Chapter 31: Chapter 31

ANGELIQUE SLOAN’S POV

I wasn’t so sure if what I was seeing was real, so I had to repetitively scrub my eyes. “Are you joking with me again, Austin?” I asked, refusing to believe where we were standing.

Austin shook his head as he removed his arms from being wrapped around my shoulders. “I’m serious, Angelique. I’m the owner of this company, and you’re going to be my secretary,” he said, which somehow made me feel uneasy.

“S-secretary?” I stuttered, recalling the numerous bad memories that I experienced from being Greyson’s secretary and his personal seductress. “Are there any other options?”

Austin gave me a confused look. “Why are you so hesitant to become my secretary?”

I breathed out a loud sigh of frustration. “I’ve been there and done that; there’s nothing good that came out of becoming one,” I answered without mentioning Greyson and whatever he asked me to do.

“It’s not like your experience would be the same with me,” Austin mumbled, sounding like he was dismayed. “Are you turning down my invitation now?”

I clenched both of my fists, trying to think this through. “Can’t you give me a bit more time to decide?”

Austin smiled at me. “Alright. I won’t rush you to make up your mind. Let’s go inside first, and you can freely examine everything there,” he said at the same time that he ruffled my hair, startling me.

The both of us made our way inside his company building. I noticed that all of them bowed their heads as soon as Austin walked through their spots.

“Good morning, Mr. Lorenzo,” one of the women from the front desk greeted him.

“Yeah, morning,” Austin coldly replied.

My face somehow brightened upon hearing Austin’s response to his staff. I thought that he was kidding when he said that I was an exception.

It seems like he’s quite aloof when it comes to other women, even to his employees who had been with him for a longer time than me.

“Why are your cheeks red?” Austin suddenly asked, placing the tip of his index finger on my right cheek. “Are you single or something? Is this the first time that you’ve been treated like you’re special?” he added to his first query.

I shrugged my shoulders as I showed him my ring finger where the ring that Greyson bought for our fake marriage was inserted.

“I’m not sure if I’m single or not because of this damn ring,” I uttered with a hint of rage in my voice.

Austin held my left hand as he stared at the wedding ring. “You’re a fully wedded wife?” he asked, his tone filled with curiosity and confusion.

I shook my head. “There’s a lot of backstory about this, and I won’t bother telling it to someone I just met,” I replied at the same time that I pulled my hand away from him.

He placed one of his clenched fists in front of his chest and shut his eyes. “That hurts,” he murmured.

I giggled at the same time that I slightly smacked his head. “Stop with the act. I’ll tell you about it once we get closer,” I said.

We were on our way to discuss the position that I’ll take, but a sudden hesitation hit me. I had no reason to trust Austin fully, and yet I’m here with him. Everything that I experienced with Greyson will most probably happen again, and that’s what I’m trying to avoid.

“Where are we going to meetup when I’ve already made my decision?” I asked, trying to not make it obvious that I was comparing him to Greyson in my mind.

Austin hummed, stepping in front of me with a wide smile planted on his lips. “Why? Are you already ready to give me your answer?” he replied with another query instead of giving me a direct one.

I shook my head, sighing. “If you’re going to force an answer out of me at this very second, then my decision would still be the same. I’m not interested in becoming your secretary, Austin. However…”

“However?” Curiosity consumed his face.

I stepped backward, eyeing everything that was inside his company. The surroundings literally seemed welcoming, but then again, the fact that my position would be the same as before... is what’s making it difficult for me to decide.

“However, if you prove yourself worthy of becoming my boss... then, I might actually have a change of mind,” I continued what I wanted to say earlier. My hands that were clasped together were hidden behind my back.

Even though Austin has been giving me his smile since earlier, this time it became brighter. It’s like the edge of his lips could almost reach his eyes, just to express how genuinely happy he was. “That’s going to be a piece of cake for me!” he exclaimed as if my answer was nothing out of the ordinary.

The two of us headed to the elevator. Austin pressed the button to the 17th floor, so it made me curious where we were going. “17th floor? What’s up there? Are we going to shoot somebody’s head and kill them off or something?” I questioned him, followed by a short laughter.

“Yes.” Austin’s brief and direct reply sent shivers down my spine.

The atmosphere surrounding us in such a secluded place made everything worse. “Y-you’re joking, right?” I uttered, but he didn’t even bother to speak again.

As soon as the elevator chimed and the doors opened, Austin walked ahead of me, leaving me completely dumbfounded and speechless. He hasn’t clarified whether his response wasn’t serious or not.

The path that we were taking was dim. There was a red carpet beneath my feet and the walls contained gray paintings. The wind that brushed through my skin was kind of cool because of the numerous air conditioners that we passed through.

“If you didn’t bring me here, I never would’ve imagined that such a place exists in this tall infrastructure,” I commented, trying to get him to start a conversation with me.

After a few minutes of him being silent, Austin finally stopped to turn around and face me. “We’re going to start your first interview here, Angelique,” he said with a straight face, pointing at the door that was on his left side.

“Huh?” was the only reaction I could make with my lips slightly parting from one another.