Chapter 7
Six, seven, eight...
I counted the second between each number change in the elevator indicator on my mind. That is how I preoccupied myself after I moved away from Mr green.
It didn't make sense but at least it helped me focus on why I was here in ABM in the first place. I made it my mission to figure out how many seconds or minutes it takes for the elevator to get to each floor.
Ten seconds for each floor.
The irony of the situation is that I couldn't get away from him even though we aren't close, I could feel his gaze on me this whole time, his scent filled the elevator as if it was out to taunt me and remind me that I am in an enclosed space with a man that is out of my league.
His presence deterred me from my mission, but I forced myself to pretend he didn't have any effect on me. I offered a quick thanks to God the moment the elevator stopped on the last floor.
I was out of the car as soon as the door slid open, attempting to escape him before I do anything I would regret later. A glance at my wristwatch shows 9:10.
With enough curses to wake up my ancestors, I ran toward the receptionist and gave her my name.
‘You are ten minutes late,’ she mumbled, and I didn't miss the subtle eye roll she threw at me.
‘I am so sorry, something came up and I was delayed a little’, I apologized, not wanting to pick up a fight with her.
It wasn't in her place to criticize me; her job was to welcome people into the company and make sure they are comfortable till they see whoever they came to see but I wasn't about to tell her that.
She scoffed, fixed her gaze on the desktop in from of her as she typed in some details.
‘You can have your seat over there,’ she looked after a while, no traces of a smile on her face. ‘I would let you know when you are to go in.’
She turned back to the desktop, ignoring me completely. Her lack of professional qualities was glaring but still, I keep my mouth shut.
God knows how long she has been working here, for her to have such confidence and audacity and I wasn't about to ruin my chance of securing this million-dollar contract just because I find her attitude appalling.
Ignoring her just like she did, I made my way to the long line of chairs and perched down on one of them. Pulling out the manila file that houses the designs I came up with, I begin to look it over again to make sure nothing is wrong with it.
‘Miss Cornell,’ my gaze flew up and met with a pair of amber ones. They belong to a petite blonde lady who was looking down at me with a smile on her beautiful face.
‘Yes,’ I frowned in confusion.
‘I am sorry if I interrupted you. I just wanted to let you know you would go in any moment from now,’ the lady smiled again, her eyes offering her sincere apology, and I couldn't help but smile at her.
‘Thank you.’ I closed the file and set it aside.
She nodded her head in acknowledgement and her eyes darted around as if looking she was looking for something.
‘Is there something you need?’ I was forced to ask.
‘You weren't offered anything to drink?’ Her brows furrowed.
I didn't get the chance to reply to her question, as she turned around and fixed a hard glare on the receptionist.
‘Bianca,’ she snapped. ‘Do I have to remind you what your job entails every goddamn time?’
Bianca snorted and glared back at the blondie. ‘I know my job well enough, and I don't need you to teach me,’ she began. ‘I didn't offer her anything because she was late.’
Wow... That was unexpected.
Even blondie seems taken aback by her reason. ‘When did you decide who get to be offered the company's hospitality, Bianca? Who gave you the right to take matters into your hands?’ Blondie snapped.
‘And who the hell made you the boss here?’ Bianca retorted. ‘I must have missed the coronation.’
‘How dare you?’ Blondie reared forward, her eyes dimming.
‘I can see you love your job so much, Rachel, and you don't like to leave anything undone, so I suggest you prepare a cup of coffee, tea, or whatever she wants for her. That is what you are hired for anyway. Head receptionist,’ Bianca spat with so much sarcasm.
‘What is going on here?’ a man's voice pulls their attention away from each other and I release the breath I didn't know I was holding.
It was imminent that they were about to pounce on each other, and I didn't know how to stop them. The two ladies turn to the man, who interrupted them.
‘Mr Ben,’ Rachel greeted humbly, while Bianca remains defiant.
‘I asked you both a question.’ Ben scowled.
‘It's Rachel,’ Bianca charged forward, putting on her best puppy eyes. ‘She left her office and came here to berate me just because I forgot to offer this woman a cup of coffee,’ she sobbed, pointing her manicured finger at me.
‘What?’ I had every intention of staying out of their drama, but I couldn't keep quiet when she was being a nuisance. ‘You admitted you didn't offer me anything because I was a few minutes late, even after I told you I was held up by something I couldn't avoid.’
The audacity she has is beyond me. How can she think of lying when she was outnumbered?
I felt Ben gaze on me but didn't turn to look at him.
‘Rachel,’ he finally looked away. ‘Is that true?’
‘Yes, Ben,’ Rachel nodded her head. ‘I came here to let Miss Cornell know she would soon be called in to have her meeting with the boss only to discover she wasn't offered anything.’
‘That is preposterous, I wanted to offer her a drink, but I forgot because I was preoccupied with something else,’ Bianca insisted, and I felt the urge to slap her hard.
Ben shook his head to deter her from lying further, she must have been so used to lying that he did not believe the words that came out of her mouth. She tried to plead her case, but he waved her off.
‘I am so sorry for the inconvenience Miss Cornell; would you love a cup of coffee brought to you as you discuss your business with the boss?’ Ben apologized.
‘You don't have to bother yourself with that, I'll have water instead,’ I turn to pick up my things as he gave instructions to Bianca.
‘This way Miss Cornell,’ he gestured forward, leading the way to the conference room.
From the voices coming from the room, I knew at once that there are other people in the room. The thought that they are waiting for me to walk through the door and present my ideas to them made me nervous.
I wiped my sweaty palm over my skirt, as Ben pushed the door open. With shaky breaths, I stepped into the room, earning a stare from everyone present.
Tilting my head just a little, I greeted them all, but my gaze was drawn to the man who stood at the head of the table, his back turned to everyone. He felt familiar like I have seen him before.
Waving off the idea since there was no way I could have met the CEO of ABM, even in my dream, I pull out the last available chair and settled myself on it.
‘Since everyone is here, let's begin the meeting.’
That voice... Even if it isn't up to an hour yet, I would recognize it anywhere, anytime.
I lift my head and the realization hit me so deep. This was why he felt familiar the moment I walked him.
It was him... Mr green eyes.