Verena

I splashed water on my face- enough to cool the heat of shame that rose on my cheeks but it did little to calm the storm of emotions that crashed within me. 

Dragging my fingers down my face in dread "What have you done Verena? What have you done?" A groan slipped from my mouth, my eyes locked onto the dreadful mess in the mirror. 

This was bad. 

How in the world did he turn out to be Kian's uncle?

At the same time, I was being too hard on myself. How was I supposed to know that he was even related to Kian when I never heard about him? Slowly, images of me flirting with him and...

Wait for a second, the way he acted earlier showed that he knew me all along. That was why he mentioned that he was going to see me later- it was because he knew that I was married to his nephew. 

At that moment, my heartbeat skipped over the other. If he knew that I was his nephew's wife, why didn't he turn me down when I flirted with him, why did he gaze upon me in that manner and why did he promise to never let me go? 

And the way he claimed me before Kian just now. 

What the heck was going on? 

Suddenly, a knock on the door jolted me out of my thoughts, startling me in the process as my hands moved to my pounding chest. For a second, I stilled, thinking it was Daxton until Kian's voice came from the outside. 

"It is Kian, open the door"

Relief flooded through me because I didn't know what I would do if it turned out to be Daxton. I moved to the door, turning the doorknob. The moment there was a slight opening, Kian slipped through it, shutting the door behind him and turning the lock. 

His fingers curled around my wrist and he pulled me behind him to the far end of the bathroom. He dropped my wrist and that was when I took in his face- his hair was tousled, distraught eyes, his tie was slightly unknotted and tossed over his shoulder. 

He ran a hand through his hair, pulling it back. His eyes settled on me. "Where were you last night?" His voice shook with an edge of fear. 

I rolled my eyes, crossed my arms over my chest. "Why?"

He almost yelled. "I just want to know!"

I shook my head. "At the Vastencarver strip club-"

His face fell, terror replacing the expression in his eyes. "That is my uncle's club!"

My heart stopped, my hands slamming over my mouth in shock. Could the lore get any deeper?

Kian's dark eyelashes fluttered continuously and with the way his lips wobbled, it seemed like different emotions warred inside of me. "He called you Miss Kitty ears and you had those ears sitting on your hair"

Despite the obvious turmoil that surged inside of me, my eyes lit up in amusement. "So you noticed and..."

He cut in. "That isn't the issue. Don't tell me that the man you spent the night with was my uncle..." His eyes searched through mine, pleading for me to say the opposite of what he had insinuated. 

My heart thumped harder in my chest but then, memories of Kian telling me to open our marriage and bringing Zita into our home made my blood boil with fury. The urge to spite him suddenly overwhelmed me. 

The corner of my mouth tilted upwards in a smirk and I stepped forward, almost closing the space between us. "What if I told you he is the one, what are you going to do Kian? I only followed your advice"

A growl rumbled from Kian's chest as he stumbled back, his jaw clenched so hard that a muscle twitched. Then he raised his hands like he was about to wrap them around my throat before they curled into fists and dropped to his side. 

I scoffed, clicking my tongue in my mouth at the pathetic sight of him. 

Kian gulped hard. "You had sex with my uncle"

With a face devoid of emotion, I tilted my head, acting as nonchalant as ever. "How was I supposed to know that he is your uncle? With such vigor, who would have known that he was older?"

Kian's eyes turned red-a visceral sight of rings of flames flaring from his ears and nostrils. Laughable. 

He sucked in a breath, deep enough to calm the storm inside of him. "I am going to take it as you not knowing he was family. In other words, the whole open marriage thing is over. Our marriage is close!"

Chuckles erupted from my throat before escalating into a full-blown laughter that had me throwing my head back. 

This had to be a joke or he'd clearly lost it. 

Slowly, the smile on my face died and I stepped closer. "What marriage? The moment you brought up the idea of an open marriage, the love I had for you died and our marriage is clearly over"

"Expect divorce papers before next weekend. I am done!"

It's been two weeks since Kian has been blowing up my phone with incessant calls and messages left unread. And now that I thought about it, was he calling because I had drained most of the money in our joint account, or because of the divorce papers, or the fact that I had sex with his uncle? 

Daxton.

I didn't want to think about him or that night. In fact, I wanted nothing to do with the Cooper family anymore.

