CHAPTER 7: MEETING COINCIDENTALLY

After the train of postulations, Hazel consented to take the assistant position, even though it wasn't what she had wanted. But, she had no alternative at that point as she had a need of a job to cope unaidedly for herself and save up for future aspirations.

All of these had oozed up in her head, the more cause she had left Spicy bite foods in such morale, being unaware of who had caught a glimpse of her earlier.

****

Jane had just capped her discussion with the manager as she stalked forward in exiting the company. She had avowed that she would officially kick-off work in the next week. She had stated that she was in need of corporate suit-ups for her job in which the CEO of the company had concurred to, being much apprised of the Wilsons.

Jane didn't dare fail to remember her meeting with Ethan fixed for the day. She would get to converse with him in seclusion. That feeling was like a rhapsody to her.

Her mother had already gotten an internal information that RD group would be seizing Spicy bite foods soon due to the company being temporarily in the red.

The main basis, Shannon had nudged her daughter to apply for a position in the company before RD takes over as this would make it look as though they weren't knowledgeable of the turn out and it would also aid Jane loom to Ethan in some way.

They had wanted their schemes to emerge as a coincidence on the surface while they come up with other crook ideas underneath.

****

Jane got into her mini lexus and drove off into the busy express.

Thirty three minutes later, she hit at RD group and was let into Ethan's office at his request after Kate had confirmed her appointment with him.

Espying her step into his office, Ethan proffered to her a seat at a corner in his wide, expensive office, he put a call across to Kate to bring in some refreshments for Jane which was brought after few minutes.

Soon enough, Ethan wrapped up his checkmating on some files he was going through earlier and paced over to where Jane was seated.

He sat at first hand, opposite her while Jane swiftly wore a guiltless look.

Ethan knew there was no point in wasting much time before hitting the nail on the head as he curled up his seductive, smooth, pink lips to speak.

"Jane, I understand you feel it's a right thing to fulfil your sister's wish in getting married to me. To be sincere, I would really love to fulfill her wish too but my feeling towards you is different. You're like a little sister to me just like you are to Amelia. Deep down, I don't see us working together in that path." Ethan was ardent and plain-spoken in his speech, to him that was the best way to straighten out the rising matter of an affair between them.

"Really? What makes you think we won't work in that path? Am I not a woman enough? eversince my sister had said that, I've been avoiding other men, thinking you would also want to fulfill your responsibility. Ethan we can make this work if we want to, it doesn't have to be Amelia only." Jane queried him, blurting out the last statement in error.

"What did you just say?" Ethan's brows furrowed slightly, making his face looked a bit frenzy.

"Oh. I mean, you can't keep hurting yourself by not moving on... It's what Amelia also wished for right?" Jane hurriedly contorted her words, pitching a question at Ethan.

"Look Jane, it's nobody's business if I decided to only love Amelia all of my life. It's my personal thing, I can decide to move on and I can decide not to, that's left to me. As for you, I respect you as my late girlfriend's sister and I will support you in my best way anytime you need it. But a romantic relationship between you and me is what I can never agree to. I'm sorry, but I do not have such feelings for you. I don't need to say more right?" Ethan explicated his thoughts to her in a precise manner.

Jane gulped in pain. All that Ethan had said to her stung her so badly. She had assumed he would at least give their matter a rethink, but it was obvious he wasn't ready to bulge.

"It's alright... It's fine... I'll just leave then." Jane behaved like an unalloyed lady whose heart had just been smashed by her first love, she showed a facade like she had accepted what

Ethan had said even though there was a different hunch in her mind. But little did Ethan know that Jane wasn't one to give up without a hitch when she had set her heart on something. She could even go through the worst means ever just to obtain it.

She was slow-paced in her steps making Ethan wonder if he had said too much. But Ethan wasn't someone who would nimbly eat the humble pie, especially if he felt whatever he had said or done was right.

He watched Jane make her tracks out of his office without voicing out a word to her. He only speculated if Jane was reacting that way mainly to fulfill Amelia's wish or... —could it be that she had developed such feelings for me?

Ethan's eyes lit up at this thought. If she had truly fallen in love with me, then it's best I let her know she have to erase such feelings and get a good guy for herself. Ethan deduced on this and went back to proceeding with work.

****

Jane got into her car and a frosty gaze launched on her face. She gritted her teeth in anger and banged her steering wheel enragedly.

"Ethan, since you want to make this whole thing difficult, let's see if you can keep refusing me." Jane muttered to herself while she drove off in high speed.

****

Alfric had just gotten home around 9:40 pm, he met his father seated on the couch reading the latest newspaper.

"Dad, you aren't asleep yet?" Alfric questioned.

"Yes, I have a company to run, I have to be up-to-date, unlike someone who only plays golf and drives round the whole city achieving nothing." Turner spoke in an ironic tone.

Alfric knew his father was alluding his speech to him and he only exhaled and got up to pass into his room when Turner suddenly remembered what he had always wanted to ask Alfric.

"That lady I had seen her photo in your phone, where does she work?" Turner questioned, making Alfric halt in his steps.

Alfric carefully pondered on his father's question. The only lady he knew his father had seen by accident in his phone was Hazel and no other—could she be thesame person he was making reference to?

"Dad, you mean Hazel? My friend?" Alfric probed his father.

"Yes, Hazel, does she work at RD group?" Turner responded.

"Yes, she does work there, did you meet her there?"

"Yes I did, when I saw her I assumed she looked quite farmiliar, but I didn't recall at that moment till I got back to the office. I was also trying to let you know then when you had stormed out of my office rudely." Turner explicated.

"Oh..." Alfric replied to his father's last statement.

"But, it appears she was having an issue with Ethan, my instincts told me that, there was an awkward reaction between the both of them that very day."

"Really?" Alfric could only utter this as he recalled that he had dropped Hazel off that same day and she was actually behaving quirky in the house that very morning —what issue could Ethan have with Hazel?

Alfric mulled over what his father had spilled out to him.

"Uhm... Actually we didn't discuss anything about an issue with Ethan, but I'll see her and find out." Alfric said and left for his room afterwards. But he didn't let slip to give his mother, who'd already flaked out, a goodnight kiss before entering into his room finally.

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