Bent Against The Counter Of His Desk

Chapter 01

Scarlett's POV

I was rushing across the corridor, my breath ragged from my exhaustive and never-ending runs.

I apologized for hitting someone while still racing quickly and with my face forward. Although I didn't hear her response, I was aware that she had accepted my apology.

"Oh my, hello.Hello, my name is Scarlett, and I should be here for the interview."

"The interview finished five minutes ago, you're late, miss." The woman I had spoken to responded.

"But, um, is there anything you could do to help me? Please, I need this work and I'm confident I can do it."

"Miss, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry but there is nothing I can do to help; our boss is a severe one and doesn't tolerate tardiness. " I felt helpless and hopeless as she spoke, gave me a small bow, and then turned to leave.

Not again, please Lord, I continued to chant while remaining immobile for several minutes in the same place.

In the space of two months, I will be losing a total of five jobs. Really, the heavens are against me.

My phone rang, and it was my best friend texting me.

Her text said, "Let me guess, you didn't meet up on time."

I groaned and put my phone in my pocket before slinking out of the building.

**

"Mommy!" When they saw me walking into the house, my twins immediately ran to me. My house is movable and is located distant from the city.

There were other homes nearby, but they were just luxurious ones. You must be asking why a wealthy individual would choose to reside in the middle of a forest, far from any metropolis.

However, Tonia had mentioned how much this wealthy individual valued secrecy and that some were likely engaged in illegal activities and wished to remain anonymous. She has a lot of affluent pals.

After giving me a small pat on the shoulder and saying, "Great, I can leave now," Tonia picked up her pricey bag off the counter and left the house.

"How was it, mom?" My young, blonde girl enquired.

"Well, I didn't get the job, but everything will be fine, you know that right?" She gently nodded in agreement as I remarked with a comforting grin.

"And you, you're doing fine, right?" I questioned young Ryan. He said, "Yes mom," with a broad smile, and I grinned in return.

When I said, "Let's go make pancakes," they jumped up in response.

***

"What's going on, baby?" My best friend made that screeching noise.

Ryan wouldn't let me be, so I casually said, "Hey," while I fed him.

"Let me assume you're upset with me." I scoffed as Tonia questioned while making puppy expressions.

I hissed a little, "Of course not, why would I be mad at my one and only friend, oh yeah, the same one who left and didn't care that I lost a job," and then I continued, "Oh yeah, the same one who left and didn't care that I lost a job."

With her gum being so loudly chewed, she chided, "Come on girl, you never had the job."

She gave me those adorable puppy eyes once more when I gave her the cold shoulder.

She continued, "Come on, I knew you weren't going to get the job, you left home at 9 am and the interview was starting by 9 am, be for real girl," and I moaned.

Tonia never minces words; she always gets right to the point, regardless of whether it hurts.

She is correct; even though I knew the interview would begin at 9, I still left the house at that time. I know it was stupid of me, but there was nothing I could do about it.

I had nowhere to put my twins in care because I couldn't leave them here by themselves in this house in the midst of the woods.

I growled once more, "Maybe if you had shown up earlier when I called you to come stay with my twins, maybe I would have gotten the job."

"Hey, girl, don't hold it against me; I arrived as quickly as I could." She replied while grabbing a few chips to put in her mouth. She is however correct. Again, I'm solely to blame.

Maybe the rest of my life I wouldn't have a job. If this is the price I have to pay for being a bitch, I'm happy to take it.

"Girl.." Tonia took a picture to snap me back to reality." what?" I enquired carelessly.

"Girl, what the heck were you thinking about? What's wrong? Your phone has been beeping annoyingly for the past two minutes, but you weren't paying attention to it."

I gave Ryan the plate to eat alone, disregarded her, and grabbed my phone in her place.

"Who is it?" After I remained silent for a few minutes with my eyes nearly protruding from their sockets, Tonia asked a question.

Saying "Scarlett! Scarlett!" Tonia screamed when I didn't respond.

I abruptly snapped out of them and looked at her with my mouth gaping.

"What happened?" you ask. I remained silent when Tonia asked again. After taking the phone from me and reading the text I had gotten, she turned to me and her eyes widened.

"You...

"I've gotten the job"

"You were hired, right?"

At the same time, we both said.

"Girl, are you sure this is not a joke? You claimed to me that you were denied an interview."

"No, I didn't, yeah. I don't."

"If this is from the corporation, how did you get the position, then?' she requested.

"What's happening?" I shrugged in response to her query.

I answered, nearly trembling, "I honestly don't know, I swear to God."

Why do I feel queasy? from misinformation? Joy? Or apprehension that it might be intended for someone else?

I'm not sure why, but I wasn't at ease. I didn't even get to see the CEO for an interview, the woman made that plain, so how did I lose the job?

"Scarlett.

I spoke without thinking, "I don't know, I seriously don't know, I'm as confused as you are right now."

She said, "This letter says you're to resume tomorrow," and I furrowed my brows in response.

"What?"

"Exactly"

"So?" I blinked, perplexed.

"Let's go clothing shopping!" She ran to fetch her car key while screaming.

"Send for the twins!" I was confusedly standing still as she yelled.

