Chapter 18 For Him
Aiden’s sitter arrived just after 10:00 AM and Eden spent some time showing her around the house and giving her detailed notes about her son, from what he liked to eat to his potty training times and his afternoon routine.
“This is his favourite toy,” Eden said as she picked up a Paw Patrol sensory toy. “He can’t fall asleep without it.”
“I’ve got this Mrs McBride,” Brenda said, startling Eden out of her mind with the title. But then, she remembered the engagement ring on her left hand.
“Please call me Eden,” she said with a smile as she kissed Aiden again and ruffled his hair. “Don’t forget he can’t eat anything with nuts, that includes sweets, chocolates, biscuits or anything really.”
“Got it! Now go get that job!” Brenda gave her two thumbs up. “Good luck!”
“All the emergency number
pretty sure was the hundredth tire on the fridge in case you can’t reach me,” Eden said for what she was
as she grabbed her handbag and phone from the table in the kitchen.
This would be her first time leaving Aiden alone with a stranger, her first time leaving him with anyone period. There’s never been a single day in the past two years she was away from him, even for a few hours.
“We’ll be okay,” Brenda pushed her out of the front door, and Aiden waved at her.
“Bye–bye!” He babbled in his baby voice, and she was so tempted to call and cancel her interview. But her savings would only last so long, and unless her freelance work picked up again, they’d soon find themselves swimming up shit creek if she didn’t get a permanent job soon. And there’s no way she’d go crawling back to her parents.
“Bye–bye, baby,” Eden smiled tearfully and ran to her Prius. The front door had barely closed when she heard him cry.
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“Oh God,” she dissolved into tears herself as she shifted the car into drive and pulled away. Hearing Aiden’s sad screams split her heart in two.
“You’re doing this for him,” she reminded herself as she breezed through mid–morning traffic.
She checked the time on her dash when she pulled into the visitors‘ parking of Anderson Logistics, impressed with how quickly it took her to get here from her place.
Fifteen minutes.
If she gets the job, she might try walking some days. Of course, it would be slightly longer, but the exercise would be good for her.
She locked her car and gingerly made her way to the entrance, feeling self–conscious in her black pencil skirt, white pussy–bow blouse and black kitten heels. She was pretty sure everyone could tell this was her first real interview in a very long time.
She stared at the striking curved facade with ‘Anderson Logistics‘ emblazoned on the front of the building near the entrance, remembering the last time she was here.
She thought about that day often, and how things would have turned out if she never saw Liam with that woman she assumed is his wife and if she’d told him about Aiden.
Would he have accepted her and their baby and left his wife for her?
Would she have wanted him to?
“Hey, watch it!” Someone screeched at her as they sped past on a bike, pulling her out of her daze. It took her startled heart a few seconds to return to its normal pace again.
“Let’s do this!” She psyched herself up and approached the entrance.
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Chapter 18 Fort
The motion sensor doors slid open as she came closer, the two security quads stationed on side of the entrance pointed her in the right direction when she asked for the reception
either
As Eden walked through the atrium, making her way to the reception area, she kept stopping to gak at the place and take in everything around her. There were people everywhere, but she barely noticed, she was blown away by the decor and artworks, and she took a few pictures for inspiration. She was still snapping away when a security guard approached her and told her to move along, she wasn’t allowed to take pictures
“But why?” She asked, baffled by the notion. It’s not like there were trade secrets on the ground floor
“I don’t make the rules,” the guard shrugged and carried on with his rounds.
Eden pressed forward, stopping yet again when her eyes found something else to feast over–the futuristic interactive map of the building.
Since she was way too early, she paused there for a long time, playing with the touch screen display, bringing up various floors and viewing them in 3D.
The foodie in her silently sang ‘Hallelujah‘ when she saw the staff canteen and the thousands of restaurants on the first floor
Aiden’s new school–if she got the job–was located on the second floor. She went on a virtual tour of the classes and was instantly sold when she saw the creative ways the young teachers used to connect with the little ones. She was super impressed with the state of the art computer lab, the rest area with the tiny sleeping pods and the healthy meal plans.
Surely Aiden would thrive here. If they taught computers to little kids his age, he’d be talking in ten–word sentences in no time.
