Chapter 1
Bad Fate
Gale Fears
Icouldn’t believe my eyes. She stood in front of me, her shirt covered in sweat stains and her hair in a messy bun. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes wide…she looked just as beautiful as when I had seen her last. Which had been a few hours ago, when she had gone home after spending a night with me. It was her. The girl who had thrown up on me. And then I had fucked her.
“This is my new secretary?” I demanded, looking at Mrs. Payne.
I never took any interest in hiring or firing my own people. I always had Mrs. Payne do it. She made sure to hire the very best, and I never had any complaints about her choices. Until now.
“Yes, sir,” Mrs. Payne said. “I assure you, she was the best among all the candidates.”
I seriously doubted it. I wondered if perhaps Payne was losing her touch. After all, she was over seventy years old.
Maybe her age was finally getting to her?
“Sir, Mrs. Durrick is still waiting for you,” Seth said, appearing behind me. “And Paul is here too. He wants to discuss the proceedings of his case.”
I sighed and turned towards him. The firm was overloaded with work right now, and I didn’t have time to wait for a new secretary. Payne had hired her; maybe she was good at her job. Either way, I couldn’t afford to wait for another secretary. I would just have to make do with her for now.
“Hi, I am Hillary Beck,” the girl introduced herself.
“Follow me,” I didn’t wait for her to finish. I did not need to know who she was; she was just a mistake. I looked at her coolly and walked toward my office.
“I need a coffee on my table…now!” I said, ignoring her. She had been the one to bump into me and ruin my shirt by making me spill my coffee. “And I need a new shirt! Make sure this is dry-cleaned.”
I slipped off my shirt and threw it at her. I sighed as she tried to catch it but stumbled and tripped, landing on the floor.
“Sorry, Mr. Fears,” she stammered, getting back up.
“You are really an awkward one, aren’t you?” I snapped at her.
I didn’t have time to deal with a clumsy, awkward secretary. I had to get things done, and I had to get them done fast. I had two high profile clients to meet, and with my father nosing around, I had to make sure everything was in order.
“Why are you staring at me?” I snapped, noticing that she was still standing there. “I have two meetings right now! I need a new shirt! Move!”
She winced at my tone and then took off, running out of the room.
It took her over twenty minutes to return with my shirt, and by then, both my clients were in a bad mood.I was in a bad mood. I decided to deal with Mrs. Durrick first, and I barked at her to follow me.
∞∞∞
She trotted behind me, trying to keep up with my fast pace and long strides as I marched down the hall.
“Keep up with the conversation,” I stated. “I might need information during the discussion, and I expect you to be able to look it up quickly!”
I didn’t wait for her reply but threw the door open to the conference room where Mrs. Durrick was waiting.
“This is the most unprofessional!” she said the instant I walked in. “Do you know how long I have been waiting?”
“I am aware,” I answered simply. “You have nothing to worry about; we have a plan on how to deal with the witness.”
“Yes, Seth told me,” she said. “You seem to really trust his ability to slip her up.”
“She is the only reliable witness the prosecution has,” I said. “Without her, the case falls apart completely. If we can make the jury doubt her statement by slipping her up during cross-examination, it will tear down their case. The jury will rule in our favor.”
“Is that all you have planned?” she asked scornfully.
