The Accidental Assistant

Chapter3

PIERCE.

The black Benz slid easily down the bustling city streets, the hum of traffic and the odd honk muffled inside its luxuriant interior. I leaned back in my seat, my head turned sideways to watch Kiera coax Ollie into allowing her to fix her hair before school drop-off.

"Stay close to your teacher today, okay?" Kiera said, brushing a few unruly curls out of Ollie's face. "No more wandering off, sweetheart. Promise me.”

Ollie nodded very seriously. "I will, Mommy. I promise."

My jaw clenched slightly, my mind still fresh with the events of the morning. He remembered how Ollie stepped off the sidewalk and how terror knotted in his stomach-but then, out of nowhere, that young woman, Ayana, had appeared, into the arms of an oncoming bus, without thinking twice. Only the thought of what could have happened if she hadn't acted so fast made my hold on the door handle tighten.

He barely heard Ollie chirp her goodbyes, pressing a quick kiss to her mother's cheek, just as the driver, Howard, made a stop in front of the school. Howard got out to open the door, and Ollie scrambled out, waving back to us as she joined her classmates.

“Stay safe, Ollie!" Kiera hollered, her waving exaggerated with a worried smile. It was only when the school doors closed behind her daughter that Kiera visibly relaxed, exhaling deeply.

Howard didn't stop there, soon taking us to Kiera's salon next, named The Atelier, a high-rise boutique catering to the elite. She gathered her things as we pulled up, gave me a smile, and said, "Thanks again for the help this morning. And Ayana too… I really want to thank her properly. She saved Ollie's life."

The hardness in my expression eased just a little as I nodded. "We'll see that something's arranged," I said, watching as Kiera stepped from the car and walked toward the salon's glass entrance.

When Howard was back behind the wheel, I spoke. "Grant Global, Howard. Let's get on with it."

Howard nodded, and the car entered the morning's rush of the city-the skyline peppered with glass and steel as they made their way downtown. But with the car slicing in and out of traffic, I couldn't quite shake thoughts of Ayana. Something just wouldn't quit about her bravery and selflessness, and I hadn't seen that a lot previously, especially when people had nothing to gain. The way she'd jumped in without a millisecond of hesitation, her thick, dark hair catching the light just as the bus screeched to a halt…

I scowled, shaking my head. This was not like me. I didn't take time thinking over strangers, let alone women I'd just met. There was, however, something about Ayana that gnawed at me and made me remember the look on her face when she'd tucked that sparse, crumpled resume away.

A woman like her didn't just throw herself in front of a bus without good reason. She'd had nothing to prove-if anything, she'd seemed almost embarrassed by the attention afterward.

"Sir, we're here," Howard said, announcing our arrival as we pulled into the underground parking lot of Grant Global's gleaming skyscraper, a leviathan of glass and steel that dominated the city's skyline. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.

I got out of the car, adjusted my suit to perfection, smoothing it as I walked towards the private elevator at the rear of the car park. As I rode up to the top floor, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and brought up my contacts. My thumb hovered a second over one name: Rave.

The elevator doors opened, and I got back on to my phone as I typed a message in rapid succession:

Full background check. Ayana Reeds.

Having hit send, I pocketed my phone just as the elevator slid open into the sleek, polished top floor.

Samantha, my PA, was already waiting for me, her tablet in hand, falling into step beside him as we walked down the hall.

“Good morning, Mr. Grant," she greeted me with a warm smile, though her tone was all business. "Your first meeting is in twenty minutes with the legal team. After that, you have a briefing with Mr. Kline about the merger progress, and a conference call with the European partners this afternoon.”

I nodded, my face distant as I listened, but I really couldn't focus. My mind kept wandering back to Ayana Reeds. I needed to learn more about her. Who she was, where she came from, and what in this world could make anyone risk everything for another's child.

"Mr. Grant?" Samantha's voice drew me back, and I blinked, finding her looking up at me with a very slight frown.

"Hmm?”

"I was just checking to see if you wanted me to reschedule the call with the PR team?" She c****d her head to the side, eyeing me inquisitively. "You seem… distant today."

I waved it off. "No need to reschedule. We'll go on as planned."

Samantha nodded, but her curious expression remained. "As you wish. I will have coffee brought up to your office before the meeting."

"Thank you, Samantha," I said coolly and calmly, opening the door into my office to reveal a large, minimalist space of glass and dark wood overlooking the city skyline.

The minute I was alone, I settled into my chair and tapped my fingers absently and impatiently on the mahogany desk while I waited. Rave wasn't one for wasting time; he knew my methods well enough to get me what I needed without delay.

Sure enough, my phone buzzed just minutes later.

Rave: I've got a few basic details. Ayana Reeds, 27 years old. No college degree, just a line of part-time jobs here and there around the city. Lives alone. Record's clean; nothing out of the ordinary there. Family's pretty unassuming; grew up on the outskirts, but she seems to have been on her own for some time now.

My eyes scanned the message, the gears in my brain turning as I considered. The details were… sparse. She hadn't gone to college,most likely due to financial constraints. A situation I could recognize, but there was so much more I wished to know. This woman wasn't like any others who had crossed my path.

My response was brief and straight to the point:

Get details. Contacts, ancestry, street address, everything relevant. I need a full profile.

The response from Rave came a second later: Will do.

Right at that moment, Samantha lightly knocked and entered with a mug of hot black coffee. "Mr. Grant, your meeting with the legal team is just about to start.

I nodded, taking the coffee with a murmur of thanks, but my mind had already wandered. Samantha stood for a few seconds then cleared her throat, saying, “Mr. Grant…I'd like to tender my resignation.”

I paused, glancing at her before taking a long sip and straightening. I hummed. “Why?”

Samantha pursed her lips. “I just…I need something different. This has been a great job, don't get me wrong, and I'm very grateful for it. But I want to try something new.” She paused. “I have a ticket booked for Australia for the weekend already.”

I c****d my head, her audacity amusing me slightly. “Well, you seem too dead-set to take no for an answer, Samantha.” I pointed out and she ducked her head in apology. “Finding a good PA to take over will be a struggle, but I won't stop you from…following your dreams.” I said the last part as if someone tried to force a ridiculous idea down my throat.

Samantha nodded, just as the legal team arrived, opening a planner. I let my mind meander back to Ayana for the briefest of moments before I forced myself to focus on the agenda for the day.