Meeting Mr. Mogul: A Billionaire Contemporary Romance (14 page)

I felt someone tap my shoulder, which made me turn around to see William handing me a glass of dark red liquid. With another shy smile, I grabbed it from him and drank a little sip before saying my thanks. I was surprised he ordered me cranberry juice with a pinch of vodka. How did he know what I wanted? Then, at the back of my head, I remembered ordering the same thing from his sister’s engagement party. I was surprised that he remembered something as insignificant as what drink I liked.

“If you’re looking for your boyfriend, he is there in a booth with some other guys,” he drawled as he slightly leaned forward to point somewhere, his face almost a few inches from mine.

My breath hitched as I stood frozen. He smelled so intoxicating. Maybe it was his cologne, but the scent seemed more natural than perfume. As I leaned away, I finally took a breath and looked at the place he had pointed out. It was then that I found Terry and Andrew seated together with a few of their friends. After a few seconds of studying the group, I turned my attention back to William, only to find out he had walked away from me.

I quickly scanned the room and found his retreating figure on the other side of the room, heading towards the exit. With him were two other men in full black suits, which I guessed were his bodyguards. I kept my gaze on him until he left. For a moment, I was in a trance.

Did that really happen?

After looking at the empty space William occupied earlier, I snapped myself back to reality and joined Terry and his friends. They were a fun crowd. I was able to get to know more about Andrew because we talked for a few minutes when Terry left to get the group more drinks.

“So, how long have you guys been dating?” I asked Andrew when Terry was out of earshot. The boy didn’t really like to talk about his romantic life, just like me.

“It’s been a year and a half,” he replied with a light smile. Andrew didn’t look as attractive as Terry. I wasn’t saying he wasn’t handsome, though. He was cute in his own geeky way, with his glasses and sweatshirt combo. He was more the next-door shy type while Terry was the bad boy.

“Wow. That long,” I acknowledged, mumbling more to myself. “So, is it really true that I’m the reason you fought a month or so ago?” I pried, wanting to know the truth since Terry didn’t want to talk about that incident.

“Yeah. Uhmm… It wasn’t really about you. I was supposed to move in on the same month you showed up, but then... you know,” he replied, stuttering a little, looking uncomfortable.

I took his hand, gave it a little squeeze, looked at him straight in the eyes and said, “You don’t have to be embarrassed, Andrew. I’m sorry for coming between you two. And I’ll kick Terry’s ass for letting that happen.”

Andrew let out a sigh of relief and chuckled at my words. “Now, I get why Terry likes you,” he murmured, more to himself than to me.

“What does he like about me?” I asked eagerly, wanting to know something I wouldn’t ever find out from the person himself.

“You’re very easy to love, Andy,” Andrew replied in a whisper in my ear, then leaned away a little with a beaming smile.

I beamed at his reply and leaned towards him as I said jokingly, “I couldn’t say the same thing about him. So I salute you for loving the man.”

Andrew enthusiastically wrapped his arms around me, squeezing me lightly. He only let me go when Terry rejoined us, laughing lightly. I laughed along with him, which made Terry stare at us with a curious look. I chuckled at his reaction and turned to Andrew with a finger on my lips to shush him.

We finally left at three in the morning. Terry left no room for argument about him taking me home. Andrew even took his side this time. In that moment, I felt my heart swell knowing I have friends who were as sweet as them. I didn’t continue arguing with them anymore and allowed Terry to take me back.

Within a few minutes, we reached my apartment and he dropped me off in front of the entrance. He gave me a brief wave before he hit the road. I waited for him to disappear from my line of vision before getting inside. When I reached my bedroom, I didn’t have enough energy to change, so I just slept in the clothes I was in.

The next morning, I was glad to wake up without any side effects from last night’s drinking. Although my head throbbed a little, it wasn’t hindering my ability to think properly. I got out of bed and headed to the shower. I had my whole day planned. I was going to stay in the hospital until late evening.

I quickly ate breakfast, which consisted of a granola bar and cereal, and cleaned up before heading down. As I got out of my apartment, the door across mine suddenly opened.

“Andy! Good morning,” Ally greeted with a smile.

“Morning to you, too.”

“So, how’s work and everything?” she asked, her voice sounded a little forced. I think that wasn’t what she wanted to ask me.

“If you are wondering about the guy from last Tuesday, I would say no, we aren’t dating. He’s gay,” I replied bluntly, smirking at my own words.

“Oh,” she said in sudden realization, with a small mischievous smile forming on her lips. “But he doesn’t look like...” she added, confusion visible on her face.

“Yeah. I told him that when I found out,” I said, chuckling at her response. “You don’t have to worry. You’re not the only one who was fooled.”

She laughed at that and we both headed down to the lobby. We separated as I walked towards the bus stop while Ally waited for her boyfriend, which answered my question about who drove the silver car that picked her up last time. When I finally reached the hospital, I went up directly to my father’s floor. I couldn’t wait to see him because I missed him too much.

As I got in the room, I earnestly greeted him with a hug and a kiss, which startled him.

“What’s with the enthusiasm today?” my dad asked as I finally let go of him, chortling at my action.

“Oh nothing. I’m just happy to see you,” I replied, beaming as I settled down. “So, what are the plans for today?” I asked casually.

“Not much, really. I’m watching reruns again.”

“You’re always watching reruns. How about spicing things up and watching a new show?” I offered, wiggling an eyebrow at him.

