Chapter 1 THE FIRST MEET:CASSIDY

The large building structure of Lancaster Incorperated stood before me. It was a very intimidating sight and I almost felt like a person like me did not belong in a place like this, even though I was here as one of the cleaning staff. Still, it did not make me feel better, because I had never stepped foot in a place this classy before.

I watched as the people who worked here walked into the building, all of them in their very expensive suits, looking very clean and put together. Then there was me with my worn out tee-shirt and torn jeans and sneakers that have seen better days. A huge part of me wanted to walk away and just continue with my job at the bar, but this was a very good opportunity for me with higher pay. I would finally be able to pay my rent-my landlady, Mrs. Jones had been very kind to me and did not pressure me even though I owed her two months worth of rent, but I still felt guilty. I needed to pay her and I was going to, I just needed to let go of my anxiety and walk into the building and ask for a job.

I breathed in and out to shake off my nerves and then with as much confidence as I could muster, I walked into the building. The reception was even better than the exterior of the building. It was beautifully decorated and if I had been intimidated by the building, the inside of the building made me shrink.

I walked up to the receptionist, already feeling very self-conscious. The receptionist was a young woman, she looked like she was in her early thirties. Her hair was tied in a low bun and she wore a crisp, white shirt and a black pencil skirt, she did not notice my presence because she seemed to be engrossed by something on her computer.

"Hello." I said softly to get her attention.

She finally looked up from her laptop and acknowledged my presence, but not in a good way. She looked at me like she was trying to figure out what someone like me was doing in a place like this. She eyed me with a look of disdain on her face, which I should be used to getting from people by now, but it still always hurt all the same.

"How may I help you?" She asked rudely.

"I am here about the cleaning job." I explained to her, talking past the huge lump that I felt in my throat.

Her features finally relaxed, probably because my presence made more sense to her. "Oh, follow me." She said and got up from her chair and began to walk towards the elevator with me tailing behind her awkwardly. I might have been paranoid, but I could definitely feel people staring at me.

"Take the elevater to the sixth floor and talk to the lady in the office on the first door by your right. She will tell you what to do next." She said and then walked away before I could ask her any further question.

I took a deep breath and stepped into the elevator, hoping that I got the job and life would get a bit better for me.

***

HAYDEN

The day had only just began and I had already been pissed off close to a thousand times by my staff. Sometimes, I wondered if I was just very irritable or if everybody around me was just plain stupid.

I went through the documents that had been brought to me by my secretary, so many business proposals, deals and negotations that needed to be made. Everybody wanted to work with us at Lancaster Incorperated, but I only worked with the best which was why I always went through the documents by myself. I could not trust anybody else to not makse mistakes.

When it was thirty minutes to eleven, I grabbed my suitcase and walked out of my office for a meeting that I had by twelve. The moment I stepped out of my office, my annoying secretary, Diane, left her station and rushed over to me.

"Mr. Lancaster, do you need anything before we leave for the meeting?" She asked eagerly. That was what made her so annoying, she always did everything in her power to get my attention and it was disgusting. The only reason why I kept her around was because she was efficient and the process of looking for another secretary would just take too much time.

"No, I do not need anything. Plus, you are not coming with me, I can handle it on my own." I told her strongly.

I watched as her face fell, but I could not care less if her feelings were hurt, this was not a meeting that concerned her.

"Okay, sir." She nodded.

I stepped into the elevator and was about to press the button that would take me down to the ground floor when a small figure scurried into the elevator like a little hurricane.

"I am so sorry." She muttered when she mistakenly brushed my shoulders lightly, I had not gotten a good look at her face because her head was down as she looked into her bag for something. She must be new here because everybody knew that nobody entered the elevator at the same time that I did. I had never seen her here before and she certainly looked like she did not belong in a place like this.

"Excuse me." I told her strongly, causing her head to snap up and then I got a good look at her face and everything I wanted to tell her got stuck in my throat as I looked into her deep, green eyes. She was beautiful, unlike any woman I had ever laid eyes on. I had seen many good-looking women before, but none like her. There was something about her, she had a quiet grace about her that drew me in.