"I can't believe you are leaving." Nicky cried quietly as she hugged me and refused to let me go. I patted her back and looked apologetically up at Brett. He didn't look happy either but what could I do. I needed this job, I truly did. For a moment, I shoved Adrian out of my mind and concentrated on what I was really going there for. I wanted to start working again. I wanted to feel useful and earn my own money instead of relying on others.

"I will call you guys the moment I land in Bakland," I told Wellie and Anna, who quietly observed me. I knew they were both annoyed by this but they were acting mature.

"Take care, Thea." Brett pulled me into a bone-crushing hug and placed a kiss on my hair.

"Come on, you guys!" I laughed trying to sound a little cheerful but my heart was breaking. "It's Bakland for crying out loud! It's only a couple of hours from here by plane. You can come one weekend and we can go clubbing, Bakland-style, right?"

They all pursed their lips while Nicky's mascara got smudged because of her tears. I heard the last call for my flight and hurried with my goodbyes.

"Bye!" I screamed as I rushed through my gate with my large handbag. It had everything I would need during the time I was air-bone, including The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh; a book that my mother had given to me for my birthday but it had been collecting dust in my apartment for the past four months!

"Good morning, Miss." One of the pretty-looking air hostesses smiled at me and took my ticket. Her smile faltered and her eyes snapped up at me before she turned back to the ticket.

"Is there something wrong?" I asked her. Adrian had Todd get me the ticket after he left for Bakland days ago with not so much as a goodbye.

The nerve of that man.

The only message I received from him was; See you in Bakland.

"No!" She quickly shook her head and pasted her smile back on her lips. "Your seat is this way, Miss." She took it upon herself to take me to my seat.

It felt awkward when I passed the economy class into the business class...but then we passed that too and I ended up in the less populated yet spacious and very impressive first class.

"Wow..." I muttered as the hostess showed me to my intimate corner which had everything including a large screen, all for me.

"Please, enjoy your flight." She grinned at me and walked away.

I wasn't very good with technology which made it even more puzzling as to why I was taking the job at a Digital Media company in the first place. I settled down and made myself cozy as I waited for us to take off.

Thanks to all the gadgets I learned to use on the flight, it wasn't unbearably long and boring. I made my way through the Arrivals corridors in the Bakland airport and came across a whole lot of people, several holding boards with names on them while others just watched and waited quietly. I witnessed heart-warming reunions of people who hadn't seen each other for a while. I smiled but I was a little nervous because I couldn't see any familiar face...

My thoughts trailed off when I saw a brand new face but he had a board with my full name written on it; Thea Marienne Claymont! I groaned softly as I approached the man.

"That's me," I told him pointing at the board.

He smiled warmly and he looked a little relieved. He had dark brown hair and gray eyes. He was young as he took my luggage "Welcome to Bakland. My name is Harrison."

"Thank you and nice to meet you." I followed him through the sea of people to the front where there was a sleek black Mercedes waiting for me. "The Bakland hospitality doesn't have boundaries, huh?"

Harrison laughed. "It has been a very busy three days ever since the President of Hunter Digital Media Group returned and there were no immediate available company cars so this was the last resort. I have only just received the message of your arrival today."

"Ad--" I had to catch myself before I mentioned Adrian's name to one of his employees. "Uhm—the job was recommended to me by my friend's husband. He works as the general manager back home."

"Well, you should consider yourself one of the very lucky ones to join the Group because it offers the best in everything. You will enjoy your time here." He said as he finished packing my luggage at the back of the car then opened the door for me and went to the driver's side before we drove off.

"The company offers accommodation for everyone who comes out of Bakland. Also, depending on your status in the company, transport is provided for you." Harrison explained looking at me through the rear-view mirror.

I gave him a nod. I wasn't going to be at a very high level at work. I wanted to talk to Adrian about the transport and living arrangements. It would look weird if I lived in a very good place with a nice car when I just got the job.

