Elise Collins P.O.V

The first thing I did when I got home was calling Aria. My best friend. Aria and I have been friends since kindergarten, she knows my deepest secrets.

"Hello?" Aria's voice sounded sleepy and I felt bad for waking her up.

"Hi love, I'm sorry I woke you up, get back to sleep I will call you tomorrow."

"What! No, I'm wide awake, talk" I smiled and started telling her everything.

She was stunned by Marc's behavior but was more shocked by my boss's idea. She couldn't believe I went with it. But as the good friend she is, she supported my decisions without doubting me. She tried convincing me about having a contract drawn up but I didn't see the necessity of it. It wasn't like we made a deal and I was getting anything in return.

I was just helping my boss go through some family issues. Speaking of family, I loved Zachary's parents. They were so nice to me and so fun to be around. Unlike their son who is most of the time so uptight.

His sister was hilarious, always making jokes and teasing Zachary. He pretended to be bothered but I knew that deep down, he loved her teasing. Andrew, his brother, was quite the flirt. Although he shared the same name with his cousin, they were very different.

Andrew kept flirting with me trying to get a reaction out of Zachary which didn't happen. Of course, it wouldn't, it's not like we're really together or anything.

The most disturbing part of my day was seeing Andy. The way he reacted when he saw me was weird, we haven't spoken in years and he just up and hugged me as if we were long-lost friends. We were far from that though. But I was too shocked to react in any way so I just let him hug me.

I threw my phone on the bed and slipped out of my dress before taking a quick shower not bothering to dry my hair when I finished. I was too tired to care. Getting under the covers my mind wouldn't let me sleep. My thoughts kept drifting to a certain tall and dark handsome CEO. I facepalmed myself for the thoughts coming to my mind before I decided I needed a distraction. Turning the TV on, I chose a movie and fell asleep watching it.

I spent my Sunday with Aria at the mall and we even went out at night. Clubbing wasn't something to do on a work night, but we both needed it.

Monday morning, I woke up to the annoying sound of my alarm and jumped out of bed as if there was a fire. I quickly put on my clothes and gasped as I saw my hair in the mirror.

"Smart move Elise! Now your hair is a mess" I groaned trying to fix it in a bun but only got a messy one. "Doesn't matter" I muttered as I put on my heels, grabbed my purse, and dashed out of my house, I didn't have time to waste on my hair.

After picking up Mr. Walton's coffee as I do every morning, I went up to our floor eagerly, ignoring the stares I was getting. Weirdos, I muttered to myself. I finally got to my office and put down my bag and coffee before going to Mr. Walton's office.

I wasn't sure if he was here yet. Sometimes he came early, sometimes he didn't. I knocked twice on the door and waited.

"Come in" hearing his voice made things to my body I didn't want to give much thought to.

I went in with a smile "Good morning Mr. Walton, here's you... Oh my god! What happened to your face? Your beautiful face!" I almost slapped myself for saying the last part out loud. I heard him chuckle and went to place the coffee on his desk. Getting closer I examined his wounded lip and his bluish eye. It wasn't that bad but it was obvious he was in a fight.

"What happened?"

"I tripped?" he grinned sheepishly.

"Nice try. Are you ok? Do you need me to tend to your wounds?"

"No Elise, don't worry. I'm fine I promise. I went kickboxing last night. But I was a bit distracted so that's what I got." He shrugged and took a sip of his coffee "thanks for the coffee."

I nodded and looked down at my tablet "you have a meeting at 10 am, you need to visit the new power company at 2 pm and you have lunch with..." I paused raising an eyebrow. "A certain Vicky at Loui's, I'll email you the full program with more details for you to check. I've ordered your breakfast from the coffee shop, they'll send it up in about twenty minutes".

He said nothing so I looked up and saw him staring intently at me. I cleared my throat "Sir?"

"How do you know Andy?" he asked bluntly, ignoring everything I just said.

I looked at him blankly. I wasn't used to him asking me personal questions, which was a little weird.

"Elise, I asked you a question and I'd like to have an answer like now!"

"Mr. Walton, going into the details of my personal life isn't part of my contract."

"Contract? Since when do we speak about the contract? What are you hiding Elise!" he slightly raised his voice making me take a step back.

I could see he was getting angrier by the second and I had to get out of there. I was never the receiving end of his anger and I didn't want to be.

"I'm sorry Mr. Walton, I don't like your tone. And I prefer not discussing my private life with you or anyone else for that matter." I turned around and was about to get out when I felt a hand tightly wrap around my wrist.

"Did I say you could leave? No! So get the hell back in here and don't you ever turn your back on me, Elise. Now I asked you a simple question, and I'm sure there is a simple answer to it. So again, how the hell do you know Andy? You know him so well to the point of flirting with him and hugging him like a..."

I didn't let him finish. I knew what he was going to say, and I didn't like it one bit. I turned around briskly with tears prickling my eyes and before he could finish his sentence my hand made contact with his cheek. Yes, I was totally and absolutely getting fired today. I had just slapped my boss.

"I quit!" I yelled at him and ran away to my office to grab my things. I preferred quitting to being fired. That's for sure.

I left the building and started wandering the streets of New York. What the hell just happened? I could have just told him Andy's story. But that would mean I'm letting him in, and I can't do that. I don't trust him, I don't trust men.

They are all liars, aggressive, and jerks. I always thought he was a good man who put up a façade just for the sake of his playboy image. The fact that he got so angry he was about to hurt me made me believe I was just stupid to think he was good. And even more stupid to have agreed to his idiotic plan.