She loved Anderson Logistics already and now more than ever she was determined to get in, to give Aiden access to all these great opportunities.
“Whoa!” She whispered when she read a fun fact on the screen. The atrium was big enough to house a Boeing 737
She believed it
If she hadn’t come across this nifty map, she would have been overwhelmed by the size of the place She could see how over a thousand people fit in here.
She tried to visit Liam’s office next, but access to the 36th floor was denied, even virtually.
*T’ll be back, my toy!” She promised the touch screen map and reluctantly moved along.
One of the five receptionists looked up when Eden approached the long glossy black desk.
“Can I help you?” Sandy, if Eden had to trust the name tag on her chest, smiled and waved her over
“I’m here for an interview, with Mrs Yvonne Gibson,” she said quickly.
Four other pairs of eyes turned to her and sized her up. They didn’t think she was interview material for Anderson Logistics and certainly not with Mrs Gibson, whoever she is.
Irritated by their rude reception, Eden pulled out her phone and showed them the email.
Sandy read it quickly and gave her an apologetic smile. “Please have a seat. I’ll let Gibby know you’re
here.”
Eden sat down in one of the woven wing chairs scattered in the waiting area, expecting it to be as uncomfortable as it looked, but she was pleasantly surprised. Maybe modern decor wasn’t so bad Not that she could ever afford one of these chairs, besides it would throw off her coastal theme.
Her eyes drifted back to the receptionists who were whispering about her, judging from their hushed tones and side glances. She focused her attention on the large waterfall cascading behind them. It was pretty, soothing too, but she couldn’t help but wonder where all that water goes.
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if she hadn’t come across this nifty map, she would have been overwhelmed by the size of the place. She could see how over a thousand people fit in here.
She tried to visit Liam’s office next, but access to the 36th floor was denied, even virtually.
“I’ll be back, my toy!” She promised the touch screen map and reluctantly moved along.
One of the five receptionists looked up when Eden approached the long glossy black desk.
“Can I help you?” Sandy, if Eden had to trust the name tag on her chest, smiled and waved her over.
“I’m here for an interview, with Mrs Yvonne Gibson,” she said quickly.
Four other pairs of eyes turned to her and sized her up. They didn’t think she was interview material for Anderson Logistics and certainly not with Mrs Gibson, whoever she is.
Irritated by their rude reception, Eden pulled out her phone and showed them the email.
Sandy read it quickly and gave her an apologetic smile. “Please have a seat. I’ll let Gibby know you’re..
here.”
Eden sat down in one of the woven wing chairs scattered in the waiting area, expecting it to be as uncomfortable as it looked, but she was pleasantly surprised. Maybe modern decor wasn’t so bad. Not that she could ever afford one of these chairs, besides it would throw off her coastal theme.
Her eyes drifted back to the receptionists who were whispering about her, judging from their hushed) tones and side glances. She focused her attention on the large waterfall cascading behind them. It was pretty, soothing too, but she couldn’t help but wonder where all that water goes.
F
Chapter 19 Sold
pher 20 His Pound Of Flesh
Chapter 20 His Pound Of Flesh
Liam waited anxiously in a room identical to the one Eden sat in for her interview two doors down. He rechecked his Cartier and growled as he pushed the laptop away and began pacing.
Why was it taking so goddamn long to make a mousey librarian sign a piece of paper? It was over an hour already
He really should have handled this shit himself, he shouldn’t have made Gibby go in alone, especially when he knew her thoughts on Eden.
But crashing the interview would have ruined the whole element of surprise, and knowing how Eden left him once, she’d likely bolt again. Assuming, of course, she remembered him.
Liam’s anxiety mounted at the thought, and he didn’t like the idea that he was so lacklustre in bed, Eden could have easily forgotten him.
“Doesn’t matter!” He breathed out a frustrated sigh. What mattered was that he remembered. Every little detail. Every humiliating moment when he couldn’t perform. All the accusatory, yet pitiful looks from the numerous women he’d wished to bed but couldn’t.
Eden stole something precious from him, and he planned to make her suffer the same kind of humiliation, if not worse. He just hadn’t thought about her punishment yet, hadn’t figured out how he’d go about getting his pound of flesh.
