"You are bright, Ava Dior. Playing an active role in the company with you working for me would create a picture... A brighter picture. And I won't like people to find out that you, as my sister, are working with some other company. To me, it doesn't seat right in the ears." He sat upright with his chin slightly raised up and fingertips, tapping the marble table.

"But I earned my place there. I still don't get your point, Damon-sorry, Mr. Smith." Ava Dior corrected herself before he had a chance to. "Shouldn't you encourage me to work somewhere else, at least to gain experience with other entrepreneurs, companies and firms? Wouldn't that be helpful?"

"Having you work with Smith Inc. would mean a lot for both our parents, which I think they all wanted even before their death. That way, we could work together as siblings." The seriousness in his eyes tells how much he's willing to have Ava work for him. She stared at him, confused for a second, while she folded her arms around her chest, watching his raised, thick brows.

"In a nutshell, you want me to reject the job offers and work for you?" A gentle sigh escapes her lips.

"Exactly." A smirk spread out on his lips until he suddenly looked at his black Rolex wristwatch and grabbed some files. "Would you think about it?"

"I want to work outside to learn more about customer relations and the basics of business management too." She explained, hoping he would see reasons with her, but Smith Inc. isn't a poor company. She didn't want to turn down his offer as well.

"I don't know. I wasn't expecting this, though."

"Okay, I'd give you a day. Whatever you decide will be fine by me. It's no big deal. I just want to do what our parents would have wanted." He stood up abruptly and grabbed some files.

"I'm having a meeting with some business partners on the third floor so, I guess this will be a goodbye for now."

"Okay." Ava Dior replied, holding her bag. "So, should I text you whenever I decide?"

He looked up at her and paused for a while. Not smirking this time, he was frowning-just slightly.

"I meant it when I asked you to come back to California. So, don't expect too much space. Don't bother texting. And you should come tomorrow, whatever your decision is. Let me know in 24 hours. And I will be tight tomorrow, so I advise you come early."

His last words sounded like a warning. He just left, saying no more words.

'Shouldn't you be begging me?' She hissed in her mind, but an appropriative smile spread out on her lips.

"Goodbye then, see you tomorrow-"

Without responding, he adjusted his black shiny suit and walked out of the office.

Just then, Ava Dior stepped out, closing the door behind her. 'He didn't welcome me or say goodbye.'

Ava Dior frowned at the bud of thoughts blooming in her head. While she walked out, she tried smiling as a thank you, but Kiara rolled her eyes at her with disgust. Still pained about what had happened earlier.

Her heart raced while she climbed into the elevator. Kiara gave a grave stare until the elevator closed.

'What's her deal?' Ava Dior's ocean-blue eyes darted around as she walked out of the tall skyscraper. It was a little quiet, but everyone was busy with their daily activity.

Stepping out of the building, her head raised again and attention was on the letters standing on top of the building, Smith Inc. The company operates in five segments; Americas, Europe, Middle East and Africa, but the headquarters is in Los Angeles, California. She stepped into a yellow taxi and it zoomed off into the busy road.

***

The Following Morning

Ava Dior sat up in bed and squinted her sleepy eyes at the clock.
'Quarter to eight! Damn!' Last night, she watched one of her favorite K-Drama series and had slept off watching it.

'Ugh! Shouldn't I be in bed now? I wonder how busy he is that I have to meet up with Damon this morning. I really don't wish to work with him. He has an attitude and mum treated him like a prince all her life. Now, he's acting as if he cares. Especially when his secretary treats me like trash.' She hissed mentally and dragged her feel lazily to the bathroom.

Ava Dior had a warm bath and put on a ruffled shoulder fitted jumpsuit. It was a new outfit she last bought from Bastille Market in Paris. After dressing up, Ava Dior brushed through her dark hair and fixed her pink jelly-flats on her feet.

Ava Dior didn't have any roommate. She lived in her parents' house at Palm Springs as usual, while Damon, stays in his mansion in Glendale. He had never invited Ava Dior over but, it's not as if she cares. Without having breakfast, she gulped down a cup of coffee from an electronic jug and cleaned up before reaching for her mobile phone. It was already eight thirty. Ava Dior rushed out of the house, locking the door behind her before walking into the streets. Luckily, an old-looking taxi with fades yellow its engine cuts off while it halted.

Ava Dior got in, saying nothing. Even though she was going to refuse his job offer, she didn't want Damon to find any reason to complain or hold her back. She split her hair out of her face as the taxi-driver turned on the car engine. The engine caught and took off, zooming down the street.

It almost took two hours before the driver stopped right in front of the titanic building of Smiths Inc. Ava Dior Stretched her hand to him, telling him to keep the change not because she had enough money but because he was old and sluggish.

Ava touched the falling strands of her hair to the back of her ears. She didn't pack her hair into a bun or ponytail because it made her oblong face look more oblong, which isn't very good. She adjusted a pin in her hair to hold it back as a heavy sigh escaped her lips.

