48

Scarlett threw herself face first on to Grace’s couch that evening.
“Rough day, my darling?”
A muffled grunt emanated from the depths of Scarlett; whose face was buried deep in Grace’s couch cushions.
Grace rolled her eyes with a smile and sighed. Not having any children of her own, she took care of Scarlett like she had birthed her.
“Do you want to tell me about it?”
For a while, nothing happened and slowly, Scarlett slid to the floor, her usually immaculately styled hair, messed up and fell on to her face.
“Just tired, Gracie,” she lamented, blowing the hair off of her face, “One of the guys who hired me, Terrence, he demanded that I meet him today. Ace was suspicious when I got back and had me running around town all day and all I’ve had to eat is a protein bar. I didn’t even get to have Belinda’s amazing breakfast.”
“Who’s Belinda?”
Scarlett dropped her head on to the couch. “Ace’s housekeeper.”
“You’re going to this man’s house in the morning, or are you spending the night?” Grace raised an eyebrow.
Scarlett shook her head. “I had to take him something in the morning.”
“You’re just hungry, darling. Marta is making me dinner and you’re welcome to stay, but tell me about your new job,” Grace went over to the couch Scarlett was leaning on and began to rub her head.
Closing her eyes, Scarlett sighed. “Ace is a real locked box. I could try to just find what I need from his files, but his office is always locked or he’s in there.”
“Sounds like this Ace is very protective of his business.”
“Oh,” Scarlett snorted, “Yeah. He doesn’t care about anything or anyone, except for his company. Maybe his sister, but she has nothing to do with the company.”
“Well, maybe you need to stop looking at things that you can’t get at and start looking at things you can,” Grace suggested. Scarlett opened her eyes and looked at her. “Try to find out information from the people who are very much outside Ace’s office.”
Scarlett nodded, carefully. “I’ll start with Gretchen. Apparently, she knows everything that goes on in the office.”
The lines on the schedule that Scarlett was editing for what seemed like the umpteenth time were beginning to blur. She shook her head to try and focus, when the phone on her table began to ring.
Ace’s phone flashed with the name “Emerson Home”.
Ace’s sister.
Scarlett picked up the phone, wondering why his sister was calling this number when she was pretty sure Ace was in his office, available to answer any and all calls.
“Hello, how may I help you?”
Scarlett heard nothing for a moment.
“Uh, hi,” said the voice of a little girl.
Scarlett frowned, because she had always assumed that Ace’s sister would be a fully grown woman and not a toddler.
“Who is this?” the girl asked.
“I’m Scarlett, I’m Ace Hardwood’s PA. Can I help you?” she asked.
“Oh, may I speak to him, please?” The girl had very clearly been taught telephone etiquette.
Not wanting to disappoint the child, Scarlett got up. “Could you just give me one moment to check if he’s free?” she asked, stepping out of her office.
“Sure!” the little girl said, hope riddled into her words. Her excitement was contagious and made Scarlett smile.
She nodded to Gretchen and gestured to the closed door of Ace’s office. Gretchen nodded back to her, letting her know it was alright to go in.
Scarlett knocked on the door.
“Come in,” Ace’s voice came from the other side.
Slowly, she opened the door and stepped in.
Ace sat at his desk, pouring over a file. The large glass paned windows let in so much light and Ace sat, looking almost small in that large office, against the vast backdrop that was rendered by the sky. He raised his head from the file and focused on Scarlett.
“What is it, Ambrose?” he asked as Scarlett walked forward.
She held out the phone to him. “Your sister,” she said.
Ace took the phone from her hand. “Sit,” he gestured to the chair in front of his desk and pushed his own chair back, away from his desk and pressed the phone to his ear.
“Hello?”
Scarlett watched as Ace’s expression lightened from a slight frown into an easy smile, as he listened to what the girl at the other end of the line said. “I do want to hear what happened today.” He turned his chair away from Scarlett.
Her eyes gazed around the room and she got up. Slowly, she walked over to the cabinet that held various awards and plaques. She gazed over the pictures that were framed of Ace and various notable people in the country.
She picked up one award that sat in the middle, gleaming a little brighter than the others. It read:
‘Entrepreneur of the Year’
For great contribution to the industry,
And innovative influence.
There was a picture of Ace receiving the award from the Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce.
The whole cabinet was a representation of exactly how much work, determination and effort Ace put into his company and into becoming the envy of his competitors. No one could accuse him of not being hardworking.
“Find anything interesting?” Ace asked, coming up behind her so suddenly that she almost dropped the award that she was holding.
Scarlett exhaled and put it back on the shelf, right in the middle. “Congratulations,” she said, gesturing to the plethora of awards.
Ace shrugged and handed the phone back to her.
“How long have you been doing this?”
Ace thought. “About seven years.”
Scarlett gestured to the cabinet. “And you did all this in seven years? You must be good.”
Ace cocked his head to a side, giving her a confused smile. “That might have been the first time you complimented me, Ambrose.”
Scarlett sucked her teeth. “Your abnormally large head is going to get even bigger now.”
“I have a head that is proportional to my body,” Ace said.
Scarlett leaned back and eyed him from his feet, slowly up to his face. She paused at his lips and finally looked him in the eyes.
“Your sister is a child?” she asked.
Ace gave her a funny look. “You’re looking for a gift for my brother-in-law. You think I let my sister be a child bride?”
Scarlett’s jaw dropped, wondering why she had been so stupid. “That was dumb of me,” she said, flatly, annoyed at herself.
