Unfortunately, we have to make this look real for them so they can get off our backs. I got out of the car to wave them over to the car, and they rushed over excitedly.

“My baby girl is getting married, how exciting!” I could tell by her tone of voice she didn’t want to be here.

“I know,” I joined, I actually was excited to get married though.

Alejandro came from behind me and wrapped his arm around me as he shook my parents’ hands.  He just watched, his energy now protective and observant.

“It’s so lovely to meet such an independent young man, I never caught your name,” my mother says, still holding his hand.

“Alejandro,” he states, a wide smile on his face.

“Your last name, son?” my father tries to coddle.

I knew what they were doing. It isn’t something I can stop.

“Phantom, sir,” he states, his smile fading.

My parents’ eyes looked at me as if they wanted to kill me. He’s forcing me to be here, I’m just happily obliging.

“That’s great,” they both say in union. 

Inwardly laughing at their reaction, I turned to get back in the car. Alejandro opens the door for me and my parents at the same time. He closes the doors and puts their suitcases in the back, getting in the driver’s seat. The drive was thankfully quiet. Alex and I held hands and were talking the entire time. We helped them settle into their room, and then we went into ours, locking the door.

“Alright, what’s the deal with them?” He asked me as soon as he locked the door.

“What? What are you talking about?” I asked

“Their whole mood doesn’t match the vibe they’re trying to give off. It’s annoying,” he complained, making me chuckle.

“They’re just weirdos love, it’s okay,” I lied, to the one man I know would go to all ends of the earth to protect me.

“If you say so, please call me if anything happens, okay?” He held his pinky out 

I locked our pinkies as he made me look up at him,

“Okay?” he asked and I chuckled.

“Okay,” I finally said.

“I’ll be home around six, I love you,” He said as he walked out.

“I love you more!” I yelled, as he walked away, my face sad and angry,

Nia walked in soon after, face looking disgusted and uncomfortable

“Why are you guys doing that, ew,” She was truly disgusted.

“We have to. My parents are here,” I said and they soon entered.

“What about us?” my mother asked, taking a good look around the room as my father entered in behind her.

“I was telling my friend that you guys were finally in town,” I smiled and stood.

“It’s so nice to meet you, I’m Nia,” She said, extending her hand.

My mom pulled her in for a hug. “You can call me mom sweetheart”

Mother pulling the mom card is so funny. My friend knows what you evil bastards have done. 

“I have to go get dressed. It was so nice to meet you guys,” She said as she exited.

“Did you guys wanna go out for dinner or something?” I questioned as I stood, walking over to my closet

“Jadyn sit,” My mother demands

“What’s wrong ma?” I ask as I sit down on my bed once more.

“Why in the hell would you ever get involved with the Phantom family?” My father yelled.

“What?” I was confused.

“You know they’re the most feared. They’ve been trying to buy out our businesses for years!” My mother joins

“Do you know what it means if you marry him?” My father questions.

“Duh,” I said, a huge smile spread across my face.

“So you want to go broke?” My mom tried to guilt trip me.

“I’m not broke. You don’t see my house?” I question and stand, laughing loudly.

“So you want your parents to no longer have a place to live?” They continued to try to push.

“Trust me. You’d be dead if I wanted you to be,” I say, a menacing look appearing on my face.

Shocked at my response, they stood there quietly.

“What did we ever do to you?” My mother asked.

“What did you ever do to me? Do you really not remember?” I yelled, now full of anger.

“Don’t be dumb. We never did anything to you,” My father chimed in, and I laughed like a maniac.

“Did nothing to me, are you kidding me? I honestly don’t even want to argue with you. Please leave my home” I progressively got louder, my eyes filled of tears 

“We won’t be doing that” my father amusingly asked

“Please leave so I don’t hurt you” I begin to walk over, and the door bursts open, and Mateo stops me from reaching my parents.

“Like he said we aren’t doing that” My mother added as she walked over sitting on my bed

“Mother, father. I was affiliated with the mafia at 10 years old, and it wasn’t because I wanted to. You set a list in front of me that had all the heirs to the mafia and told me to pick one, and when I didn’t, you disciplined me. Now that I coincidently chose someone on your list you’re upset?” I spoke calmly questioning

“Wait- What do you mean affiliated?” He whispered the question in my ear still holding me back

“Not right now, Mateo!” I told him as my father began to speak

“That was before he tried to sell us out. I won’t let you marry him,” My father shouts.