Chapter 02

Scarlett's viewpoint

The question is, "Do you like them?" Throughout our shopping trip, Tonia kept asking as she made numerous clothing selections, and I kept nodding in agreement. I was still utterly perplexed.

While my twins appeared joyful and thrilled for their mother, I was perplexed.

What is happening? That was all I could think to ask myself.

If it hadn't been an official email, I would have replied to it. I suppose everything would make sense tomorrow.

The following day

"How do you feel? Do I appear presentable enough, in your opinion?" I questioned with some trepidation.

"Come on sweetie, I've told you a number of times, you look good in anything you wear. You certainly appear presentable, if not more than presentable". Tonia remarked, looking at me.

I turned and remarked, "I'll believe that since you seem serious saying it," and she laughed.

"I'm not kidding; you look nice. She added, and I lightly chuckled, "I'm sure the CEO won't be able to take his eyes off you.

The thought of the email being sent to the incorrect person had me say, "That's enough compliment, now I have to face my faith and understand what happened with me suddenly getting the job without even doing an interview." My demeanor also changed as I said this.

"Come on, they would have sent you an email letting you know if the email was incorrect. With a snort, Tonia added, "Don't let that ridiculous thought of your girl destroy your flawless beauty"

"I hope," I mumbled.

**

I inhaled deeply as I approached the door marked "CEO'S Office."

If the email was incorrect, now is the moment to find out if this individual would be my boss or not.

I assumed I was the perfect person for that email and that her boss had requested her to give me the position when I first saw the woman who told me about losing the job yesterday. It turns out she is the CEO's secretary, and she is currently standing behind me. My anxiety increased when she claimed she didn't understand the reasoning behind the choice.

What if the employer is a pervert and only hired me because I was attractive? What if he had further hidden agendas? I'm perplexed and concerned about the potential cause at the same time. Or perhaps it was simply nothing, as the secretary had claimed.

A deep male voice from inside said, "She can come in," jolting me out of my reverie.

When she saw me, the secretary turned to smile. She added, "You can go in miss," which caused me to furrow my brows.

"Me? Alone?" When I inquired, she nodded and smiled a little.

I grinned apprehensively before moving forward and cautiously opening the door.

I decided to get the guts, I raised my head directly, I walked in gently.

"Good morning, sir," I said with a modest bow.

"Scarlett O'Hara, right?" He questioned in a strong, powerful voice.

"Yes, sir," I answered.

He continued to look attentively at the sheet that had my information and stated, "Good, you can resume work," leaving me to wonder why.

I answered with a "Um, Yes sir" and a slight bow, but I didn't move.

"Um, I. Can I find out why I was hired without a formal interview? Are my credentials really so good?" I found the courage to inquire.

He slowly raised his head so I could see his entire face and let out a somewhat dead laugh.

I was unable to squeeze the shock out of my eyes, which expanded.

"I didn't even look through them, so no. He responded with a harsh and icy expression, as if he hadn't just let out a lethal chuckle, but I was still baffled and gaping in awe as I stared at him.

He said sarcastically, "You may leave Scarlett."

"Alexander?..." I muttered in shock.

"Sir!" He harshly corrected him.

"I. I apologize, sir.

He replied with a chilly, unfriendly expression, "You've only been here for a few minutes and you're on the verge of losing your just-found job."

I muttered, "I'm sorry, sir," out loud.

"Leave!" I obeyed his order and limped away slowly, still in amazement.

How will I handle this?

My boss is my ex!

***

"How in the hell did that happen?" Tonia asked a perplexed query.

I replied as I fed Ryan by hand, "I honestly don't know.

She asked, glancing at the twins, "Does he.."

I retorted, "I don't believe so."

"You realize he did that on purpose, don't you? Yet why? Or did he simply wish to lend a hand? Do you still believe that he loves you? And given what transpired between you two, why else would he offer you a position at his business? How long has he been aware that you are here? Girl, I have a lot of inquiries." Tonia asked in an irritated tone.

"I'm sorry to say, but I have no idea. Do you believe I ought to depart?" I queried.

"Leave? For instance, do you believe he is planning something?"

"I can see it in his face that he despises me. Come on, the looks he gave me as I left silently after breaking his heart were priceless." I murmured, bewildered and irate, "Girl, I'm terrified, truly scared.

"I don't know, you mean, I mean, you need this job and he gave it to you not as you begged for it and you said it yourself you didn't see him throughout the day?" I nodded as she requested.

"So, we're good to go. You cannot be wounded by him, and he won't. The least he can do is try to make you jealous, but it won't work because you don't love him anymore, right?" I remained silent for a time after she asked before nodding nonetheless.

"Yes, without a doubt, "I murmured.

Do I still adore this man, let's be real about it now. Absolutely, I still do. Never once did I stop! I have his children without him knowing it, and now that he despises me, it breaks my heart.

But I also broke him, and I did so without turning around. He loved me despite the fact that I was simply a maid, but I broke him. As instructed by his father, I collected the money and departed, walking away from his life.

I'm a snob.

Chapter 03

Scarlett's POV

The following morning

I walked over to the desk next to Lilian, Alexander's secretary, and said, "Morning," with a slight smile.