We drove through the busy roads of Bakland. This was a much larger city than the one I was used to. There were skyscrapers that needed me to crank my neck to see. Advertisements were displayed all over with flashy and colorful screens.

It was busy although it was mid-morning.

"Here we go." Harrison sighed as he drove the car into one of the tall buildings. "I was instructed to bring you here where you are going to meet the HR." The road to the underground parking lot went on forever.

We finally parked in the Hunter Digital Media Group reserved area.

"This is where most of the workers who came from outside Bakland live. I think the HR must have a place here for you to settle."

I nodded and followed him out towards the elevator where he pressed the thirtieth floor. It was the longest elevator ride I had ever had and finally, the door slid open and Harrison dragged my luggage out with him.

"Hello!" A beautiful brunette in a gorgeous red blouse and white pencil skirt came to us. She looked like a model in very high black heels and in great shape too. Her red lips split into a grin as she clasped her hands together and turned to me. "You must be Thea Claymont. I am Emma. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Didn't people in Bakland not have the last name? How many Emma's actually lived in that city? What if I needed her and called to ask for her only to find out there were about a hundred Emmas in the workplace?

"Nice to meet you too." I accepted her hand, looking totally out of place in my blue jeans, my black ankle boots, and my white long-sleeved t-shirt.

"Come on in. Let's get you settled down." She said as she opened the door to one of the apartments. "The Hunter Digital Media Group owns five floors in this building for the workers and all these apartments come fully furnished. Each apartment has from two to three bedrooms, two of which are en-suite, a sitting room, a good size kitchen, a dining room, a toilet and bathroom, and another room which has currently been converted to a study." When we entered the apartment, my eyes bulged in surprise.

"It's beautiful." I breathed in hard, taking in the size of it, the furniture and the view of the city before me. The furniture looked expensive and very trendy. It was a modern apartment with dark wood floors, grey and white walls, stainless steel kitchen, and high ceilings.

"You are free to change the interior if you like. There is a payment done for each new employee which aids in your comfortability for the first month. You can use that to re-furnish." She explained as she adjusted the lighting in the dining-room. The sitting room, the kitchen, and the dining were open plans, my favorite.

"You have a two-roomed apartment. This is the master bedroom." She opened the room that reminded me of five-star hotel suites. She walked over to the heavy curtains and pulled them open revealing more of the city views. The room had floor to ceiling windows that brought in a lot of light and the dark wood floors continued.

She showed me to the bathroom and I wanted to take a bath almost immediately. I was in love with my new place. It was more than I could ever imagine.

"These apartments cost a fortune." She finally turned to me. "But the Company is paying seventy percent of the rent, you only get to contribute thirty percent of it."

Just how much was thirty percent? I thought quietly.

"There is a gymnasium, an indoor swimming pool, and other recreational facilities upstairs. However, if this apartment is not to your liking, we do have two more buildings with employee apartments--"

"I love it!" I quickly exclaimed.

Emma had no idea what I was living in until now! This was like a royal residence to me.

She chuckled softly. "I am glad you like it. So, let's get on with the paperwork then." She led me back to the sitting room where she produced a couple of thick papers. "This is your employment contract and this is your apartment contract. The company will provide you with transport until you get your bearings straight, usually two months at least—so, you will be seeing Harrison quite a lot."

"But can't I just leave with the other employees for work? You said this whole floor has people working at the company right?"

Emma nodded softly and said. "It's just that, everyone belongs to a different department they have different working times. Others work at the smaller branches around the city which are away from the Head Quarters. We don't want you to get lost on your first day on Monday, do we?"

Point taken. I settled back after I finished signing in all the papers.

"These are your copies." She handed me a set of papers. "And here is your key." She handed me the card to my door. "Welcome to the family, Thea, and I will be seeing you on Monday."

She got her stuff and made her way out, leaving me in that extravagant yet very alien place.

It was awfully quiet when she left.

