Chapter 13: In Which He Helps Her, Secretly

Theo was in the best of mood.

How many years has it been since he felt this burst of sunshine in his chest? Hell, who remembers such things anyway.

He was actually looking forward to the day. Fixing his tie, he couldn’t stop smiling at his reflection. Rose, as always, knows what he wants and has the solution for all his needs. What will he do without her?

As he strolled to his car, he pictured in his mind Aurora standing sweetly in his office, waiting patiently for him, and when she saw him, she would greet him with her big smile. His plan was flawless. He would pull some strings here and there to help her earn as much as she can, so she wouldn't feel guilty about going away for the weekend.

Selfish b*stard. You just wanted Aurora for yourself. He grinned at his reflection in the elevator door. Hell, yeah.

Aurora wasn’t waiting sweetly at his desk. She entered his office with Rose, trailing behind her, and Theo forgot to breathe. How can a woman be ravishing and sexy as hell at the same time? The white shirt was the plainest he'd seen and obviously a size too big, but it showed off her perfect collarbone and revealed a good amount of her silky fair skin. And that skirt - hell, he could see her full hips with it.

As Rose breezed through his schedule for the day, Aurora kept her eyes on the ground with a straight face.

Theo was bothered. He couldn’t tell if she was happy or upset. When Rose was done and he thought that he’d finally have a private moment with his redhead goddess, Aurora scurried off.

Rose saw the disappointment on her boss’s face and tilted the corner of her specs. “Aurora will get you your coffee.”

Theo grinned widely and waited.

Sure enough, ten minutes after Rose disappeared into the secretary room, Aurora entered with his cup of steaming black, sugarless coffee and placed it on his desk. She was about to leave when Theo said, “I’ve never seen you before, are you new here?”

Aurora spun around with an astonished look which then flipped into a glare. “It’s not funny, Theo.”

“There you are! I finally see your beautiful face. You’ve been giving the ground so much attention, I’m starting to get jealous of it.”

She finally relaxed her shoulders and smiled. “You’re a real charmer.”

“How are you holding up so far?”

Her face fell into a bored expression. “The only thing I’ve done so far is getting you that cup of coffee. It’s been wonderful. Everything in the pantry works fabulously.”

Theo noted her sarcasm and cleared his throat as he glanced at the clock. It’s now 8. 50 am. He was earlier than usual. No wonder she was feisty.

“Theo.” Her raspy voice sounded.

“Aurora.” He gave her a smile that encouraged her to speak her mind.

And so she did. “The pay in my contract is ridiculous.”

He looked serious all of a sudden. “It's too low, is it? I knew it. I’ll ask Rose to--.”

Aurora came closer and exclaimed in a hushed voice. “It’s too high!”

His brows knitted with feigned ignorance. “Is it? I assure you it’s the market rate. Rose set it. She’s never wrong about these things.”

Aurora sighed wearily. “I think you told her to put down that figure. Rectify it, Theo. You promised not to interfere like that. I got to go now, Rose needs me.”

D*mn it, he groaned. Her eyes are as sharp as an eagle’s. Nothing escapes them or that clever little brain of hers. Once Aurora was out of sight, his smile evaporated into the sulk of a boy who tried to steal a cookie but got caught.

Aurora returned to her desk and her phone had two new texts; one from Trish and the other from the unknown sender.

Unknown sender text: A week.

She was mortified. This sicko wants ten thousand dollars in a week! She typed furiously and sent her response.

Why don’t you go rob a bank?

"Motherf*cker," she cursed under her breath. If she could easily whip out ten f*cking thousand dollars, her life wouldn't be this f*cking miserable! Her blackmailer must have the IQ of a cucumber.

Her phone buzzed again. The text opened and she glared at it:

Five thousand in a week. Another five thousand in the next.
Or your family story goes onto the internet.

Her shoulders felt like a wrung towel. Where the f*ck is she gonna get five thousand dollars in a week? Aurora hugged her head and rocked back and forth like a frightened child.

“Aurora, are you alright?”

Her head shot up with a rehearsed smile on her face. “Yes!”

Startled, Rose stared at her briefly then recoiled and placed a stack of files, all labeled CONFIDENTIAL, on her table. “These need to be converted into a digital copy. Can you do that?”

“Yes, I can,” Aurora answered as she leafed through the papers. “I need to lock up my laptop before I go, right?”

Rose nodded with a motherly smile.

She was impressed with this attractive little assistant that Theo found for her.

Since the merger was called off, Theo’s uncle had been snooping around to get his hands on the company’s accounts and tamper with it, so he could sneak out more funds. But with more precautions, there was more work to be done, and Rose was getting old. She needs an assistant.

With his uncle’s experiences and connections, Theo couldn’t trust anyone, so Rose patiently waited for her young boss to find the perfect person.

He was right about Aurora; she is a smart girl. Who says you need to hire someone with qualifications? The right one can come from any background.


******


“So you’re helping Theo’s secretary with her paperwork,” Trish’s voice responded with a dull tone in her ear. “What does she do then? I hope she’s not bullying you.”

“No, no, no,” Aurora laughed. “Rose is really nice. She does other big things, I suppose. I didn’t ask. I try not to pry too much. It’s just my first day,” Aurora answered her best friend in shallow breaths.

“It stills sounds like Theo made that job for you,” Trish chuckled.

Aurora ignored the teasing tone. “Well, Rose said that she has been asking Theo for an assistant, but they can’t seem to find someone suitable.”

Aurora still couldn’t get over the way that smart*ss Theo skirted around her condition. She wasn’t exactly his secretary, but she still worked next to his office. He stayed in his office the whole day, only leaving to God knows where during lunchtime. Why is he so keen on keeping her close?

Wait. Did he think she was his lucky charm?

“That’s strange,” Trish’s voice brought Aurora back to the empty street. “They can get anyone, I’m sure. Why are you out of breath?”

“I thought I’d go over to Madame Zoya’s a little early to take a breather.”

“D*mn girl, you’re like a modern-day Cinderella. One of these days--.”

“I’m going to work to death. Yeah, yeah. You’ve said that many times, Trish. Cut it out.”

“Humph! Well, I’m actually glad that Theo’s bringing you out for the weekends. I know you gotta work, but you should take at least one weekend off. How long has it been since you’ve done that?”

Aurora squeezed her left eye as she admitted, “Five years?”

“D*mn right. Five. F*cking. Years. I work only five days a week and I felt like I’ve slogged my entire life away. You work seven days a week, girl. Seven! You know what, I’m going to get you a nice dress for the retreat. Where did you say you’re going? Hello? Rory? Yoo-hoo!”

“Trish,” Aurora whispered in disbelief.

“What? What’s happening over there? I heard a lot of chatter. Jeez, is there a flea market near the shop? What are they selling!”

The part-time psychic shook her head and murmured into her phone, “It’s not a flea market. There’s a super long queue outside Madame Zoya’s. I gotta go.”

Aurora disconnected the call before Trish said another word, then took in a deep, careful inhale.