Ava Dior stepped into the building and climbed the elevator to the 30th floor where Damon's office was. Seeing Kiara reminded her of yesterday, but she hoped it would be different today. 'I don't owe her any kindness, though.' Ava hissed in her mind and started with a smile.

"Hello, ma'am. I'm here to see Mr. Smith. Is he in?"

"Aren't you supposed to come earlier?"

"Excuse me."

"Don't bother pretending... Damon already told me you were going to work here. Don't expect any special treatment from anyone."

"Sorry to say, ma'am, but you are vulgar. And... I'm not working here, okay? Even if I want to, I don't need any special treatment from you or anyone!" Ava Dior snapped, already tensed.

Kiara pulled out of her chair and leaned closer to Ava Dior. Her tormenting grey eyes focused on Ava Dior as if she was trying to steal her job away from her. Ava Dior glared back at her in the same manner, wondering why Kiara is so concerned.

"I see you're back... Why are you here?"

"To see my brother."

"Distant brother, you mean... It's not as if you're related." She smirked, and a baritone voice interrupted.

"Kiara!"

Just then, Ava Dior realizes they both call themselves with their first names. They must be so close to do such, she pondered and looked at the fierce look on Damon's face.

Damon walked into their midst, and she looked down abruptly. He walked towards her with fury, yet no words came out of his mouth.

"Follow me." He muttered, and she walked with him into his office.

This time, she stood still, watching him.

"Take a seat." He offered. Ava Dior sat down with ease, paying full attention to Damon.

"Why are you late? I waited for you before the conference meeting."

"I'm so sorry, it won't repeat, Mr. Smith." she apologized calmly.

"My schedule is tight, as I told you yesterday, but we should continue our discussion while we have breakfast. I hope you don't mind?"

Ava Dior looked up at him, and her eyeballs widened in surprise. She wanted to tell him there and then that she wasn't interested but, that would be rude. "Okay-if that's what you want."

Without responding to Ava Dior Davis, he leaned forward and pressed the intercom. "Kiara, get a breakfast reservation for two at the restaurant."

"Yes, sir."

He looked up at her. "If you'll let me sign a couple of papers, I'll join you out by Kiara's desk in six minutes."

"All right."

He watched her walk out of his office and heaved a heavy sigh of relief. For some reasons, he felt she's changing. Her attitude was better, unlike yesterday she was all over the place.

'I think we can work things out as adults.' He told himself, but Damon would not give her any special treatment and attention. He was just going to persuade her to work in his company, hoping they'll get along well.

Damon has an excellent restaurant somewhere on the first floor of his company. There, he and some of the senior workers, business executives and visiting guests usually eat there. After signing a couple of documents, he walked into the restaurant with Ava Dior by his side.

Once they sat, her eyes raked the place. It was some minutes past ten o'clock so the restaurant wasn't so busy.

"You have a nice place here, sir."

He held up a hand. "I think we should order first, Miss Davis."

"It's nice to hear you call me that, brother, but no matter how I look at it, you're still Damon to me, not Mr. Smith. It's awkward calling you that." She rolled her eyes, cutting the pretense.

"Why don't you want to work for me?" His built arms folded on his chest and Ava Dior couldn't help but to notice.

"It's not that I don't want to. Working for you sounds weird. I don't want people talking..." she said unexpectedly.

"People?" He raised an eyebrow while the server served breakfast. It was Carrabba's Italian grill, a bottle of red wine and two glass cups. Damon made sure the server served and disappeared before he continued.

"You haven't started working and you're scared about what people will say?"

"Ummm... I'm new here and-" Ava Dior went dumbfounded for a while. She just watched him and listened.

"That means you're not as brilliant as I thought. You've proved your credible results wrong and I'm quite disappointed. Well, courage is not the absence of fear, it is the ability to act in the presence of fear. Nothing is weird about you working here. I know you don't want to... What's the point of convincing you? It's your decision... You can leave if you want to. I won't stop you." He demanded, pushing his chair back to leave.

"I don't want to make you and any other uncomfortable in your post or duty. I get the impression that this company matters to you and I don't want to ruin it. You have enough workers. I just want to do things the normal way."

Damon stared at her while she looked away.
"This is the normal thing." He picked up his cutlery and started eating.

"Okay then, I'd work for you, Mr. Smith." Ava Dior agreed.

"Good. You'll be my personal assistant. Kiara will provide you with all the information."

"Thank you, sir." She replied, watching him eat.

"Come on, eat up." He pressed while they both ate silently.

Ava Dior had to accept that she had to work with Damon for her parents' sake. If things were getting out of hand, she'd leave at will. One thing was for sure, she only accepted to work for Smith Inc because her mother dedicated half of her life to the company. And Elvira would have appreciated this if she were alive.