Chapter 2: An Unpleasant Surprise

He thought about the situation at hand while scrolling through his phone. So many people had recommended this woman even though she was nowhere on the internet. He wondered why. Another thing that bothered him was the familiarity of the name. He wasn't sure but something seemed familiar about this person.

The bed dipped as Calian laid to rest for the day. After his conversation with his father, he decides to interview her along with the other lawyers he shortlisted earlier that day. For some unknown reason, he just couldn't put his trust in this woman like the others did. Something made him feel like she was going to be trouble but nevertheless, Calian decided to interview her. It was worth the shot.

The next day, Mirabella was brewing his coffee when he came in.

"Good morning, sir," she greeted with a bright smile. One thing he could never fathom was why she was always smiling like she won the lottery but it didn't matter. All that mattered was that her smiles calmed him most times.

"Did you get my message last night?" he asked as he breezed past her.

She scurried in behind him. "Yes sir," she replied, placing the cup of hot coffee on his desk.

"Are there any files for me to look at?" he asked, staring at the table.

"Well, we have some resumés you would want to look at. I followed your instructions and set up interviews for the ones whose resumés were the most impressive."

"Good. Have you sent them to my email?"

"Yes sir. All five of them," she replied.

He quirked an eyebrow. "Five? I think I sent almost ten names to you."

She looked nervous. "Yes, you did but the rest weren't qualified enough from what I saw."

"We are talking about lawyers here," he argued. There was anger in his tone.

"Yes, I know. And as someone who comes from a family of lawyers, I know what to look out for."

His eyes calmed. She had point so he let the argument die and asked her who was the first to come in. "That would be Miss Cassidy Bryan," she replied.

Calian almost fell out of his chair but he managed to maintain his composure. "Why did you pick her?" he asked. His curiosity got the better of him.

Mirabella shrugged. "She's the most qualified from what I've seen. She really knows what she's doing and I think she can defend us well."

His fingers ran through his blonde hair. "And I believe you're sure about that?" he asked, silently hoping she would falter but to his dismay, she nodded. He said, "Alright then. When is she coming in?"

"By noon," came the reply.

He was getting a bit annoyed. "Why is she coming by noon? Isn't that too late? And by the way, I thought I had an appointment by noon."

"You told me to clear all your appointments for the day. And since it was late at night when I finished with them, I knew you might have slept off and would need time to study their information."

"Alright. You can leave," he said, turning on his laptop.

"Um sir, I have something to say, if you don't mind." He gave her the go-ahead to speak. "I know this court case is keeping you worried and all but I really feel it's not a big deal because I doubt Mrs. Davis has concrete proof that we sold such things to her. So um, why don't you relax and take things easy?"

"But I am taking things easy," he said quietly.

"No, you're not and I'm just saying. You've been distant and panicky since yesterday."

He nodded, thanked her, and let her be on her way. Her words warmed his heart though. If there was anyone in that company who showed she dared, it was Mirabella.

Noon rolled around and he heard a knock on his door. Once granted permission to come in, Mirabella opened the door and peeped her head in. "Mr. Woods, Miss Bryan is here to see you," she announced.

"Bring her in," he replied. In the short time, he was left alone, Calian comported himself. The door opened again and he turned to see the new visitor. His jaw almost dropped when he saw her. From the red hair, to the height, and finally, to her eyes, he finally knew why her name always sounded so familiar to him. He blinked a few times to be sure of what he saw but her features didn't change nor did she disappear.

Cassidy's feet stayed rooted to the spot. He hadn't changed since the last time she saw him or maybe he just looked the same to her because she was reminded of him daily. Either way, this meeting already looked like a failure to her.

"You!" they both hissed.

"I guess I'll be leaving then," she said and turned.

"Yeah, run away as always. I don't even want to set eyes on you again. You're not welcome here," he retorted. She stormed out leaving him to himself.

Mirabella soon came in. "Sir, is everything alright? Miss Bryan, she just..."

"Don't ever let that woman in here again," he barked.

"Um, okay but what...."

"I said you should never let that bitch in here again! You can even tell security to escort her out of she ever steps those feet of hers in this building again. Do you understand?" he growled.

"Um, yes but if I may ask..."

He cut her off again. "You may not ask anything. Even if she forces herself here, let them beat her out, godammit!"

One minute, Mirabella was in his office and the next, his door was closed, like a smokescreen effect.

The office suddenly felt hot. He looked to his smaller window to see if it was closed but it was wide open and the blinds were up. He removed his jacket and hung it around his chair. He put on the AC and shut the window but even that couldn't stop him from sweating profusely.