Meeting Mr. Mogul: A Billionaire Contemporary Romance (9 page)

“It was nothing. I don’t need them anymore since I’ll be moving in with my fiancé. We don’t have enough room for them at his place,” she stated dismissively as she glanced down to type something on her laptop.

“Uhm... So, what is it you want to tell me, Ms. Maxwell?” I asked after a few seconds of silence.

“You’re quite direct, Andy, which is why I hired you,” she stated mostly to herself. “I want to discuss with you about work this Monday,” she added aloud, her tone serious and business-like.

I nodded, telling her to continue. “Starting this Monday, I will be travelling to Europe to plan my wedding. Don’t worry. You’ll still work for me. I want you to send me reports about the situation here while I’m away. However, you will be working with my brother instead,” she started and paused for a second. I opened my mouth to protest but she beat me to it. “I know you hate my brother, so hear me out. You still work for me, so I assure you he cannot fire you. He can still ask you to do things
only
if it is related to work. But other than that, then you can tell him to screw it.”

I smiled at her words, glad that he didn’t control my professional fate. But it didn’t mean I would be safe from him in other ways. I stiffened at the thought of facing him again. Granted I saw him a few minutes ago, but that didn’t count since he didn’t see me.

Alexandra looked at me with amusement as I struggled internally. “You don’t have to worry, Andy. He can’t hurt you. His bark is worse than his bite,” she chuckled at her words, which I gladly joined in.

After that, she briefed me on some of the reports I would make and gave me her email address. I finally excused myself when she went back to typing. Once I was out of the room, it was only then I noticed that Kevin had gone away. I was glad that I remembered the way down or I would have to ask Alexandra for directions. I didn’t want to bother her after what she had done for me.

As I headed for the stairs, I noticed too late one of the doors nearby open and a man came out. I bumped his side and was about to fall, but the man acted quickly by wrapping his arm around my waist to prevent me from tripping. I glanced up to the man to apologize but stopped myself when I realized who it was from the navy suit he was wearing. I frantically s
hoved myself away from his hold.

William was stunned before he regained his composure.

“What are you doing here?” he asked sternly, his voice authoritative.

I stared at him with the same expression before replying, “I’m here for business.”

His eyes widened in realization before he took a steady step towards me. I stepped back at his advance, which made the end of his lips twitch upward. “I don’t know what you are getting or how you got my sister’s interest, but I’m not going to tolerate your rudeness in my presence. Are we clear?” he sneered.

My eyes hardened as I stared at him. “I can only be kind to others who aren’t a prick,” I replied grimly.

He took another step towards me as his eyes glistened in anger. I held my ground and didn’t allow him to intimidate me. We stood glaring at each other before the door behind us opened suddenly. We both turned at the door and saw Alexandra come out with a confused expression.

“What are you two doing here?” she asked while closing the door of the study. “William, please escort Andy downstairs. Be a gentleman and get her a drink. She is my guest,” she added as she walked towards us.

“I’m not...” William trailed off when Alexandra glared at him.

“Take her downstairs and be a gentleman, Willy.” Alexandra’s voice had a threatening edge to it.

In defeat, William suddenly took my arm and pulled me towards the stairs in frustration. I glanced at him then snickered at his childlike behavior. All of a sudden, he faced me with hardened eyes at my reaction.

I couldn’t help myself any longer. “She calls you Willy? That’s so cute!” I exclaimed with a chuckle.

With that statement, he released his grip on my arm. His eyes remained cold as he threatened me grimly. “If you say anything about this, I will ruin your life.”

I looked at him seriously, all humor drained out of my face. I gave him a curt nod before I walked away from him. I didn’t want to trigger anything else that might fuel his anger. I had already done a lot to piss him off in the past. Plus, I don’t want to make an enemy out of the man who had the power to ruin my life. I took his threat seriously for once since I knew he would do it without batting an eye.

As I descended the stairs, I stared longingly at the main door. I wanted to leave the party. My interest for the event dissipated after I finished my business with Alexandra. Releasing a defeated sigh, I turned towards the door. But before I could get far, a hand held my arm in restraint. I turned to look at who had stopped me only to feel more annoyed at discovering who did it.

“Where the heck are you going?” he snapped as he tightened his grip on my arm.

I shoved away from his hold, which he released after realizing what I was doing. “I’m going home since my business here is done,” I replied and looked at him in annoyance. Why was he asking me this when he didn’t want me around?

