Chapter 2 Two.

*Lucas' POV*

"You! It's you? You're Lucas Blackwood!?"

"What the heck are you doing here?" I asked, as shocked as she was. Only that mine was a different kind of shock.

I watched one of the most beautiful women I used to know blink back at me unbelievably with her emerald green eyes. Even though she is now a shadow of herself, Lola has facial features any artist would kill for. It was one of the things that attracted me to her seven years ago.

She used to be my source of inspiration. She still is. Only that I can't have anything to do with her now.

"Lamonthe? Lamonthe Williams? It's you?"

My heart beat increased its pace just as I heard her say my name. I had longed for the day I would hear her say my name. Only on a different circumstance. Maybe while we are tangled up on the sheets. Not now that she was about to place me in a compromising situation.

I averted my gaze and clenched my jaw, "What are you doing here?"

She immediately got up from her sprawled position on the floor and to answer my ridiculous question, she shoved me and my back crashed against the door.

"What am I doing here? You really want to know what I am doing here?"

"Lola, please. Enough of your melodrama."

What she was doing wasn't in any way funny and I knew it. She had every right to be angry at me. If she had pointed a gun at my forehead right now, I would have encouraged her to go ahead and shoot me, knowing fully well that I deserved every bit of her rage.

I had stood Lola up at the altar, and I had the best reason for doing it. Even if it was the most selfish reason ever. And I wasn't regretting it because if I am given another chance to choose between my career and starting a shabby family, the truth is that I will choose that career over and over again.

Five years ago, the right call came through at the wrong time. Right call? My dream agency wanted to start representing my art career right away. Wrong time? The call came in on the eve of my wedding day.

Lola knotted my shirt on a tie, jolting me out of my thoughts. I looked at her, only to find out that the tears had already stained her cheeks.

I wanted so badly to wipe her tears away. Or lick all of them off with my tongue. But that would be me intentionally placing myself in another dangerous compromising situation.

Which brought me to my second dilemma. Alessia.

Alessia, the CEO of my agency, had taken a liking to me immediately she set her eyes on me. I think it was love at first sight for her. More importantly, I think she loved me more than she loved my painting because according to her, I was a work of art itself.

"Look at me, Lamonthe," Lola said.

"Lucas. Its Lucas now. I have changed my name and identity, Lola."

"So what if it is damn Lucas? Just look at me. Look at what I have been reduced to all because of your child."

"My child or our child?"

Her grip on my chest tightened, "The point is that you left him all for me to raise. Do you have any idea how miserable that made me all these years?"

"Are you trying to guilt trip me?"

"What's going on here?"

The third voice made my spine stiffen, knowing who it belonged to. I turned to see Alessia's right hand man watching us with narrowed eyes.

"You know very well that my boss won't like the sight of this," he continued.

"Calm your titties, sir. She just came here to look for a job."

Lola must have sensed that there was a problem because she let go of my shirt and went back to the demeanor she was in when she first arrived.

"Then give her the damn job. We are all tired of you being too selective of who your personal assistant would be," he lowered his tone before saying, "Not that you really need a PA in the first place. We all know the reason why your work really sells."

My head snapped in his direction, "What did you just say?"

"Just give her the job."

My jaw clenched again as I tried to decide what to do. Should I reject my baby mama the position, just like I have been denying everyone who asked for this job? But that is not the important part I should be worried about. How would I be able to work side by side with a woman I am super attracted to and still remain professional with her?

That's totally impossible and I know it. I can't count how many nights I have dozed off just thinking about her.

Lola tried to say something, which I am sure would be jeopardizing, thanks to the angry look on her face. I quickly began shaking my head firmly at her.

In as much as I have my own fair share of her misery, I won't have her adding to mine by causing a possible havoc between me and Alessia.

Alessia owns my life. She has the power to make or mar my career at the center of her right palm, and one wrong move meant the end.

So my career being my life still means that she owns my life.

"I need this job. Max's life depends on it."

"Oh ma'am? You have a son?" Alessia's right hand man asked.

Lola nodded at him sympathetically.

"Lucas," he began with a stern voice.

"Alright. I'm going to interview her. Come inside, will you?"

But I don't need to interview Lola because I already knew that she is qualified for the job. In fact, there had been a few times when I thought of her whenever the need for an assistant came up. However, knowing I wouldn't want to complicate things in my life, I usually trashed the idea.

The interview ended right before it started. The good news was that Lola got the job. The bad news was that I am about to start living my worst nightmare.