A Wife for the Billionaire
Chapter 138: SOFIA

Chapter 138: SOFIA

"Good" he mused with a smile.

This time, it wasn’t like the others. This was the smile of a winner. The type found on the face of a warrior who fought on the battlefield till he passed out, only to wake up to victory.

I guess he had every right to celebrate, after all we’ve fought and he had won. Except that it wasn’t over. Perhaps to him, it might seem so. But to me, it wasn’t, not by a million miles.

It was a good strategy, allow him to think it’s over. That he had me exactly where he wanted, that I was trapped with no escape at sight, that I’d been defeated, then surprise him with a counter move and change the narrative.

To do this, I had to be very careful and time conscious. He can’t think I have anything up my sleeve, no he cannot.

I looked at the corner where I was to be sitting after today, and grimaced. Why didn’t I think of it before, of course I was to work in the same fucking room and he made it in a way that his eyes will always be on me, bastard!

"You can stop killing your cells, it’s over"

"What?" I inquired.

"Well, the way you’ve been frowning at that corner, as if you want to obliterate it with your eyes" he answered.

"And what does that have to do with me killing my cells?" I turned away my gaze from the corner, facing him.

"You don’t know, like really you don’t know?"

’Know what exactly,’ I thought. What did he think I am, a fucking encyclopedia or a dictionary?

"Wow, that’s rich" he said, clapping his hands, "You really don’t know, I can’t really say I’m surprised. Of course you don’t know. Well let me tell you, when you are angry as you now, you squeeze and kill 75 out of your hundreds of trillions cells, so imagine how many you’ve killed since you walked in here"

I was pissed at him for implying that I was dumb. But I was more surprised that he knew something like that.

"Didn’t take you for a science nerd? And what good is you telling me this when you yourself is hardly any different?"

"In case you haven’t noticed, I always strive to keep my expression neutral. Smooth and neutral, of course that’s when I’m not smiling. And I’m not a science nerd, I just like knowing things"

"Of course you do," I intoned, "but I don’t really care about any of that. Why am I here, don’t tell me it’s only because you want my signature and to throw... that to my face" I finished with another grimace, glancing at that corner again.

For a moment, it felt like he wasn’t going to say anything. He just reclined on his seat, watching me.

Just as I opened my mouth to speak, he said, more like he commanded,

"Stand"

It was an odd command, and I didn’t want to obey. But for my brand and the strategy I must nurse, I stood.

"Now, come out of there, stand where I can properly see you"

It was ridiculous, and I wanted nothing more but to say no and remain sitting, but a lot was at stake. So, I moved away from the desk, standing where he could see all of me.

"And what are you wearing?" He asked, after staring at me from head to toe. Never have I felt more exposed than I did in those few seconds I was under his gaze.

"It wasn’t my choice, believe me" I said, trying not to fidget.

"Let me guess, your stepmom made the choice, didn’t she?" He asked, still looking at me.

I remained silent. Outing Alicia would definitely encourage her to do what she didn’t do last night, ruin my life. All she had to do was to state my real last name.

"And this is what I don’t understand." He declared, his tone rising, "Why are you protecting her? Why were you so pathetic last night, following orders and scurrying around like a fucking puppy? What am I missing?"

"Nothing" I replied immediately, "It’s really not your business, please just leave it alone, I have..."

"Leave it alone, you say" he cut in, "how can I do that and allow you to dress like a fucking 70 year old, don’t you know that as my personal assistant, you now represent me and you are privy to follow me anywhere I go and how can you do that when you’re looking like that?"

"I... um... I" I stuttered, I really didn’t know what to say. His words as true as they were, they hurt.

"Just fucking spit it out already" he exasperated.

I didn’t know if it were his words or the fact that he was acting like an asshole, but I snapped.

