Chapter 4
1492 Words
Jade found herself standing right in front of her boss — still too shocked to speak by what she had walked in on. Elizabeth was half-dressed on his desk, catching her breath, eyes drowsy and glazed with pleasure. Cole stepped away from her casually and walked toward Jade, fastening his trousers at the last second.
"I need you to close a deal for the company, and you're the only one who can pull it off, Miss Jade."
"I'm sorry, sir, but I'm not yet qualified for that."
"Qualifications aren't the issue — execution is, and you're good at that. I've had a look at your file."
He said, moving toward her with his towering frame. Elizabeth straightened herself in the background and slipped out as though nothing had happened.
"Such nerve," Jade thought. "He invited me to his office while sleeping with my supervisor, and now he wants me to close a deal?"
"If you pull this off, there's a promotion in it for you as well, Miss Jade."
He turned and dropped back into his swivel chair, feet crossed on the edge of the desk.
"We start now. The contract is due tomorrow at noon."
"I can't right now, sir. I'm still in the middle of some paperwork."
"Dinner, then. I'll brief you over the meal. Leave your address on your desk and I'll have a driver pick you up at eight."
"I already have plans, sir," she argued.
"See you at eight, Miss Jade. Close the door on your way out."
He concluded. Jade slammed the door behind her and stormed back to her desk.
Hours later, she was curled up on her bed in a tiny pink dress, scrolling on her phone. Then the doorbell rang. Could it be Drew? She had just gotten off a call with him about an hour ago. Maybe he was back for another late-night drinking-and-Netflix session.
She made her way to the door, a smile already forming — and her jaw dropped.
It was Cole.
"Miss Jade. Modest place you have here."
He walked in without waiting for an invitation. A long dark coat, dark trousers, brown Chelsea boots. His hair, dark and polished, his expensive cologne immediately filling the room.
He moved through her apartment like he was scouting a property, while Jade followed behind him in a daze of confusion and irritation. She couldn't remember leaving her address on her desk before leaving work. So how on earth did he know where she lived?
"Excuse me — how did you find me, sir?" She let a hint of anger bleed through.
"I had someone follow you. I was in a hurry — couldn't wait until eight for dinner."
"I don't recall agreeing to your terms, sir."
"You didn't have to. I already knew you would."
He walked up to her and lifted her chin with his fingers, looking into her eyes.
Jade immediately removed his hand from her face, her cheeks flushing for just a second. He backed her gently toward the wall and held her gaze.
"The dinner is still on. Let's get you something to wear. It won't just be the two of us, so you can relax."
"I already have perfectly good clothes," she argued, trying to step around him toward her room.
He caught her wrist and pulled her gently but firmly back toward him, so that she was looking up at him with nowhere to go.
"Then we'll get you something even better — with a pair of diamond earrings to match."
He let himself be pushed back, her resistance clearly amusing him, as she moved to the far side of the room.
He clapped once. Several men in black suits filed in from the entrance — at least seven filling the space.
"We can do this here, or we can go out like normal people. I don't take no for an answer."
He held her gaze, completely serious. The silence was deafening.
"Fine!" Jade snapped.
The room emptied as quickly as it had filled. Cole allowed himself a slow, satisfied smirk.
"Wonderful. After you, Miss Jade."
He gestured toward the door and followed her out.
Hours later, Jade sat across from Cole in a black backless cashmere gown, diamond earrings catching the low light, a delicate necklace glittering at her throat.
She was stunning. Cole had nearly lost his composure twice already and was struggling to find words, content instead to stare at the woman sitting across from him like she had stepped out of a fairy tale.
The restaurant was softly lit. Their table was draped in white linen, the plates still empty — no one had come to attend to them yet. Cole watched as Jade picked up the menu and buried her face in it so he would stop looking at her.
"Where are the others, sir? I thought this wasn't going to be just the two of us."
Her face remained hidden behind the menu.
"That was a lie. It was always going to be just us."
"Excuse me?!" She dropped the menu.
"Why would you lie? I would have come regardless." She leaned forward, a flash of anger in her eyes.
"Lower your voice. You're drawing attention."
He replied, eyes fixed coolly on hers, entirely relaxed in his chair.
"I think that's the least you deserve for deceiving me. Tell me, sir — was there ever actually a contract you wanted me to close? Or did you just want to take me to dinner and find your way into my bed?"
She was already pushing her chair back to leave.
"Sit down, Jade — or you walk out without a job. And you know how ill your father is. Who's going to cover his bills? Your mother's pet shop?"
"See the bigger picture, darling."
He looked up at her steadily, fully aware he had just played his hand.
He watched her slowly sit back down. She leaned in and lowered her voice.
"How do you know about my parents?"
Outside the restaurant, along the wide window front near the entrance, Drew was walking home to his apartment — just a few blocks past the San Diego Restaurant.
He could make out the silhouette of a woman that looked remarkably like Jade. But there was a man sitting across from her. He moved closer to the glass, but they were too far inside. He reached for his phone to call her — dead battery.
"Is that Jade?" He lingered, glancing toward the road where a black McLaren was parked outside, clearly belonging to the man seated with her.
He had already made up his mind to walk in and say hello when two men in dark suits appeared out of nowhere, one in front of him and one behind.
"Keep moving, pal."
"You've been standing here a while. It's late — keep going."
A hand rested on his shoulder. Drew nodded and continued down the sidewalk, catching one last look at Jade — and she was laughing.
"Who the hell is that guy?" He walked on until he reached his apartment.
"What makes you think I'd ever agree to that, Mr. Hart?"
The conversation between Jade and Cole continued.
"Because I hold the advantage here, Miss Jade."
Jade let out a short, dry laugh as the waiter finally appeared at their table.
"We'll have your best steak," Cole said, dismissing the waiter before he could become part of the conversation. The waiter left quickly, clearly aware of who the man was.
"So you're threatening me?"
The tension between them climbed, and more eyes in the restaurant were beginning to drift their way.
"Calm down, Miss Jade. I'm making you an offer. I want you as my personal assistant. The salary is four times what I pay Elizabeth — and you'd keep your current role as well."
Jade finally had enough. She stood up and turned to leave. The two men from earlier stepped into her path. Cole turned in his seat and gave a small nod — they stepped aside. She paused, surprised, then walked out through the door.
Cole watched her go with a quiet satisfaction.
Jade stood outside on the sidewalk, furious, trying to flag down a cab. One finally stopped. She leaned toward the window and called out her address.
Suddenly the rear door swung open from the inside. A figure lunged from the cab and pressed a cloth over her nose and mouth before she could react. She struggled — then everything went dark as she was pulled inside, the cab accelerating into the night.
Cole stepped out of the restaurant just in time to see it happen. He sprinted toward his car.
His men were already standing beside their vehicles — tires slashed flat. He looked at his own car. Same.
"f**k!"
He drove his hand through his hair and exhaled sharply into the dim, quiet street, watching the cab dissolve into the flow of traffic.
- Writer
