Chapter 4

Though Mason employed a new important staff without her acknowledgement, she wasn't going to just sack him. What were the other staff going to think of her?

The company wasn't her private life where she would behave anyhow.

But why on earth does it have to be the stranger she met in the elevator.

Trying, her day was cursed.

Everything gave her a headache.

Ava looked up at Bruce with disgust. Their first meeting wasn't okay and sacking him might give up the wrong message. And if he tells everyone what she had done, social media won't haste.

"Can I have your papers?" Ava requested but Bruce's frown has become his new mask.

"I hope you know, all documents are being submitted so, they should be on your desk." Bruce said angrily. 

" What is your name?" Ava asked as she flipped through some documents.

Even Roxie wanted to act because she didn't understand why her friend was being harsh to the new staff. She wondered but only kept staring suspiciously.

Ava on the other hand, searched the desk and came across Bruce's name written on a file. It was on top of the new staff list. She immediately grabbed hold of it and then glared at Bruce.

"Your name is Bruce?!" And he nodded.

"I must admit, you are not totally stupid as i have thought. You do have an impressive file " Ava uttered while going through the files.

Finally, she had to agree.

"Should I thank you?" Bruce asked and Ava rolled her eyes.

" The job is yours to keep, but I will watch your every move in this company." Ava threatened but Bruce smiled and left the office without taking permission.

"How dare he walk out on me like that?" Ava was about going crazy. She was boiling with rage.

" I won't blame him for leaving in such a manner. You were quite harsh and rude. Do you not think it is too much for him as a new staff member?" Rolxe asked 

Ava eventually realized her friend was still in the office too.

"I just don't like him." She said but didn't want to talk about the embarrassment she underwent.

"Have you two met before?" Rolxe asked. Ava didn't want to give a response.

"Not really. Just don't feel relaxed around him." Ava lied. She only felt angry because the guy she embarrassed herself in front of, got a good position and would be working alongside. She was scared he might expose her. If she had fired him, questions would be asked.

"What happened last night?" Ava intentionally changed the topic. 

Rolxe raised her brow, noticing what Ava was trying to do.

" You drank so much, got so drunk and even vomited in the taxi. I had to pay up some extra cash." Rolxe chuckled as if mocking Ava.

" I won't be following those kinds of parties anymore. This is the reason I still have a severe headache and keep farting in the elevator." Ava didn't know what she spilled out until she heard her friend.

"What?" Rolxe exclaimed while trying to suppress the laughter.

"He was in the elevator too." Ava spilled out again.

" Who?" She asked.

"Bruce. He was in the same elevator." Ava finally confessed. It was too embarrassing that she didn't look Rolxe direction but all she could hear was a never ending laughter.

"You have got to be kidding me, girl. Now I get it. The sudden harshness too on the new staff. You really have got to chill. It's not his fault that you farted."  Rolxe said, admitting laughter.

" Not just once but three times." 

"Ooops... No, that's not good. What did he say?" Rolxe kept asking to know like some sort of uncover spy.

"Exchange words." Ava said and focused on the papers on her desk.

Rolxe wouldn't stop laughing.

"Even so, you shouldn't have been that harsh on your cousin. You need to calm that tiger inside you." Rolex finally said as she folded her arms while staring at her friend.

"My head is aching. And I'm famished. Can you hear it grumbling?" Ava asked as she just couldn't focus on what she was reading. 

The drink she had the previous night still had an effect.

The words on the documents had different shapes and sizes. Her head felt like it was exploding.

If only she knew the right thing to take at the moment, to feel better. 

Mason, after his shooting exercise, he drove back to the company and went straight to his office. At least, he was calm and well relaxed. He sat on his seat and sighed heavily like a tired man.

Ava wasn't able to hold her hunger so, she finished the necessary things at her office and rushed down to the cafeteria.

Luckily for her, they do have a cafeteria in the company. She is a foodie and so, always wants it near her. Thinking of the time she'd take to drive down to the street. Even when she suggested it. Everyone agreed with her. Having a cafeteria was her best decision since she became CEO. Maybe, not totally.

