June sat at a long dining table with Liam Fernando for breakfast the next day.
She was dressed and ready to take on anything presented for the day. The servants served the dishes and they ate silently. Liam never spared her a glance as he ate his food while June picked her meal, watching him intently.
“I could order a new dish if the food is not to your taste,” Liam said without looking up, having noticed the fullness of her plate.
“The food is lovely, thanks,” June responded with a kind smile and continued with her food. This time, she made an effort to clean the plate.
After the meal, the plates were taken, and June stood up, ready to begin her day. “You have yet to speak to me regarding the day. I intend to begin my job as quickly as possible.”
Liam’s eyes flickered towards her and she felt a pressure in her chest. This man had intense eyes, coupled with his flawless good looks, his entire persona was lethal to any functional woman.
Good thing she was sworn off men. Regardless of how delicious they looked.
“We will be visiting the site today,” Liam said after a moment. “It’s going to be a large hike.” He informed, giving her outfit a once over.
June wore a white shirt tucked into a black pleated skirt and decent heels. She looked professional to the core and Liam awaited her decision. She cleared her throat.
“I will be fine.” She managed to speak. “We should get going.”
A smirk appeared on his face at her stubbornness. He wondered how long she would last and looked forward to testing her limits. “After you.” He muttered, pointing towards the door.
June swallowed and took a step forward. Each step towards the door was laced with thoughts on whether to return to her room and pick a pair of boots or just wing things.
She settled with the heels, determined to scale through and prove her efficiency. It was only the first day. What could go wrong?
Everything was going wrong.
June and Liam had been on the resort site for four hours. It was a virgin land. While they navigated the area, Liam explained his vision for the resort, they hiked around the large mass of land that ran for thousands of acres.
They were barely scratching the surface of the entire land mass and her heels were a mess. Her feet hurt from having to walk in heels on the rough path and she was ready to call it a day and soak her feet in warm water for the rest of the day.
“Would you like to take a break?” Liam asked after a while, watching her with a peculiar look.
June put on a stringent smile. “Of course not! We have barely looked through the entire place, we should cover more land.”
Liam smiled, liking her persistence. “If you say so. We will go through that end and then call it a day.”
June nodded and in a show of good sports. This time, she took the lead, holding her jotter in hand and penning down the vision, took pictures of the place and even drew sketches of what she envisioned.
They continued their hike until June hit a stone and nearly came tumbling down. Thankfully, Liam was right in time to catch her from falling. “Careful.” He blinked. “You might hurt yourself.”
June swallowed at the sight of him so close and she felt a sudden dose of hiccups. “Let’s get you out of here,” Liam said and led them out of the area while she held on to him for her dear life.
It was the first time she had been carried by a man who was not her husband. The ride brought unpleasant feelings which she suppressed as she hated to walk in the killer’s heels.
Soon enough, an ATV was driven to them and June was placed on the vehicle while Liam gave orders. “Get the workers prepared. We will be stopping by.” He said to a security detail who was quick to carry out his orders.
June frowned when he stepped into the sterling and asked, “Are we leaving them here?”
“They will find their way. we have a long day ahead of us.” Liam said in a strict tone, unappreciative of her probing. Together, they drove out of the lands silently until they could see some part of civilisation.
“You know, we could have gone a lot faster if we used this to begin with,” June said, referring to the ATV. “Three hours with this would have fetched more results than three hours on foot.”
Liam smirked. “How then am I supposed to test your tenacity?”
“!!!”
“Do not move,” Liam ordered and stepped out of the machine. “I’ll be right back.”
June pursed her lips at the order but stayed put. She wasn’t willing to risk her life by getting back on her feet with these killer heels. She appreciated every time she had stayed off her feet and detested when she would inevitably return to work.
Liam returned with a security who held a gift bag and an empty large bowl. He handed over the gift bag to Liam with a bow and took it to the side of the building to fill the bowl with water.
“What are you doing?” June asked when Liam got on his knees and unlaced her shoe straps.
“I can’t tell if I love or hate your stubbornness,”
June felt offended and pulled her feet from his hands. “I am not stubborn!” She reiterated.
Liam smirked. “Cute.” He grabbed her feet and continued his work like he didn’t just make her blush by saying the most random thing.
The security returned with a bowl of warm water and placed it on the ground. June watched in shock as Liam soaked her feet into the water. The relief was instant and she felt her soreness disappear.
“Thank you…” She muttered, almost swayed by his action.
“A woman’s feet is her pride.” He muttered, “No more hurting your feet.” He reprimanded as he pulled a pair of sneakers from the gift bag.
June was shocked by the gesture. She skipped a beat as she watched the delicious man wipe her feet with his handkerchief and guide her feet into the sneakers. It felt so cosy and comfortable, a haven compared to what she wore through out the day.
“Thank you…” She said, suddenly feeling shy.
“We have one more meeting before we call it a day. The workers are assembled.” He held out his hand. “Shall we?”
June took his hand and a sizzling feeling emanated between them. One they both ignored as he led her into the building marked with the name, Fernando. June entered the building and soon found it was a warehouse.
A lot of cartons were stockpiled on each other and the place was noisy with operations. As soon as they stepped in, it turned silent and the people filed out.
Liam took the lead. “Thank you for your dedication to making our company the best it can be,” He said. “As you all know, the resort project would be kicking off in earnest. We have contracted the best designer from South City who will be working around here for the next few months.”
“June Rivera would be around much more often moving forward. I expect a great working environment as she carries out her duties.” Liam spoke with a cryptic look. “Everyone is expected to be vigilant and aware of her presence. I will not tolerate any mishaps. Is that clear?”
June found it difficult to understand what he was getting at but she stood with a smile. “Yes sir.” They all chorused.
“Then we are clear-”
Liam was still speaking when she sighted a familiar face in the crowd. She blinked and suddenly the lady was gone. A gut feeling brewed in her stomach and anxiety built within her.
“You are to ensure that our guest is treated with utmost respect and-”
Just when June was ready to call it a hallucination, she felt a presence by the left side and turned just in time to see a gun pointed towards Liam. Before she could speak, June reacted on instinct and pushed Liam to the floor. ‘
Liam was momentarily stunned but quick to catch the back of a fleeing woman. Not to mention the cold bullet that fell to the ground beside him – It was an assassination attempt!
His brows flared as he shouted, “Catch that woman!”
The entire hall fled in disarray as everyone tried to pursue the woman who dared to kill Liam. The woman in question ran into the large warehouse, hiding between goods while the rest searched to no avail.
The search continued after two hours. June was losing her mind and Liam was stoic, jaws tightened as he waited for results that seemed not forthcoming.
“Maybe she ran outside,” June tried to reason with him. “Do you think we should spend our time searching only the warehouse?”
“Do you think I am that big a fool?” He gritted, clearly in a poor mood. “The outlands are secure and I have sent an order to kill on-site anyone that looks fishy.”
June shook in fear. “Don’t you think that is a bit extreme? Wouldn’t you prefer to find out more about who wants to have you killed?”
Liam smirked. “I don’t. The dead body of that bloody assassin will send a strong and clear message to anyone who wants me dead.”