3. Jane

Meeting William's mother was not what I expected it to be. Unlike William, Kiara—as she insisted I call her—radiated warmth, kindness, and compassion. She spoke to me for a while before she left, leaving a trail of expensive-smelling perfume in her wake.

The woman exuded a level of class that I had never encountered and I'd worked with several rich people when I worked at Bella's Elite. What Kiara possessed went beyond money. It was intrinsic and it radiated out of her in spades. I found myself admiring her even though I'd only spoken to her for a few minutes.

I took my mind away from Kiara so I could focus on the job before me. I was trying to quickly organize William's calendar so I could move on to more important things. Things like investigating what truly went down at Bella's Elite. I didn't steal, but clearly someone had and for some reason, Mirabel thought that someone was me. To prove my innocence I would need to catch the real thief first, but that was proving to be a lot more difficult than I expected.

I was close to most of my former coworkers and none of them seemed like thieves to me, but maybe I was just biased. I needed to remove my sentimental attachment to them so I could analyze the situation better.

I opened my journal, giving up on my attempt to organize William's calendar and focusing on my investigation. That man had more meetings than the president himself. I had no idea how his last assistant was able to handle everything. Maybe because she didn't have a complicated mystery to unravel. I hoped that solving mine would take me away from William and his long lists of meetings.

If I found the real thief then Mirabel would be forced to take me back and she would feel incredibly guilty about accusing me wrongly. So guilty that she would give me the senior editor role that I deserved. I worked hard for that position and it was unfair that I lost my chance because I was wrongfully accused.

"Jane!"

William's loud voice brought me out of my thoughts. I looked up at him. He was so tall. He towered over me where I sat in my chair. Looking up almost hurt my neck. "You didn't have to shout."

"I did, because that was the third time I called you."

"Oh."

He sighed. "I need a cup of coffee."

I nodded and stood up. Coffee runs were something I did often as Mirabel's assistant. "Sure thing."

There was a cafe nearby that I'd started going to for my morning coffee. I also got one for William even though that wasn't in my job description. I was used to doing it so I did it anyway. I made an assumption about how he takes his coffee and I was right. Black, no sugar.

I'd already brought him a cup today but I guess he needed something to give him an extra buzz. I returned to the office less than half an hour later. I knocked on William's door and waited.

"Come in," he called from the other side.

I pushed the door open and walked in. As I approached him, my mind drifted back to the last time I brought coffee for Mirabel. How I'd excitedly dropped it on her desk, thinking that was what she would drink before she told me the good news about my promotion. I couldn't have been more wrong.

My perfect day lasted for all of three hours before my world came crashing down around me. My chest ached every time I thought about what happened. I missed my old job. Not that Mirabel was a particularly great boss. But at least, over there I was doing what I loved, even if it was from a distance. I didn't necessarily contribute to the articles released by Bella's Elite but at least I was in the room when those articles were discussed. That counted for something. It made me feel like I was on the right path. Like I had direction and purpose.

Now, I just felt… lost. I had no idea life could—

My thoughts were cut short when I banged my leg against the side of William's table. I yelped and my hands lunged forward, dumping the cup and all its contents onto William. The hot coffee landed on his chest, soaking his chest and likely burning his skin. He rose from his seat at a speed that had me moving back.

"I'm so sorry," I said as I approached him again. My gaze ran over his coffee-stained white shirt. It was unsalvageable but that didn't stop me from trying. I grabbed the handkerchief on his desk. It was pointless and I knew that but I wiped it anyway. I was desperate to get the stain out. I couldn't bring myself to meet his eyes until the stain was gone. William still hadn't said anything but I knew he was fuming. I could tell from the rapid rise and fall of his broad chest. His breathing had also become more labored. It was like he was holding something back. His anger, I assumed.

The stain got worse but I was undeterred. It had to come out. It just had to. I'd already made so many mistakes here. I didn't want to add this to the list. I failed at my old job, I couldn't fail here too. What kind of person would that make me?

My scrubbing became more frantic as desperation flooded me. I didn't stop until William's hand wrapped around my wrist. I looked up at him and for a brief moment, I could have sworn I saw concern in his eyes. It disappeared and he glared at me.

"You're only making it worse. I have a meeting in half an hour so I'm going to need a new shirt. There's a store down the road. Use my credit card and get me a new one."

He'd given his instructions and I was ready to act on them but something held me back. The grip of his hand around my wrist. He still hadn't let go. I met his eyes again. This time there was no concern or anger. It was something else, something I'd never seen in him before.

His gaze dropped to my lips. I sucked in a breath of anticipation, not really sure what I was expecting. William would never kiss me. He hated me. Just as much - if not more - than I hated him. That was the only relationship we had. One built on mutual contempt.