All that mattered right now was acing this interview because if I didn't, things could get really bad for me financially. I had invested the money left in the joint account, thinking the return would be massive.

But overnight, the cryptocurrency platform disappeared-rug-pulled- and now, I was left with a thousand dollars.

It felt like fate made a collaboration with Kian to stick a middle finger to my face because how was this even happening? 

So, I needed this job badly. 

I had applied for the position as the personal assistant to the managing director of the V.R. five-star hotel-a director notorious for firing assistants for the slightest mistakes. 

I didn't care. I just needed something to fall back on financially. 

They had just opened the VR hotel in the city and I thought to apply since other hotels rejected me because of my family's scandal. 

This new job was my chance to build a fresh start and keep my mind busy from the distracting thoughts of Daxton that had engulfed my being. 

The sound of fingers being drummed on a keyboard filled my ears as I flashed a smile at the secretary whose eyes slid up my face. "Miss Verena?" She returned my smile. 

"Yes," I responded. 

"Here for the assistant's position, correct?"

I nodded. "Yes and umm, I am having a hard time finding where the other applicants are seated and..."

She cut in. "You wouldn't be interviewed like the rest of them, the managing director himself will be interviewing you so come with me–"

I froze. 

What did she mean by the managing director would interview me himself when it was supposed to be done by the interview panel? 

As I traipsed behind her, different questions flooded my mind. Was there something with my application that piqued his interest or did he know who I really was and was about to taunt me with my family's predicament before rejecting me- like the others did? 

Maybe I should have done thorough research on who he was. 

My hands moved to the back of my neck in anxiety as we stopped before a huge mahogany door. "Wait inside, he will be with you shortly" She opened the door while I stepped inside. 

I gaped at the office interior as I settled on the visitor's seat. Huge chandeliers hung from the lofty ceilings, leather seats, and floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the cityscape.  

It was elegant. 

I sucked in a deep breath, enough to steady my breathing while going through the expected questions that could be asked. 

The door clicked open, my heart almost leaping into my throat as I sprang to my feet, smoothening the non-existent wrinkles on my skirt when a familiar mix of perfume snaked up my nose. Sandalwood and Oud.

Too familiar to ignore. 

Too unforgettable not to recognize. 

Daxton.

Daxton

Dark brown eyes rimmed in thick dark lashes swept up to my face and the moment those spell-binding eyes caught mine, my heart made a beat against my ribcage. Her lush lips parted in shock, a small hiccup escaping her throat. 

I stifled a chuckle, walking past but not without drowning in the gardenia scent of her perfume. 

Fuck, I had missed her so much. 

I crossed over to the table, pulling out a seat for her-an action that I rarely did with past assistants. "Have your seat when you are ready for the interview" I said, taking my own seat while she took tiny steps towards me, her head ducked down. 

She fell onto the seat slowly as satisfaction curled inside of me because she was exactly where I wanted her to be. 

While my nephew struggled to find her, I knew the area she moved to, her apartment block, the gym center that she just registered in, and most importantly, where she did her grocery shopping. 

Despite knowing where she resided, I never approached her. Why? Because I would like to think of it as giving her a two-week break of peace because now that she was here, I was going to fill up her head, her mind until she thinks and breathes only me. 

When she lost her money to a crypto scam, all I had to do was tell the cashier where she shopped about an open position for an assistant. Just like I expected, Verena caught the bait. 

And now that she was here, I would never let her stay far away from me again. 

Not being in the same space with her for weeks has been torturous. 

I stretched out a bottle of water to Verena whose hiccup hadn't settled yet. She took it from me and immediately turned to the side, covering half of her face with her hand as she drank slowly. 

Amusement sparked in my eyes as I watched her intently until she closed the bottle of water. "Thank you," Her voice was barely a whisper-a total contrast to the melting couquettish voice she used on me that night. 

I noticed the way her shoulders hitched and everything she did, fascinated me. 

I loved everything about this woman. She caught my interest from the moment I saw her with my nephew at my stepmother's funeral two years back. The plan was to pursue her then until I discovered that she was much younger than me and worse, she was married to immature Kian. 

I tried to kill those feelings for her, tried to forget. I really tried not until she came into my club, approached me, and told me to fuck her. 

Damn!

She made my job of ruining her marriage with Kian easier because as soon as I discovered that my nephew had been taking a lady called Zita to vacation houses for the past six months, I knew that their marriage was over and it was now time for me to get the woman I wanted. 