"Do you think I want to look like this? Do you think I want this life? That I want to look like a senile secretary? That if I had a choice I wouldn’t have left already?" I walked back to my seat and sat down, "I don’t have that luxury, I can’t leave. I can’t disobey, I’m not just a puppy, I’m one with a leash"

"But now you can, the contract makes provision for accommodations, you can come and live in my house- I’m not finished, hold your tongue" he reprimanded as I tried to interrupt, "and then Millicent can take care of your wardrobe"

I hated that he stopped me from speaking when I wanted. So, he was free to do it to me, but I wasn’t.

"You can’t possibly mean that you want me to come live with you, in your own house by the way. You best be careful, one might start thinking that you like me, first, you make me your PA and now, you are offering accommodations, in your own house, no less"

"Don’t kid yourself, I still can’t stand you. I’m merely following the terms of the contract and all I do, I do for me. The proximity would help to accelerate the end result and have you out of my life faster"

He had a point, besides I’ve been praying to get out of the Blake Mansion, but living with him, that’s a big no.

"I can’t, I’m..."

"You can’t or you won’t?" he interrupted yet again.

How can I live with someone who can’t even let me finish my sentence? Strategy be damned, I might just end up stabbing him before the end of one week living with him.

"You really ought to let me finish my sentences, and as for your question, it really doesn’t matter, I’m not living with you"

I thought he was going to protest, because he certainly wanted to with the way he opened his mouth to speak, but then he stopped.

"Fine," he said, after a pause.

It was so unlike him to simply agree. But I couldn’t dwell on that, not when he asked almost immediately,

"With the way you behaved last night, I assume you didn’t call Anna as I instructed?"

"Behaved? Is that what we are going for? How juvenile." At his scowl, I added, "Yes, I didn’t call her. Would you like me to call her now?"

He appeared to think on it for awhile, then he said,

"I suppose I can have Dan or Michael call her later, but that’s not really as pressing as having 15 ladies to mingle with and choose a wife from, your sisters including"

"Stepsisters," I corrected, "which reminds me, did you know before you offered the contract?"

He grinned and I didn’t give him the chance to answer because that expression of his was answer enough.

"Of course, you knew. How pleasing it must’ve been for you to throw that one, wasn’t it? The shock on my face must’ve been worth it all, even the bottle of wine I almost spilled, right?"

"That’s irrelevant now, besides I caught the bottle, didn’t I? Which reminds me, you are yet to thank me for that. But that’s by the way, I don’t expect an ungrateful soul like you to ever say thank you. Now I will forward everything I have on the ladies to you via email, go and study each and every single one of them. Their strengths and weaknesses, and then puzzle out a way for me to meet them all in one place at about the same duration of time."

"Is that even possible?" I asked, when it felt like he was done.

"That’s why I hired you, isn’t it? To find a way to make the impossible possible. But don’t worry about that now, we still have to go to Hong Kong tomorrow. Perhaps during the course of the trip, you can do that, but now go to Vera, tell her to take you to Millicent Covey. When you meet Millicent, tell her that I sent you for a change of wardrobe, and I will suggest you allow her to pick out things for you. Over our meets, you haven’t really showed me that you have any fashion sense"

"No need, I can pick out my own clothes, just fine and besides, I have already met Millie."

"Of course you can and have. Just don’t show up like this tomorrow, I will be picking you up by 6am, don’t keep me waiting. And one more thing, you will be coming with me to somewhere this evening, I will be introducing you to my friends."

How ridiculous! Who do he even think he is, ordering me around like I was his fucking lap dog? But I put myself in this situation, didn’t I?

And besides I was more intrigued about what he had planned than I was pissed. A minute just after I became his Personal Assistant and I was already meeting his friends, that’s interesting.

"If you don’t mind, I have already wasted enough time with you. I have other meetings and appointments lined up for today" he said, dismissively.

"Are you going to hint me the dress code?"

"Recreate what you wore on the first day. Now go."

I was almost out of the door when he added,

"Something slutty, Millicent can help with that."

As if sensing that I would surely protest, he called, "Vera!"