Lisanna Moore's P. O. V

Slumping down into the stiff and remarkably uncomfortable seat, I follow the pacing man with tired eyes as an overly loud sigh is heard from in front of me. Samantha readjusts her position till she's leaning with her waist against Mr. Sinclair's desk and her legs crossed at her ankles, showing off her black kitten heels that match with her dark coloured pinstriped suit.

I glance down at my wedged heel, thanking my own self in for my quick thinking. I mean it wasn't much, but my brain hardly works in the early hours of the morning and couple that with barely any sleep is an impressive feat for me.

I'm lucky I had even the basic comprehension to opt for thick wedges rather than the normal stiletto heels I wear to the workplace and extendedly, to Mr. Sinclair's estate. I had expected the first few days to be the worst after I had stupidly smacked my leg against the solid counter but, that wasn't the case. The bruise has darkened considerably, and I think I might have even bursted a vein. At least that's what google had told me when I compared my symptoms to those online.

Nonetheless, the quick bruise which I hoped to have healed within the next few days now takes up its blotchy residence onto the greater half of my leg. The stockings help in concealing it all, but I feel out of the ordinary wearing them.

"Ms. Moore, are you even listening to me?" Mr. Sinclair grits out, hands at balled at his side while his eyes flare with annoyance. That's more than enough to snap me out of my pointless thoughts as I focus my attention on his irritated form before dipping my head in a low nod as an answer.

"Of course I am, Mr. Sinclair, but it would be greatly appreciated if you actually said something." My tone is polite as I leave out the part where all he's being for the better part of half an hour, is burning a hole into the rug with his ceaseless pacing.

Samantha catches my eye and gives me a smile, nodding her appreciation at what I just said to which I nod back. Enjoy it while you can because I'm not going to go for it a lot, at least I hope. I'm not daft, just bordering on sheer stupidity and faux confidence, most of the time.

Rose shifts in her seat beside me, uneasiness flowing off of her waves, which is a stark contrast to the waggling brows I was subjected to only a few hours ago when we stepped foot onto the estate. Mr. Sinclair doesn't seem to appreciate my words too much as he pins me with his unwaveringly blank stare with what appears to be a thousand thoughts running through that over worked brain of his.

"Aren't you supposed to be the best at what you do when it comes to your firm?" The taunting edge is clear in his words as my lips part a fraction of an inch in shock.

I'm not the best, just one of the best, or so I'm told otherwise if not, I wouldn't be given a second change like Mrs. Catherine Cunningham so graciously offered me.

"Mr. Sinclair, with all due respect," Rose shifts once more beside me, which causes my tone to mellow out a bit more, "It is virtually impossible to get success rates of one hundred percent. There is always going to be a small quota of people and at least one tabloid spouting bad news about the current topic, which in this case is you Sir." I finish pretty reasonably if I do say so myself. Rose nods timidly next to me, backing me up non-verbally.

The man in question narrows his eyes at me while I lean back in my chair, not liking his sudden death glare that pins me to the spot. "What's the point of being the best at your job when you can't do the impossible?" The question is obviously rhetorical, and I can see Samantha rolling her eyes heavenward, probably fed up with the man's irritating behavior like everyone else in this room.

"Well, maybe because it is quite literally impossible." My snarky attitude isn't appreciated as his eyes narrow further, which I didn't really think was possible.

"You might want to tone down the sarcasm, he looks like he's about to pop a vein." Rose tries to whisper discreetly out of the corner of her mouth.

Well, that makes two of us now, doesn't it?
"I want this issue resolved and I want it done as soon as possible." I clamp down viciously on my lower lip in order to hold back my retort and instead, settle for nodding my head which Rose mimics immediately.

"Of course, Mr. Sinclair. I'll make sure that only the positive reviews are up and running." I say while simultaneously wondering how the hell I'm going to manage that. I guess I'll have to have a word with Samantha.

The meeting, or rather the scolding I get an earful of, ends quickly after that as Mr. Sinclair storms out of the room, leaving just us three women behind. Rose lets out a breath of air while I focus my gaze onto Samantha, who's already got her eyes trained onto me.

"Is there any way you could get the media team to get those negative reviews off of the sites? I have no authority or resources to do that, and I won't be able to keep an eye out for every review that is remotely negative." I keep my fingers crossed, hoping that the media team I was acquainted with on the day of the press conference are skilled enough to keep an eye out on all the cyber issues and able to delete any negative comment that pops up as soon as it does in order to stop Mr. Sinclair from chewing me out.

