The Kent's party.
Sometimes we feel what we're experiencing at the moment, we've experienced it before, maybe in a different time zone or in our past lives, the feeling of déjà vu. The moment Davy opened the door, it reminded Millicent of when she passed out during their graduation and he walked in with the same cold expression.

"I'd like to be alone with Millicent." Just like he had said on that very same day.

"Yes Mr Kent." Zack immediately replied. He stood up to leave the room but Milena's voice stopped him.

"Well look what the cat dragged in." Milena said in a disgusted manner. Millicent pinched her trying to tell her to keep mute but she refused. "What? It's really an unpleasant face to be seeing on such a fine night like this."

"Milena! That's enough. Please leave us alone."

Milena frowned at Davy as she got off the bed. She turned to look at Millicent before leaving, "I'll be right outside if you need me"

"Thanks girl."

She eyed Davy as she walked out but Davy plainly ignored her like she wasn't even there and Zack followed her silently though confused. He slammed the door behind him and locked it. He sat at the chair Zack once was and crossed him arms across his chest.

"How are you feeling?"

"Fine." Millicent replied firmly.

"Good. I'm here to inform you that the party's date has been changed, due to some circumstances, it has been delayed to this weekend instead."

"Why are you telling me this? I already declined your invitation." She fumed facing him.

"I'm here to tell you that you can't refuse, I seemed to have chosen the wrong way to serve this on your plate. You're my secretary and you have to come with me, it is compulsory!"

"Why do I need to? Being your secretary is different from attending your family's party for old time sakes Dave!" Millicent flared.

"That's where you're wrong." he replied in a calm tone. "You see, being my secretary means attending events with me even on weekends and family events not being exceptional. You said you could work overtime, do you not know what that means?"

"This is different."

"How such?"

"You know what you're doing, you know very well that this isn't right!"

"Do tell how."

"Dave!"

"That's Mr Kent to you."

Millicent scoffed already in tears. "Why can't you go with your fiancee? Why force me to do this?"

"My fiancee is not free this weekend and I will be honest with you, my mom wants to see you."

"I don't care! I don't want to do this!" she cried out.

Davy took a deep sigh and relaxed into the chair. "Listen up Miss Owen, what happened to you was not my fault okay. You're just being weak, you're still gonna face a lot of challenges in the future and the choice is in your hands to either faint or do your obligations that you are obliged to do and right now, your obligation is to be at that party or else-"

"Or else what?" she interrupted him.

"You're fired."

She stared at him in nihilism, he sat relaxed in the chair with his arms crossed. Tears flowed down her face, her jaw dropped in disbelief and shook her head wishing her life was a dream.

Every single word he said and things he did reminded Millicent of when they broke up three years ago. His cold gaze, his callous expression, unsympathetic behavior. She laid her head on the pillow and closed her eyes tight, her hand placed on her unsteady heartbeat, the headache had returned and beads of sweat formed on her forehead.

"You can pretend to be asleep all you want, you can keep mute for as long as you wish but it doesn't change the fact that I'm your boss and you have to do what I say to earn money to feed your hungry mouth." Davy said.

Millicent bit hard at her lower lips trying to prevent herself from weeping even more, she sat up in bed unable to control her tears anymore. "Dave why do you have to be this way! I know we weren't perfect but honestly I've never felt this way for anyone before and.... I just can't imagine how..... How you could be so okay now that we're apart, you said you loved me and you want us to be together forever and-"

"Millicent!" he bawled at her. "I don't know why you're saying this, I'm engaged and you know that." A streak of guilt appeared in his eyes but almost instantly his expression returned to the stern, cold glare he had before. "If in your wildest imagination you think I'd ever leave my fiancee for you, then you're mistaken big time. Even if I was single, I'd never go back to you."

Millicent sobbed loudly covering her mouth with her hands, trying to prevent the noise from escaping the room. He stood up and turned to door to exit the room.

Taking a few moments to gather herself, Millicent sat up in bed and wiped her tears with her palms. She stopped him as he was about to open the door. "Davy."

He stopped but didn't look back, for a moment she thought it was because he felt sorry for her and he probably didn't want to see her in such a pathetic state.

"Fine. I'll go with you. But since I want to feed my hungry stomach then you have to pay me for this."

He turned around laughing. "Why do you feel you can talk to me this way?"

"You might be my boss but I am also your sick secretary and you are forcing me to leave the hospital for your personal business. What if I faint because of my health or what if something worse happens? You will be held accountable for it. If you're going to force me to work in my condition then you have to pay me."

"Do you even have any pride left as a woman?"

"I lost every iota of pride left in me the day I accepted to work with you."

Davy stared at her in silence for a moment before returning to the chair he was seated but didn't seat. "How much do you want?"

"Fifty....thousand....dollars."

"What! Oh and would you like a house and a car with that?"

"It's negotiable Mr Kent." She said frowning. "The clock is ticking, the offer might soon be unavailable."

"Ten thousand."

"Ha!" She scoffed. "Even if I don't have any pride left, I am not a beggar and I would gladly turn down this offer Mr Kent."

