A Deal With Mr Kane

Francis Ford

Alessia's POV

The moment I dropped my phone, panic set in. He had said only a few words, but those few words meant that in a few minutes I would be at Kate Capital. For real!

Shit! s**t! s**t!

A job at Kane Capital sounded like a dream come true when I was seated across from Sebastian Kane and agreed to his ridiculous but pocket_filling proposal. Now that I was standing in the middle of my tiny apartment with less than an hour or two before I was expected to leave, all I could think of was the fact that I had absolutely nothing to wear.

What did `'soon' mean? Thirty minutes? An hour? Two hours?

Oh goodness! I was a few screams away from losing my s**t.

"What do people even wear to companies like Kane Capital?" I groaned, opening my wardrobe for what felt like the tenth time.

I mean I had gone for countless interviews, alright, but none of those companies were on Kane Capital's level. People who worked at Kane Capital dressed and behaved like they were from a different planet and honestly, I understood them.

I would do the same if I worked for the richest man in the country.

Kate was already kneeling on the floor beside my bed, tossing clothes onto the mattress one after another. She looked just as determined as I was, which was both comforting and terrifying.

"Definitely not this," she said, throwing one of my dresses over her shoulder. A second later, she picked up another outfit and made a face. "And definitely not this."

I crossed my arms and stared at the growing pile of rejected clothes. "I hate to break it to you, Kate, but that's basically my entire wardrobe. I don't think we'll ever find what we're looking for in there."

She paused and slowly turned towards me, her face filled with disbelief. "Oh my f*****g goodness!" She exclaimed.

"What?" I asked, biting my fingers.

"You don't own a single proper outfit!" She said as if it wasn't the most obvious thing in the world. We wouldn't be having this confusion if I did.

"Yeah. No s**t, Sherlock." I dropped backward onto the bed and groaned loudly. "Great! I finally get a real office job and I'm going to show up looking like a waitress."

After gazing at the ceiling for almost two minutes, Kate suddenly gasped and jumped to her feet. "Hold on! I think I have something."

Before I could ask what she meant, she sprinted into her side of the room and started digging through her wardrobe like a woman possessed. Several hangers crashed to the floor, her clothes starting to pile up. Finally, she let out a victorious scream.

She marched back toward me holding a fitted red corporate dress. The dress was elegant without being boring. It wasn't flashy enough to look inappropriate for an office, but it wasn't plain either.

Kate held it against my body and immediately nodded. "Yep!," she declared. "This is the one."

I looked at myself in the mirror and then glanced at the dress. "You think so"

"I f*****g know so." She grinned. "Now, get your ass into that shower and start eating dressed before the car gets here."

For the first time since Sebastian's proposal, excitement started replacing my nervousness. "You're a lifesaver."

"I know." She flipped her hair dramatically. "What would you do without me?"

Giggling like a ten-year-old, I grabbed a towel and headed for the bathroom. Ten minutes later, I stepped out freshly showered, applied the essentials, and slipped into the dress.

Kate was so right.

The moment the fabric settled against my body, I understood why Kate had looked so confident.

The dress was a perfect fit.

It hugged my figure without looking inappropriate and somehow made me look more confident, and far more professional than I actually felt.

"Wow," I whispered.

Kate looked up from her phone and nearly dropped it. "Oh, you're definitely getting promoted."

"I haven't even started yet, Kate." I laughed and she rolled her eyes.

"Exactly. Imagine what happens when they see you!"

I rolled my eyes but couldn't stop smiling. "Nobody promotes because of a dress, Kate."

After finishing my makeup, I gathered my hair into a sleek low ponytail. The look was simple, professional, and honestly better than anything I had ever worn before.

Just as I was adding the final touch to my lipstick, my phone buzzed. I checked and saw that it was a message from Mr Kane.

[The driver has arrived.]

"You're ready," Kate said from behind me, peeking at my phone. Then, she ran to her wardrobe again and fetched a pair of black stiletto heels and a purse to complete the look.

I stood and turned slowly. "What do you think?"