"Morning.." She paused, her eyebrows lifted. I answered, smiling a little, "Scarlett."

I will be helping her because I am the assistant secretary. This is exactly the position I applied for, but now that I have it, I feel anxious. This could be because I will occasionally need to be with Alexander, but it also could not be. I may assign chores like organizing documents and talking about that.

Lilian nodded and smiled as she threw lots of documents in front of me.

She instructed, "Arrange them alphabetically by the names on the files," and I gave the command.

I had anticipated starting my job right away, and now here I am.

Through the wired table phone Lilian and I shared, I saw her take a call before she left the office, and I carried on with my work.

She entered the room with a blank expression a little while later.

"Um.She shouted out, "Scarr," with a confused expression, and I turned to face her.

"Those files over there.." She indicated a group of what appeared to be over a thousand documents.

I questioned, "Yeah?"

I was genuinely astonished when she said, "Boss wants you to arrange them too before the end of today," but I kept a straight face.

I mumbled "Oh, okay" while cracking a small smile. I kept looking at those files and did not take a breath.

Is this how he intends to make me pay? All of these prior to today?

"I'm sorry, but the boss gave the order. He's never been that way; I don't understand why now"Lillian attempted to elucidate.

"It's alright, I'll finish them as he instructed." She nodded as I interrupted her in mid-sentence with a small smile.

The table phone rang, and Lillian grabbed it up as soon as I was done speaking. A few seconds after speaking over the phone, She uttered, "For you."

"Me?" Unconsciously, I said as I took the phone from her.

I made an effort not to stutter as I said, "HHi."

I heard his icy voice saying, "See you in my office now."

"Yyess s.." He hung up before I could complete my sentence.

I put the phone down and stood up, then turned to Lillian. "Ale. I said, "I mean, Boss wants to see me," and she nodded.

"You're okay, right?" I smiled as I nodded in response to her question.

I replied with a light brow, "I'm here, sir."

Has Lilian sent my message? Without raising his head from the magazine he was reading, he questioned.

"She did, sir," He certainly raised his head when I casually reacted by saying that I almost regretted it.

"You sound enthusiastic about receiving a ton of work, don't you think?" With an almost impenetrable brow, he inquired.

I said with a bow, "I'm sorry sir."

"You are to complete your work today and report to me when finished, as said earlier", he said.

What if you had already left by then? I nearly asked, but I refrained.

I bowed and said "Yes Sir" before leaving his office.

Let's get to work, and let's pray I don't get hurt.

*After Seven Hours*

Without taking a single break, I had worked for seven hours straight, and I was done. I ignored Lillian's persistent nagging to take a break.

I took a quick look at the meal she had brought to me earlier; it was cold by the time I saw it.

Even though I'm exhausted, it's nothing compared to what I've done in the past.

Since I was born, I have worked incredibly hard and done abhorrent work, so it would be more accurate to state that I have done a variety of occupations throughout the previous few years.

I can therefore state that this is nothing in comparison to what I have already done, and both he and I are aware that this is just the top of the iceberg. His expressions are blank, but I can see that he intends to break me. I have no trouble reading them.

I began to question how long he has been aware that I am in this city as a result of this. Was he with me the entire way? He refused to.

I was aware that his father owned a business in Miami, but I never anticipated him to take over the firm so quickly. Is his father still alive? He certainly can't be.

Should I just bag it up and take it home to reheat or should I go report to him and make do with this lunch? I should definitely do that. I trust Tonia that my twins have eaten by this point, but I don't suppose I have anything to feed them tonight, so this will have to do.

I glanced at the time and saw that it was 4:30; nothing to worry about.

Lillian had been called in earlier, so I assumed that she was with Alexander when I stood up from my seat; but, she wasn't there right now.

I then proceeded to my way to his workplace. Lillian invited me inside after I gave her door a polite rap.

I entered with a small bow. I said, "I'm done, sir," and Lillian gave me a look that said, "Well done," as if she were impressed and proud of me. She must have felt bad for me.

Only scowling, Alexander pretended not to be astonished. He muttered, barely audible between breaths, "I expected such, you're used to working like that since you were once a maid," loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. Due to his strong voice, it did echo.

I laughed. He'd go to this extent. "Yeah," I replied, unconcerned. I anticipated this all along.

He probably didn't anticipate my reply, but he knew it was something I could say. I'm not ashamed, and I never have been the sort to be embarrassed by the circumstances that life has put me in.

When he was silent, I said, "I would like to leave at this time."

"No, go ahead and work on those files right there." I grinned drowsily as he pointed to a stack of documents.

This is three times like the one I just finished. I almost started crying, but I restrained myself. Of course, I'm only doing this for my children.

I muttered "Yes sir," almost audible as I moved approached the folders. I doubt my ability to lift this.

"I'll help you."Alexander's firm voice halted Lillian when she tried to move.

"Stay!" He ordered.

"Lift each one by yourself. As a maid, didn't you deal with similar situations?" With almost imperceptible smirk, he said.

Once again, he referred to me as a maid.

When he made that vow, did he mean it? Has he since forgotten?