"Who do you think you are woman?"

"You know me better enough to answer that question yourself."

"Millicent-"

"That's Miss Owen to you Mr Kent. This is against our agreement as a CEO to his secretary, you need personal assistant and I am clearly not your P. A."

He stared at her in bewilderment. "When did you become like this?"

"Mr Kent with all due respect, if you're not ready to come to a reasonable price and conclude this negotiation then I'd like to return to my slumber. Have a great day sir."

"Let's not do things that way, two thousand dollar for every hour you spend with me."

"Mr Kent, two thousand dollars is not enough to buy the expensive wears you expect me to put on as a secretary to the CEO himself."

"It's an eight hours program, starts in the morning and finishes by six, that would be sixteen thousand dollars for you Miss Owen, is that not enough?" he explained looking irked.

Millicent on the other hand remained as calm as the evening breeze. "No it is not enough."

His tongue licked his lower lip and he rubbed hard at his temples. "Fine! What do you want?"

"I can recall clearly that when we were lovers, you gave me me presents worth millions and spent thousands of dollars on an ordinary picnic date. Clearly I know your worth Mr Kent, why are you being so penurious!"

"Me!" He barked angrily. "I'm being penurious?!"

"That aside, I'll forget that because I believe you gave me such money cause I gave you my body then. I want thirty thousand dollars and that is my unalterable price."

He bit hard at his lips, his face burnt with anger. He gritted his teeth at the choice of her word. "I gave you my body" but as always, he tried to stay calm. "Fine."

"And if I have to spend an extra minute after six then you will pay me for working overtime."

"This has got to be a nightmare."

"A beautiful one at that Mr Kent. Do we have a deal?" She asked stretching out her hand.

"Deal." He replied without shaking her hand. He stormed out of the room slamming the door hard behind him and Milena rushed in at the sight of his exit.

"What happened?" she inquisitively asked.

"Well -"

Millicent told her best friend everything that had happened, how rude he was to her and the bet they had made.

"That bloody bastard! I would kill him the instant I get an opportunity."

"Calm down now, let's get me out of here. I need to see mom and then get ready for the party."

"Fine fine, I'll get the doctor."

"What about Zack?"

"You mean that other dork, he rushed after Davy like a lost puppy the instant he saw him storming off."

"Ohh."

Millicent was asked to stay for the night but she refused, she got discharged and she went to see her mother. After a short talk with her mom, trying to follow the lies Milena had told her, Millicent went home to decide on a nice dress to wear but she got a text from Davy that told her not to bother about the clothe to wear.

"Heh! He probably bought a million dollar worth dress with a five million dollars worth Jewelry." Milena said.

"And don't forget a designer shoes and bag that probably cost twenty million dollars." Millicent added.

Both ladies bursted into laughter. Millicent tried to be strong, even though a part of her longed to be with Davy every single day, she had to do all in her power to destroy those lingering feelings. Before going to bed, she looked at herself in a small mirror hung on the bathroom wall and said, "You are a strong and beautiful woman, no man will ever spit at you again like Davy did. Every opportunity now is a chance for you to extort more money from him. Be brave, be strong!"

She left the bathroom and headed straight to bed.

★
It was finally time for the Kent's party and she wasn't so excited about it, seeing his parents again, siblings and old friends from college wasn't something she was really looking forward to. She left for his place and got there before 9 o'clock.

"Here's the outfit I got you, you have to look very beautiful like back when you were in college." Davy said handing her a bag with the clothe inside.

she opened her mouth like she was about to say something but closed it back. Collecting the bag from him, she went into one of the rooms in his house to change.

It was a glittery purple floor length dress with long sleeves and a V-neck that exposed her chest. The fitted dress exposed her curves and a long slit at the side that revealed her bare skin. A black wedge heel with a black purse to match and silver necklace and earrings to complement her dressing.

He had make up artists and hair stylists to do her make up and hair. Millicent felt like a princess getting ready for her coronation day.

"How would you like your hair ma'am?" The stylist asked.

"Anything to make me look pretty."

"That's the problem, you'd look pretty in any of these styles!"

Millicent blushed. "Thank you, okay uhm just make it into a bun for me."

"Yes ma'am."

"Please I'd like the make up to be light. I don't want something too heavy."

"Yes, understood." another lady replied.

Before eleven, Millicent was ready. She twirled in front of the floor length mirror, admiring her curves and how beautiful she looked.

The door pushed open and Davy walked in. "Millicent are you- wow!" Davy couldn't help but to stare at Millicent with admiration in his eyes.

"Is it time to leave?" Millicent asked.

"Uh-uhm I -uh-"

"Yes I presume, shall we?" She said. She picked up her purse from the bed and walked out of the room with her head raised high and Davy's gaze never left her for a moment.

They got in Davy's Mercedes and he drove off to the venue. Neither of them said a word to each other but Davy could help but to stare at her.
Arriving at the location, the first familiar face she saw was his sister that never liked her. "Oh boy, this is gonna be awkward."