Kate stared at me for several seconds. "I think if I looked like you, I'd never shut up about it."

I burst out laughing. Before I could respond, she suddenly disappeared into her room and returned carrying a perfume bottle.

"What are you doing?" I asked and she sprayed the perfume around me without answering.

The scent immediately filled the room. It smelled expensive.

Very expensive.

"Kate!"

"What?" she asked innocently. "Zach bought it for our anniversary."

I shook my head. "You know that perfume costs more than our rent."

"Exactly," she replied. "We can't have you looking smoking hot in a professional way and still smelling like cheap perfume."

I laughed so hard my eyes watered. "You are ridiculous."

For a moment, we simply looked at each other. Then I stepped forward and hugged her tightly.

"Thank you."

Her arms wrapped around me immediately. "You deserve this, Alessia."

The sincerity in her voice made my chest tighten.

"No one works harder than you do. If anyone deserves a break, it's you."

I swallowed the lump forming in my throat. "Thank you."

A few minutes later, we headed downstairs together.

The apartment building looked just as shabby as always, but for once, it didn't bother me. Everything felt different today.

The moment we stepped outside, both of us stopped. I was sure we both had the same look of utter shock on our faces as we stared at the 'car' Mr Kane had sent.

A f*****g Rolls-Royce Phantom!

The car looked so expensive that it practically screamed wealth. Several people nearby were openly staring at it. A few had even stopped walking.

Kate grabbed my arm, her eyes wide. "Oh my God."

I nodded slowly. "Oh my God."

The rear door opened and a man dressed in an expensive-looking black suit stepped out. He looked to be in his late twenties and carried himself with effortless confidence, almost similar to that of Mr Kane.

The man approached us with a polite smile. "Miss Lopez?"

"Yes."

He extended his hand. "My name is Francis, Mr Kane's personal assistant. I am here to pick you up."

I shook his hand. "It's nice to meet you, Francis."

"The pleasure is mine."

As I turned to say goodbye to Kate, I noticed a ridiculous smile spreading across her face. "Oh no."

She leaned closer.

"What?" I asked, my brain already telling me that she was having stupid ideas.

"His assistant is hot."

I stared at her. "Kate."

"What?"

"You have a boyfriend."

She waved dismissively. "I'm looking respectfully. I didn't say I was in love with him."

"Goodbye, Kate." She hugged me one final time before stepping back.

"Go get them, Alessia."

With one last wave, I climbed into the car.

A few seconds later, Francis joined me in the back seat and the driver pulled away from the curb.

The ride started quietly.

Francis was focused entirely on the tablet resting on his lap. His fingers moved rapidly across the screen while emails and documents flashed past.

I lasted nearly ten minutes before curiosity got the better of me.

"So..."

He glanced up.

"So?"

I shifted slightly in my seat. "What's it like working for Sebastian Kane?" I asked and a small smile appeared on his face.

"Interesting question."

I hesitated. "I just thought it would be helpful to know what I'm walking into."

His smile widened slightly.

"Miss Lopez, you don't have to pretend around me."

I blinked. "What do you mean?"

"I know why you're being hired."

My eyes widened. "You do?" I asked and he nodded.

"I'm Sebastian's executive assistant. I know almost everything happening in his life." Then he chuckled.

I groaned softly. "So everybody knows."

"Not everybody." His expression became serious.

"I'm probably the most secretive person you'll ever meet. Perks of working for the richest man in the city."

I relaxed slightly. "That's reassuring."

"It should be."

For the first time since entering the car, I felt myself beginning to relax. If Sebastian's assistant were this easy to talk to, maybe this whole arrangement wouldn't be as awful as I feared.

After a few moments, another thought occurred to me. "How much longer until we get to Kane Capital?"

Francis frowned. "Kane Capital?"

I nodded. "Isn't that where we're going?"

His confusion deepened. Then he slowly shook his head.

"No."

A strange feeling settled in my stomach.

"No?"

"We aren't going to Kane Capital."

I stared at him, now confused. "Then where are we going?"

Francis looked up from his tablet and smiled politely.

"Mr Kane's private residence."