As she walked majestically, "Thank God I didn't wear heels. Would have been crawling or walking about without a shoe on." She muttered to herself as she walked pass other staff that came to have one or two things. 

 And just when she was closer, she heard tummy grumble again.

"Please, coffee first." She said to the woman before searching for an empty table.

Her eyes caught one but, on one side there was a cup of juice and tray of half eaten food.

It seems someone didn't finish.

She sat down and waited patiently for the waitress to bring her coffee.

Just then, a figure approached the table she sat on. Catching her red handed stealing chips.

She took two chips again and turned to check around when her eyes saw the owner of the food, staring furiously at her. 

"Why are you a load of trouble?" He asked with furrowed brows and a squeezed face.

Bruce had just left his food to attend to someone at the entrance. He told the waitress not to clear his table since he won't be taking more than three minutes. Just for him to come back, and see someone stealing his chips. Not just someone, it was his annoying bitchy boss. Though he tried to calm himself down but deep down, he was exploding with anger. 

"What's your business with that?" Ava responded not minding she was caught but what she didn't know was that Bruce owns the food.

"Here is your coffee, Madam. What would you love to have?" The waitress asked not minding the awkward staring the duo gave.

Ava is still pretending, "Get me my regular!" She said dryly and just as the waitress turned, Ava stretched her hand and took four more chips even as Bruce stood beside her.

"What the fuck!" Bruce exclaimed. This time his pretty crystal eyes were darker and he gave her a cold stare.

He hates her already. Not up to two days and his boss was making things unbearable. He just couldn't hold it anymore, not when he heard.

"What are you just standing there for? Go back to work. I wonder why Mason let you get the job. I'm sure if I were to be the one, I would have found more capable people for it." Ava said after eating the last she carried.

Bruce looked at his tray and his chips were almost finished.

"Though you are my boss. You definitely don't have the right to eat my breakfast and even show no remorse. Is that how it is done in the company?" Bruce asked with his thick brows almost touching while Ava's eyes almost popped out.

Chapter 5

"Though you are my boss, You definitely don't have the right to eat my breakfast, and you even show no remorse. "Is that how it is done in the company?" Bruce asked with his thick brows almost touching while Ava's eyes almost popped out.

Ava felt so embarrassed because Bruce was already dragging everybody's attention. "I'm so sorry, so sorry," Ava says, apologizing while closing her eyes and chewing on the chips she stole. Bruce was taken aback when, for the first time, he witnessed Ava admitting she did something wrong. For the first time, he noticed how beautiful her blue eyes were, and her brown hair suits her so well. Bruce felt as if a whole different person was in front of him.

But he didn't show it; he kept a serious face, and Ava thought he was going to create a scene, and she definitely didn't want that to happen.

"Okay, I owe you a lunch treat," Ava said. "I'm just so hungry that I couldn't wait for my breakfast to be ready." Bruce saw how honest she was, so he laughed. "Okay, we have a date then, and I get to choose where and when we should go." Ava nodded in confirmation of what Bruce said. She was so embarrassed and definitely didn't want to create a scene.

Ava took her breakfast and left for her office. She thought to herself, "I can't believe how rude he can be; I even apologized, and he still kept a serious face like he didn't care; he was just so concerned about his food, and that attitude he gave after I offered him a lunch treat, GOSH!!!" She said out loud, "Could this day get any worse?" She sighs.

Her loud ringing tone blared across the room as she instinctively reached out to check the caller ID. Ava picked up her phone and answered. It was Mason on the phone, and an impromptu meeting has been fixed. She quickly finished her meal and went for it.

After the meeting, Ava bumps into Bruce, and Bruce tells her he's ready for that lunch she promised, and it's not going to be in the cafeteria. “Le Bernardino,” he said. “Le Bernardino?” she repeated after him, sounding a little bit confused because she had never heard of it. "Yes, Le Bernardino" is my favourite place in the whole of this city.

