Meeting Mr. Mogul(26)

"Right." Sensing his discomfort though, I left it at that and attempted  to diffuse the situation by standing up and asking him, "Is that all,  Mr. Maxwell?"

His eyes met mine, widening for a second before they softened. "Yes.  That would be all, Ms. Peterson," he stated with a small smile.

"Oh. I almost forgot. Thank you for last Saturday. I thought you were  kidding about the friendship thing," I awkwardly said in a rush.

He chuckled and shook his head in reply. There was a teasing glint in  his eye when he said, "I wasn't joking, Andy. I do want to be your  friend-if you would want me to be yours as well."

"It would be my pleasure, Mr. Maxwell," I replied pleasantly before turning around and walking towards the door.

"Oh. Andy!" he called, making me turn around as I held the door open.  "You can call me William, not Mr. Maxwell. We're friends now, aren't  we?"

"Right," I nodded robotically. "See you later, William."

When I finally stepped out of his office, I let out a huge sigh as I  leaned on the doorframe for a second. I could feel Maggie gaze at me  curiously as I tried to regain my control.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm not really sure. I don't know what just happened in there," I mumbled in reply. My voice sounded breathless.

"Did I hear you clearly addressing...?"

"You heard it right," I whispered in reply as I walked back to my desk.

"I didn't know that both of you were warming up to each other," Maggie remarked with a slight giggle.

"I'm not quite sure about that though. Maybe I'm daydreaming right now," I replied meekly.

Without any warning, a pencil landed on my head with a small thud,  making me wince. I turned to Maggie with wide eyes. "Did you just  seriously throw this at me?" I asked, picking up the pencil off the  floor.

"Well, at least it's evident that you're awake if you felt that," she teased and went back to work like nothing happened.

I shook my head in disapproval and turned back to my desk, which had a  pile of reports needed to be finished by the end of the day.   





 





Seventeen





During the next few days, I changed my routine. After work, I usually  went home to stuff some fresh clothes for the night and for work the  next day in a duffel bag. I already brought my pillow there the first  night, so I normally didn't have to bring anything else. Then, I would  head to the hospital and stay in my father's room overnight. I made  myself at home on the chair beside his bed.

I kept this routine for three days after he woke up, even though he was  already fine and back to normal. I did this to assure myself that he was  fine. But for someone who just had an attack, my father was very  energetic. When he found out that I slept on the chair beside him while  he was sleeping, he got quite upset and reprimanded me. It was a bit  tedious calming him down and getting him to agree to let me sleep in for  a few more nights.

At work, the past few days were very uneventful. Well, it was probably  because William traveled overseas, and my work just consisted of dealing  with Maggie, paperwork, and reports. By Friday, I grudgingly admitted  to myself that I missed the daily bickering with Mr. Mogul. Though he  said that we were starting over, we were still exchanging snide comments  on his last day at the office. As another week passed, I was starting  to doubt if I even met William Maxwell.

Without him around, I was bored out of my mind. I wouldn't admit out  loud that office work is the most boring thing next to watching paint  dry, but it truly was. Then again, maybe I was a delusional secretary  tired of her overly normal job and in need of a bit of fun.

On my third week, I was already acquainted with most of the workers that  I didn't socialize with on my first week. Danny, the girl manning the  reception desk, and I were becoming fast friends. We exchange short  pleasantries and gossip as I pass her desk in the morning, evening, and  sometimes during lunch. I also got to know Jake, the guy who helped me  with the laundry errand the day I spilled black coffee on William's  blazer. He mainly works in security, but sometimes, he runs errands for  Danny, which made skeptical of their relationship. The receptionist,  however, didn't say anything to imply what it was.

Maggie and I also got closer over the past three weeks. I knew that she  was single, which was a shocker, and that she loves to drink  coffee-lattes to be exact. She was sometimes a vegetarian (her words not  mine), and she has worked for the Maxwells for fifteen years. She knew  every bit of gossip about William and Alexandra before they became the  people they were now.