I sighed and sank back on the dark blue plush sofa. I still couldn't believe that the apartment would be my new home for the rest of my days in Bakland. I knew Adrian would have offered more than this but this was more than enough for me. I loved it and I couldn't wait to start having my new life there.

I quickly reached for my phone and started taking photos of the different rooms and spaces then quickly sent them to Wellie on email together with a message that I had arrived safely.

"Gosh, I am hungry." I rubbed my stomach and went to the fridge, expecting a full fridge but I overestimated Adrian Hunter. It was completely empty with a new smell wafting from it.

My phone vibrated on the table and when I looked at it, it was Wellie calling me. I answered the phone and she screamed.

"No fucking way!"

I laughed at her expression. "Yes, fucking way. You know what, I should thank you for the push you gave me to accept this job. Now, I live like royalty while you have to share your place with a five-year-old husband and a two year old who should be your mother."

"I hate you." Wellie groaned.

"You love me to the moon and back. Wellie, this place is amazing and the people, oh goodness the HR is like Victoria's Secret model and she's super nice." I trotted to my handbag and got my key before making my way out.

Wellie laughed. "You sound so excited."

"I am! This is big for me, Wellie. Never once had I ever thought I'd end up in a place like this." I pushed my hair back from my face as I walked to the elevator and pressed the down arrow.

"I am so happy for you. We all are. You needed a change in the atmosphere because you were going down the road of destruction. By the way, did you tell your mother that you're in Bakland?"

I cringed as the elevator door opened and I stepped inside. "No, I didn't. I will have to wait until she and Stuart return from their cruise--"

"Hold the doors!" Someone called out and I quickly stopped the doors from closing.

A tall blond man slipped in together with his Golden Retriever. He smiled down at me and stood beside me.

I couldn't stop staring at his dog. I loved dogs and always gushed at each dog I met on the street.

"Let me call you back, Wellie." I hung up and turned to the dog who was staring up at me while his big tail thumped excitedly on the floor.

"Looks like Stark likes you." The man said and smiled at me. "He is especially fond of beautiful women."

I laughed softly feeling my cheeks heat up with color. "Or maybe he just sees me as a big piece of bone that he wants to take a bite in."

The man laughed. "No, Stark knows the good stuff when he sees it. I am Steven, by the way." he extended his hand towards me.

I smiled up at him and accepted it. "Thea."

"You must be new here, Thea, cause I know everyone who lives on that floor."

I nodded. "I just came to Bakland today."

Steven was a good-looking guy with broad blond locks on his head and pale blue eyes. His face was well chiseled with high cheekbones and full lips. He had the body of someone who liked working out.

"Oh, welcome to Bakland."

I tucked my hair behind my ear and smiled."Thanks."

"So, where are you going now? Do you have someone waiting for you downstairs?" He asked me with a frown on his face.

"No, actually I was thinking of getting lost in the streets of Bakland while trying to look for a decent place to eat."

Steven rolled his eyes. "No one gets used to the empty fridge, huh?"

I laughed. "Yeah, that was a nice touch to the whole welcoming package."

Steven chuckled lightly as the elevator doors opened up and more people entered the elevator making us move further behind. "Tell you what, why don't I help you find a decent place to eat, show you the closest supermarket here, and in turn you accompany me and Stark while we do that? Sounds like a fair deal?"

Steven was funny and I was already feeling a little comfortable with him. "It's not like I have much of a choice."

He smiled as we finally reached the ground floor and made our way out.

"I would have taken the car but that would only mess up your orientation. It's easy to know the city if you are walking." He said.

I couldn't agree more.

My feet were aching as we finally made our way home. Steven was kind enough to treat me to a nice lunch as a welcoming gift. He told me that they usually hosted a welcoming party for every new employee there and so far two more employees joined in the past week, me included.

"I will talk to the others so that we have something small upstairs." He said as he helped me wash the veggies and began stocking up my fridge while I stocked up my pantry.

"You all seem close."

"Adrian Hunter wants all his employees to live like a family," Steven said and my heart jerked in my ribs when I heard Adrian's name. "You know the President, right?" He turned to me.

