Mr. Wolf's Secretary: A Sidekick Romance

She was exhausted and she felt sick but there was nothing she could do about it. The voices in her head screamed in unison and told her to find a way out of the misery she was in. She took a moment to gather her thoughts but conflicting ideas corrupted her mind. She tried to fight but she didn't know if it's worth fighting for! She was hopeless!

It has been an hour since she sat in front of the mirror and eyed the scissor nearby. The mean words from her late father echoed inside her head, and every second that passed she began to believe him. Blair cursed at the woman in the mirror and narrowed her eyes to check her appearance. She tied her long hair into a messy bun to check every pore on her face.

Everything went wrong in her life! She just lost her job because of a woman's insecurity! She could probably let it slide but it didn't happen once! Her longest tenure in a company would only be a week or less than a month. How would she keep on living without a stable income? She would starve to death!

She had no surviving family aside from the mother who abandoned her when she was only four years old, and her excuse for a father was abusive to her until the day he died. Until his last breath, he cursed at her mother and wished they didn't look the same. As if it was her fault for inheriting her mother's goddess-like feature! Maybe he was right all this time! Blair closed her eyes as her hands slowly inched their way towards the scissor and when her fingers touched the coldness of the blade, she grabbed it! Then, she untied her hair and without thinking thoroughly, she began cutting her hair. Little by little, long strands of jet black hair fell onto the floor. However, when she stared at her image in the mirror, she cringed at her appearance. She bit her lower lip as she strode towards the door, and went outside. She recalled that her father always has an extra shaver in his bathroom, and she's on her way to retrieve it! She decided to go hairless and damn the consequences!

The door to his father's room creaked when she pushed it slowly. The old man has been dead for several months, but it was her first time to visit his room, and it's creepy. It was as if his spirit remained lingering in his bedroom, and she had to sprint towards the bathroom. The sound of her heartbeat was almost deafening as she left and returned to her room, with the shaver on her right hand. She took several deep breaths before she resumed sitting in front of the mirror, and shaved her hair! Ten minutes later, she was torn between crying and laughing at her appearance. She's bald and she looked like a monk! She looked horrible without a single hair on her head, and she regretted her impulsive decision to shave it. She stared at the mirror without blinking her eyes, and she almost jumped when someone knocked on her door.

It must be Tracy, her tenant. She regretted her decision when she couldn't even show her bald head to anyone, especially to her tenant. Tracy has been renting the extra bedroom even when her father was still alive, and they have been friends since then. She searched for a hoodie in her wardrobe and wore it on top of her clothes before she went to open the door. "Hey, " she greeted the woman who brought a bag of goodies from the bakeshop where she worked. "Is that for me?" She inquired but before Tracy could respond, she took the bag from her, and let the woman in. "Why are you wearing a hoodie? Don't you feel hot?" She had been wondering from the moment Blair opened the door because it was thirty-eight degrees outside! She looked around, and when her eyes got a glimpse of black hair on the floor, her eyes widen and aimed for the hoodie on Blair's head. "Shit! What have you done?" She exclaimed upon seeing her bald head for the first time. Blair was embarrassed when her bald head was exposed, but she couldn't do anything about it anymore. It was done, and the only thing she could do was to wait for her hair to grow again. "I don't want to be Blair anymore, Tracy." She said. When she first saw her landlord's daughter, she envied Blair's one of a kind beauty and wished she would look as great as her. However, Blair has a bad fortune and her father always blamed it for her looks and said that it was cursed. "What do you mean, Blair? Why would you believe your father? He didn't do anything but tormented you!"

Blair sat down on the edge of her bed, and Tracy did the same. "What if he's right? Ever since, I was unlucky!" She exclaimed as she recalled how much she endured while growing up. "But your hair!" Tracy's hand moved to touch Blair's head, but the woman was fast enough to block her hand. "They will grow again, " she smiled while massaging the shiny scalp and both women burst into laughter. "So, how do you like my new look?" She asked. Tracy cringed while staring at the hairless head of her friend. "What's your plan?" She inquired. "Hmmm, I'm not sure, but maybe I should shop for a man's clothes. Or maybe I should get a tattoo or a piercing to match my appearance, what do you think?" She imagined other ways inside her head on how to look manly. Tracy pouted her lips while she squinted her eyes at Blair. Although she didn't agree to her plans at all, she wouldn't stop her, and the least she could do was to support her as a friend. "Oh well, your figure may be slim, but it's the trend nowadays. It's painful to have a tattoo, and you know, it's permanent. Won't you regret it later?" She asked while eyeing Blair's blemished-free skin. "In my current situation, regret is out of the question Tracy. I'm desperate!" She lied. "I understand. Should I get inked as well?" Tracy suggested, and when Blair smiled, they both wrinkled their noses and grinned.

When it comes to hiring his personnel, Carmela Gordon was hands-on. She only wanted the best for her son, and no HR personnel could do better than her in hiring the best person to become Jacob's secretary. Out of a hundred applicants, only one person stood out, and Carmela was excited to see him again. Based on her judgment as a mother, that particular guy would be the perfect secretary for Jacob. The guy was witty and smart, and Carmela could immediately tell he wouldn't be a headache to Jacob.