"You know, Andy, he hasn't smiled genuinely since his father's death. I  sometimes think he's starting to become this stereotypical, rich  businessman. All work but no emotions," Maggie said to me one time.

I gave her a small smile in return.

"And the women... My god! The boy can never pick just one."

I laughed at that and nodded my head in agreement. I figured that out  the first time I met him. He doesn't really have to do much to get laid  but stand there and look rich and gorgeous.

By the fourth week, I was starting to wonder if William Maxwell even  existed. Sure, I contacted his sister almost every day for reports,  which was enough proof that he was real. But I didn't see him for so  long that he seemed like a figment of my imagination. Once he arrives, I  wouldn't really know how to react when I see him again, especially now  that I actually know his reputation. He was smart, rich (very rich), and  handsome to boot. In short, he was out of my league. Why I was even  thinking about these things, I did not know.

As I made my way to the elevator, like any other day, I stopped for a second at the reception desk to greet Danny.

"Hey, girl. Has mister rich and famous returned?" I asked playfully, which was usual between us for the past few days.

"I don't think so. The last news I heard was that he's currently with  someone … " she said with a huge grin, but was cut short as her eyes  widened and focused on something behind me.

I turned around, curious about what got her gaping. I suspected that  there might be some hot guy at my back. Soon enough, I was gaping too,  because William was walking up to us. He was wearing a dark suit with a  gray tie and his hair was styled back neatly. And judging from his  expression, it seemed like he heard everything.   





 

"Mr. Maxwell, good morning! Welcome back, sir," Danny greeted behind me  as soon as her surprise wore off. Her words brought me out of my trance.

"Good morning, Mr. Maxwell. Welcome back," my voice choked as I lowered my head as if I was curtsying.

"Ms. Peterson, lovely seeing you this energetic so early in the  morning," he replied as he stopped about a foot away from me. It sounded  like his voice had a hint of amusement. I couldn't really confirm if he  was entertained or not since I still hung my head in mortification. I  gave him a curt nod in reply while keeping my eyes away from him. This  is not how I envisioned meeting him again, which was a letdown compared  to our last conversation.

"Aren't you going up?" he asked after we both stood there for a second in awkward silence.

"Ah, yes."

I quickly turned my face away from him as I felt it heat up. I dashed to  the elevator as the metal doors opened right on cue. I was glad that we  weren't alone in the lift. But as the elevator travelled further up,  people started getting out in each floor. By the time the last person  left, my heart started hammering in my chest. I didn't get why I felt so  nervous. It's not like I had feelings for the man. Plus he wasn't  threatening me. So, why did I feel so fired up?

"So, how's your father?" he asked out of the blue. The doors closed shortly after, leaving just the two of us in the elevator.

"He's doing great," I replied, wincing at the sound of my voice, which  was an octave higher. I mentally slapped myself for sounding so nervous  and uncomfortable.

"Did he experience any complications with his medication since last time?"

"No. He is back to normal," I replied more calmly, yet my heart was still pounding.

"Good," he mumbled and nodded. "And how are you holding up at work?"

Why does time seem to slow down when you're in an awkward situation?  "I'm doing okay," I replied softly, lightly tapping my feet in  anxiousness. Tap. Tap. Tap.

"Is everyone treating you alright?"

"Yes. People here are very friendly." Tap. Tap. Tap.

"So, Maggie and you are practically best friends now, I presume?"

"Yeah. Maybe." Tap. Tap. Tap.

"Are you catching up well with the all the work Alexandra left for you?"

"Yes. They aren't very time consuming."

Why is this elevator taking so long to get to our floor? I internally  screamed in frustration. As if God had answered my prayers, the elevator  stopped and the doors opened right after my mental outburst. I went out  of the lift before the door completely opened all the way through. I  couldn't care less what William thought of my actions, as long as I was  out of that small compartment. It was starting to make me feel  claustrophobic.