Her Suspected Billionaire

Chapter 13

Evan hated making mistakes. He also hated people making mistakes because then, he’d have to correct their mistakes. But as he sat in his office looking at the spreadsheets on his computer that the Accounts department had forwarded to him, he didn’t know where the mistake he was seeing was coming from. There was a withdrawal from the company account in Switzerland that the document said had been authorized by him. There was also a transfer of over five hundred thousand dollars to a supply company that he couldn’t recall Sterling Industries ever doing business with. He had emailed Rebecca earlier in the day to ask if she had authorized the withdrawal, but she hadn’t replied him yet. He had wanted to ask his mum too, but he knew she was on vacation at Barbados and everyone knew Genevieve loved her vacation time. He’d hate to ruin it for her.

​Sighing and rubbing his temples with his fingers, he picked up his phone and rang up Alice’s office. He had begun to call her whenever he needed her rather than walk down the hallway and have her see him as he did with Grace Shell. She picked on the second ring.

“Could you ask Aaron down at Finance for the records of last month’s transactions from the company account? And oh, bring me a hot cup of coffee when you’re coming up too.”

​In less than twenty minutes, Alice walked into the office with a folder in one hand, and a saucer holding a cup of coffee in the other hand. She placed the folder on the table first and then the coffee cup directly infront of Evan.

“Thank you,” Evan said, without taking his eyes off the computer.

“Do I have anything lined up for next week? I think I may have to travel.”

“I will have to check my computer, Mr. Sterling. I don’t really…”

“You don’t know my schedules by heart, Alice?” Evan asked, his voice rising.

“Your only job in this company is to be concerned about my affairs and you have to check your computer to know about that? What if you walk into your office and your computer is broken?”

“Then I’ll check my phone…” Alice began, before realizing that was a rhetorical question. Evan was looking at her with an irritated expression on his face.

“And what if you lost your phone, Miss James? What then? We live in ignorant bliss and wake up one day and find out the company has been burnt down because the meeting I should have attended to stop it from being burnt, you didn’t tell me about it, because you didn’t remember I had it,” Evan said, speaking quicker than he usually did and slammed a fist on the table.

Alice flinched and looked at him sternly. What was going on with him today? Obviously something was bothering him and he was taking out his aggression on her. She was about to say something to defend herself but she decided not to. He didn’t look like he was done talking.

“When are the delegates from Spain coming in to discuss the Maple contract?”

“Maple contract?” Alice asked, furrowing her brow and trying to remember what that was.

Truth be told, she hadn’t checked Evan’s schedule in the past three days since after that night at First Bites. Sheila and Steven had gone to the police station with her and they’d filed a report. She had listed Clinton Clark, her former boss, as her primary suspect and the police had said they’d go over and interrogate him. Sheila had told her just yesterday night that the officers who’d interrogated Clinton had ruled him out as a suspect as he didn’t seem like someone who could carry out a perfect photoshop as the one that had scared Alice that night. She woke up scared everyday since then and had refused to touch her phone, which was now permanently on airplane mode, or her computer. She hoped that if whoever was playing her was unable to reach her, he’d put a stop to it and find someone else to bother who would make sure he ended up behind bars. Because of her newly developed phobia for her devices, she had been keeping up with Evan’s schedule through Edith. But it was apparent to her now that there was only so much Edith knew and that was going to be a problem now.

“You’re not aware of the Maple contract, Alice,” Evan said. She thought he was asking her a question and shook her head, but when she heard the tone he used, she realized it was more of a statement and bit her lip.

“I haven’t checked…” she began.

“Of course you haven’t bloody checked! So what the hell have you been f*****g doing? What do I pay you for?” Evan asked, pushing the folder she had brought from the table. It fell to the floor with a thud and the papers inside it littered around. Alice held her breath and began sliding backwards gently. She wished she hadn’t worn heels today because now her legs were shaking. Evan’s voice was really loud now and anyone walking past his office at that time would probably be able to hear what he was saying to her.

“I’m sorry,” she muttered under her breath.

“Pick up those papers.”

​She bent over, picked them up, arranged them and replaced the entire folder back on the table. Evan looked at her with what she thought was contempt and then with a wave of his hand, he dismissed her. She turned to go and then stopped.

“I’ll check your schedule now and bring a detailed report to you on everything you need to know about your schedule for next week. But please don’t yell at me again,” she said, without turning to look at him.

​Evan scoffed as she walked out and raised his eyebrows in disbelief. None of his secretaries had spoken to him that way before. He downed his coffee down in one gulp and landed the cup in the saucer so hard, he felt he’d cracked it. And then he picked up the folder Alice had brought. Whatever wasn’t adding up had to add up now. Or else he just might have to bring Genevieve home early from her vacation.