I turned my eyes from him and shook my head. "I have heard of him but have never seen him in real life. I hear he hates showing up in public."

"Yeah, he is a very mysterious man with very private life. Not even the paparazzi have a scandal on him. The only thing they have right now is Simone Everest." Steven grinned dreamily.

"Simone Everest?" I asked him. That name wasn't new to me but I couldn't place a face on it.

"A goddess. The tabloids say she is Adrian's girlfriend because they have been working together in many projects but no one has confirmed anything yet. She is the brand ambassador for Quote House of Fashion."

"She sounds very pretty." I turned towards the pantry again. Quote House of Fashion was one place I never saw myself getting even close to the door. It was a trendsetter like the other world-class brands.

Adrian never told me anything about Miss Exception. It made me wonder if he told her about me. He was a very secretive man but he stated what he wanted from the beginning which meant I couldn't ask for anything more from him since I already agreed to the terms he gave me.

I just thought it was strange that he would have Simone Everest out in public but come and spend hot nights with me. I bit onto my lower lip.

I missed him.

It had been three days and I didn't even receive a message from him asking if I was already in Bakland or how I was doing. I wanted to see him. I wanted to feel him holding me, kissing me, and thrusting into me until I couldn't think about anything else other than him.

"She is..." Steven suddenly cleared his throat and said. "I mean this is Adrian Hunter we are talking about. If does anything, he does it to the extreme."

Did that mean I was only half as good and that was the reason why I wasn't supposed to be seen in public with him? That thought was quite disturbing and I didn't want to think along that line so I quickly changed the subject. "So, what's your field of expertise in the Media Group?"

"Software development." He answered quickly as he continued stocking my fridge with juice and milk cartons.

"Awesome." I turned to him and smiled.

"Thanks, what about you?" He grinned.

"Anthropology."

A pensive frown marred his handsome features and I knew he was trying to figure out how I came into such a place with such a background.

"Apparently I was told I would fit in perfectly when I expressed myself the same way as you are right now," I assured him.

He chuckled. "Sorry. If that's what they said then I believe you will fit in perfectly."

I laughed as my phone buzzed on the table. Steven pushed it to me and when I saw the name I almost passed out in panic. I needed to change Adrian's name into something else. Thank goodness Steven wasn't the curious type to peep at who was calling me.

"I'll go and get this." I moved from the kitchen and went to the bedroom. "Hello?"

"Good evening, Thea." The thick voice that brought naughty thoughts into my head drawled in. "I take it you have settled in well?"

"Uhm—yeah, the apartment is amazing. I haven't heard from you for two days, is everything okay?" I asked him as I sank onto my bed and closed my eyes, imagining he was there with me, touching and kissing every part of me.

"I have been busy—would you like to look at other apartments that you think you would like more? I can arrange for someone to can take you around and show you the places."

"No, I love this apartment. It's little more than I bargained for so it's more than enough for me, thanks." I quickly answered. "By the way, Emma tells me I will be contributing thirty percent of the rent while the company pays seventy percent—how much is thirty percent?"

"It's an amount you shouldn't worry about. What are you doing this evening?" He asked me and my heart began racing.

"I'm in a new city with absolutely no friends, what do you think I will be doing?" I asked him.

"I would have loved to accompany you tonight but I have a dinner to attend. I will see you tomorrow." He sighed.

"A dinner with Simone Everest?" There was silence on the other end and I knew I had hit home. "Okay, have a great time at dinner. I think I will join my friendly neighbor for dinner too. He is stocking my fridge at the moment—would you like to say hi?"

"Thea..." It was more of a warning but I wasn't entertaining any of it at that moment.

I quickly jumped out of the bed and returned to the kitchen. "Hey Steven, my brother wants to say hi."

"Hi, Thea's brother," Steven called out and laughed as I returned the phone to my ear.

"Don't drink too much and don't stay up too late. Have a nice time. Good night." I hung up before he could say anything knowing I had just declared war with the devil. "Hey, how about we cook dinner together tonight?"