Kian didn't deserve to be with her. I was the only one meant for her. 

"Are you ready for the interview?" I took the full weight of her gaze. 

She gave a curt nod. "Yes"

I leaned forward with my forearms on the table. "Now, tell me about yourself, Verena"

Her hands moved to the back of her neck and that timid mask on her face almost slipped out. "You know a lot about me so-" She bit down on her tongue, forced her eyes shut before she cleared her throat and stared into my eyes. 

"I am Verena Carson and I worked as an assistant to the late chairman of the TMC Holdings-" Her breathing hitched and there was this fleeting glint of sadness in her eyes. 

Her late father's company. 

Her eyes closed briefly and I was taken aback when she smiled at me. "-and did some administrative work for the company. However, I was fired for my lackadaisical attitude at work, for not taking the job seriously, and for being careless. I had also caused a lot of loss to the company"

A smile tilted the corner of my mouth upwards because I knew what she was trying to do. She planned to ruin the interview and scare me away. 

"I do not believe that someone as horrible as me would fit into the role of an assistant," She blinked. 

I was amused. I mean, she was really cute- blinking at me like that. 

I leaned back in the chair. "Wow, that is pretty honest for an interview"

She smiled, nodding. "So, does this mean that I don't get the-"

Before she could complete her words, I cut in. "Honesty is a rare quality that I have struggled to find with my past assistants and you have exactly what I need. You have been hired so we should talk about the salary structure and the nature of your job"

The smile on her face faded and she shook her head, leaning forward. " I said that I was bad at my job, didn't you hear that?"

"I heard you clearly, Verena and your honesty makes you the perfect candidate for the job"

Her jaw dropped. 

I watched the way her throat worked as she swallowed, running a hand through her hair frustratedly. "Mr Daxton, why are you doing this? Are you trying to punish me for lying about being divorced to your nephew?" 

A smile crossed my face. "Now you are ready to stop being formal..." I trailed, leaning forward while staring deep into her eyes. 

She breathed, eyes softening. "That night was a mistake"

I smirked, shaking my head. "No, it wasn't and I don't care for Kian. All I know is that I missed you so much, miss Kitty ears that I couldn't stop thinking about that night"

Her face flushed red, her lips parted before she cleared her throat. "Let's go back to the salary structure"

I chuckled. "Your annual salary is two hundred thousand dollars,"

Her eyes almost snapped out of their sockets. "Two...two...hundred thousand dollars per year? My father didn't even offer me that and-" She clamped her mouth shut. "Sorry about that,"

Despite the smile that threatened to slip through my face, I struggled to keep a serious expression. "That is because the nature of this job is demanding. I travel all the time and I need my assistant with me almost every second"

"And to do this job, you'll need to live with me at least five days a week."

Verena's P.O.V

The only thing I wanted to do right now was find a cliff, scream out the top of my lungs and jump. How could the same man I was running from turn out to be the managing director?

As if my situation wasn't worse enough, I signed the contract because of those mesmerizing blue eyes veined with silver that locked with mine as heat pooled at the depths of my stomach while memories from that night flooded through my mind. 

Plus he mentioned something about living with him for five weekdays because of his busy schedule and like the fool I was, I accepted it. 

This was on me!

If only I'd done the simplest research on the person I wanted to work for. Instead, my desperation for a job blinded me and brought me before the same person I wanted to escape. 

Even if I ended up taking the job, how were we supposed to keep things professional despite knowing the sexual tension between us? 

I ran a free hand through the back of my neck in exasperation, tossing the stale cold sandwich back to the passenger's seat while reaching for my phone.

It was time to do the research I should have done a long time ago. 

"Daxton Cooper" I typed and in the next second, hundreds of articles flooded my screen. 

He was the last child of Kian's grandfather-Maxwell Cooper- and he was the result of his father's affair with an opera singer in the 80s. 

He was also thirty-seven. 

Despite being the youngest of the Cooper family, he was the richest and the only self-made billionaire with hotel businesses expanding all around the world.

If he was this influential, how come no one in the family ever made mention of him? Or could he be the uncle Kian said wasn't on good terms with his siblings?

It had to be him. I literally knew everyone-not everyone because those people were vast as the sands on the seashore.

I clicked on a picture of him standing outside a private jet. A white baseball cap sat on his head, a white long-sleeve shirt, his hands slipping down the pockets of his beige pants as he gazed off to something on the right. 

