~
Jordan walked down the stairs with his mother following closely, looking upset.
The woman, in her fifties, looked young and still very pretty, with glowing skin that made one think she was in her early thirties.
"For heaven's sake, can we just forget about this issue? I'm tired of hearing the same thing every day," Jordan said, getting worked up.
"We are not forgetting about it! How can you ask me to forget? Why do you deny this every time I bring it up? Why don't you try to work something out with her? You will be thirty very soon. You need an heir, and to make that happen, you need a wife to bear you a child," his mother responded.
"Okay, fine. I get it. I will get married," Jordan said, resigned, just so she would let him leave.
"That has been your answer for more than a year now! Still, none of the girls I've introduced to you are good enough. You always have something to complain about," Jordan sighed.
He knew that once she started talking about his marriage, there would be no end to it.
The same topic had been the point of argument for years.
Jordan had a girlfriend in the past named Alive, but she died a painful death as a result of being raped by men who had kidnapped her years ago.
Jordan had been like a shadow of himself then, and it looked like he wouldn't survive the pain.
Fortunately, he did, burying himself in his designs and staying home all day when he wasn't working.
His mother had been concerned about his sudden behavior and tried to convince him to go on countless dates so he could find another girl to love and marry, but none of that had worked.
"Jordan, I am your mother, and you know I always mean well for you. After your father's death, you are the only one I have, and those people are looking for every opportunity to take over your position as CEO. Why don't you try to work things out with Tina again and see if it works?"
Here we go again, the same old story, Jordan sighed, knowing he wouldn't get out of this without satisfying her.
"Fine, Mom. Fine. Arrange another date for me, and I promise it will be the last time. But definitely not Tina. I really need to get back to the office right now," he said and quickly left the house before his mother could continue.
Jordan entered his car and handed some documents to his assistant, Lamar, who took them and placed them on the seat next to him.
Jordan rested his head on the car seat as Lamar started driving to the company.
"Why didn't you tell me my mum was at the house?"
"She asked me not to tell you," Lamar answered.
"Who is your boss between me and my mother?" he asked, facing him.
"Both of you," Lamar answered, concentrating on driving.
Jordan felt like smacking the back of his head but restrained himself.
"Okay then, I guess you've gotten another job somewhere else," he said.
Lamar continued driving silently until they reached their destination.
At the company, Jordan headed straight to his office with Lamar following closely behind.
Ashley Morris, his secretary, stood up immediately when she saw him and greeted him warmly.
Jordan nodded to acknowledge her.
Lamar, behind him, handed over the file Jordan had given him earlier to her.
Jordan entered his office, and before Lamar could go in with him, Ashley stopped him. She had been his secretary for more than three years now, and it would be four years in a few days.
Without a doubt, Ashley was one of the many girls chasing after him, but she had managed to conceal her feelings perfectly, stay by his side, and demonstrate her potential as a woman fit to be his wife and the chairwoman of his empire.
"Did something happen?" she whispered.
"Don't mind it. Just do your work," Lamar whispered back.
She dropped the file he had given her on her desk, picked up another file, and entered his office with Lamar.
Ashley cleared her throat to get his attention, and Jordan looked at her as a sign for her to speak.
"Just like you asked, we canceled our contract with Miss Helen, and we've already picked a few celebrities suitable to be our brand's model," she reported.
"Let me see their profiles," he said.
Ashley handed him the files in her hand.
"These three are the most suitable. All their information is here."
"So who do you think is the best?" he asked, closing the file.
"Miss June. She is very popular and has a good reputation for gentleness, but Miss Tina is also among them. Her father insists that we use her," she said, silently hoping he wouldn't choose Tina.
Jordan remained quiet as he read the information of the remaining two, leaving Tina's file aside, which put a smile on Ashley's face.
The dress and jewelry were his latest designs, and he wanted to select the perfect model for them.
"This one," he said, pointing to Lena's profile.
Ashely frowned, surprised he would pick her.
She only left her file because she had no power to remove it from the list.
"But sir..." She tried to convince Jordan but he dismiss her
You are excused,"
Ashley picked up the files and walked out of his office, unsatisfied but still happy.
She had thought he would choose Tina, but he hadn't even looked at her profile twice before putting it aside.
She sat back, feeling satisfied.
Now that she had confirmed her boss is not in any relationship with Tina, nor had any strings attached, she felt assured she was the only woman around him.
For the past four years as his secretary, apart from Tina, she is the only woman he allowed close to him.
"Ashley, Miss Tina's assistant just contacted us about the proposal for the model ambassador they submitted," Debbie, her assistant, said, drawing her attention back from her daydream.
"Yes, tell them we will cooperate next time," she said with a bright smile.
"Okay," Debbie said, returning to her seat.