CLAIMED BY THE COLD BILLIONAIRE

CHAPTER THREE: THE FIRST TEST

The morning Sophie woke up before her alarm went off. Her heart was beating fast in her chest. She could still feel Damien being around her, from the night. It was like her whole body was feeling it. Sophie sat down on the edge of her bed. The envelope was sitting on her nightstand. It seemed like it was staring at her. It was like the envelope was saying "go and open me again". Sophie was looking at the envelope. She was thinking about what was inside. The envelope was really bothering her because of what Damien had put inside it.

She shook her head trying to focus. Today was her test. She did not know what that meant exactly. She knew one thing: this test would be intense and she would not be allowed to falter during this test.

Sophie got dressed after she took a shower and had a cup of coffee. She wanted to look nice. Not too nice. She put on a grey skirt, a white blouse and her black high heels. Her black high heels made a sound on the floor as she walked. Sophie left her apartment and the city was busy outside. Sophie was thinking about something else. The city was really busy, below her apartment. Sophies mind was somewhere else.

When she got to Damiens office at 7 PM the doors were a bit open. There was no one, at the desk and no helpers around. The floors were really shiny. Led up to the big wooden desk she saw the night before. Damien was standing there with his arms folded looking really scary.

The man said "You are on time." He sounded calm. His words were firm. That is a thing. Being on time is important.. Being, on time is just the start.

Sophie said yes her voice was steady even though she was really nervous inside. I am ready Sophie said to herself trying to sound confident like she really meant it that she was ready, for whatever was going to happen with Sophie.

Damiens eyes got a little smaller. He said "Being ready is not always clear. We will find out if what you do is the same, as what you say."

Sophie got that exciting feeling inside her again. The test was supposed to be a thing but she could not help how her body felt when he came near her. Sophie felt the test was not the thing on her mind when he stepped closer to her. The test was what she was there, for. Sophie was thinking about the way he made her feel.

"Your first challenge is really simple to think about " Damien said, walking slowly. "You have to deal with a client who is going to be very hard to get along with. This client is someone I have already told you about. I said they will be not very nice, to you."

Sophie nodded. She said "I can handle the situation, with Sophies hands and Sophie is very sure that Sophie can do it."

He stopped in front of Sophie so close that she could feel the warmth coming from him. "You have to deal with this Sophie. You have to do a job no matter what. You can not. Hesitate.. You have to stay calm Sophie even if the client says mean things to you or tries to scare you.

She said I understand in a quiet voice. The tension was building up inside of her it was like a knot, in her stomach.

Damien looked at me for a time. He said "That is good.. You have to remember that failing is not okay, in the world I live in. You will have to deal with things that you cannot even think of now. And people will be watching how you react to these things they will be watching your reactions to the things that happen to you to see how you handle the things that Damien will put you through.

Sophie swallowed hard. ". What if I do not succeed?"

Damiens eyes got really dark. His voice became a little quieter. He said "Then you will find out what happens when you do something. The things that happen are not very nice."

The warning really scared her. She did not want to look afraid. She stood up straight. Made herself look brave. She looked him in the eye and said "I won’t fail". The warning was serious. She was determined that the warning would not get to her. She thought about the warning. She knew she had to be strong. The warning was not going to make her back down she was going to face it and she was going to say it the video game warning was not going to scare her she said it one more time "I won’t fail".

Damiens lips curled up into a smile. He said "You are talking big. Big talk is fine. Big talk without something to back it up is not good. Big talk, like that can get you into trouble."

He gave her a file. The file had all the clients details and complaints in it. There were also instructions inside the file. Sophie looked through the pages one by one taking in all the information. The client was known for being very difficult to deal with. This client was always. Tried to manipulate people. Many employees who worked with the client before Sophie did not do well. The client was a person to work with. Sophie was now, in charge of the clients case.

Damien said "go". Then he stepped back. He told them to remember that people are watching everything they do with the things they say the things they do with their hands and the things they do when they react to something. Every word, from them every gesture they make and every reaction they have is being written down by someone.

Sophie took a breath and walked toward the elevator. She was really nervous. Tried to calm down. Sophie told herself over and over: I can do this. Sophie knew she was capable. Sophie thought she could handle him. She could handle this situation.

The clients office was a nice room, in the middle of the city. It was not very big. It looked very fancy. The man was already sitting behind a desk. He was a guy and he was wearing a very nice suit. He looked up when Sophie walked in. He raised his eyebrows at Sophie. The client looked at Sophie.

