Tia
I stared at him, my mind reeling from his audacity. "Be your wife?" I repeated, my voice trembling with rage. Like… for real, how could he even suggest such a thing? Wasn't he the same person I just poured my heart out to about how my marriage just ended with betrayal, and now he was proposing marriage like it was some kind of solution. "Are you kidding me?" I spat, my anger boiling over. "You think I'd even consider marrying a stranger after what I've just been through?" I asked, still trying to imagine his words. His nerves were unbelievable.
His looks were unreadable as he spoke. "Do I seem like a stranger to you?" he countered, his eyes not wavering. "I thought we just shared a moment, and I know what I want."
A bitter laughter escaped my lips. "You know what you want? You think you can just swoop in and fix everything with a marriage proposal?" I demanded, harshly. The absurdity of his words was just unrealistic.
"That's not what I'm saying," he said as his voice suddenly became low and even.
"Then what are you saying?" I inquired, my voice rising. "Because from where I'm standing, it sounds like you're crazy."
He threw his head away as he spoke. "You're misunderstanding something, dear," he relayed and fixed his eyes to nothing in particular. "I'm not forcing you to go against your will. I'm only saying that I see something in you that no one else seems to. And I want to be the one to help you heal, to be there for you."
At that moment, his words nearly caught me off guard yet, I was quick. "You don't even know me," I whispered, trying to match the tone.
"Maybe that's what I want," he cooed. "To get to know you, to be the one you turn to."
I scoffed at his audacity. "You're out of your mind," I spat. "I don't know what kind of woman you're used to dealing with, but I'm not some cheap pickup you can proposition and expect me to fall at your feet."
His expression didn't change, "That's not what I meant."
But I wasn't having it. "Save it," I snapped, cutting him off. "I don't want to hear your lies. You're just a pervert who thinks he can take advantage of a woman who's down on her luck."
I saw his face twisted but that was none of my business. If he was in his right senses, he wouldn't have mentioned the most devastating word that has almost ruined me.
I raised myself instantly from the pavement and almost staggered but quickly maintained a composure while holding my hand high to stop him from touching me.
Sharing one of my deadly glances, I walked away.
I stormed down the hallway to my office as I began to curse myself for being so reckless, putting myself in a situation where I could have been hurt. And for what? So some stranger could try to take advantage of me? Like… Why must I have to go through a whole bunch of bad luck so accordingly? Was there no rest for me in life? How frustrating and devastating to think I would accept a total stranger to be my husband when I don't know a dime about him. He must be joking.
I pushed open the door to my office, slamming it shut behind me. I leaned against the door, my chest heaving with exertion. How could I have been so stupid? I thought, berating myself.
I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. I couldn't let some stranger's actions affect me like this. I had work to do, and I needed to focus.
A knock suddenly came on my office door, and I quickly relieved myself by placing a smile on my face as my assistant entered.
"I didn't see you at the office or in the cafeteria, so I decided to get something for you to eat," Didi relayed, holding out a bag with a delicious aroma wafting from it.
My stomach growled in response, and I realized I hadn't eaten anything all day, just drank beer. Oh yes, beer!
"You look a bit flushed. Are you okay?" she asked, setting the bag down on my desk.
I hesitated, hoping I wasn't caught. "Yeah, I'm fine," I said, trying to brush it off. "But I think I might have had a bit too much to drink earlier."
"Beer, huh?" she asked, her voice low.
I nodded, embarrassed, feeling as my face grew even hotter. "Do I smell?" I asked, mortified.
Didi chuckled. "Not much, though," she said with a grin.
I groaned, laughing despite myself. "Thanks for the reassurance, Didi," I said, shaking my head. "Excuse me then, Didi, I think I need to run to the toilet real quick," I countered and hurried into the back door in my office.
"Take your time." I heard her scream after me.
I got into the toilet and took my brush instantly to clean up. I made sure I couldn't even smell myself before coming out of the toilet. There was no room for embarrassment. Plus, how would I explain to people that I was drinking during office hours.
I returned back to my office only to find Didi still waiting for me. "Is everything okay?" I asked, noticing the serious look on her face.
"The CEO has called for another urgent general meeting," she replied, her voice crisp and professional.
"Meeting?" I inquired and she nodded. "Do you know what it's about?" I asked, concerned. "I thought the first meeting was perfect."
Didi shook her head. "I'm also lost, Tia. I don't have any info on the agenda. But the CEO said it's urgent, so I think we should head there immediately."
I nodded, "Okay, thank you for letting me know. Go and prepare, we'll go together."
With a quick nod, Didi turned and headed out of my office while I grabbed a sandwich from the bag and took a bite as I began to prepare myself.
Amidst, I couldn't help but think of the CEO. Who could he be? What would he look like? No one would tell 'cause the only time we heard about him was when he bought our company, and for months he has been aloof, while running the company smoothly.
It made me wonder what he was up to after calling for a meeting earlier that morning and still wanted to hold another. So confusing.
I ignored my thoughts and quickly redo my hair, making sure I was looking good again. Then, gathering my files, I went outside and my assistant took them from me as we headed to the conference room.
Almost immediately we got to the conference room as his arrival was announced, and as he walked in, we settled into our various seats and that was when I noticed Jade also trying to take his seat. "What the…? Why was he here? I thought Didi said he wasn't at work today."
Our eyes connected and my legs shook for some moments. At that very point, I wished I could run over to him, to cause a scene but I knew it was wrong so I decided to relax.
Getting at him now wouldn't make things right so I decided to focus on what we were there for but just as I shifted my face back to see the CEO that had just entered, I suddenly locked gaze with the man from the rooftop.
"CEO Axel. Here's the file you requested for."
"CEO, what?" I asked in awe as my eyes shone out in bewilderment.