Office Heir-itation: Between Hate and Him

It was 8 o’clock when Lily Parker entered the office, smiling to herself as she worked over to her desk. Nearly every day for the past 2 years, she has entered this office 1 hour before her boss, Mr Emilio Bennett. She did her morning routine_arranging his desk, keeping a cup of coffee on his desk and writing her boss's schedule. She did everything and went to her desk. Then she remembered it was today_ the boss's son was coming to the office today, and she had been given the task of training him. The night before, she looked him up online, and he had a very bad reputation_ he was known for his reckless lifestyle, being a playboy, party animal and so many other bad things. It was 10 o'clock on the dot when Mr Mason Bennett walked out of the elevator with his sunglasses on. The energy in the office shifted the moment he walked in. The scent of expensive cologne that screamed "money and no responsibility," and that unmistakable slow, confident stride echoed down the hallway like he owned the building. He came with that glowing ego, that well-known attitude that made girls go absolutely crazy over him. He had a Mr perfect and hot look plastered across his face, making her roll her eyes in annoyance. He wore a black suit with a red tie. His attempt to look professional was surprising. All the magazines and TV shows constantly showed pictures of him half-naked and shirtless. It was comforting to see that he actually wears clothes. Girls swarmed around him, asking him millions of questions, flirting, trying to let him know he had free access in-between their legs. Lily stood outside her office, which was down the hall from his, holding a stack of papers that he needed to look over. He entered his office and the crowd of girls stopped at the entryway. She rolled her eyes before walking towards the group of girls. “Okay ladies, get back to work,” she said, waving them off. They shot her annoying glares and mumbled among themselves as they walked away. She let out a sigh before stepping into his office. There he was: _Mason Bennett_ The infamous heir, freshly imported from a lifestyle of yachts, private jets, and very little actual work. Tall, tan, annoyingly good-looking—and completely unaware of how much she already despised him. Mason Bennett. “Hello sir” she greeted with a smile. Welcome to B Group Of Companies. I'm your trainer. “Wow,” he said, looking at her from head to toe with sunglasses still on. They didn’t mention my trainer would look like that. Lily stood, unimpressed. “And you didn’t mention you’d be late on your first day. But here we are.” He smirked and strolled in, finally removing his sunglasses. “You must be Lily. My father’s… what was it? Favorite employee? Favorite brain? Favorite everything?” “I’m Mr Emilio's assistant and the one who knows how this company runs,” she said sharply. “Which makes me the unfortunate person stuck with the job of teaching you.” He gave her a once-over, unbothered. “Lucky me.” “No,” she said, deadpan. “Lucky me.” "So I'll show you around the office," she said as they left his office together. She wasn’t thrilled. At all. She showed him around and introduced him to different department heads. ____ It is 1:30_almost lunchtime. Lily told him to rest for a while and have lunch before they continued for the day. “Hey sexy”, Mason peeped outside from her office door. It's Lily she corrected What?? My name, she stated. He still looked confused, but she couldn't tell if he was shitting her or not. “My name is Lily, not sexy”, she said. “Ohh, cool” and stood in the doorway for a few seconds. “Do you need me for something”? Lily asked with an annoyed tone. Actually, yes. “Do you want to go out for lunch with me”? He asked, wiggling his lashes. No! And let's be clear, I'm not like other girls_ I'm not interested in you in any way. “Ouch”, that hurts, he said with his right hand on his chest, giggling. Well, it's just a harmless lunch, and I'll be your boss soon, so I demand you go to lunch with me. No! I'm not going to have lunch with you. "Fine. "I was trying to be nice, he said, and left to have lunch. _____ He got back to the office and had a briefing with the Finance team, and she showed him other necessary things he is supposed to know. During the afternoon briefing with Finance, he leaned close and whispered, “You always this uptight, or is it just me?” “It’s just you,” she said sweetly. “You bring out the worst in people.” He laughed like she’d complimented me. The rest of the staff avoided eye contact as the two of them locked horns from the very beginning. Emilio’s orders had been clear: Mason would be shadowing Lily every day until he got a proper understanding of the company’s operations. Apparently, the HR department thought she was the best person to whip him into shape. As the day went on, Mason cracked jokes during meetings, texted under the table, and flirted shamelessly with the receptionist—then turned right around and winked at Lily like they were partners in crime. She rolled her eyes so often, they started to hurt. _______ Later that night, Lily tossed her blazer on the back of a chair and collapsed onto her couch in a t-shirt and shorts, cereal bowl in hand. Her laptop screen glowed as she answered a video call. Her best friend, Tasha, popped onto the screen, also in pajamas, also eating cereal. “So… how was your day? Lily groaned. “Girl. He came in wearing sunglasses. Sunglasses. Inside.” Tasha burst out laughing. “Nooooo.” “He flirted with me before I even gave him the meeting agenda. Then he spent the day treating the company like his personal playground.” “But is he as fine in person as he looks in Forbes?” Lily shoved a spoonful of cereal into her mouth. “Unfortunately, yes.” Tasha grinned. “Ha! You do find him attractive.” “I find him annoying. His face just happens to be symmetrical. That’s genetics, not charm.” “Mmhmm,” Tasha teased. “Tell me more about his symmetrical face.” “I will block you.” “Relax, I’m just saying—if I was working that close to someone that hot, I’d at least pretend to flirt back. Make it interesting.” “I have self-respect,” Lily replied. “He called me ‘Professor Parker’ in a meeting because I corrected him. Said I was hot when I’m mad.” “Well,” Tasha said, sipping dramatically from her cereal bowl. “He’s not wrong.” Lily groaned. “Don’t encourage him. He’s irresponsible, unserious, and clearly hasn’t worked a day in his life.” “But he’s rich, sexy, and apparently obsessed with annoying you. That’s textbook enemies-to-lovers, bestie.” “I’ll kill you.” Tasha winked. “You’ll thank me later.” They both laughed, and Lily settled deeper into the couch, letting the cereal soothe her irritation. One day down. God knows how many more to go. But something told her this job just got a lot more complicated.