William's eyes stayed trained on my lips but he released my wrist. And after what felt like an eternity but was only mere seconds, he pulled away. I stumbled backward, suddenly unable to remain balanced without his support.

What was wrong with me?

"Right, I… I will…I'll go get you a new shirt."

Had my brain turned to mush in the last few minutes? Why on earth was I struggling to string a simple sentence together?

William nodded in response. He handed me his credit card and I darted out of his office. My legs carried me to the store but my mind remained in that office. I couldn't get that moment out of my head. Was William really going to kiss me?

No. Definitely not. He would never do that.

When I got to the store, I realized that I didn't know his size. It was super awkward having to explain the situation to the store clerk but she was pretty nice about it. She asked if I had any pictures of him and I said yes. I showed them to her.

The pictures were from Ryan's birthday party last year. It was the last place I had seen William before I started working at his company. It was also where the infamous cake incident took place. I'd tripped and my slice of cake landed on William's suit jacket. It was an accident but he acted like I was some vindictive psycho who had been biding my time, waiting for the perfect moment to smear his lovely Armani with my cake.

Like I'd waste cake on something so pointless.

William was loaded. I knew that. He had enough money to buy several more suits and my entire closet twice. Not that there was anything expensive in my closet but you get the point. I loved red velvet cake. I would not waste it on him.

The memory of the cake incident was enough to kill whatever had been brewing in my mind after what happened earlier. And when I returned to his office, it was well and truly dead.

"That took forever. My meeting is in five minutes," William said rudely as I walked in.

I was going to respond but the words died on my lips when he took his shirt off. It was such a quick action. I didn't have time to respond. Next thing I knew I was staring at his exposed chest. My gaze lingered on his broad shoulders, hard nipples, and taut abdomen. I could feel my face heating up and I cursed myself for that.

William noticed my blush and smirked. He walked over to me and my eyes widened.

"What are you doing?" I asked. I backed away as he approached me until my back hit the wall and he was inches away from me. William reached down and grabbed the bag from my hand.

"My meeting is in five minutes, remember?"

He threw the shirt on and buttoned it up. All the while, I just stood there, watching as his chest disappeared beneath the fabric. I was certain my face was as bright as a ripe tomato by now. I needed to get out of here.

"I'll get going then."

I turned and walked out of his office before he could respond. I didn't need William Aldaine making fun of my current tomato state.

"So what's it like?" Ryan asked as he tossed his drink back. He placed the half-empty glass back on the table and faced me, waiting for an answer.

I knew what he was asking about but I didn't know what to say. What was it like working for William?

It was… Infuriating? Confusing? Overwhelming? Probably all three. I sighed as I gulped my own drink. Ryan and I sat in a bar drinking mocktails since neither of us could get drunk. We both had to be back at work tomorrow. But at least this way we could feel like we were drinking and that helped to unwind. It helped me forget about the annoying shirtless man who had been plaguing my thoughts all week.

It had been three days since I saw William half-naked, and that was all I could think about. I was worried he'd show up in my dreams one of these days. I shuddered at the thought.

"She hates it, I'm sure," Skylar said with a laugh. Here eyes twinkled with mischief. She knew how I felt about William. She'd always known.

She sat beside Ryan while I sat opposite them. Her blonde hair fell back as she took a sip of her strawberry mocktail.

Skylar knew how much hated William. I'd been telling her about my mortal enemy since the first day I met her eight years ago. We met at a supermarket and hit it off instantly. Well… not instantly. We bonded over our love for pickles, of all things. There was one jar left and we both lunged for it like mad women. There were other brands on the shelf but we wanted that specific one.

It started as a fight but I ended up buying and we ended up eating it in my apartment. And just like that, she became the closest person to me aside from my brother. I'd always been wary of letting people in. Not because I'd been betrayed in the past but because my brother has always been all I had. But with Skylar things just flowed naturally. It felt like she was my platonic soulmate. Like the missing piece, I was always meant to find.

I smile at her. "You know me so well."

"It can"t be that bad," Ryan said as he rolled his eyes. "William is a great guy."

"Easy for you to say you're not the one doing his coffee runs." The word ‘coffee' took my mind back to the moment when I'd spilled it over William's shirt. I remembered the look in his eyes and how those eyes caressed my lips. I shook my head. "Working with him is unpleasant, to say the least."

I was ready for a subject change so I turned to Skylar. "How are things at Bella's Elite?"

A rueful look crossed her face and I shook my head. I never wanted Skylar to feel like she couldn't talk about work with me. She wasn't at fault for what happened. We were still friends and I would always be here for her to vent to.

I knew all that but that didn't stop the pang of pain that slid up my chest as I listened to her speak about my old job. Skylar was now Mirabel"s full-time assistant. She had my job. I swallowed and smiled.

Despite my pain, I was going to support her through everything. What were best friends for?