The details don’t matter right now, he thought. What mattered was getting Eden to sign first.
He was about to call Gibby and ask her if she needed reinforcement, someone from HR or even Legal when the door flew open, and she walked in, a perturbed look on her face.
“Can you believe it, she wanted to think about it? I mean after pitching all the generous company benefits, she still wanted to think about it!” Gibby ranted as she threw the personnel file on the table and glared at him.
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Liam stood his ground and matched her death stare. “For crying out loud, Gibby, you had one job! What was so hard in getting her to sign?”
“Did I say I failed?” She demanded, her smooth face splitting into a huge grin as she shoved the file in his direction. “Congratulations Mr Anderson, you have your second assistant!”
“Come here, you!” Liam roared with joy as he pulled her in his arms and carried her around the room. “You miracle maker!”
Gibby squealed like a little girl, begging him to set her down, a few employees were gawking through the glass wall.
“Let them!” Liam said with a broad grin of his own, unable to contain his excitement. “You deserve a fucking bonus!”
“Thanks, I’ll take it, but I’m still leaving after I hand over to the two them.”
“That’s okay, Gibby. I’ll even send you on an all–expenses–paid vacation. Name your spot. You and Joe can make it your second honeymoon.”
“Tempting,” His assistant laughed and reached for the untouched bottle of still water beside his laptop. He’d brought it in to help calm his nerves but forgot about it as soon as he sat down.
“We have a few details to work out,” Gibby said as she waved at his seat.
He dutifully took his place behind the laptop.
“They’ll both start on Monday with orientation day, followed by a two month–long secretarial course, she began as she drank her water. “Ordinarily I would take another month to handover, but we’ll run both concurrently. So in a little over two months, if all goes well, you’ll have not one, but two very efficient PAs. still think Clara Winston should be the chief assistant since she has more experience.”
“Your call, Gibby!” Liam waved her off. He didn’t want to get bogged down with all the minor details.
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“HR will look after all the assistants and the office support area until Clara or Eden are expenanced and comfortable enough to take the reins. I’d give it six months to about a year”
Liam nodded, he didn’t care who took over what. Now that Eden had signed he had to start thanking of a plan to exact his revenge.
“She seems very sincere,” Gibby said as if she could read his nefarious thoughts.
“How so?” Liam threw his assistant a suspicious look.
Had she also fallen for Eden’s innocent, librarian look?
Did the shrew convince her with her smooth tongue the same way she seduced him that night at Crush?
Ugh, he sighed inwardly, he wouldn’t put it past Eden McBride. She’s a pro at manipulation and getting her way.
“Well, she’s recently bought a house, and all she wants to do is to look after her son.”
“Well good for her,” Liam said. “Children are excellent motivators.”
“My thoughts too, she’ll take this job seriously because it means ten times more to her,” Gibby agreed. “Anyway, I hope you know what you’re doing. Your assistant is like your wife in all respects. You now have two. Good luck with that.”
Liam chuckled, she was exaggerating of course. He had no intention of treating either one as his wife They would both know their place. One would do the job she was hired to do, and the other would feel has wrath every day.
Gibby checked her watch and groaned, “we’re late for the internal comms meeting!”
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She grabbed his laptop, and they raced to the marketing department on the 20th floor where Liam spent the entire meeting floating on air
He was happy to sign off on the annual family day budget the fun committee’s been whining about since the start of the year.
“Are you sure?” The head of the area asked. “You said it’s a lot of money before.”
“It is. But we can’t skimp on our families. They are the backbone of what we do. We need to make sure they are all taken care of on the day. But remember, safety first.” Liam said as he made his way to the door.
He could hear whispers rippling through the room about ‘the Dragon being surprisingly calm and charming today‘. He was well aware he’s the Dragon, a nickname he got because of his fiery hair and temper
It didn’t bother him.
What irked him, though, was the endless chatter in all the group chats he was in. People posting cooking recipes, photos of their pets and gardens and all kinds of nonsense. That shit was not good for productivity. He’d make it Eden’s first assignment to shut down all the unnecessary chatter. Let them all hate her.
Yes, Liam smiled, pleased with himself as he took the private elevator to the 36th floor. He was brimming with good ideas and equally impressive plans today.
