Redeeming the Tycoon's Heart

The drive home was painfully long and slow and as the seconds crawled by I couldn’t get my mind to stop thinking of a refreshing bath and the feel of my warm and soft sheets against my skin. I already developed a migraine from the day's work and that's not even the worst part of it. I wondered as I moved slowly in the traffic how I would break the news to my sisters about my absence tomorrow if my leave was denied by my boss. It was a tradition, per say, that on the 20th of the 6th month, we would gather at our family house to honour this day, because that was the day we lost our parents. We spend the week together, at least as a family to retract and recall the memories of our parents and also cover up for all the months of being away and being busy with adulthood. It was usually the best time of my life. I was able to make it last year and the years before that but this particular year was different, I had a lot on my sleeves, most came from my new job and I might not make it because of this same job. It was sad, how I worked so hard morning and night to land a job at my dream company as a Secretary and only a couple of months into the job, I had a long list of work to attend to and the fright of getting permission from my new boss grew each day. Argh! I could feel my head exploding from only the thought of it, but what could I do? I pulled the car into the parking lot and as I turned off the engine, a sigh of relief escaped my lips. Were these long days even worth it at all? As I walked into the house the barking of my dog, Milo, that greeted me put a smile on my face and I could say that it was the most genuine smile from me for the day. I hurried through my night routine, making sure I had everything prepared for the next day. I Fed and gave my dog some water, and walked him for a while before coming in to finally sleep. I closed my eyes the moment my head hit the pillow and welcomed the sleep as it came. I barely had five hours to sleep, plus I was exhausted already from thinking about the next day even if it was yet to come. . . . . . . . . My alarm rang at exactly 7 am and I struggled to get up from the bed. I got tangled up in my messy clothes the moment I fell off the bed and I cursed myself for always leaving my room messy. Milo began barking like his favourite bones had been stolen. I gave him a dirty look and he immediately turned away from me and relaxed, getting the reason for my stare. I got into the shower and quickly took a warm but quick bath, running out the moment the bath was over. The last thing I needed was going to work late, especially on a day like this, when I intended to get on his good side before asking him for a break. I rummaged through my closet and picked out a neat turquoise blue shirt and black pants. I brushed out my full long blonde hair before rolling it into a bun like the office rules insisted. The thought of that made me roll my eyes. I skipped breakfast, instead filling Milo’s plate with food and bowl with water. I kissed the tiny dog on his head before grabbing my keys and leaving the house. Thankfully, the roads were free this morning and I got to work early enough, with five minutes to spare. *** I went up to the first desk beside Emma to register my presence for the day in the office and quickly entered my boss's office to set it up for the day. It wasn't long until my boss walked in, dressed in his neatly black Hugo boss suit as the manager, Mr Charles walked behind him Running after him to keep up with his pace …. I laughed in my head because we were used to the drama all day. As I stretched to sip my coffee, I heard my name being called out loud. Shirley! There was only one person in the world I knew who had a voice that was deep but sultry, sweet but also cold. I knew it was my boss, but I was still startled by the loudness of his voice when he spoke. I wondered what could have gone wrong because I couldn’t remember leaving out anything from the set of instructions he had given to me the previous evening. That was the reason I worked till almost late in the night. I gave a small knock on the door and then pushed it open when I got the go-ahead from him. Mr. Charles had to excuse himself because he was aware that the boss disliked having two people in his office simultaneously…. My boss, Damian, was attributed with great qualities. From a beautiful mop of brown hair to cold grey eyes, a jawline that could cut and the sexiest moustaches I ever saw. He owned the Damien Group Of Companies, one of the largest companies in the state and a sub-company from the main company; Forte Firm Group of Companies. Damien Group Of Companies stood out from the main company. He had built it from scratch, with patience, failure and determination and all these were achieved at the young age of twenty-eight. He had a seat on the Forbes top ten billionaires below thirty and with every day the company succeeded and grew in size and wealth, thanks to his immeasurable intelligence and hard work. He was a man that screamed luxury and class everywhere he went and some could even describe him as having a royal touch to him. These features easily made him every girl's dream man. Some say he's born with luck, some say he's the most handsome in the world but I was just only impressed with his zeal and courage on how he managed the company so well. The man that every girl desired and aspired to be with. But he was a solid no for me. Aside from the many principles and rules which irked and annoyed me, he was one of the meanest people I knew. He was rude, blunt and had no sense of empathy. Plus he was the biggest narcissist I knew. I couldn’t ever imagine myself with someone like him. He was standing at his desk as I came into the room, staring at the big art of his company hanging on the wall opposite where I was standing, it had all the trophies and awards that the company had gathered over the years and he was obsessed with it. “Good morning sir, I dropped your coffee, schedule for the day, lucky and the company's-“ "Shirley.” He interrupted me. "Yes sir?” I replied immediately. Cancel all my appointments for today, we have a business deal to hit in France, it just came up but we need to seal it before we lose it which means we need to travel today, so make all the necessary arrangements and get ready to fly by four this evening.” He instructed. This news hit me hard and it took a second for my mind to completely wrap around it because I planned on asking for a leave to go be with my sisters the very next day and now I was just stuck at a fuzz. "But sir.” I managed to mutter, bowing my head to avoid eye contact with his cold grey eyes. "I planned on taking a leave for a couple, and it's kind of urgent that I travel. It’s a family thing.” I continued. He turned his gaze and fixed them on me and I shivered under the intensity of them. He remained quiet and just looked at me for the longest time before leaving his position and walking towards me. My heart pounded in my chest the closer he got and when he was just in front of me, I feared that my heart might collapse from how fast it was racing. “You will do as I say Shirley. Go and pack a bag, we have a flight to catch by 4 pm.” He said, before turning around and exiting the room. Leaving my shoulders to drop in relief, exhaustion and defeat.