Ace chuckled. “That was my niece, my sister’s daughter. That was the only number of mine she could find apparently.”
“You and your niece are good friends?” she asked.
“She’s probably the only friend I have.”
“What about me?” Scarlett asked.
“Verdict’s still out on you,” Ace said, walking back to his desk, “You act very suspiciously at times. I have to keep an eye on you.”
Scarlett followed him and sat down at the edge of his desk. “Both eyes, if you please,” she sang, picking up his paper weight.
“Don’t you have something to be doing, Ambrose, or do I not give you enough to do?” Ace asked, leaning back with a file in his hand.
Scarlett put the paper weight back down. “You told me to sit earlier, like you wanted to tell me something. I’m sitting.”
“I also gestured to the chair.”
Scarlett shrugged. “Chairs are overrated.”
Ace shut his file and sighed. “Is it your life’s mission to disobey me?” he asked, “I don’t pay you to defy me.”
Scarlett giggled. “I do it cause it’s fun.”
Ace rolled his eyes. He opened one of his drawers and pulled out a pen drive. Handing it to Scarlett, he said, “You live so far away, Ambrose, you might as well be in another country.”
Scarlett knew he was referring to the fact that he had wanted the pen drive the night before, but since it had been with Scarlett, his driver had to fetch it for him. She shrugged. “You told me to keep it with me. We wouldn’t have this issue if you weren’t so damn temperamental. I was actually obeying you that time.”
“You need to move,” Ace said, resolutely.
“You should move,” Scarlett fired back.
“I’m your boss.”
“I’m not the one who has the problem,” Scarlett smirked.
Ace opened his mouth to say something, but the buzzer on his intercom interrupted him. Scarlett reached out and pressed the button for him.
He flicked his eyes over to her before speaking. “Yes, Gretchen?”
“Mr. Terrence Burke is here to see you.”
“Send him in,” Ace said.
Seated on his desk, Scarlett had stopped breathing.
“Something wrong, Ambrose?”
She shook herself and stood up. “You didn’t have anything on the schedule for now.”
Ace stood up and buttoned his jacket. “Astute, Ms. Ambrose, therefore, I scheduled a meeting.”
Before Scarlett could leave or even think, Gretchen had opened the door to let in Terrence Burke.
The man entered wearing a strange smile that only strange men could master. “Ace,” he said, like he was talking to an old friend, “How nice of you to call.”
Even though Terrence’s words were directed towards Ace, his eyes were on Scarlett, whom he had just seen the day before. He looked at her like he had never seen her.
The only things that Scarlett could think was that she had been caught. As the dread filled her, she looked at the man standing in between her and Terrence.
The smile that Ace had been wearing had disappeared, and replaced with a deadly serious one. “Come in and have a seat Terrence,” Ace nodded to the couch that sat in one corner of his office.
He moved in front of Scarlett, blocking her from Terrence’s view. “I think you should go,” he said, darkly.
Scarlett hurried to the door, relieved that he wasn’t trying to confront them both.
Ace watched as Terrence’s eyes followed Scarlett as she left the room. He cleared his throat. “How’s your wife, Terrence?”
Terrence moved his gaze from the door to Ace, who was walking towards him. “She’s fine. So, this is the new girl in your office that’s got everyone talking?”
“I don’t see why my employees are anyone else’s business,” Ace said, sitting across from Terrence.
“When they look like that, they are.”
“Can we talk about the agreement, Terrence?” Ace asked.
Terrence leaned back. “Is that why you wanted me to come?”
Ace raised an eyebrow. “Why else?”
“Nothing in particular,” Terrence waved his hand dismissively.
Ace eyed him before getting down to business. He tried not to let his distaste for Terrence Burke and his slimy mannerisms get in the way of his business.
An excruciating half-hour later, Ace got up from the couch, urging Terrence to do the same. He put out his hand for Terrence to shake.
“This was good, Ace, we should do it more often.” Terrence buttoned his suit.
Ace said nothing, but gave him a tight smile.
“I wouldn’t mind seeing that PA of yours again,” he added with a laugh.
Ace’s forced smile was still on his face. “She has her work to get done.”
Terrence laughed. “Make sure she works for you,” he said, clapping Ace on the arm.
The older man began to walk out and Ace followed, rolling his shoulder, trying to shake off the icky feeling. The way Terrence spoke made Ace want to peel his skin off to feel clean.
Terrence’s gaze moved in the direction of Scarlett’s office before he waved to Ace and walked out.
Ace stood at the door, deep in thought.
A few moments later, he moved towards Scarlett’s office.
Throwing open the door so suddenly, he startled Scarlett, who sat at her desk. He looked at her for a few moments.
“Ambrose, you’re moving in with me.”
Scarlett Ambrose was not someone to be taken by surprise anymore.
However, when Ace Hardwood had slammed open her office door after meeting with Terrence Burke, she was almost sure she was getting fired, or worse, but what happened was pretty much the opposite.
“What?” she asked, completely confused.
“You’re moving in with me,” Ace repeated, like he was saying something as normal as the weather.
Scarlett squinted her eyes at him. In her mind, she knew that moving in with Ace would only help her finish her job faster, but she knew she couldn’t seem too eager.
“I don’t think I’m hearing you correctly.”
“You’re hearing me just fine, Ambrose,” Ace stepped into the office and closed the door behind him, “We are going to be housemates.”
Scarlett pushed her chair back. “Why? I thought you couldn’t stand my defiance.”