Leah's heart sank as she stood frozen.Her eyes widened in disbelief and she wished she was hallucinating and the man in front of her was someone else but no, it was definitely him.
Her gaze shifted to the golden nameplate on his desk that read "Mr. Alexander Carter." confirming her worst nightmare.
His eyes lit up with amusement upon seeing her.
"Wow, If it isn't my favorite waitress."
Leah swallowed hard, forcing herself to remain composed. "Mr Carter, I wasn't aware that this was your company."
He folded his arms, looking all smug. "Hmm, seems like someone didn't do their research."
She would've clapped back immediately on a regular day, but today she was standing in front of a man who could either make or break her so she just clenched her fist and offered a half-hearted smile. " I did my research on the company, not the man behind it."
"Okay Leah." He drawled, leaning back in his chair. "So asides being dramatic, tell me about your other traits."
Anger crept up Leah's neck but she suppressed it, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of seeing her ruffled.
"Well, I'm not interested in rehashing the past. I know I'm well qualified for this position and I'll be able to deliver whatever task is assigned to me but if you want me to leave, that's understandable, I'll do just that and pretend this never happened."
He stared at her intently, like he was assessing her. "I admire the boldness, I was expecting you to grovel."
"I never grovel."
"I can see that." He flipped and read through the file containing her information. "You're qualified for this job, I'll give you that, however, I don't feel comfortable hiring people that have once crossed me."
Leah felt a knot form in her stomach. No. She couldn't afford to lose this.
Her mother's hospital bills were piling up and she hasn't even saved a quarter of the money needed for her chemotherapy.
And then there was her little sister, Jenna, barely sixteen, who needed food, school fees, stability. They needed her and the last thing she wanted was to let them down.
She forced herself to nod. Suddenly feeling helpless."I understand, I'll leave if that's what you want."
"I never said I wanted you to." He stippled his fingers."You see, Leah, you intrigue me because you're a challenge."
"I'm not a game, Mr. Carter."
"I never said you were. Here's the deal, I'll give you the job but on my terms. Agreed?"
Leah weighed her options carefully. On one hand she could walk away and never have to deal with his arrogance. It was clear that he's a difficult person to work with anyway.
On the other hand, this was an amazing opportunity that she couldn't afford to pass on, the monthly pay was twice her annual salary as a waitress, with it, she could clear their debts, get better doctors for their mother and give her mother and Jenna the life they both deserve. Plus, a role as his personal assistant wouldn't necessarily entail being in the same space as him 24/7.
She took a deep breath and finally replied. "Deal."
"Thought as much."
Curious, She asked. "So what are your terms?"
"You'll find out when you start."
There was something uneasy about the way he said it but she decided that whatever terms he'd come up with would be worth the pay.
"Really?"
"Really, except you're going to quit on me again."
Leah shook her head. "No sir, thank you."
Alex reached into his drawer to grab a file containing some documents.
"There's your contract papers." He handed them over to her. "Now you could choose to sign it right now and start tomorrow or take it home, go through it and wait for my call. Though I must warn you that it might never come through considering how indecisive I am and you know…. our history."
Leah stared at the 86 page document in her hand and swiftly skimmed through the first 10 pages. They all contained the usual,salary agreements, responsibility, benefits and all.
She held the pen in another hand, hesitating before signing. She knew it was wiser to take it home and read it all word for word. But the job was too good and she couldn't risk him changing his mind.
With a deep breath she pressed the pen to the very last page and signed.
"Excellent." Alex murmured,he had an unreadable expression on his face that made Leah feel uneasy.
He continued, "You can leave now, you start tomorrow."
With that, she gave a polite nod and turned her heel and opened the door. She took one last look at Mr Carter, her new boss, whose eyes were still glued to her with a satisfactory smile plastered on his face, heightening her uneasiness.
************************************************
The next morning Leah arrived at her new place of work feeling determined. She had on her best corporate wear and was mentally prepared for whatever task Mr Carter had planned to frustrate her with.
As she stepped into the luxurious space,a well dressed woman with a sleek high-rise bun greeted her. "Good morning, Miss Smith, Mr.Carter is expecting you in his office."
Leah responded with a polite nod and headed straight for the office. She knocked lightly and waited for a response before stepping in.
There he was seated behind his desk with that same unreadable expression.
"Morning, Mr Carter." She said, keeping her voice professional.
"Good morning Leah, I trust you slept well."
"I did, thank you, sir."
"Great, you'd be needing a lot of rest considering the physically demanding tasks you'd be carrying out for me."
She laughed lightly."What physically demanding tasks? getting you a cup of coffee?"
The smile quickly faded from her face when she noticed the frown that appeared on his.
His gaze sharpened. "If you had actually read through your contract, you'd know that your job here extends beyond getting me a cup of coffee."
Anxiety consumed her as remembered the look on his face when she signed the contract the day before, and now he was talking about some "physically demanding tasks"?
Has she been set up? She thought.
"Could you be more specific on what task you're referring to?"
A smirk appeared on his face,the same one that pissed her off. " Ah, then, I think it's time you revisit clause 17 of your contract."
Her stomach dropped, something about the way he said it made her stomach twist.
She got out the piece of document from her bag and flipped through the pages until she got to clause 17.
Her pulse quickened as she scanned through the words, once. Twice.
"The employee acknowledges and agrees to serve as the exclusive surrogate for Mr Alexander Carter."
She looked up, horror seeping through her veins.
"Surrogate? This can't be happening." She murmured.
But it was and she had already signed.