The CEO's Ex

Calian settled down in his office for the day. He looked around at the large desk, seeing that it was more or less empty. "That's strange," he remarked. He dialed his assistant's office.

The woman came rushing in half a second. "Good morning sir," she greeted, placing the cup of hot coffee on the table.

"Mirabella, why is my desk so clean and organized?" he asked sternly, his cold eyes staring at her to know whether she would lie to him.

The young lady bounced on her toes. "Um, you actually finished all the work for last week so I-"

"I know that I finished all my work for last week. You know what your job description is or do I have to remind you?" he asked, cutting her short.

She panicked. "No sir, you don't have to remind me. The thing is...." Her voice trailed off.

"Mirabella," he called. "This is a Monday morning, the first day of the business week. What do I always say about Mondays?"

She looked down, suddenly taking interest in the floor. "That Monday paves the way for good things," she answered.

"Good. So tell me, what are you supposed to do every Monday morning?" he asked further.

"Bring all the files for the week's work and dump them on your desk," she replied.

"Wonderful. At least you remember. Now, why didn't you do that?"

She exhaled. "Okay, I'll tell you. Mrs. Davis sent a complaint. She said the furniture we sent her was made out of spoiled wood. I didn't bring the work for the week because that's the only thing we have for now and I didn't want it to spoil your Monday mood," she answered.

Her boss stared at her for an uncomfortable period. "She said we gave her spoiled furniture?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes, she did. Um, she actually sued us. The papers were served this on Friday afternoon, after you left," Mirabella informed him. Her body was visibly shaking. His newfound silence was unnerving.

After a while of deafening quietness, she called his name. "Mr. Woods?"

"Yes, Mirabella." He sighed. "It's alright. I understand your fear and I commend you for looking after me that much but we have to get to work."

She nodded and stood upright. "Okay, sir. What are we doing?"

"We fired the last lawyer, right?" he asked.

"Yes sir. You fired him." He ignored her emphasis on the pronoun and continued to look at the wall for a while.

"Alright then. How much is she suing us for?"

"Twelve thousand dollars," came the reply.

Calian turned around in his seat. "What? She bought that furniture set for a little over half that price!" he exclaimed.

"Yes, she did. Apparently, the money she put on top of it is for damages," Mirabella replied. She pushed her glasses up her nose. For a moment, he glanced at her pretty dark-skinned figure. Her silk pressed hair was put up in a small bun. Her pearly whites showed through a small smile she wore on her face. Her nearly ironed white shirt on black skirt uniform always reminded him of why he hired this lady. She was professional in everything she did and unlike the other assistants he had in the past, she was actually passionate about the company. Her work ethic gave him a certain confidence in her which she continuously proved was worth it.

"Thieving woman," Calian thought out loud.

"But um, Mr. Woods, I'd like to say something, if I'm permitted to," she said.

"Sure, go ahead. And by the way, sit down, Mirabella!"

She quickly sat down and dropped her notebook on the desk. "Well if you ask me, I think Mrs. Davis wants to scam us. You and I checked that furniture set a few minutes before it was delivered to her, so I don't think it was made with bad wood," she started. "And there was a little incident with the furniture though."

Calian became more alert. "An incident with the shipment? What happened with it? Was it switched with another?" For once, he showed his human side. One thing Calian hated was to hear that a shipment was switched with another. It had happened to him in the past and he was always determined not to make that same mistake again.

"No, it wasn't switched with another. In fact, everything got to her in perfect condition," Mirabella replied, calming his nerves.

He exhaled. "Alright then. So what happened?"

"When it arrived, I got a notification so I called her to follow things up. She said it was good and then proceeded to complain about how expensive our services are. That's the suspicious part though. How come she said everything was good when I called her but she's suing us? Not just that, but the way she talked about the cost makes me think she just wants her money back with some interest."

Calian nodded. What she said made a lot of sense. "Your assumption is good. And all this only makes me wonder why she didn't come to complain before deciding to go to court," Calian added.

"Exactly, Mr. Woods. I think this is very fishy. And it's more embarrassing that she's an old client," Mirabella said sadly.

"It's fine. What I want you to do now is to put out an advertisement for a new lawyer. We need to get one as soon as possible," he said to her. She got up from her seat and left the office to carry out her orders.

'Even at that, getting a new lawyer just through advertisement will take more time than we have on our hands. I think I'll just ask some of my friends to refer someone good to me,' he said in thought.

Deciding on that, he picked up his phone and dialed the number of his closest friend.

"Woody, what's up bro?" came Evan's voice when he picked up.

"I need your help with something. It's important."