He looked at the assistant and said "You are the new person who is helping us". He did not sound very nice. The new assistant had heard that people were talking about him and saying things. This man wanted to see if the new assistant was really as good as people said he was. He wanted to know if the new assistant was worth all the talk, about him.

Sophie smiled politely. "Thank you for meeting with me. I have looked at your file. I have come up with some solutions that deal with the things that are worrying you the concerns that you have."

The man laughed in a way. "You say you have prepared solutions? I hear that from everyone. Now I want to see if you can really think fast. I do not have time for people to make mistakes with my things. Let us see if you can think on your feet when it really matters, with the prepared solutions you talk about.

Sophie took a breath and then she steadied her voice. She said "I understand, sir. Lets begin with the thing we are going to do so let us start now and begin."

The next hour was really tough. The client kept interrupting Sophie he did not like her ideas. He told her so in a mean way. He sounded angry. He was talking down to her. Sophie started to feel embarrassed her face got red and her hands started to shake a bit. But she did not want to give up. She kept talking in a voice she was clear about what she wanted to say and she thought about what the client might say next so she could respond to him. The client was still being difficult but Sophie was determined to do a job and she kept going she did not let the client get to her. Sophie was ready, for whatever the client said she had thought about what he might say. She had an answer ready.

She was through when she felt her phone vibrate in her bag. Then she saw a message, from Damien that said: Keep your composure. Damien said he is watching her.

Her pulse jumped. She felt really exposed. At the same time she felt happy and excited, in a weird way. He was watching the woman. He was judging the woman. He was testing the woman.. This thought made the woman even more determined to do something.

The client leaned back in his chair by the end of the meeting. He looked really surprised. He said "I have to admit you did a job with that it was better than I thought you would do. The client thought that the person had potential the client really did the client saw that this person had potential.

Sophie let a little smile come out. She said "Thank you sir. I am glad you told me what you think of my work I appreciate your feedback."

As she walked out of the clients office her legs felt really weak. She had actually done it. She had gotten through her test with the client.. Thinking about going back, to Damiens office knowing Damien was waiting for her made her stomach feel funny. The thought of seeing Damien again was making her feel nervous. She had to go to Damiens office and face Damien.

Damien was at his office. The woman came in quietly. Damien was standing by the window. His arms were. He was looking down at the city. He was lost in thought it seemed. Damien was deep, in thought staring at the city.

The man said "well". He was asking a question but he did not turn around to look at the other person.

The woman said that she finished the assignment. She spoke in a voice. The assignment was done she said. The woman kept her voice calm when she said that the assignment was finished.

He turned around slowly his eyes looked at hers. He said "I finished it. It is really good. Not how I wanted it to be. But the thing is, it is really good."

Sophie blinked. She said "Not perfect?"

Damien stepped closer. His presence was really overpowering. He said "Being perfect is not important. What is important is being able to handle situations. You did not give up even when you felt like giving in. That is what I call strength.. Do not think that I am saying everything is okay. You have something in you. But you have to show it over and over again. Damien was looking at him with a face. Damien said that potential is not enough you have to prove it every time that is what Damien wants to see. Damien wants to see if you can really do it if you can really be strong like Damien said.

Sophie nodded. She could hardly breathe. The tension, between Sophie and the other person was really bad. It felt like a big storm was coming.

Then without any warning he leaned in a bit closer, to Sophie and his voice got really quiet. He said to Sophie ". Sophie do not forget this. Every time Sophie looks at something every time Sophie reacts to something every choice Sophie makes is being watched. Even the emotions of Sophie are something he can figure out."

Her face turned red. She felt her heartbeat go really fast. "I understand " she said in a quiet voice.

Damiens lips curved into that smile again. It was sharp. It looked dangerous. "That is good " Damien said. "We are just getting started with this."

Sophie left the office that night feeling really tired but very excited. She had dealt with her big problem and she made it through. The thought of Damien watching Sophie testing Sophie and wanting all of Sophies attention made Sophie feel something. Sophie did not know what to call it. Was it that Sophie wanted Damien? Was Sophie scared of Damien?. Was it something more something that Sophie could not understand something that pulled Sophie in and would not let go.

She knew, without a doubt, that this was only the beginning. And part of her wondered… if she could resist him at all.