Luckily, my question just made him laugh. And here I thought the man didn't have any sense of humor. I liked his laugh. It was a very manly laugh. I mentally slapped myself again, forcing myself to focus.
"When have I made you a slave for my dirty work?" he asked, still chuckling as he raised his eyebrow inquisitively.
"Well, there was the coffee run, the laundry runs … " I enumerated automatically. I could never stop myself from saying things at the top of my head. I could only hope that I had enough control to prevent myself from saying anything I might regret.
He just shook his head in amusement as he faced his desk again. "Okay. I'll cut down the slave work," he snickered, waving his hand in dismissal.
I sneered at his arrogant demeanor instinctively and got back to work. I still hated the man enough that I could brush off my attraction towards him a few seconds ago. But if he continued to be an ass, then being friends with him might be very entertaining. I could only hope his actions towards me wouldn't change completely, or I wouldn't be able to fight my attraction towards him. I would never admit out loud that I found the man alluring. Anyone who had estrogen in their system would agree he was very appealing.
Ten minutes after our conversation ended, Maggie came back with our food and drinks. I was relieved when she was finally in the room because it was starting to get awkward after William and I talked.
Friends. Could we be friends? I couldn't really grasp the thought of having any kind of relationship with Mr. Mogul. But for now, since I was going to be working with him for the next three months, I would have to swallow my pride and try to be friends with him.
Around seven-thirty, we had almost finished most of the work. Maggie was already done with her pile and was excused for the night. As for me, since I came in late, I had a few more things to finish. William was still focused on his work as Maggie bade us farewell.
When we were alone in the room again, I felt queasy. I sighed in relief that he didn't feel entitled to say anything to break the silence, like what he did this morning. That was a good thing because I was still hung up about his sudden change of character. Around quarter to nine, I finally finished my work. I let out a huge sigh of contentment that I could leave.
As I was about to stand, William stopped typing in his laptop as well and closed it. I was a bit startled that I took a quick glance at him. But I looked away as I gathered my things.
"Are you done?" he asked as I grabbed my bag.
"Yes. I'm going to head out now."
"Do you need a lift?" he asked as he stood up and grabbed a blazer behind his leather chair.
I stood up and turned to face him, shocked by his offer. Where was he going with this? "Ah … No, I'm going to be fine. I've got some errands to do," I replied uneasily as I slowly walked towards the door.
"Oh, are you sure? I could drop you off somewhere if you'd like."
I stopped walking and stared at him suspiciously. "Why are you being nice to me?"
"Is it really bad to be nice to a friend? I thought we were starting over," he replied with uncertainty as he raised one eyebrow at me.
I squinted my eyes at him, not really buying it. "I only agreed to be friends so you won't have to insult me anymore, Mr. Maxwell. We should keep this more of a business kind of friendship."
He eyed me for a second before he started chuckling. "You think I'm flirting here, Ms. Peterson?"
"Why? Aren't you?" I probed as I glared at him accusingly. Then, my mind suddenly went blank at what he implied. Wait, what?
He just gave me a mysterious smile. He walked towards me and stopped a foot away from where I stood. "If I was doing such a thing, I would have done it already, Ms. Peterson. I was merely being a gentleman. It's almost nine, you know," he whispered before he went out the door.
"Aren't you coming?" he called as I continued to stand there like an idiot.
I snapped out of my trance and walked past him while he held the elevator doors open. Did he know that I was attracted to him? No, he couldn't know. I verbally assaulted him since the first day we met. He was just trying to catch me off guard. I knew that this "friendship" thing is nothing to him. He was only offering it since the bickering was becoming a nuisance. Even I would think it was a waste of time if I were in his shoes.
We silently rode the elevator to the lobby. On the way down, I stood across him, not really trusting the man's word in any way. When the door opened to the lobby, I didn't wait for an offer to let me exit first. I walked out of that elevator without a second thought.
I didn't notice that William followed. When I got out of the building, I noticed a familiar black SUV parked outside the door. I stopped in my tracks for a second as I assessed the situation. A man in a black suit and tie jumped out of the front door and opened the back.
"Come on. Don't just stand there," William commanded as he grasped my arm, taking me by surprise.
"What...?"
"I did say I'm offering you a ride to anywhere you like," he stated when I showed some resistance.
"But I didn't agree to your offer."
"Your answer is not relevant to my question, Ms. Peterson," he said sternly as he tugged me towards the car.
"I'm not going anywhere with you," I resisted and pulled my arm out of his hold.
"Who said you are going where I'm going? I'm only dropping you off at wherever you like."
"You're not going to give up easily, are you?" I asked after a few seconds of glaring at each other.
"You know me too well, Ms. Peterson," he replied with a grin as he gestured his hand towards the car.
I looked at him for a second and to the car, where the lackey kept the back door open. In a defeated sigh, I walked towards the SUV and jumped in. From my peripheral vision, I could see the smug look on his face. He got in the car after me, making me move to the other end of the seat. After a few seconds, his attendant went back to his seat up front and sped off the road.
"So, where are you headed anyway?" William finally asked after the driver hit the accelerator.
Before I could give him my reply, my phone started buzzing in my bag. I got it out and checked the caller I.D. before answering. It was from an unknown number. I debated for a moment but answered the call anyway.
"Hello? Ms. Peterson? This is Nurse Patty. Your father had another attack a few minutes ago. The doctors are trying to stabilize his condition right now," the woman said.
"What? Is he alright?" I asked frantically.
No. No. No. Please, let him be all right. Please, let him be all right.
"I don't have word from the doctor yet, Ms. Peterson. I'm so sorry for not calling you sooner."
"I'll be there soon," I said frantically, my voice strained from the sob I was trying to hold back. I ended the call as I took a deep breath.
I turned to William, willing myself to tell him the name of the hospital. But the only thing that left my mouth were sobs as my vision started to blur. I was beyond shaken at this point.
Without a word, William grabbed ahold of me and pulled me in his embrace. His arms gently caressed up and down my back, comforting me as I cried on his black blazer. I couldn't really concentrate on anything at the moment. I was barely conscious when I heard William tell the man in the front seat to call someone. And, right after that, I was crying like that day-the day when the doctors told me my father only had a few months to live.
Sixteen
Fifteen minutes after we reached the hospital, William was with me at the waiting area. He rubbed my back as I curled myself into a ball while waiting for the doctor's news. I kept reassuring myself that my father was fine, but I couldn't convince myself entirely. William's subtle backrub helped keep me from having a full-on breakdown, which was odd since I hated the man just a few hours ago. At that moment, however, I was holding on to him for dear life.
Almost half an hour later, Terry arrived and ran towards me, making me jump up from my seat and into his arms. He held me tightly as he softly whispered that things were going to be all right. After a few moments of consoling me, he sat me back down on the chair. I was vaguely aware of William getting up from his chair and Terry taking his place beside me. I wasn't in the mood to explain my father's situation. So to answer Terry's unspoken questions, William explained on my behalf.
"I don't know what the status is at the moment, but the nurse assured us that things would be okay. We just need to wait for the doctor's full report."
I saw Terry nod at him. Everyone remained silent until the doctor came. He arrived shortly after. I got up from my seat and met him halfway with Terry and William standing right behind me.
"Dr. Stanley? How is he?" I asked, my voice choked up from crying.
"Ms. Peterson. He is doing well, I assure you. We had to perform an emergency laparoscopy, which is a minimally invasive heart surgery, because one of his arteries got clogged. It wasn't like last time, though. This time was just a hiccup," Logan replied with a small smile. "If you want, you may see him now."