Chapter 4 Remember your No.1 rule

Michael's POV

The night before

"What exactly is your interest in that girl?" Mark, My P.A., chief security and closest friend ( more like only friend) asked me as we played a game.

" I don't remember telling you that I was interested in anyone," I said to him.

" You don't have to. Isn't she the same girl that I helped drop at home the other day? " He asked.

" Last time I checked, I don't remember hiring a detective or a reporter so why the questions" I said to him. I definitely did not appreciate his sudden interest in my life and the knowing looks he kept on giving me from his side eye.

" I just want to make sure that you know what you are doing " He said before giving me a death blow in the game.

He stood up to go get something from the fridge before coming back to sit down.

" When did you get become so inquisitive?" I asked him as I kept on looking at the game he just won and also at the game controller in my hands.

" When did you become so evasive?" He countered, his attentions fully on me.

This was the problem when you have someone who knew a lot about you. Mark was always someone who minded his own business but even I could see that I was not thinking straight when I decided that do a background check on someone I met just for one day

I knew there was a possibility that I would not find her as the only details I remembered about her was her name and the School she attended.

Some little details that she had spilled when telling me her sob story.

I'm not someone who cared to listen to someone for a long time, especially when that someone was not bringing me money but I don't know why I couldn't bring myself to leave.

We left the club with a different intention but I ended up listening to her talk until she finally blacked out.

Well, she was also really drunk, something I noticed when we left the club too so doing anything intimate at that point was a no for me.

I don't know if I did the background check so that we could continue from where we stopped because without any lies, she was a really attractive person and I was drawn to her.

My shock was so visible when I found out that she worked in my company.

Thoughts of her knowing who I really was came to me but she looked like someone who did not have a single inch of an acting bone in her

" How did you manage to win me when I was just minutes away from winning" I asked him, not still believing how the game ended.

" Also trying to be evasive" A small voice said.

He gave me the same knowing look before shaking his head and pulling his attention to the TV screen.

" Just remember your number. 1 rule" I heard him murmur to himself.

" Let's play one more round " He said, this time to my hearing.

" I was the one who set the rule so I can damn well remember it. Plus, I'm not playing anymore " I said to him, standing up to leave.

" Your mood swings comes again " He said.

" Remind me why you are still working for me" I asked him.

" Because I'm the only person that can call you out on your bullshit" He said. " Although it looks like that it about to change " This time around, he left before I said anything else.

He always made sure he had the last words.

Now, standing in front of me was my newest secretary or, more accurately, the woman who'd walked straight into my carefully constructed life just a few nights ago, entirely unaware of the chaos she'd left behind.

Confirming what I thought earlier, she was a terrible actress. Her attempt at not remembering anything about me was very poor.

" Ms. Trisha Scott" I repeated the name, testing how the name felt on my tongue.

I leaned back in my chair, watching her. She was smaller than I remembered, though perhaps it was the setting-here, she seemed out of place, like a delicate flower in the middle of a storm. She wasn't dressed for the night anymore, no trace of the woman who had stumbled into me with flushed cheek.

But her eyes. Those were the same.

She had seemed captivated by the office, her gaze trailing over the windows, the desk, the shelves. When she stopped to study the painting, my lips quirked involuntarily. Of all things, that painting.

It was entertaining, watching her piece it all together, and I could see the exact moment it hit her. Her back stiffened, her head tilted slightly, and she turned toward me, slowly, as if hoping to delay the inevitable.

" Welcome you my office" I said to her.

She stepped forward, her movements deliberate, as though she were convincing herself she belonged here. I leaned forward slightly, studying her with interest. This was going to be fun.

"Have a seat," I told her, gesturing to the chair across from my desk.

She sat, carefully composed, but her fingers tightened around the folder in her lap. I leaned back again, giving her just enough silence to feel the weight of my gaze.

"Tell me, Ms. Scott," I began, my tone casual but firm, "why do you think you're sitting here today?"

Her answer was quick, almost rehearsed. "I'm here to assist you in running your day-to-day operations efficiently, Sir."

Efficiently. That word amused me for some reason. I let out a soft chuckle, the sound lingering in the air. "Efficiently, you say?" I repeated, tilting my head slightly. "Tell me, are you always this composed?"

Her eyes met mine, steady and unwavering. She was good at this game, I'd give her that.

"It's part of my job to remain professional at all times," she replied.

Professional. Sure. I wondered how far that professionalism would stretch in the coming days.

"Interesting," I murmured, leaning forward just enough to see the flicker of uncertainty cross her face. "Let's see if you can keep that professionalism intact in the days to come, Ms. Scott."

Her response was immediate, calm, and confident. "Of course, Sir."

But I could see it-the subtle tension in her jaw, the flicker of something unspoken in her eyes. She might have convinced herself that she could handle this, that she could ignore what had happened between us.

I was teasing her, I knew all too well.

Playing with a fire that could consume me but I enjoyed it. It was thrilling, like some action was finally coming into my life.