Mars

The new Job

As the door shut behind "Mr. Crawford," Alenia couldn't believe her luck. She had finally found Dex Marston, and not only that, but she had been hired as his assistant. This was the perfect opportunity to get closer to him. Although if she followed through with the plan now would it hurt her career? Did she truly care if it did? She needed this revenge.

Mrs. Jacobsen stood up from her seat and motioned for Alenia to follow her out of the conference room.

"Well, that went better than expected," Mrs. Jacobsen said with a smile. "Mr. Crawford can be a bit...intense, but he seemed to take a liking to you."

"I'm just happy to be given this opportunity," Alenia responded, trying to keep her excitement at bay.

"I can tell you're going to fit in well here," Mrs. Jacobsen said as she led Alenia through the winding hallways of DRM's headquarters. "Your background in finance and impeccable organizational skills make you the perfect candidate for Mr. Crawford's assistant."

As they walked, Alenia couldn't help but feel like she was in a dream. Everything was happening so quickly and she still couldn't believe that Dex Marston was her boss although here it appeared he was known as Rhys Crawford.

"Here we are," Mrs. Jacobsen said as they reached a set of large, double doors with "RHYS CRAWFORD" embossed on them in gold lettering.

Alenia's heart was beating rapidly as she stepped into Dex's office for the first time. The room was spacious, with floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the city skyline. The walls were lined with bookcases filled with leather-bound volumes, and a mahogany desk sat in the center of the room, flanked by two high-backed leather chairs.

"Wow," Alenia breathed, taking in the grandeur of the room.

"Your first task as Mr. Crawford's assistant will be to organize his schedule for the next week," Mrs. Jacobsen said, handing Alenia a folder filled with papers.

"Of course," Alenia responded, eager to prove herself capable.

It was imperative that Dex or Rhys as he seems to prefer to be called likes her. The more he liked her the easier it would be for Alenia to get her revenge on Jacob.

Thinking of Jacob how had he been able to maintain a friendship with a man of this caliber? Who was this Mars? And why does he have the people working with him calling him by another name?

These were all details she would sort out later. Today she needed to look over his appointments and verify everything was booked. Today her first day she needed to do her job. Tomorrow the plan could begin.

Alenia dove into her tasks, determined to prove her worth to "Mr. Crawford". She meticulously went through his calendar and made sure everything was in order. As she worked, her mind kept wandering back to Dex Marston, the man she had been searching for. What type of woman did he like? Hopefully he was not married, she did not want to take part in any type of cheating. Thata why she was getting the revenge to begin with. Although Alenia did not recall seeing a ring on his finger. She still couldn't believe that she had found him, and now she was working for him.

But the more she thought about it, the more she realized that things may not be as they seemed. Why was Dex going by the name Rhys Crawford? Why would someone so young need a pseudonym? He's not a relative of a celebrity or anything. Alenia resolved to find out more about her new boss.

Over the next few days, Alenia worked tirelessly to ensure that everything ran smoothly for "Mr. Crawford". He was a demanding boss, but Alenia enjoyed the challenge. She found herself drawn to him, despite her initial intentions of using him for revenge. There was something about him that intrigued her.

One day, as Alenia was leaving the office after delivering some paperwork, she overheard a conversation between "Mr. Crawford" and another man. They were speaking quietly, but Alenia could just make out their words.

"...I don't care what it takes. We need to get that deal done," Her boss said sternly.

"I understand, sir," the other man responded. "But there are risks involved.

"I'm aware of the risks," Dex/ Rhys replied. "But we have to take them if we want to stay ahead of the game."

Alenia's curiosity was piqued. What deal were they talking about? And what kind of risks were involved? She made a mental note to investigate further.

On the first day of her second week Rhys, as she had to remember to call him, knocked on her door prior to letting himself in.

Today he looked exceptionally debonair in his

tailored suit, with his honey-colored twinkling in the light from the windows and dark hair perfectly styled.

"Good morning, Alenia," he greeted her with a small smile.

"Good morning, Mr. Crawford," she replied, trying to keep her voice steady despite her heart pounding in her chest.

"I was wondering if you could come to my office for a moment? There's something I need your help with."

"Of course," Alenia said, standing up from her desk and following him to his office.

Once inside, Rhys motioned for her to take a seat in one of the leather chairs in front of his desk. He sat down opposite her and leaned forward, his eyes focused intently on her.

"Alenia, I know we've only been working together for a short time, but I feel like we have a good rapport," he said seriously. "I value your opinion and your work ethic."

"Thank you, Mr. Crawford," Alenia replied, unsure of where this was going.