Page 6 of Damaged Enemy Next Door

And he’s a billionaire? What the hell even is that? I go home after work and google him. I cannot even begin to fathom the things he’s accomplished. Maybe if I was smarter, more beautiful, more … something, I would have understood his interest in me. But after learning what I just learned today, I’m even more certain that he’s just bored and looking for a young little plaything to boost his pride with.

Ade’s rich, powerful, and obviously, a little reckless. I can’t even begin to imagine the complications that could come about if he decides to enter my life. What kind of power would a man like him have over me? I shivered at the thought of it as sleep started to take over.

And what if I succumb and he gets bored? Sleep evades me with a jolt again. My fingers tremble as I think of what that might mean for me. The fear of being rejected and humiliated by the man who first piqued my interest is crippling. I can’t bear to think about how he will look at me with those intense eyes when he realizes I am nothing special, someone just there to fill his time until the next distraction - someone better - came along.

The thought of this possible outcome fills me with a terror like no other, and I now lay wide awake, scared of the future and of Ade … or rather, Adrian Carter.

Needless to say, I am very sleepy and very tired the next morning. I walk into work with dark circles under my eyes, trying my best to conceal them with makeup. I don’t know if it does the trick, but I aim to deflect attention from my face to my overall look. I put on a shift dress, which falls right below my knees, and six-inch heels. After the way he looked at me yesterday, I have no urge to expose my skin.

I enter the office and am immediately asked by the secretary to go see Mr. Sangton. I wonder what's going on and go to his cabin first thing. I knock.

"Oh, hello, Ms. Miller," he says, looking up at me with a beaming smile on his face.

Okay ... this is extremely unexpected. I don't remember the last time he treated me so well.

"Yes, Mr. Sangton?"

"How are you? Come, have a seat," he says, motioning at the chair opposite him.

Confused, yet wary, I sit. "Did I do something wrong, Mr. Sangton?"

"Oh, not at all, Ms. Miller. Quite the opposite, actually. I don't know what you did, but you remember Adrian Carter?"

I feign ignorance, "The billionaire?"

"Yes, yes," says Sangton, almost drooling over his desk at Adrian's mention. "Multi-billionaire, actually. Well, I want you to work for him.”

"Whatever as?" I ask, utterly confused.

"As his personal paralegal to help with all the paperwork during this real estate deal," he explains. "You know, contracts and agreements and such. He's very particular about what he wants and needs, and I don't know what he saw in you …”

He stops, without finishing the sentence but I catch on. What Mr. Sangton doesn't know is that I'm wondering the exact same thing. Why me?

At my silence, Sangton continues, "Keeping him happy is our greatest priority, and I noticed he took a professional liking to you during our meeting the other day. This is a golden opportunity if I ever saw one! A chance like this only comes around once in a lifetime, and I’ve just offered it to you."

“I’ll think about it,” I say, not knowing what else I can say at this moment.

He stares at me, his smile vanishing entirely. “No,” he says in a tone that leaves no room for debate. “You will accept the offer. You won’t find another opportunity with this kind of pay. I know it will be difficult, but you need to take it – he’s our biggest client, and we want to keep him satisfied by providing him with a team he connects with.”

The sudden shift in his demeanor takes me aback, and I can feel my eyes widening with surprise as I sit there for a moment, contemplating my position. "I'm sure ... " I try to say, but he cuts me off.

“Ms. Miller, this isn't something you can think about. We need to keep our biggest client happy, no matter what. You will do as I ask and accept the offer or find a job elsewhere. Do I make myself clear? You answer at his beck and call when he wants, how he wants. Those are your orders.”

I just sit there in shock, not able to comprehend what had just happened - one moment I was being offered an exciting opportunity with a potential career-changing salary, and the next I’m being ordered to accept it by my boss. A part of me wants to fight back and tell Mr. Sangton that I don't have to obey him like a puppet on a string, but I know that in the end if it comes down to it, I have no choice but to take the offer if I want to stay employed here.

“Yes, Sir,” I say.

“Get your things; A cab will come to pick you up and escort you to his private office shortly. It’s just around the street. You can collect all relevant paperwork for his case tomorrow morning.”

I stand up and leave, but the moment I close the door behind me, I feel blinding panic. Technically, I’ve just been made aware of the fact that Adrian is my boss’s boss. The thought terrifies me.

But it also invigorates me. It is clear that my boss is scared of Adrian Carter, but I’m not. Suddenly, I can’t wait for the driver to pick me up. I’m already at the curb when he arrives. I jump in before he can even open the door. I am full of anger and create whole big arguments in my head about all the things I’m going to say to him. By the time I reach Adrian’s office, I’ve convinced myself that Adrian has a hand in this promotion of mine.

I don’t know whom to take my anger out on, and I am going to show him just how mad I am because he’s put me in this spot. If he hadn’t defended me in my office that day and hadn’t given me special attention, Sangton wouldn’t have noticed, wouldn’t have assigned me this role, and I wouldn’t be in this position of working with my boss’s boss!

I’m out of the car and into the escalator and standing in front of his office within two minutes of reaching the building. I knock with my arguments at the tip of my fingers. He tells me to come in, I open the door, I enter, and I ….Freeze.

Still mad or not, I can’t deny that my heart is pounding at the sight of him. His hair is perfectly styled, his face clean-shaven, and his eyes calm but piercing. I can’t move. I try to remember why I’m here, but it eludes me for the moment; all that remains is how hot he looks in that navy blue suit.

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