"Of course, Ms. Moore. Don't worry about it, I'll make sure our team gets on it effective immediately," She says with a kind smile, already reaching for the telephone which is placed on Mr. Sinclair's office desk. "Also, I would like to apologize on Mr. Sinclair's behalf. He hasn't had the best time, and the stress is getting to him, which is making him a bit on edge and causing him to lash out on everyone. It's a living hell for us all."

Samantha's words shouldn't really have any sort of calming effect on me, but if I'm being honest, I do feel a lot better to know that I haven't been the only one getting scolded by the man today.

"Isn't he always like that?" Rose once again tries to whisper in a voice that isn't as low as she thinks it is since Samantha hears her loud and clear, causing the older woman to let out a loud bout of laughter.

"You girls can go for your lunch break now. It's nearing two o'clock and I wouldn't be comfortable if you went back without eating anything. Just go ahead to the main living area downstairs and I'll send the staff over with some food." She lets us know while Rose and I graciously thank her. As soon as Samantha leaves the office, Rose turns to me with a raised brow and a tilted head.

"Do you know where that so called living room is?" She asks a sensible question because I answer her in the negative.

"Not a clue and no, I did not ask Samantha because I don't want to look more idiotic than I already am, thanks to the oh so kind Mr. Sinclair." I say with an audible huff as I get out of the chair while Rose follows my actions. We both step into the confusing corridors and it takes a combined effort for the both of us to find the stairs that lead to the downstairs area, let alone the living room. After countless wrong turns and entering into random rooms, we finally find a member of staff who politely tells us how to get to where we need to go.

"You know, maybe I was wrong about that whole chemistry thing between you and Mr. Sinclair." Rose pipes up after we get redirected from the deadend which the gentleman helped us out of.

"What on Earth are you on about?" I question with a confused tone as Rose rolls her dark eyes at me.

"Remember when I was teasing you about Mr. Sinclair being into you and vice versa. Well, I sort of discredited my own theory than and there when he started being an ass to you for something that wasn't even his fault." She admits to which I nod with a satisfied smile.

"That's good to hear. Like I said, this is a purely professional zone only. Plus, I don't have any time on my plate for anything of that crap." I say with a huff, going to open my mouth to say something else but stopping mid way when I catch sight of a familiar figure through one of the many windows which line the vast corridor. Clamping my mouth shut, I raise a finger to Rose while scanning each side of the long corridor to find a door that leads to the outside.

"What are you staring a- Oh." Rose says in a low voice, sidling closer to me so she can get a better long at Mr. Sinclair casually sitting on one of the benches in the extensive garden. My mind goes back to the garden in the palace, which causes my eyebrows to raise. Does Thaddeus Sinclair have a thing for gardens? His relaxed posture practically screams that while another thought gnaws at me internally.

"I'm going to be annoying again but yes girl, go to him. Get all up into his zone." I blatantly ignore Rose's words and make sure she knows it.

"I'll be back." I announce to the woman who's already making her way down the hall with a wave of her hand, already shooing me off.
I spot a pair of white patio doors at the end of the corridor which has me rushing to them faster than I was thought possible with my wonky leg. The silent exit into the garden I was expecting fails immediately as the unoiled doors squeak loudly, announcing my arrival very clearly to Mr. Sinclair as his head snaps up and in my direction.

All I get as an acknowledgement is a singular raising of his dark brow, a blank expression adorning his face.

"Hey." I drawl out, lingering on the last alphabet and then immediately reproaching myself.

That's what I approach the somewhat hostile man with?

"What do you want, Ms. Moore?" He says in a terse voice which causes me to shift in my place uncomfortably.

"I. Um." My brain fails to come up with a coherent response as I remain tongue tied, not thinking of what I need to say. Shit, maybe I should have thought this out. I don't even know why I came out here in the first place.
A loud sigh leaves Thaddeus as he moves over to the side while raising a hand to tug at the tight tie wrapped around his neck.

"Take a seat." He says with annoyance, but nonetheless, I find myself complying easily.

Here goes everything. This is going to be very awkward.

—————

AN: Hi everyone! The spacing is a bit weird for this chapter since I had to copy it from a different file so do let me know if you think anything's a bit off although I tried to make it work. Thank you for reading!

Please remember to:

Vote
Comment
&
Share