He simply smiled at my answer and continued watching the show on the television, which ended in thirty minutes. Before I could start a conversation with my father, my phone vibrated in my bag. It took a while to fish out my phone, but once I checked, the number was unregistered. Since I didn't know who the caller was, I decided not to answer. I didn't want my day to be disrupted by something trivial. But before I could return the phone in my bag, the same person called again. Left with no choice, I finally answered the call with the intent of scolding whoever was on the other end of the line.

“What do you want? If this is a prank call, then you have another thing coming...” I warned, not giving the person a chance to talk first.

“Glad you’re still as feisty as ever, Ms. Peterson,” a familiar voice snickered.

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding... What do you want? Wait, before you answer that, how did you get my number in the first place?” I asked incredulously. My good mood went down the drain from that point.

“I have all your information, Ms. Peterson. We need you in the office now,” he replied monotonously, his voice sounded a little tired.

“It’s my off day, Mr. Maxwell. You can even ask Maggie about it. And if you’re unable to do that, you can also review my files since you have graciously checked it to get this number...” I replied sourly with clenched teeth.

“Yes, I already know it was your day off. But we are busy this week with the new real estate contract. We need all the help we can get. If you are worried about rendering extra hours, don't worry. You'll be paid for them on your first check,” he said in a rush, his tone slightly bit irked.

That only added fuel to my already ruined mood. “Wow, Mr. Maxwell! If you really needed my help that much, you could have asked nicely. Insulting someone doesn’t get you into anyone’s good side. Even someone like you should know that,” I said bitterly as I huffed out a breath to release some tension. “I’m busy today, Mr. Maxwell. I can’t help you.”

I half-slammed the phone back in my purse in a fit of rage. When I looked up, I met my father’s eyes and saw the worried look on his face.

“Who was that?”

“My boss’ brother,” I replied as I gritted my teeth, ending the conversation.

After a few minutes, my phone rang again. My father gave me a questioning look when I didn’t move to answer. With a sigh, he reached for my bag and took my phone out. I looked at him in shock as he answered the call.

“Hello...? Yes, she is here. Can you give me a moment please?” At this point, he covered the speaker and said in a whisper, “It’s Margarette. She said you know her.”

After knowing who it was, I breathed a sigh of relief and got the phone from him. “Maggie?” I asked, just to be sure that it wasn’t Mr. Mogul.

“Hi, Andy. I’m sorry about what happened a few minutes ago. It was a bad choice on my part to let William call you. I was too busy filing some papers. Can you come in today? We really do need your help,” she asked a bit desperately.

I smiled at Maggie’s obvious plight. This woman is just so endearing. In her frantic state, she might just have forgotten my rocky relationship with William when she asked him to call me.

“I’ll be there in a few. Let me clear things up here with my dad,” I replied with a small smile.

“I’m really sorry, Andy. Can you put him on the phone? I’ll talk to him for you,” she offered sincerely.

“Sure,” I replied and looked at my father. I handed him the phone with a sad smile. He took it from me with a baffled expression.

“Hello?”

From the way his expression softened, I think Maggie sweet-talked him into allowing me to go to work today. With a soft voice, he said his goodbye and ended the call. He looked at me proudly and smiled.

“You should go now. They need you there. You can come back anytime you finish.”

“I’m so sorry about this. I’ll be back before you know it,” I said wistfully as I leaned in for a hug.

“Take your time honey. I’m not going anywhere,” he replied with a guffaw, giving me a soft squeeze before letting go.

“Do you know you’re the world’s most awesome dad?” I asked.

“I do now,” he replied with a huge smile.

With one last kiss, I went out of the room and half-jogged to the elevator. It didn’t take me long to reach the bus stop. On the ride to work, I glanced down at my casual clothes with a frustrated sigh. I was wearing my plain white shirt, jeans, and sneakers. I didn’t look like someone who was ready to face a powerful man.

When I finally arrived at my stop, I brushed off the thought. Besides, I didn’t really need fancy clothes to confront Mr. Mogul. The first time I fought with him, I was wearing my waitress uniform, which was just as inappropriate to what I was wearing now.

With my confidence back, I determinedly marched to the building. When I waved to Danny in the reception desk before getting inside the elevator, I caught her shocked response as she looked my outfit. I smiled to myself at her reaction. Strangely, that also gave me the confidence to face him.

Once I reached my floor, I was still a bit scared of facing him. But when I stepped a foot out of the elevator, I was greeted with the sight of an empty desk. I was surprised and puzzled to see no one. I was about to push the
close
button to check if they were on another floor when the door to Mr. Mogul’s office opened, giving me a slight jolt.

“Andy, you’re here,” Maggie greeted as she closed the door behind her.

“Hey, sorry it took me awhile to get here. You can put me to work now,” I said with a tight smile as I walked out of the elevator. I sighed in relief that it wasn’t William who came out the door. She looked at me for a second and then her eyes widened a little as she glanced down at my clothes.

“I’m so sorry for taking your time with your father. I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t have to.”

“It’s okay, Maggie. My dad was cool about it,” I replied with a reassuring smile. “Are you going somewhere?”

“I’m grabbing some coffee and lunch for William and me. Do you want anything?”

“A chicken sandwich and caramel latte would be lovely,” I answered shyly. “Wait. Do you want me to get it for you?” I asked. I strongly hoped she would say yes, so that I could stall the inevitable.

“No. I’m good. I need the time off anyway. I’ve been at it since six in the morning. Just go inside and ask William what you need to do. I’ll see you later,” she left as the elevator door opened.

Before I could say anything, the doors closed, leaving me with no choice but to do what I hated the most: speaking with and facing Mr. Mogul.

Did I have the courage to walk in that door?

I didn’t really have the time to mull over that, so I turned around and knocked on his door. I stiffened for a second once I heard a reply from the other side.