The CEO's Heart

Marie I press my bloody trembling hands against my stomach, Joseph's jacket helping to stem the flow of my blood from the burning hole in my stomach. He finally said it. Joseph finally said that he loves me. And now I'm dying. "Come on Marie! Just hold on, we're almost there!" Joseph shouts at my slumped figure beside him. I'm in his car, he's speeding to the hospital, ignoring every traffic rule and running every red light. Good thing the road is nearly empty at this time of the night. The erratic breakneck speed of the car jostles me uncomfortably. I can't keep my eyes open for much longer. I'm too weak. The darkness calling me is too inviting to ignore. "It's all my fault. I should have known that they would try something. The signs have been there since they found out about you. I should have been more careful." Joseph muttered, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly with his eyes focused on the road. "Don't say that...it's not your fault." I manage to get out in between winces of pain. I can taste blood in my mouth now. That's not a good sign. "See Marie? We're almost there! Just hold on for me please." He told me as the hospital came into view. I can't. I'm slipping. As I drift into the darkness I hear Joseph shouting my name and feel the car come to an abrupt stop. The darkness claims me. ********************** Months Earlier. All my life I have been waiting for an opportunity to prove myself. To show those stuck up rich jerks that I'm more than some tall girl with freaky eyes from a poor background. And I have. I studied hard and worked harder to be able to get noticed in my place of work. Climbing the corporate ladder was even harder as a woman, so I had to stand out. To make myself unique and different. I thought that I had failed at that when my career progress stagnated for a few years, but then I received an offer from someone who happened to notice my talents. And that offer was to train to become next in line to be the personal secretary of one of the biggest rich jerk in the country. Mr Joseph Cole. Billionaire businessman. Made his fortune in the automobile industry and scamming unsuspecting people out of their hard-earned money. OK, I'm probably making that last part up, but it could be true. Rich people are all the same. When I heard about the offer and realized what it would entail; basically being a personal servant to a wealthy egotistical airhead, I almost didn't accept it. Until I realized that this could be my big break. That I could stick it to the very kind of person that I always loathed while earning an attractive salary as well, much more than what I currently earned. So I accepted it. I learned the in's and out's of the job, making sure that I learned everything perfectly so that when the time came, I would be ready. My sponsor eventually retired, so after over a year of being trained for this role, at his party to celebrate his retirement, I would finally get to meet my new boss. The rich bastard didn't bother meeting with me until today. Typical of people like him. I bet he doesn't even know my name yet either. But despite my qualms about him, I still had to make a perfect first impression. I wouldn't give him any reason to criticize me. "You should really wear these heels. They match best with your dress." My mom said, holding up a pair of black five-inch heels. She was at my apartment helping me dress up for the party tonight. She was anxious for me about the new job so she came over to help me. "Yeah it does, but I'd rather not break my ankles before I get there. You know I hate heels. They're like deathtraps invented for females." "But it just goes so well with your formal wear, you know that you have to look extra fancy for that rich new boss of yours." She said seriously. She actually really cared about impressing my new boss so much it was crazy. "I'd rather wear something that I can keep my balance in with Mom. Next you're going to make me wear a corset." "You don't need to, you're in good shape already." She said comfortingly. I was being sarcastic. My makeup is already done, and I'm ready to go, it's just my mom making me hold up because of the shoes. While I'd admit that the heels would look best with my dress, my already questionable sense of balance didn't need testing. I think it's because I'm tall. It was already getting late though, so I really had to go. Showing up late would look unprofessional. "Okay Mom, fine, I'll wear it, but if I fall down and break my leg it's your fault." I finally gave in. What's the worst that could happen anyway? I've done more difficult things. I slipped the torture devices on, picked up the bag containing a gift for Mr Woods and took a wobbly step towards the door. I can do this. "Good luck honey. I know that you'll knock 'em dead tonight. Make sure you make a good first impression!" She called to me as I made my way out. "I will, love you. See you later." I called back as I opened the door and left. Thank God that my apartment was on the first floor, even though I'm fairly confident walking in heels, I definitely wouldn't want to walk down a flight of stairs with them. I got in my car and headed towards the venue. As I arrived at the hotel ballroom where the retirement party for Mr Woods was being held, I couldn't help but admire the decorations and the choice of venue. It looked amazing; it showed opulence without being gaudy or coming off too much. Understated yet classy. The boss sure has taste. I'll give him that. As I got into the venue, Mr Woods came to greet me. "Happy retirement, Mr Woods." I said as I handed him my gift. He looked touched that I had gotten him something, it wasn't really that kind of party, but I decided to get him a small gift to show my appreciation to him for everything. "Thank you Marie! You didn't need to get me anything!" He said excitedly as he gave me a brief hug. He really likes surprises. " You're here early, that's good. Mr Cole isn't here yet, so you can relax and have some refreshments or something while you wait." "Okay, thanks." I said as I watched him go over to his wife to show her the gift he got and continue entertaining his guest. Going over to the refreshments table and getting a small glass of wine, I just stood in a corner scanning the crowd for Mr Cole. Of course, he wouldn't show up early to the party, now I had to wait. I noticed a few speculative glances my way as I stood in my corner taking small sips of my drink. I tried not to let it bother me too much. They're probably wondering how I'm related to Mr Woods, since the only people invited to this party are either current employees or friends and family of Mr Woods. They can't guess what I'm really here for. But they would find out soon enough. I decided to go to the bathroom to touch up on my makeup and freshen up before Mr Cole gets here, so I walked over to Mr Woods to let him know just in case, but that's when the first disaster of the night struck. I stumbled a little and spilled some of my drink on the front of my dress. Stupid heels. Damn, now I'm going to smell like I drank the whole bottle. Now I really needed the bathroom so that I could wipe this off. After telling Mr Woods about the situation, I went to the bathroom to do damage control. When I got out, Mr Cole was already there chatting with Mr Woods. I recognized him from the numerous Forbes magazine covers he's been on. Now's my chance to introduce myself. "Okay. Be confident, make eye contact and hold your head high. You got this. He's just one man." I gave myself a small pep talk as I strode towards him. I was close enough to introduce myself and put my hand out for a handshake when the second disaster of the night happened. I stumbled again in front of him and saw myself hitting the floor this time. Until I felt a pair of strong yet gentle hands hold me up. I managed to stand upright again and tried to introduce myself again. "Hi um Mr. Cole. I'm Marie." I said as I timidly held my hand out to him. He narrowed his eyes at me, ignoring my proffered hand. And the first words my new boss said to me were "Are you drunk?" He said flatly, not looking pleased at all. Crap. I'm so fired. Nice first impression, Marie.