"Mom, be honest with me, who is this guy? Your boyfriend?" Jacob jested about the new secretary which his mother was talking about. Carmela arched her perfectly shaded brows to Jacob for joking about her boyfriend. Maybe it would be fun to have a young man, but she wouldn't do that! It would only embarrass her son who ran a bank empire. "Geez! How can you say that to me, baby?"

Jacob cringed at the endearment that his mother used when they're alone. He's already thirty-two but the way his mother saw him, he's only a kindergarten. If anyone in the head office would hear them, it would be scandalous! "Perhaps you should refrain yourself from calling me that because I'm no longer a baby, " he complained but her mother only shook her head. Sometimes, she could be stubborn as a mule.

Carmela pinched the skin on Jacob's side, and he tried to get away from her. It was common for both of them, but when someone entered the office unannounced, Carmela forced a smile on her lips. She was disgusted that someone caught her in an embarrassing position! She's a respectable woman, but earlier, she acted differently and out of character! She shouldn't be too personal with Jacob when they're in the office. "Blair, right?" She asked the newcomer. Blair was surprised at the informal tone that the woman used on her. "Yes, Ma'am, " she replied. "You're just in time, dear. Jacob and I are waiting for you so you can have breakfast with us, " she said, as she clutched the pursed on her side, and motioned Jacob that they should proceed to the nearby restaurant. When she entered the office, she failed to notice the man who's going to be her boss, but when Mrs. Gordon invited her for breakfast, she couldn't help but stare at the man. He disliked her, and she could tell it by the way he warned her not to go with them. "I already ate, Mrs. Gordon. Thank you, " she heeded the man's warning but Mrs. Gordon grabbed her hand, and she had no choice. "Go ahead, Jacob. I'll have my favorite, and this guy here will have whatever you're having." Carmela ordered her son to go ahead to the restaurant while she and Stefan discussed something while walking. "So, what's your first impression on Jacob?" She asked. Blair blinked her eyes several times when Mrs. Gordon asked her a question not relevant to her work. "Hmmm, he's strict." She replied. Carmela laughed at his response because he guessed it correctly. Her son was already thirty-two years old but he's strict most of the time and his cousins feared him at home. "Don't you find him unusual?" She probed a little more because she's interested to know the man's observation on Jacob. She assumed that it's part of the interrogation process but she was informed last time that she was hired for the job. But why did the CEO's mother kept on questioning her? Deep inside, Blair hoped that she wouldn't make a mistake on her first day at the head office of Wolf Bank. It was the first company she applied for after shaving her head, and she passed the initial screening and moved on to the final interview. "I haven't seen a single woman in the building, except for you." She admitted. Carmela cleared her throat when she heard Blair's remarks. As Jacob's mother, she had no idea what motivated Jacob to replace all the women at Wolf Bank. From the managers up to the bank tellers, there were only men. "Have you read or heard anything about us?" She questioned the man instead. "Of course, Mrs. Gordon. The men in your family were famous playboys in their generation, " she answered. Carmela nodded her head in agreement, but her husband was the worst of them all. At least, the elders didn't leave their legal wives for their mistress. However, Jacob's father was different, and he left her for another woman. "At least you have an idea of what you're getting into, Stefan. I trust that you will help Jacob to keep his affairs discreet. I don't want the media to find out who he is currently dating or the next woman if there's any." She stated. It wasn't her style to stick her nose into someone else's business, and it would be a hassle if her boss got involved in a scandal. "You can trust me on that, Mrs. Gordon."

"Thank you, Blair. The secretary before you was also trustworthy but he had to migrate to Canada for personal reasons, " she stated.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Gordon. I will do my best to assist your son!" She declared, but deep in her heart, she suspected that her boss, Jacob Gordon, was a closet queen. It's only a hunch, but she's positive that the man was gay, and while thinking about the possibility, she couldn't help but stare at the man's behind while he walked ahead of her and his mother. "Good, " she smiled at the young man. "By the way, I like your tattoo."

"Thank you, " she also smiled at the older woman before they entered the restaurant.

Jacob studied the menu and from the entrance, she could see how chiseled his jawline was. The few day's growths of his whiskers added some masculinity to his face, and she bit her lower lip when his adam's apple moved. During the initial screening, the interviewer saw her tattoo. Well, who wouldn't when the Chinese symbols were large enough to be seen by everyone? Tracy insisted on having it inked on her neck and the artist agreed with Tracy. Initially, she disagreed with the idea of a neck tattoo because of its high visibility to the public, but Tracy convinced her that if she wanted to look like a badass, she should go for it. Tracy also helped her in choosing a bold, rebellious, and awesome tattoo design for her neck. She also got inked on her right arm.

"I suggest you erase the tattoo on your neck and just let me know how much, " Jacob said. WHAT? Erased the tattoo she just recently got? Did he know how much pain she tolerated just to have it? "I was informed that having a tattoo wouldn't be an issue in Wolf Bank, sir." She replied. "Of course, however, it's an issue to me, Mr. Cuizon, " Jacob responded.

