work actually started. It gave him supple time to enjoy his coffee. At five minutes to nine am, Janice, his sectrary, knocks and walks in. He smiled to himself, just on time.
“Good morning Mr Warner” she greeted in her high pitched, cheerful voice.
He smiled at her. “ good morning Janice.”
“Have you heard the latest news sir?”
He rolled his eyes playfully at her. “No I’ve not Janice. Who else will I hear it from if not you?”
She giggled excitedly, then said “Mr Ashfeild is retiring. Heard his daughter is coming in from Italy to run things.”
He leaned forward in his chair. She liked it when he seemed interested in her stories.
“Is that so?”
“Yes. I heard it from Ashley in sports”
“Is this message verified?”
“Well, not really but trust me it’s true”
“Last week, you said Mr. Cruz from the main office was fired for embezzlement. That turned out to be false.”
She shook her head vehemently. “This one is for real this time though.”
He laughed. “ We are journalists, Janice. We only spread verified information.”
She scoffed playfully at him. “I guess we’ll have to wait and see”
“I guess we will”
- Writer
