Slowly, Emily eased into her seat, her head probed in her palm while her heart raced with thoughts.
She didn't expect everything to come crashing down on her in one day;
Debtors coming to collect debt,
Betrayed and sold by adoptive parents in the night to pay off debt,
By morning, she was married…bound to a stranger who was also the debtor.
As though that is not enough she was reassigned to the President's office as the personal assistant at noon;
And when she was beginning to think of a way to cope with whatever lay ahead of her she was asked to return home to the unknown man.
Emily is beginning to think someone is out to get her but then she can't blame anyone but her parents who had been the originator of the problem.
Given a choice Emily would have remarked this day as the worst day of her life because it had really started on a wrong note;
Who knew what the night might have in store for her, she wondered. Definitely might be worse than she had witnessed.
"Mily, what exactly is going on?" Melissa's troubled voice echoed but Emily seemed not to hear.
She felt her head throbbing nonstop and at the moment there's no doubt she is losing it. She glanced around the office.
She had one decision ringing in her head "Get a place to calm her nerves for sometime," she mused silently.
With this decision, Emily decided she wasn't returning to the same place that is the root cause of her headache because it definitely wasn't the solution to her problem.
Ignoring Melissa's probing gaze she grabbed her phone from the desk, in one swift motion, she dialed out to Bryan and the phone rang.
"
"
"
"
"
~Lucian's office~
The room was spacious, with tall glass windows that stretched from floor to ceiling, giving off a breathtaking and commanding view of the city skyline.
A massive polished mahogany desk stood at the center with only a few neatly arranged files, a sleek black laptop, and a silver pen holder.
Behind him was a wall of dark shelves displaying carefully chosen books and awards he had won over the years… a symbol of his intellectual prowess and achievement.
On his left side was a four-seater couch and a centre table holding a flower vase and a few magazines.
The atmosphere was cool and modern despite the dominant vibe portraying his discipline and power.
Lucian Sterling sat behind the desk, with Bryan at the side waiting for him to sign off a document.
"Have you relayed the message to her?" He asked, his hand pausing mid-task.
"I have," Bryan clipped.
Lucian resumed the signing and afterward he handed the document over to Bryan. "Get them ready in two days, we have no time to delay the project."
Bryan nodded in affirmation and was about to leave the office when Emily's call came in, his step halted as his gaze snapped to his Boss. "Sir, she is the one calling." He reported carefully.
Lucian paused his actions, his eyes narrowing as a cold smirk curled up his lips. "You pick the call, set it on handsfree and reply to her as usual." He instructed calmly.
Bryan glanced lightly at him, he couldn't help the thought crawling at his chest that his Boss seems to have found pleasure in creating troubles for his new wife.
He felt sorry for Emily. With no time to entertain his thoughts, he slid his hand across the phone screen.
Emily's voice filtered out the phone with no formality. "Bryan, I wouldn't be able to return to the house today. I have so much going on that I need a place different from my troubles to rest".
"A different place?"
"Certainly, a different place. So I hope you can talk to your boss about my decision. Also, there is a change in my work." Emily said.
"Madam, with the Boss dropping his message, I doubt if he can change his decision about that."
Emily's voice paused before she continued "Bryan, he might not change his decision but I have already done his bidding…to marry him this morning. This time, I hope he can understand me." Her tone was determined.
Bryan found himself stumped, and couldn't find the right words to refute her. "Ma'am, please you have to calm down and just do as he already said." Bryan suggested.
"Am sorry but I can't do that, besides, I just got a notice of being assigned to our group president as personal assistant. And I am sure the work will be demanding."
"You're reassigned to the president?" He asked, feigning surprise. "Aren't you in the design department?" He queried further.
"That is the crux of the problem, I just got the notice minutes ago." She lamented.
Bryan paused briefly as though he was thinking about whatever she had just said before continuing. "Isn't it just attending to his needs? Will it be that demanding?" Bryan asked.
"Well... I don't know because for the four years I have worked in the Sterling Group, I have not seen the president and from the report so far all his assistants are male but now I have to be the female.
Emily sighed deeply, her breath echoing through the speaker. "So I can't really say what the nature of the job might be and I can't cope with the challenges of the office if I don't cool off my head… and most importantly I needed this job."
Bryan listened, silently sympathizing with her. But without Lucian's orders, he could do nothing. "Emily, take a deep breath."
She scoffed. "A deep breath? After everything that's happened? Do you really think I can just breathe it away?"
She recounted the overwhelming events riddling her life for the past twenty-four hours before she exhaled exasperatedly.
Bryan sighed. "Look, I get that this is overwhelming, but it's not as bad as it sounds."
"Not as bad?" she echoed incredulously. "You're not the one dealing with it!"
Bryan glanced at the man beside him, his aura imposing and commanding behind the mahogany desk but his face had turned into various shades out of anger.
Lucian nodded at him to continue, he needed to find out about her and this frustration is a vital point to provoke her.
"Okay, okay, fair point," Bryan admitted.
He felt sorry for her, she had passed through a lot but if she must deal with Lucian, then she still needs to strengthen her psychological tenacity.
"But let's break it down. First, the marriage…yeah, it wasn't your ideal, but at least you're not being thrown into a toxic environment.
Second, working as the president's assistant, it might be tough, but it's still your job at Sterling Group, right?"
"Bryan, I've worked here for four years and never once seen the president in person. Do you know what that meant?
Without waiting for his response she continued. "It meant he's a ghost, untouchable, a figure so high above me that we might as well not exist to him."
"And now, out of nowhere, I'm supposed to be his personal assistant? It doesn't make sense!" Her scream tore through the phone speaker.
Bryan was silent for a moment casting a subtle glance at the man behind the desk before responding.
"You're right. It doesn't make sense. But that's why you need to keep your head straight."
Emily groaned. "That doesn't make me feel better, Bryan. So please, tell him I won't be coming home for now."
"I am telling you this because you seem to be his trusted aide which is why he entrusted you with the marriage process," she instructed.
Before Bryan would have the chance of responding, the call ended with a beep.
Lucian's brows furrowed, his fingers tapping lightly on the desk as he calmly analyzed her narrative; she never had an idea of who he was.
He sighed with relief, his lips curled up at the conclusion; the marriage was a sheer coincidence and misplacement of identities.
"Interesting." He smirked as his gaze fell on Bryan. Seeing Lucian's calculative gaze Bryan shifted uncomfortably.
From his glance, he could tell he was already planning something else for him as though he read his thoughts, he continued.
"Bryan, since the identities have been misplaced, it will remain so. You will become her assistant. You take care of her matters while keeping an eye on her."
"Find out the supposed man she should have married and at all cost settle the issue to avoid unnecessary attention." He instructed calmly.
Bryan's eyes widened slightly. "Sir?"
"I think you are the only one familiar with her at the moment." He said lightly.
Bryan nodded with understanding. From the first time he met her, he developed an affinity with her that he wished she was his lost twin sister. But then, their features are not the same.
Lucian picked up a file and flipped it open, his expression unreadable. "And one more thing…let's keep the situation as it is and go with the flow."
"Are you planning to keep your identity from her?" He asked.
"Not really but until she returns from her friend's house."