Chapter 5: The Meeting

His eyes opened at the prompting of the sunlight on his face.

'I need to stop forgetting to close these curtains at night,' he thought to himself.

His hand reached to the bedside table to check his phone. 8 am.

Calian jumped out of his bed like a set of springs in a mattress. How he overslept was out of his comprehension but the important thing was to get to work as soon he could. He rushed a bath, got dressed, and dashed into his car to get to the office.

He checked his phone briefly before igniting the engine. Five missed calls from Mirabella. He facepalmed.

~~~

Cassidy tapped her foot on the beautifully tiled floor. She hadn't been waiting for so long but she wondered why someone would fix an appointment and be late for it.

She was sitting in the waiting room. The entrance to it was right beside the assistant's table.

Getting irritated by the length of time she had spent there, she left the rather comfortable room to meet Mirabella.

The lady in glasses quivered when she saw Cassidy step out. "I know you must be very angry, Ma'am but please be a little more patient. He's on his way here," Mirabella pleaded before Cassidy opened her mouth to say anything.

Leaning on the table, Cassidy asked, "Why isn't he here yet? Did he tell you why?"

The dark-skinned lady swallowed nervously. "No, he didn't." Then she added while stuttering, "B- but I heard the honks of cars so maybe he might be delayed by traffic."

Cassidy arched a red eyebrow. "I see. Well, I'll wait ten minutes more and if he doesn't show up, I'll leave," she said.

"Well, that won't be necessary since I'm already here," Calian said as he breezed into the office.

"Good morning, sir," Mirabella greeted with a wide smile. She released her hitched breath.

"Good morning, Mirabella. Thanks for holding up," he replied, lifting the corner of his lips in an attempt to smile.

Cassidy folded her arms. Looking at him again wasn't as painful as the first time. She cleared her throat. "I guess you've forgotten that definition of an apology?"

Calian glanced at her and rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry for making you wait. Can we get on with this already?" he replied irritably.

"After you, Mr. Shots," she responded.

She went back to the waiting room to get her handbag. When she got back, he had already disappeared into his office. As she approached the door, Mirabella stepped out from behind her desk to open the door for her.

"Thanks for waiting, Ma'am," she said with a smile.

Cassidy couldn't help but smile back. "It's fine. Thank you."

"Please sit down," Calian said when the door closed behind her. His eyes were fixated on his laptop. She reluctantly obeyed.

A choking silence followed.

"Can we get on with the interview? I have places to be," Cassidy spoke up when nothing was being said.

His grey orbs met her real green ones for the first time that morning. "You think this is an interview?" he asked after a while of staring at her.

She shrugged. "That's the impression your assistant gave me when I read the email and called later," she answered.

"Oh. Sorry but this is no interview," he said and focused once more on his laptop.

"Why did you call me here, Calian?" she demanded. He was getting on her nerves as it was.

Having typed the last few words, he clicked 'print'. The printer started buzzing and he finally had the time to look at her. She hadn't changed much. He reluctantly had to admit to himself that she had even gotten prettier. She was almost as tall as him and her hair was redder than the last time he saw her. He subconsciously wondered if her hair still felt the same way.

'I shouldn't be thinking about this,' he said to himself.

Clearing his throat, he spoke. "Sorry for taking your time. I was doing something that would be of benefit to us both." He stared at her with more intensity. "I'm sorry that my assistant passed on the wrong message. This is no interview. You've been hired, actually. I called you here to sign a few documents and brief you on the case. I particularly called you here for us to talk."

She arched her eyebrows but kept quiet, waiting for him to finish.

"You done?" she asked when he didn't say anything after that. He nodded and she went ahead to speak. "I guess I should say thanks for hiring me?"

"That wouldn't be necessary."

"Alrighty then. I have questions." He nodded, giving her the go-ahead. "Why are you hiring if there hasn't been any interview conducted?"

"The answer to that shouldn't be far from you. I simply asked around and everyone recommended you. I've seen proof of your expertise too," he answered.

Her heart leaped. "Okay then," she said, forcing her smile away.

"As I said earlier, I also want us to talk," he started.

"What about?"

Calian sighed. "You of all people should know why. Anyway, I want this to be strictly business. Left to me alone, you wouldn't be here."

Cassidy chuckled. "Whatever that happened in the past concerns none of us. Only the work ahead matters," she replied.

He nodded. "Good." He handed her the freshly printed papers. "I'll need you to sign these before our work commences."

The contract was four pages long. "Sure. But I'll be taking my time to read this first," she informed him.

"That's fine."

As she read, she peeked from the pages to look at him. He was still as busy as she remembered him to be. She looked at him with sad eyes before refocusing on her reading.

An hour later, the deal was signed and she was briefed.

"I'll need to see the papers you were served," she said. "I need to look at a few things before I come back here."

He looked through some files and threw the papers she needed at her. She gave him a stink eye and left, slamming the door as she did so.