Deceiving The Billionaire

Chapter 9

MAYA

Without further thoughts, I sauntered into Mr. Barker's office. There he was, dressed elegantly in his suit as usual. But Mia was also there, seated opposite his desk.

"Good morning, Mr. Barker." I greeted with a bright smile. His brows arched slightly.

"Morning, Miss Maya. I called several times but I couldn't get through. I hope all went according to plan." He asked while Mia glared icily at me. She probably thought I failed and this was the perfect time to stand up to her. 

"Since yesterday, we haven't heard your feedback. I hope you're not going to ruin this morning with bad news." She blurted and I smiled. 

"I apologize for having put you at unease Mr. Barker. But you can be rest assured now. I got the job." I responded lucidly while I took a seat beside her. Mr. Barker wore a deep smile while she frowned but I wasn't done with her yet. 

"Wow. I'm thoroughly impressed, Miss Maya. Never for once did I doubt you." He said. "Congratulations." 

"Thank you Sir." I answered while Mia's palm slowly clenched into a fist. 

"If you don't mind, I have some important things to discuss with Mr. Barker." I feigned a superficial smile at Mia. 

"Oh… S-sure." She stuttered. "Congratulations, Miss Maya."  I smirked and her fist tightened. We both glared at each other before she exited. 

"Isn't it delightful, finally getting your revenge." Mr. Barker started with his smile retained. Once again, this man seemed to be smiling a lot around me lately. I arched my brow slightly in response.

"I understand you and Mia have some rivalry." 

"I wouldn't call it rivalry." I responded.

"Either way, I don't want a negative relationship building around you two. She's like your senior regardless, she has a lot of experience." He calmly stated. 

"I understand." I replied but deep down I knew things weren't going to work out smoothly between us. 

"So, I hope you still remember the details of this task, Miss Maya. You've only just begun, you still have a long way to go." 

"Of course. I was hoping you could give me a few pointers. At the same time, I also want to thank you for giving me this opportunity." 

His smile deepened. 

"You don't need to be too polite. It's simply our job." 

"I know. But something this big, I've never handled it before. I almost thought I'd fail. I mean who would believe I'm now the Secretary to someone like Mr. Desmond…"

"I believe." He chuckled and I did too. This was another side of him I'd never seen. 

"But you should know this. Being the Secretary wouldn't be such an easy task. You're a spy in disguise, so you have to be careful. And this kind of task isn't one someone can fulfill within a blink of an eye. 

 Although I hope within a month or two, you can pull this off. And trust me if you can," he pursed his lips. "You might not be far from a promotion."

My eyes widened for a brief moment. 

"I'll do my best. But I've been wondering," I paused. "Why me?"

Silence reigned between us for minutes, both of us holding our gazes against each other. But rather than answering, he simply smiled. 

A smile was all I got but I knew it was something more than that. Something I wasn't supposed to know until the right time. 

##

And here I was, standing before the luxurious Hunter Hotel blessed by the morning ray.  As I strode into the building, every worker I came across seemed to acknowledge me. It almost felt like Mr. Jason had spread the word. But he wasn't the one I was going to be meeting today. I was going to meet that man again. I hesitated whilst standing before his door. Last time, I was barely able to compose myself, this time I only hoped I would be better. 

I exhaled deeply before taking the bold step. I stepped into his office and I was immediately welcomed with warmth and a sweet scent. There he was, standing by his transparent wall with a glass of wine in his hand. His blonde hair was neatly packed, his white shirt had three of it buttoned unchecked giving me a glimpse of his chest. I gulped down my saliva forcing every nerve in my body to calm my racing heart. 

“Good Morning, Mr. Desmond." I greeted, clutching to my bag handle tightly. His Hazel eyes met mine, at least they were less cold than I remember. 

"Morning, Miss Maya." He smiled. "Please have a seat." He gestured while I relaxed on one of them.

"Today's going to be a busy day for both of us." He casually said as he relaxed on his swivel, his gaze focused on his laptop. 

"There will be a board meeting. We'll be discussing some few things but it's basically to introduce you as the new Secretary. I'll also be giving you a tour around. And then, there's a welcoming party for you back at the headquarters in the evening. 

Your office is also ready at the Headquarters and you'll be resuming tomorrow." 

He explained without sparing me a single glance. I had expected some kind of brief light conversation, I didn't expect him to start babbling about work immediately. 

"Alright Sir." I nodded. 

"Before we dive into work officially, I'm sure you have a question or two burning within you. Miss Maya." He finally glanced at me. 

"Yes." I answered sharply. "You told me I wasn't qualified for the job, yet the next day you hired me. I'm wondering why?" 

He smiled whilst holding my gaze as if he trying to find the right answer. 

"You were lucky." He answered, his voice almost devoid of any emotion.

I didn't even know how to react, whether to smile or not. I just kept my stern face trying to hide the slight pain I felt. 

"Any other?"

"No." I wriggled my head. 

"Jason told me you rejected the benefits that came with your job. May I know why Miss Maya?" His eyes probed me so much that I could barely look away.

"For personal reasons sir." I answered and he scoffed. 

"I'm curious but I won't pursue the matter any further." 

"Thank you Sir." I responded while my inner mind battled. I wondered what was exactly going on in his head. Definitely, he didn't just hire me because I was lucky. Not to such a vital position, there was obviously something more. 

"In any case," he pursed his lips as he extended his left hand for a handshake. 

"Congratulations, Miss Maya." I accepted his hand with a gracious smile. 

"I hope you can live up to my expectations."

I nodded. At this point, I knew I had to be careful around him. There was this constant pressure I felt around him as if he were trying to read my mind. He was also definitely good at choosing words. Eitherway, I wasn't willing to fail my task now that I already came this far. 

As we both maintained our smile, I wondered what kind of life was awaiting me at The Hunters Hotel.