“You can’t go yet. My sister would think that I threatened you to leave,” he hissed in frustration as he grabbed my arm again. “Come on. The refreshments are in that room,” he added as he tugged me towards a hall where soft music resonated.

“
What?
I’m not going in there with you. I don’t care what your sister thinks. If she thinks you’ve threatened me to leave, then she is damn right!” I snapped and whacked his grip on my arm with my free hand.

He spun around to look at me with eyes ablaze with rage. He opened his mouth to reply but closed it when his eyes focused behind me. I turned to check what caught his attention and saw his sister with a man I didn’t recognize. Alexandra stood beside a six-feet-tall, dark-haired man, who was wearing a grey suit and black tie. They stared at us with amusement dancing in their eyes.

“What are you two still doing here bickering?” Alexandra asked as the guy beside her smirked.

We stood unresponsive for a second before I broke the ice. “He was threatening me to leave,” I replied in a childish manner as I gave in to the urge to blame the culprit beside me.

“No, I’m not. You were the one who was adamant on leaving. I was about to offer you some refreshments,” he looked at his sister. “I was about to get her a drink, but she outright refused.”

Alexandra remained stoic while the man beside her burst in laughter, which eventually ended with just a grin.

“Andy, please allow my stubborn little brother to accompany you tonight,” she paused as her eyes shifted to her brother. “I don’t want to hear any more about this please. This is my engagement party. So you have no right to refuse, William,” she said sternly.

We remained silent and immobile for a second before William let out a huge huff of breath. He turned towards me and offered his arm. I looked at him with uncertainty and glanced back at Alexandra. She gave me a small reassuring smile and nodded towards William, gesturing me to accept his arm. With a sigh of defeat, I looped my arm around his and allowed him to escort me inside.

“Treat the lady with respect, Willy. You won’t get anywhere by arguing,” the guy beside Alexandra taunted as we walked ahead of them.

I could feel William's bicep flex, as he stood rooted to the spot before he led us inside the huge hall. While we were walking, I glanced up at him and saw his jaw clenched tight. It was clear he was trying to hold back his anger. He made an attempt to calm down by taking a deep breath.

I tore my eyes away from his face when we reached a small bar at the far corner of the room. The place was filled with socialites and very powerful people. Everyone looked polished and well dressed. The men wore suits and the women wore gowns. It was like attending a queen’s gala rather than an engagement party.

“What do you want to drink?” William asked, snapping me out of my daze.

I eyed him with curiosity. “You don’t have to do that. I can get a drink for myself,” I stated monotonously, then ignored him by turning my attention to the bartender and waved my hand to get his attention.

“What can I get you ma’am?” the bartender asked with a smile.

“I would like a cranberry juice with a pinch of vodka, please,” I replied. I was amused at the enthusiasm in his voice.

“Can I get your name? I might get the orders jumbled,” the bartender asked with a sexy grin and winked at me.

I chuckled at his smoothness and replied, “It’s Andy, and don’t forget it.”

Beside me, William cleared his throat to grab the bartender’s attention. When he finally tore his gaze away from me, he stiffened in recognition.

“Mr. Maxwell. Is there anything I can get you?” he asked in a low voice.

“I’ll have a whiskey, and please stop flirting around or I’ll fire you this instant,” he answered calmly, yet his eyes hardened while he looked at him.

“Yes, sir. I’m sorry, sir. I’ll be back with your order right away.” The bartender stumbled with his footing and his eyes widened in fright as he backed away from us.

I turned to look at William when the bartender was out of hearing range. He, on the other hand, was looking around the room to avoid my gaze. I simply continued to stare at him and waited until he looked back. When he did after a few seconds, his annoyance mirrored mine.

“What?”

“Why did you say that to him?” I asked with clenched teeth. The man was ticking me off more and more since I met him.

“He wasn’t concentrating on the job that I paid him to do.”

“Really? So, why the hell did you fire me? I didn’t flirt and I did my job right,” I hissed, eyeing him with a deadly stare. I’ve always wanted to ask him that and this seemed like the right moment for it.

His eyes zeroed on mine. “You were being unreasonable and you made a commotion. Plus, you insulted me by not even recognizing who I was,” he replied with a growl, his voice low as he leaned closer to me. He was close enough that I could feel his hot breath fanning my face, which made my stomach twist at the proximity. I pushed the feeling aside and allowed my anger to consume me.

“I wasn’t being unreasonable. You were the one who overreacted. You can’t blame me for my lack of knowledge. I just moved in town for Christ’s sake,” I replied angrily, my voice a whisper as I leaned closer to him.