Steven smiled and nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

I grinned and went to help him with the remaining groceries.

The pain I was feeling below my stomach only meant one thing; cousin Red Dot was in town.

How convenient...I thought flatly as I got up and made my way into the bathroom after making sure I didn't mess up the sheets.

After a nice long shower I changed into a pair of black shorts and a red over-sized crop-top then turned to my phone. I didn't hear from Adrian ever since I hung up on him yesterday. He didn't look for me later nor did he call that morning.

I thought to provoke him even further and quickly wrote him a message.

Good morning Adrian.

Don't bother coming for me today. I am on my period.

Have a nice day. ;)

I dropped my phone on the kitchen counter and went to make myself a bowl of cereal when my phone buzzed. I frowned at it and read the message that almost made my heart stop.

You have more than one hole I can fuck.

I pursed my lips and prayed for patience with this man because I was hoping, for his safety as well as my own, he was not thinking along the lines of my back-door.

Just for the record, I am firmly against anal. Never done it and don't think I will do it—EVER!

I hoped he caught the emphasis on the last word because I was about to book the next flight out of there.

I poured some milk in my bowl of cereal and watched my phone waiting for the next intelligent reply Adrian was going to come up with.

My phone buzzed and I practically dropped the bowl on the counter as I rushed for the phone.

I will teach you to enjoy it.

Adrian was being hilarious and I was going to laugh this time around—and I did. I had a good laugh at his last message. Just which part of my last message wasn't clear? Anal was out of the question! I was not going to do it and I was going to thoroughly shock him when he finds me waiting at my door with a butcher knife in my hands!

NO!

I sent the message and turned off my phone. I continued eating my cereal, wondering where I could go hide for the night in case he decided to send someone to come and get me. I could just switch off all the lights and pretend I wasn't home—but what if he had an extra key?

I rinsed my bowl after I finished and took my key and made my way out. I felt like really getting lost in the big city that day. Anything to do without thinking about Adrian.

"Thea!" Someone called me from behind and when I turned it was Steven and a couple of other guys. "Good morning."

"Good morning, Steven. What's up?" I asked him as we all stood together waiting for the elevator.

Steven turned to his friends and grinned." These are my friends Brian, Keith, and Stone and they are in a band. They usually play in a pub down the block so I was wondering if you would like to come to check them out tonight. I will be there of course--" He turned around and pointed to the apartment near mine. "So will Susan and her boyfriend and..." He pointed to the opposite door. "...Amanda will also be there. It's a great opportunity to meet the others."

It sounded like a plan...a better plan than getting violated by Adrian!

"Sounds like fun." I smiled at them as the doors beeped open.

"Great. So, where are you going now?"He asked me as we stepped into the elevator.

I rolled my eyes. "I am going to get lost in the city again. Just got in an argument with my boyfriend—uhm...." I stopped when I realized what I just said. My eyes widened when I turned to Steven.

His eyebrows snapped up his forehead. "Boyfriend?" He echoed.

Well, it's not like I could hide that forever. I didn't want to drag Steven into my mess especially when he seemed like a truly nice guy. "Uhm—yeah."

"He is here with you?" He asked me.

"Yeah...he is actually one of the reasons why I came here in the first place," I told him and I could tell he wasn't thrilled to learn this but hey, better sooner than later, right?

He nodded. "I hope he doesn't mind you going to the pub with your neighbors."

I smiled and shook my head. "No, he doesn't."

"Okay, I will pass by later for you."Steven said when we reached the bottom.

"Alright. See you later."

He frowned again. "Are you sure you will be alright alone in the streets?"

I waved my switched-off phone at him. "iMaps."

He chuckled and waved. "See you later then."

"Okay bye." I waved back and made my way out.

THIS STORY IS COMPLETE AND FREE TO READ. IT IS AVAILABLE ON INKITT. ENJOY. Username: Faddiemanzi 

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