Surprisingly to him, Ava didn’t object to his request; she just told him to wait a moment so she could go get her bag and car key. She went into her office and breathed in. She felt so suffocated around him, but she couldn’t show it as she had promised to treat him to lunch. Then she wonders why he keeps calling it a date.

She got her keys and met Bruce already waiting at the parking lots. She opened the car, and they both entered. When she started driving, she was avoiding saying anything to him, so she connected Google Maps to her steering; then there was no need for her to ask him for directions.

It was awkwardly silent in the car, and the journey seemed as if it were never going to end. “Why is this your favourite place in the city so far?” She said it almost like she was complaining. “Well, there was a shorter way to get there, but since you refused to say anything, I let you have your way.” He laughed mockingly.

Ava cursed her day even more and prayed that it was going to end very soon; at one point, she thought that her day had been jinxed because she could no longer understand why she had had so much bad luck in one day. She finally arrives at the restaurant.

She was so surprised at how fancy the restaurant was. “You really have nice taste, I must admit," she smiled. A waiter directed them to their seats; Bruce had already booked a reservation for them. The table was beautifully decorated with flowers; it was one of the nicest things she has seen in the whole of the week. "Well, my day was jinxed after all." She smiled again.

The waiter walked up to their table with a menu and asked them to select what they wanted. Ava was a bit confused on what to order, and Bruce noticed and asked if she would let him choose for her. She didn’t refuse. He told the waiter to get him their specials. The waiter smiled and complimented them, saying that they looked good together.

While waiting for their meal to be served, Bruce asked, “Are you always like this, or do you just act this way to me?” She sighed and apologized. “Sorry we started on a bad note," she explained how terrible her day has been from the hangover she had and waking up late with a splitting headache, then the issue with the police, and how late she already was to work.

“What about the elevator?” Bruce interrupted, "Well, I had gas issues due to the alcohol I consumed last night; that’s why I didn’t want anyone with me in the elevator, but clearly, you didn’t understand, so those dreams happened." "And I was so embarrassed to admit to it,” Ava said this time, her cheek turning red. She felt as if the earth would open and swallow her.

Bruce just giggled a bit and said, “Do you want to know a secret?” He said, “When I was 13, I peed on my bed and blamed the dog just to avoid being laughed at.” Ava laughed out loud; she felt much more comfortable around him, and he finally got to see her smile. They continued spilling secrets about the most embarrassing moments they have had, and she denied it.

The waiter walks in with their meal; it was pork chop casserole with tomato gravy. Ava, being a foodie, couldn’t wait to get a bite of it; her mouth was already salivating from the food's aroma. She digs into the food; “wow, I must admit the food there is really nice, and you really have a nice taste,” she says, continuing to eat her food.

Bruce smiled and watched her eat. He smiled and wondered how someone would show two sides of her character in the same day. They are and continued talking and giggling as if they were couples. “We should go out more often; I must admit I really enjoyed your company," Ava said. "Yeah, we should, and next time you could come up with where and when we should go out.”

Chapter 6

Lunch was fun. Both Ava and Bruce had a great time. If given the opportunity both of them would prefer to continue the day elsewhere. Sadly they didn’t have that option as they were to return to the office. 

Ava’s company was one to envy after. Some even said the company ran itself. In reality, it was all due to Ava’s inbred leadership skills. She’d often be overlooked and undermined but what people couldn’t deny was the effect of her efforts.

Ava took the company to the next level after her father handed it over to her. From that level, she took it even higher. 

So she had to be there as often as possible, to remind people that she was the boss. Still, an afternoon out with Bruce did her good. The conversation and light humor helped her loosen up and clear her head.

Heavens knows she’s been choked at work. Bruce on the other hand looked giddy, to say the least. From the way he walked, you could tell he was happy. He normally struts around with a sense of importance but now his movements were less rigid and his replies were more forgiving.