"Of course, you need my help with something. Why else would you call?" Evan replied playfully.

~~~

Mirabella greeted her boss's friend when he walked past her desk. "Good morning, Mr. Evan."

He did a double table back to her desk, which was right in front of Calian's office door. "How are you, Mirabella?" he asked with a charming smile.

She gave him a tight-lipped smile. "I'm very fine, sir. And you? How are you doing?"

"I guess I'm good. But do you know what could make me better?"

"What's that?" she asked with a blank expression.

"If you accept my proposal," he replied, smirking.

"I've told you I'll think about it," she said plainly. "Mr. Woods is waiting for you please."

He nodded and went into the office. This time, without his smile.

"Good, you're finally here. I wonder what took you so long," Calian said when he heard the door close. He turned his chair to face his friend.

"Hey, Woody," Evan greeted as he collapsed into a chair. "Where do you want us to start?"

Calian raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean? I made a simple request over the phone and instead of you to say something, you offered to come over."

"Yes, that's right," Evan concurred. He stood up, went to the mini-fridge, and took out a bottle of water. "Is this all you've got in here, water?"

"Yes, and that's all you've be having today. As I was saying, why are you here? You could have just given me a name over the phone," Calian protested.

"Of course, but that wouldn't be any fun. And please, don't even try to put up that 'I can handle things myself' attitude. I know you better than you think," Evan said, sitting back in his chair. "Look bro, I know that you need a friend right now. Things like this tend to get you moody."

Calian sighed. If there was anyone who could read him like an open book, it was Evan. "Alright then. In that case, thank you for coming."

Evan kicked back his chair and put his feet on the table. "Great! That's what you should have said from the beginning. Well, let's get to business." He suddenly became serious. "The best lawyer I can suggest to you is Cassidy Bryan."

Calian took his laptop. "Repeat her name, let me look her up," he said.

Evan cleared his throat. "That's where the problem is though. You can't look her up because she doesn't have an internet space yet. But I'm telling you, she's good."

Calian eyed the man sitting opposite him. "You're trying to make me hire someone who isn't even well known? What is wrong with you?"

"I'm serious bro. She just started her own firm so naturally, she isn't popular yet but I swear, she'll do your work well," Evan said.

He looked to be telling the truth but Calian didn't want to take chances. "Are you sure she isn't one of these girls that flock around you? Is that why you're so bent on having me take her?" he asked, his eyes going into slits.

Evan facepalmed. "No, she's not. Cassidy has more self-respect than that. Well, it's fine if you doubt me but you asked me for suggestions and that's what I gave." He sounded annoyed.

"Exactly Evan. I asked for suggestions and you've given me only one," Calian replied calmly.

"Well, I'm sorry but I have no other words for you. I guess you'll have to figure something out yourself."

Calian let out a breath. He was surprised when he saw his friend stand up. "What's up with you?" he asked.

"I need to get back to the office. The work won't do itself, you know." Calian nodded and watched Evan leave his office in angry strides.

Left alone in his office, he began to search the internet for some good lawyers. He made a list of the few who piqued his interest. He put the list aside and decided to check a few other things.

Some hours later, Mirabella walked into his office. "Good evening, sir. Um, I just want to let you know that it's closing time," she said.

He was facing the large window in his office. She waited for a response but none came. Not really knowing what to do, she cleared her throat a few times. "Sir, it's closing time," she said, a little louder this time.

Calian jerked from his thoughts. He was startled to see her in his office. "What is it?" he asked. "Is something wrong?"

She raised an eyebrow. "No. I came to tell you that work is over for the day and all the other employees are packing up to go home."

He massaged his forehead. "Oh, I see. No problem then, I'll soon be on my way out. You can go home too," he responded. She nodded and left.

He dialed his father's number as he left the company building.

"Hello, son. How are you today?" came his father's ever-cheerful voice.

"Dad, I need your help." He then went on to tell him what transpired that day. "I've told my assistant what to do and I've shortlisted some really good lawyers but I need you to recommend one. This is a case I can't afford to lose."

"Say no more. Give me a few minutes and I'll get back to you," Mr. Woods said and hung up.

Calian relaxed in his car for a while before igniting the engine to go home.

As soon as he got home, he went to eat something. Thank goodness he cooked something before leaving for work. The day's stress and worry surprisingly gave him an appetite.

His phone rang while he ate and the caller ID said, Dad. He picked up hurriedly. "Dad."

"Yes, son. Well, I've made a few calls and they all recommended the same person though I've never heard of her," Mr. Woods said.

"Who is she? If her name is on their lips, then she must be very good."

"Yes. They said her name is Cassidy Bryan."