The Hate In His Eyes

CHAPTERTWO:The First Test

LOGAN'S POV

“Wait…what?” Avaline asked, shocked.

Nathan shot a look of surprise at me and the other executives exchanged confused glances.

“Mr West,” the male executive started saying. “There are procedures_”

“My company,my rules, I'm hiring her. Follow the procedures with the rest of them” I gave him a look to make him stop his protest. The immediately shut up and sank back into his seat

I looked back at Avaline and she was still standing where she was,shock written all over her face. She was a wreck. A desperate little thing. Perfect. I would crush her when I'm ready.

“Effective immediately,” I added smoothly. “You start today,Miss Monroe. You know here at Westcorp,we value…. enthusiasm,and that,you're so full of it”

She opened her mouth,maybe to protest,or thank me. I didn't give her that chance as I pushed back from the table and walked out. I signalled for her to follow me. And Nathan also joined me as we headed for the elevator.

The elevator door slid shut with a hiss.

Avaline stood stiffly beside me,her scent ,rain, soap,vanilla mixed together infiltrating my senses. How I hated her.

Nathan punched the code for the executive floor. They all said nothing as the elevator started to move, tension thickening the air.

Finally, she broke the silence.

"Mr. West," she started. "I'm grateful for the opportunity—”

“Save it,” I snapped. My eyes focused on the numbers ticking upward. I didn't need her hypocrisy right now.

She understood and immediately went quiet. Nathan must be itching to ask me a lot of questions right now and he would have the time once we are both alone in my office.

The elevator stopped and the doors opened. We started walking down the gleaming corridor to a glass-walled office,my office.

Sasha Reynolds,my executive assistant rushed towards me with her heels clicking loudly against the marble floor. “Welcome back,Mr West,” She chirped.

“Thank you,Sasha. Set up a cubicle for Miss Monroe,I need the cubicle to be close to my office. She's my new employee and she reports directly to me” I said to my assistant before turning towards Avaline. “Miss Monroe,Sasha here will show you around. I will call you when I need you”

“Okay Mr West” She nodded quickly as she and Sasha walked away.

I and Nathan headed to my office. The second the doors shut behind us,Nathan pulled my arms to face him.

“Are you serious right now?” He said in a whisper.

“You can talk loud Nathan, remember the office is soundproofed” I said, pulling off my jacket and hanging it neatly.

“Hiring her? What are you thinking? I am very sure you remember who she is and what she did” Nathan said.

“Yes,Nathan. I know who she is and what she did”

“The nerve of her coming back here after all these years asking for a job. I'm sure she's up to something Logan. That look of innocence in her face is just a facade,trust me I've dealt with criminals enough to know that” Nathan continued.

“I know what I'm doing. I'm going to make her stay here a living hell. She's going to regret the day she ever set her foot into Westcorp. What I experienced,she's going to experience worse”

“Or you could just hand her over to the police” Nathan suggested.

“No. She's mine to torture”

Nathan shook his head, frustrated.

“Logan. She comes here after two years,are you sure she's not scheming something? I think you're playing with fire”

“Maybe,but that's the fun part. And about her scheming something, she's going to be too busy to even have time for whatever she's scheming” I said, straightening my cuffs and taking my seat at the head of the table.

Nathan muttered under his breath but didn't press further. He knew better not to argue with me when I got like this. What happened two years ago, I hadn’t forgotten. I never would. In Fact I remember day after day and what I would do to her if I finally set my eyes on her. And here she was, exactly where I wanted her to be.

I reached for the intercom and pressed it,Sasha’s voice came on.

“Mr West?” She inquired.

“Send Miss Monroe in,” I said.

“Okay sir”

A minute later Avaline slipped into my office. She looked stressed. I was sure she hadn't thought she would be getting the job immediately.

“Are you done setting up your cubicle?” I asked.

“Not yet. I'm still_”

“Actually. I don't care” I cut her off.

I stood slowly,walking around the desk until I was directly in front of her.

“Avaline,” I started calling her by her first name. “Are you ready to prove your worth to me?” I asked.

“Yes,Mr West” she said, her voice almost trembling.

“Good” I smiled. "Your first assignment is actually very simple. Organize the quarterly financial reports of Westcorp the last five years. I want them summarized,categorized and referenced against market projections. On my desk in two hours."

Her mouth opened in shock. “Two hours?” She asked.

“Is there a problem with that,Miss Monroe?” I asked.

“N..no” she stammered. “Of course not”

“Great. Get to it then”

She rushed out of my office to the workstation. I watched her as she fumbled with files and met with other people there. She was shunned by most of the workers she approached since they were all busy with their own work. Nathan leaned across the wall and let out a small chuckle.

“This is cruel. She can't be done in two hours,hell she can't be done in two days” Nathan said.

“I know. That's the whole point” I answered him.

I picked up a file absentmindedly,flipping through it as I continued to steal glances at Avaline from behind the glass walls. She was frantic and very desperate to prove herself. Scared even. I wanted her to be like that.

Nathan’s phone rang and he picked it,talking to the person at the end of the line for almost ten minutes.

“That was Mr Matsumoto,your Japanese investor” Nathan started after he ended the call.

“What does he want?” I asked.

“He wants you to fire Avaline”