He stared me down and remained quiet for a second. I didn’t move away from my spot so that I wouldn’t look weak. I could still remember the smug look on his face earlier when I retreated at his advance. So we both stood there face to face, glaring at each other.

We were interrupted from our staring contest when someone cleared his throat. I didn’t know how long I could last under his gaze, so I was glad that was over. We both looked at the man who interrupted us. It was the same man who was with Alexandra. I stared at him longer than necessary so I could get a good look at him.

He was handsome. His exotic, tropical beauty, with his dark hair and tanned skin, made him stand out from most of the light-haired and fair-skinned people in the room. With his muscular build, almost identical to William’s, it would be impossible not to notice him. The grin on his face was teasing as he looked back and forth between William and me.

“Would you two get a room already? Both of you are oozing with sexual tension,” he said with a grin.

“Shut it, Michael. I’m not in the mood right now,” William warned as he turned away from him when the bartender placed our drink in front of us. His glare made the bartender back away in retreat.

“Hi there. I’m sorry if I haven’t properly introduced myself.” The man turned to me as he held out his hand. “My name is Michael Hamilton, Alexandra’s fiancé. You must be... Andy, if I’m right,” he continued as I shook his hand for a second, nodding in confirmation.

“It’s nice to meet you,” I mumbled nervously since I wasn’t sure how to interact with him. He just smiled at my timid reply.

“Don’t be shy. I may look huge but I don’t bite. I could hardly kill a fly,” he stated with a laugh.

I chuckled along with him. My nerves slowly subsided at his carefree personality. If only Mr. Mogul would be this amiable, then I wouldn’t have said anything rude to him in the first place.

Michael started a conversation with me, asking me about my new job as his fiancé’s assistant. He also asked about my degree and where I was from. He looked delighted when I told him I grew up on a farm. He said he always wanted to live on one, but it was near impossible since his work was in the city. William stayed with us and listened to our conversation in silence. From time to time, I glanced at him while I sipped my drink. And every time I looked at him, his eyes would catch mine. It was like he never tore his eyes away from me.

I didn’t let that thought bother me and gave all of my attention to Michael while he told me a story about his work as a lawyer. Though he didn’t get into details, because of some confidentiality agreements, he narrated his day-to-day happenings in court and his office. In the middle of the conversation, Alexandra joined us and kept the conversation flowing freely with laughs. But William neither laughed nor flinched as Michael joked around. He just stood there like a statue. From the corner of my eye, I noticed Alexandra’s expression fall as she glanced at her brother. I pretended that I didn’t see her reaction.

After a solid half an hour of talking, we stopped when the crowd was called to the other room for dinner. I decided to take this time to head out. I didn’t want to sit in a room filled with posh people because I just didn’t fit in. Alexandra tried to convince me to stay, but I made up an excuse of having an appointment I had to attend to. I tried to make my appointment sound important so I could be excused. However, she let me go under one condition: William was taking me home since Kevin was dispatched elsewhere.

I wanted to protest her request, but the stern look in her eyes shut me up and I relented right away. Alexandra is the kind of woman you shouldn’t question—especially when she has already made up her mind. William looked unwilling as I was, and we both looked at her with pleading eyes. After a moment, William sighed in defeat and offered me his arm again.

“I’ll drive you back to your apartment. I don’t like eating dinner with those people anyway,” William mumbled to himself. “Please tell mom I’m heading out,” he added aloud as he glanced back at his sister.

I waved goodbye while William dragged me towards the main door. As we got out, he ordered a man in a black suit, who was standing in front of the door the whole time, to get his car. This was my cue to let go of his hand. I slowly slipped my arm out of his grasp but he put his other hand on top of mine and stopped me. So I stood awkwardly with him as we waited for his car.

When I heard the soft hum of an engine, I looked up and saw a sleek black car parked in front of us. William tugged me towards it as I looked at his ride with wide eyes. He let go of my arm once he left me in the front passenger door. The driver of the car got out when William reached his side of the door then gave him the keys to the car. I restrained my giddiness as I caressed the hood of the car while they made the exchange. I’ve only seen this kind of luxury ride in the movies. It might either be an Audi or a Mercedes.

“Are you going in?” William asked, breaking my trance.

I looked up at him in disbelief. “Are you for real?”

“Yes. Please get in before I change my mind,” he commanded as he opened the driver’s door and hopped in.