Everyone in his family expected him to follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfathers – to be a playboy! However, they had no idea he has no girlfriend since birth. He's not gay and he wasn't afraid of women. He couldn't hurt a single woman, because of his mother! His grandmother would scold him for being a mama's boy, but he wasn't a mama's boy either. He just wanted to make his mother happy after she suffered so much from his father's betrayal. Jacob hated Blair at first sight. The word heartbreaker was written on his face, and Jacob feared that Blair would target his mother.

Although his mother was already in her fifties, she didn't look like one, and a young man's attention would surely make her heart flutter like a schoolgirl. Jacob clenched his fist while Blair glanced at his mother for moral support when he ordered to have his tattoo removed! "Baby, it's just a tattoo! Common, please be reasonable." Carmela Gordon reasoned out on behalf of the newly-hired secretary. Baby? She tried to hide the smile on her lips, but she was amused at how Jacob clenched his jaw after Mrs. Gordon referred to him as a baby. "I'm sorry, " she apologized after she burst out laughing.

"Just like what I said, your tattoo is an issue to me." He reiterated. Blair kept quiet while Mrs. Gordon argued with Jacob Gordon regarding her tattoo, and when the waiter arrived, they both stopped. "Thank you, Mrs. Gordon." She said when Jacob's mother gestured her to begin eating. For a moment, they focused on their breakfast, but in no time at all, Jacob was at it again. He glared at Blaire for acting weak in the eyes of his gullible mother. "So, how old are you, Mr. Cuizon?" He had no chance to review the man's resume because it was his mother who chose him, and as always, he trusted her judgment of character. However, with Blair Cuizon, he began to doubt his mother's ability to accurately judge a character.

"I'll be twenty-three this year, Mr. Gordon." She replied. Inside his head, Jacob calculated the age gap between Blair and his mother, and he coughed at the difference of thirty-two years. "As young as you are, you must have big dreams in life." He insinuated that the man would resort to gold-digging to achieve his dreams and goals in life. "Big dreams? I'm not sure, but I only dream to have a stable job." She replied. For her, it's a struggle to stay longer in one company, and she wished that Wolf Bank would give her the chance to stay longer. Jacob arched his brow at Blair's ridiculous response. Just a stable job? Hah, who was he trying to fool? He glared at his secretary who kept on smiling towards his mother. "Are you sure?"

He wasn't the only one who questioned her dreams in life, but she was telling the truth. She only needed a stable job, then maybe someday, she would start a family. "Yes, I am sure." She responded. Jacob shook his head at Blair's blatant lie. The guy was good at lying, and he lost his appetite just by sitting at the same table with him. He scowled at the newly-hired, but his mother caught him glaring at Blair and warned him to stop. For the first time, the demure Carmela Gordon kicked him under the table. After breakfast, Carmela entrusted Blair to Jacob and left for another engagement with her friends.

Blaire was nervous while she walked beside him in going back to the office. Jacob was silent, and she didn't know how to engage him in a less awkward conversation. When they get to the office, she opened the door for him because it was part of her job.

Earlier, she noticed the way he scowled at her, and she wondered what's wrong. After she closed the door behind her, she followed him inside his huge office that overlooked the business district in the city.

"Do you have something to tell me?" Jacob asked when Blair followed him inside his office. "I think it's vice versa, Mr. Gordon. Do you hate me?" She inquired. It would be awkward to work with a boss who hated her. It's her first day at work for goddamn sake! Jacob thought that it would be his best chance to be clear with him. They're going to work together, and he wouldn't like to have a bad relationship with his secretary. "Will you be honest, Blair? Are you dating my mother without my knowledge?" he asked. WHAT? Whoa, that was the most ridiculous question she has ever heard her entire life! "Are you implying that I got the job because I'm dating her?"

"Isn't it?" Jacob followed-up the question with another one when Blair didn't give him a direct answer.

"No, sir!" She denied his accusation. "Why don't we ask your mother if I'm dating her?" She suggested, and Jacob paled at the possibility of offending his mother.

It would be a disaster if his mother would learn about his suspicions, and causing her to be unhappy was the last on his list. "Are you telling the truth that you're not in a relationship with her?"

"I don't date anyone who's way too old than me, " she replied. "My mother doesn't look like her age, " he argued. If only she's allowed to roll her eyes at him, she would have done it already. Blair concluded that Jacob Gordon has a serious mental problem. When he asked about her relationship with Carmela Gordon, he assumed the worst. When she told him she wouldn't date an older woman, he argued that his mother was still beautiful. What a complicated man!

"As your secretary, I think I have the right to know you and your secret. Tell me, are you into men?" After she delivered her question professionally, she watched how Jacob swallowed a lump in his throat, and once again, she was attracted to the way his adam's apple moved. She had to shake her head to stop imagining him and her together...in bed! Jacob gritted his teeth as he tried to control himself from squeezing the life out of Stefan's neck. How dare he was to assume that he's not straight! "What do you think?" He asked instead. "I think you're gay, " she replied truthfully, and it was based on his observation.