THE COLD CEO'S UNKNOWN HEIR

Chapter 17

PIPER'S POV

What is he doing here? I muttered under my breath, "Sorry, excuse me--" I said and immediately turned around to get the door, but he stopped me, "Hold on!" He ordered. His baritone sends vibrations down my spine.

"We've met before haven't we?!" He tilted his head to the right, staring at me like I was some weird specimen, his eyes squinted as he got up from his seat and walked towards me, "I know you."

"Er... Sir... I ... I don't know what you're talking about." My voice broke as I spoke, the first thing that came to mind was to deny my existence. He kept coming closer one step at a time, and in return, I kept moving backwards, one step at a time, but unfortunately, my back hit against the door, and there was nowhere to run.

He leaned in placing his hands against the wall, "You're the lady from that night."

Immediately those words slipped off his lips, my heart sank into my belly and rose back into my chest with full speed, "Sir... I ..." It felt as though my tongue had been cut with a blade, I was speechless, I was so uncomfortable and nervous, I couldn't hold eye contact, nor could I say anything.

"That's right." He whispered. "You're the lady from that night ... Oh ...what a small world... Why deny yourself? I have a good memory."

"May I be excused?!" I requested politely, hoping to run into the bathroom and throw up. I wasn't expecting this. Of course, I recognized him too, but I wasn't going to give off as a promiscuous employee, especially since it could actually affect my job. I couldn't afford to miss this opportunity.

"No, you cannot be excused," he spoke softly and made his way back to his desk. "Have a seat." He said. He opened a thick folder on his desk as I sat in the seat opposite him, "Piper... Reyes." He said. Reading from the folder and drawing the 'R' in my last name.

"You are quite talented..."

"I am--"

"In bed and at work," he added.

" Sir please..." I uttered, folding my hand to form a fist. I was beginning to get really uncomfortable; in fact, uncomfortable was an understatement. I started to become embarrassed. I still couldn't even look him in the eye.

I badly wished he pretended he didn't know me ... And then we would go straight to work ... But no, he chose to dwell on this topic.

"So, tell me, what else are you good at?"

"Sir... I sent out my resumé--"

"Wait a minute." He interrupted me again. He turned the folder over and capped his pen, "I'm excited to see more of you here. You'll have to come in every day."

" Every day?! Sir...sorry, but that wasn't in the contract I was sent. Moreover, I live very far away from here; it would be impossible and too expensive for me to move to and fro every day." I argued.

"That can't be an issue or an excuse. I personally want to keep a closer eye on you. From the looks of things, you might be of great importance to this company." He got up from his seat and made his way to the floor-to-ceiling window in front of him, holding his hands behind him. "I just remembered you stole from me, didn't you?"

When I heard those words slip off his lips I almost choked on my own saliva. He wasn't wrong, but how do I explain to my new boss that I was a homeless lady who needed money to survive?

"What an unforgettable night, I must say." He added.

" Sir ... I apologize, I was just having a really hard time --"

" There's no need for excuses Ms. Reyes, although I strongly believe you have something that belongs to me."

" Sir, I'm very sorry," I apologized to him for stealing all the money in his wallet.

"It's not about apologies, Ms. Reyes, it's about you eating healthy and living healthily too." His words sounded like a parable. They didn't make complete sense to me and I began to wonder how a healthy lifestyle relates to making designs for clothes and dresses.

He turned around and approached me, "You may leave my office. I'll speak to my secretary, and she'll arrange a place for you that's closer to me. You'll receive a call from her later today. You can start work today."

I sat there wondering how and why he seemed nice to me. But then my suspicions began to grow. I began to wonder why he was being nice to me all of a sudden. My hands subconsciously went to my stomach and rubbed my slowly developing baby bump.

"Sir... Why are you being nice to me even after I stole all the money in your wallet and ghosted you that morning?"

He ran his eyes from the top of my head to my feet, "Just get to work."

I got up and left his office. I went over to my workspace, letting his words sink in, leaving me curious. After a moment of working and making my first few designs for the Langford group, there came a knock on the door. "Come in, I yelled softly from my seat."

A lady in a suit and heels with his hair gelled smoothly and packed in a bun. "I'm Mr. Langford's Secretary, Michelle." She said to me as she made her way towards me with a sheet of paper in her hands. "You'll be moving into the Boss's mansion, so you will have easy access to the company. According to him he wants to keep a closer eye on you. You are valuable to the company and we are all in love with your designs." She said, beaming a smile at me.

She handed the paper to me, and I glanced through it. " What is this?" I asked

"It's a permit to the Boss's mansion. He's expecting you there from today." She responded. I wasn't sure if this was something I should be super excited for, nor was I sure how Anna would react.