Even though he wasn't looking directly at the camera, there was something majestic and enchanting about him and-

Wait, no!

I shouldn't be thinking this about him. 

"We don't have to take the job, Verena. I know I have signed a contract and I am supposed to start work tomorrow but we don't have to take it!" I said to myself, my heart beating rapidly in my chest. 

I wouldn't be bound by a contract that wasn't signed with a sane mind. I would move to my parents' abandoned house in Idaho and manage the thousand dollars left in my account and try to get a job until-

My heart skittered to a stop. 

Ding! Ding! The threatening sound of the notification sounded far worse than the last as my eyes settled on the phone's screen. 

Lake Music Streaming Premium- $4.99

Relix- 120$

Peace meditation app- 60$

For a second, all I did was just stare at the screen despite the emotions that warred inside of me. How was this even happening and why the hell didn't I cancel these subscriptions? I rarely used these apps. 

God!

The last thing I needed was these senseless deductions. Why were so many things going wrong at the same time? First, it was a scam investment, and now this!

I leaned into the driver's seat, running a hand through my hair frustratedly when all of a sudden, my phone buzzed in my hands. I took a fleeting glance at it. My lawyer. 

My heart slammed against my ribcage and a weird feeling unfurled in my chest as Kian popped up in my mind. Has he agreed to sign the divorce papers? That had to be the only reason the lawyer was calling. 

Eagerness clawed at me as I swiped through the phone's screen pressing it to my ears. "Ms Verena Cooper?"

My heart pounded in my ears, growing louder with every second of silence that stretched between us. All I wanted to hear was that Kian had signed the divorce papers and had agreed to a settlement. 

"Yes"

"Mr Kian Cooper has refused to sign the papers," Mr James said, putting a tragic end to the anticipation inside of me as my eyes closed briefly and I exhaled sharply, reaching for the door's handle and opening it. 

As the sound of the car's door being slammed shut echoed through the parking lot, I breathed. "Why?"

"His counsel reached out to us and claimed he's not in the right mental state to make decisions and he will only sign the papers when he meets you. The plan is to give him twenty more days, if he doesn't sign those papers then we take it up with the court,"

A bitter scoff escaped me, my grip tightening around my bag as disbelief nudged at the corners of my heart. What exactly was Kian's problem? He wanted an open marriage and I served him divorce papers so he could be free to do whatever he wanted. 

Yet, he had refused to let me go. 

Shouldn't he be glad that I was giving him the freedom he and his parents craved for? 

I cleared my throat. "So, what is the way forward because if there is anything I am sure of, nothing is wrong with Kian and all of this is a ploy to see and manipulate me"

"If Mr Kian stalls past the deadline, we will file to compel. You have nothing to worry about and you don't have to meet him and-" The rest of Mr James' words faded into a blur when someone called my name. 

"Miss Verena,"

I halted in my steps, phone dropping from my ear as I turned. A fully bearded man with a buzz haircut, dressed in all-black sauntered towards me with a growing smile on his face. 

The more I stared at him, the more confusion made a full swirl inside of me as I pressed the phone back to my ears. "Can I call you later? Mr James"

"Yeah, okay"

I disconnected the call, raised a brow. "And you are..."

He removed a business card from his breast pocket, stretching it towards me and the moment my eyes fell on the address, my stomach flipped over and over as a wave of nausea washed over me. 

I almost stumbled back because what made me harbor the thoughts that I could run? I literally put down my home address in my application. 

"I am Daxton Cooper's secretary, Simon Beaufort and he has sent me here to help you pack the things that you need for your move. He said you will be starting work tomorrow and needs to ensure that you are settled in your new accommodation" He said with a smile on his face. 

Pain split through my skull like a honed knife. How did I get here? Why did I sign that contract? 

"Oh..." I trailed. 

He slipped a hand into his pocket, removing a black card. "And uh..." Confusion nudged at me until he stretched it to me. "Mr Daxton asked me to give you his card in case you need anything tonight. It is now yours"

Mine?

How. 

"But I don't need it," I protested. 

Mr Simon Beaufort smiled. "Well, he insists so what do you need help packing-" His words trailed and in that moment, I was left pondering if this whole setup was normal. 

Do bosses give their assistants their personal cards and worse, do they ask them to move in with them?