I found myself in a park and called Aria.

"Hey, can you meet me?" I smiled at her response "ok sweetie, I'll send you my location".

I waited for Aria in a café nearby. My eyes kept drifting to my phone in case Zachary called or messaged me but nothing.

Once I saw Aria I couldn't hold the tears anymore. I cried my eyes out while she hugged me ignoring the stares we were getting. I calmed down and told her what happened.

"I think he was jealous," she said and I looked at her amused.

"Why would my boss be jealous? Are you dense?"

"No, I'm not. You are. He's never treated you like that. I remember always telling you how lucky you were to have a boss who treated you with so much respect. And when did he shift? He changed when he saw you hugging his cousin who is known as a big-time playboy."

"Still, he could have been pissed at something else and just let his anger out on me. It might have nothing to do with jealousy. He almost called me a slut Aria, I wasn't going to just stand there and be abused again without saying anything about it."

"I get it, baby, I do, but did you have to slap him? He's your fucking boss!"

"Not anymore. I quit, I knew he'd fire me after that stunt so I better leave with at least some dignity. I'll send him my resignation later when I get home."

Aria sighed and sipped on her coffee thinking "You could have just told him what he wanted to know. You wouldn't have gotten here."

"I know. But I don't think he has the right to know anything about me. It's not like yesterday's date was real."

"I think you should apologize."

"Are you crazy! There's no way I'm apologizing. No way in hell. Whose side are you on?"

"Stop acting like a baby Elise. We are grownups now. Where will you work? Go back to your dad's company?"

"With my brother running it? Of course not. I'm not that stupid. I'll find something, I have two years of experience and I still have my designer degree. Maybe it's time for me to leave all that business world and start flying with my own wings."

"Yes, you could be a great designer that's for sure. And your name would help you get places. I think it would be the right thing to do. But do you think he'll make you pay? You did breach the contract by resigning before it came to an end and without notice."

"I don't know what he'll do at this point, and I don't really care."

We stayed at the café a little while longer before going somewhere else to have lunch. Around 8 pm, still no sign of Zachary Walton, I head home still feeling upset. It's true I told Aria I didn't care, but I did. I felt bad for slapping him, but the way he held me brought back awful memories and my reaction was like a reflex. I knew quitting would result in not seeing him again, and that sent a ping to my heart knowing I'll miss him.

As soon as I got home, I grabbed my tablet and sent him my resignation letter. I waited for a reply but nothing. A few days went by and still nothing, not a word, not even a lawsuit for breach of contract.

It was killing me, and I wanted to get a reaction from him, anything. I couldn't take it staying home that long and all alone. I got dressed and left the apartment going nowhere specific. I just wanted to get out of the house and distract myself from all the things I was thinking about.

I found myself standing in front of Walton's corp. I stayed there for a while not moving, not getting in neither leaving. But what was the point? It was after hours so no one was there anyway. I could just go up and empty my office, the guards would certainly let me in. But what if he was still in his office working late? I couldn't face him after what happened.

Instead of going in, I called Aria and asked her to meet me at our regular club. We drank a little, danced a little; she flirted a little and got wasted. I took her home and once I made sure she was tucked in, I left and went to my house. I wasn't drunk so I was able to drive and make it safely.

Walking out of the elevator I had a bad feeling in my guts. Something wasn't right. I reached my door and saw it was slightly ajar. My heart was beating so fast it could just burst out of my chest. I took out my phone and scrolled down my contacts stopping at my brother's number. No, I could never call him or ask any favors of him. I scrolled down further and stopped at Zachary's name.

It was two in the morning and he was probably asleep but I didn't know who to call. I called Zachary but he didn't pick up. I sent him a message.

EC: I just got home, I think there is someone in my house.

I pressed send and waited for a little. No reply. I sighed and decided to go in.

I walked inside slowly and soundlessly, grabbing the fireplace stick and turning the lights on. Everything was trashed. My couches, carpets, and every other piece of furniture were ruined. Every decorative item was thrown on the floor. The TV as well as every other electronic device was broken. That wasn't thievery, it was vandalism. Someone was trying to scare me. I took a look in the other rooms of my apartment and they were all treated the same way. After making sure no one was home, I locked the doors and windows and sat in a corner unable to sleep and still holding the stick in my hand, frightened as hell.

I heard poundings on my door and jumped on my feet scared like a little squirrel. I hoped the pounding would stop, but whoever it was, was very persistent and kept on knocking. I looked at the time and saw it was 2:30 am. With trembling legs, I went to the door and opened it slowly with the pocking stick still in my hand.

I gasped at the sight in front of me, taking a step back. Maybe I was stupid, but I went further inside the house like a scared mouse. Then it occurred to me that I should have called the police.

"Did you like what I did to your place Love? I think it's pretty modern like that. Don't you think?" Marc asked me coming closer to me as I kept taking backward steps.

"Marc, it's late. You should leave, I won't tell the police it was you, just leave please" I begged him but he had other plans in mind.

He trapped me against the wall and after swiftly taking the stick from my hand and threw it away before he forced his lips on mine. I started thrashing around trying to push him off of me as he kissed down my neck while his free hand was groping me.

"Stop" I was crying by now pleading with him to let me go but he forced my legs open and started pulling my panties down.

That was it. I was going to get raped in my own home. I cried harder still trying to push him away.

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