He enjoyed being around Ava. Some days he wished he didn’t have to hide who he was from her. It felt bad having to keep such a secret from someone he cared for so deeply. He often wondered how she’d react if she found out. 

He knew finding out wouldn’t make her that upset. What would send her over the edge would be finding out from a different source, from a source that wasn’t him. Her trust would be broken. 

He couldn’t afford that to happen but still, he knew it was too early to let her in on his true identity. They arrived at the office and he rushed to get out before her.

“Don’t get up.” He said as he rushed out of the car. Ava stared and wondered what has gotten into him and what he was planning. 

He came out of the car and rushed over to her door. He gently grabbed her door handle and pulled it open. He held out his hand and gestured at her to take it. She did and came out of the car.

She was beyond pleased. At first, a smile spread across her face then she giggled and then he smiled. They were both very fond of each other at this moment.

“You didn’t have to do that,” Ava said trying to keep her smiles under control. 

“I know I didn’t have to do it I simply did it because I wanted to.” Her smile returned this time with more force than the last. She liked how nice he made her feel. 

“Such a gentleman,” Ava told him. Bruce tried to play it cool but he couldn’t deny how good I felt. 

They stepped into the building and just as if a light switch was flipped everything changed. Ava was used to a heavy workload but this was unreal. As soon as she stepped into the office she was swarmed by clerks and other office personnel. 

each of them with a file or two in hand. She needed to review them all and have them approved or rejected. Her brief more of peace was gone now. Bruce did the best he could grabbing as many folders as he could. He became her wall. He stood in front of her and made sure no one could get to her. 

As soon as they were inside her office she turned cold. She had been smiling only moments ago but now she was in work mode. 

“Hand me those folders and you can go.” Her words were direct and without emotion. Her hand was held out, she was waiting on him. 

“No.” Ava was stunned. What did he just say and why did he say it? Had she done something wrong or were they on bad terms and she was oblivious? 

“What did you say?” She asked.

“I said no,”

“What do you…”

“I’m not leaving you here to do all this work on your own.” Ava was left without words. Her confusion soon turned to glee. Her heart felt warm and her smile came back. 

“Thank you so much, Bruce,” 

“No need to thank me it’s what I’m here for. Now let’s get started.” He passed her a file and took a couple more from her desk. 

They spent the next couple of hours going from file to file and reviewing different projects. She had two meetings but postponed them to the next day. The workload was crazy. 

Still as consumed as she was in her work she was also invested in Bruce. The man had had her in his palm at this point.

She kept on looking at him. Every chance she got she stared at his beautiful face. She had a thing for thick eyebrows and his fit the description. Her eyes kept wandering all over his body. 

He seemed so fit. She concluded he had a tight workout regimen. His physique couldn’t just be natural. A body like that took time and dedication. Bruce seemed like the kind to be very dedicated. 

He also seemed passionate. She wondered if he was also a dedicated lover. If he brought the same level of attention to his romantic relationships. She knew she shouldn’t have been thinking about those things but she couldn’t stop herself. He was beautiful.

Soon the day had come to a conclusion and the pile of folders that lay on her table had soon evaporated. She had Bruce to thank for it all and thank him she would. 

“Once again I’d like to say a big thank you to you, Bruce,”

“Stop it. You know I’m here to help you in any way I can,”

“Still it’s not often one goes out of his way to help the way you do.”

“Well, it should be more often then,”

“but it’s only your first day,”

“Exactly. I have to give you a reason to want to keep me around. 

They both stared in silence. It felt like they both had something they needed to say to each other but they just didn’t know how to. 

“I think we’re the only ones left here. We better get going it’s getting late.” Ava lead the way and Bruce followed. He offered to take her home but she protested, saying she had a driver and that he had done his share 

Her car pulled up and she hopped in. 

“I owe you another treat Bruce,” she said with her window rolled down.

“You sure you doing it for me or you?”

“ I guess we’ll find that out later.” Her window went up and her car zoomed out of the office building.