Kaia made a decision before she walked into the office that morning; she would get to the bottom of what Chase meant when he said there was much she still didn't know. But, there was a problem. She needed to get close to him in order to get her answers. The old Chase she could handle, because she knew what to expect. He had been volatile, demeaning and grossly arrogant...the new one on the other hand, was a bit more complicated.
She still didn't understand his play here. What would he gain from showing her he'd changed? Redemption? Forgiveness? it didn't make any sense to her but she was going to find out.
Her nightmare—yes, nightmare, had shown her just how much work she needed to do to finally move on from her past and Chase. She refused to think about that grueling kiss and what it might mean, and only focus on getting any information that might help her understand the past more.
She rapped twice on his office door before twisting the door knob, opening the door.
"Good morning, Little Katharos", he said, eyes lingering on her nose, then stopping on her eyes.
She ignored his greeting as well as his obvious linger on her freckles.
"Ground rules. You remain completely professional at work with me. That means no unnecessary call-ins to the office for anything other than work, no lunch or dinner dates that aren't work related, and definitely no shopping," she raised her eyebrow in question, waiting for his disapproval.
Met with silence, she continued.
"You will under no circumstances speak to my mom about anything that happened between us in the past and you will refrain from calling me by that nickname."
Smirking, he said, "But I have so many nicknames for you, Freckles. Which one do you mean?"
"All of them, Chase...all of them."
Shifting his weight, he leaned back in his chair, silently watching her.
"Is that all?" he asked.
"No. You will tell me everything about what happened in high school... What you meant when you said there's so much I don't know." she finished.
"You definitely have more confidence today, l'Il give you that", he started, standing up and walking towards her.
"Stop!" she yelled.
"Don't come any closer."
She couldn't lose her nerves in front of him like she did last time. If he came any closer to her, chances were, she would
With narrowed eyes, he replied, "I won't bite, Kaia."
"Oh, I know better", she spits back.
"I have a board meeting by 11am and you need to be there."
"I will be. I've sent the agenda for the meeting to your email. You also have a golfing appointment with the CEO of Nash Pharmaceuticals by 3pm," she reads off her word pad.
"Cancel it. Tell them... something unavoidable came up."
Tapping her screen, "Alright".
Pining her with his icy stare, "We are having dinner at the Maison De La Lune by 6pm."
"I just told you, I will not be having breakfast, lunch nor dinner with you," her voice hardened.
"Calm down", he tuts.
"It's work related".
She scans her tab with a little frown, "I don't see anything put down for that."
"It was arranged last minute and personally, so you won't find it on the schedule. We're meeting the CEO of Deft Tech to discuss a possible merger between our subsidiaries. My assistant—you, will need to be present. Everything you need to know regarding the merger and both companies, I believe, has already been sent to your email."
"Duly noted. I'll be there".
"We leave together," he states with a raised brow.
"You asked for professionalism...its hardly professional for the CEO and his new assistant to show up to an important meeting separately, is it?" he smirks.
"Right. I'll be in my office if you need me", she answers, her lips twisted in a scowl, as she leaves the office.
If she thought working in such close proximity was hell, sitting in the back seat of his Mercedes-BenzS class with him being only inches away was purgatory. They arrived at the Maison De La Lune a little late due to the rush hour traffic. Stepping out of the car, Kaia could see that the restaurant lived up to its name which translated to "House on The MOON." It had a dreamy and enchanting atmosphere...hardly the most appropriate place for such an important meeting, but apparently; the other CEO had chosen the location, so she couldn't fault him for it.
The host—a woman probably in her mid to late 20s, smartly dressed in pressed pants and a silk white silk blouse—meets them just as they enter.
"Welcome Mr Ceemer, it's a pleasure to have you here with us again," she beams, not hiding her obvious ogle.
Kaia couldn't deny the pang of jealousy she felt in her gut, as she discreetly rolled her eyes.
"Your party of 6 is waiting...please follow me."
Party of 6? She looks to Chase with confused eyes, but he simply smiles at the host, completely ignoring her.
"Lead the way, Miss Lily".
They make their way to the reserved table where Kaia spots 4 distinctively familiar faces, laughing in that pretentious way rich and spoiled kids do, as they sipped from their champagne flutes. Something about their laugh causes the hair on the back of her neck to stand. Something wasn't right. She looks beside her at Chase with hopes of an explanation, but he doesn't spare her a look as he settles back into his cold blank stare.
They reach the table and are spotted by one member of the party. He speaks up causing the others to turn in their direction, "I can't believe you made it, Chase...and you brought none other than our sweet little Kaia", he smirks.
Kaia's world spins as she realizes what she just walked into. She stared into the faces that traumatized her 10 years ago and whose voices she still heard in her dreams last night. For a moment, their faces warp into scarier versions of the ones she remembered from high school. She feels the air been knocked out of her lungs as she hears Chase say,
"Welcome to the high school reunion, Kaia."