“What’s wrong with that anyway?” my mom butts in.

“Mom, most kids at ten years old are in third grade and have a whole bunch of friends. I wasn’t even in school. How can you two not comprehend the trauma you put me through?” I say, and they go quiet.

“Please get out,” I simply say.

“You’re kicking out your own parents?” my mom asked me.

“Yes, get out,” I say calmly once more.

“Disgraceful,” My father spat at me.

“Says the disgraceful one,” Mateo says, guiding them out.

I sit on my bed, head in my hands. My sobs uncontrollably escaping me. Nia comes in and hugs me. I got in bed and continued crying. Nia let me be, and soon Alejandro came home.

“Hi sweetheart,” He said as I entered our bedroom.

“Hi,” I said in a monotone.

“How are you feeling love?” He asked, taking his shirt and shoes off.

“I’ve been better,” I said, turning over as he got in bed.

“It’s okay, I’m here to make all your problems disappear, my love,” He said as he pulled me into his chest and coddled me.

His warmth was something that was definitely needed. I fell asleep almost instantly. When my eyes opened once more, Alex wasn’t in bed anymore. I put on my house slippers and tied up my robe and went on a search for him.

“Despicable, they make me sick,” Alejandro said, and I stopped to listen.

“And they found nothing wrong with their actions,” Mateo added to whatever he had previously said before.

“What awful people. Jadyn deserves so much better,” he said.

“I just wonder why she kept it hidden,” Mateo added and pondered upon as he found me eavesdropping.

“She had lots of reason, I don’t blame her at all,” Alejandro stood up for me causing me to smile.

I quietly tiptoed past the study and take a step out onto the patio. The breeze blowing my satin nightgown side to side with my hair ever so slightly in my face. I watched as the trees flowed with the wind dimming the light of the moon as it tried to shine through the trees. I inhale deeply wiping the quiet tears that streamed down my face. The ambush of emotion and trauma from my parents being made me feel so helpless. I’ve never been one for emotions but these people they just know how to push buttons I didn’t know existed.

“Jade what are you doing, it’s freezing out here,” Mateo asked, a blanket wrapped around his shirtless body.

“I couldn’t really tell,” I shrug, and he chuckles at my joke.

“That’s not funny,” as he still laughs at my joke.

“Says the one laughing,” I say, pushing him away from me.

He sat silently shivering next to me as I looked upon the pond and trees.

“The sounds are so peaceful,” I inhale deeply before turning toward Mateo.

He hums in agreement as I turn my gaze to look upon the stars.

“Can I have a second with her, please?” Alejandro asked Mateo.

Mateo just simply walked away, and I turned to look at Alejandro and smiled.

“How are you doing?” He questioned as I turned back toward the pond.

“Fine, nervous to marry you,” I say, and he smiles.

“So you like me?” He asked.

“I dunno man, you aren’t all that cute,” I tease, and he laughs.

“Don’t lie now,” He wraps his arms around me, forcing me into a hug, and we laugh.

“If I had to marry someone I’m not mad it was you, you’re not that bad,” I continued teasing, and he released me from the hug cupping my face.

“You know you like me, love, it’s okay,” His smug smirk appeared on his stupid cute face.

“Maybe a little,” I smile, and he chuckles before slowly but surely placing his lips on mine.

I thought our first kiss would be on our wedding day but here we are. As we deepened the kiss, he gripped my waist pulling me closer to him. Giving in to whatever he was doing to me I smiled as we separated.

“Finally, I thought you’d never kiss her,” Nia says as she walks outside.

“What?” Alejandro asks as she sits on the lawn chair.

“It took you like three months to simply kiss her, get your game up,” Nia teases, and I laugh.

“Hey, I’m getting married to her tomorrow so leave me alone,” He says, flipping her off and taking me inside.

“I had my bodyguards get your car, I know you like driving that thing and I honestly don’t know why,” she said to me, and I chuckled.

“Don’t call Betsy a thing, Aunt Tori! She’s beautiful.” I walked over, and she placed a kiss on my forehead.

She smiled at me, wiping my tears and said, “You are so strong, you got this.”

“I love you,” we say in union, and she takes that as her chance to leave the room.

I got everything in my car and drove off, the sun went under the horizon. It was gonna be a long drive.

About halfway through, I got hungry, finding a little diner. I pulled in and entered quickly, excited to eat. The lady sat me in the corner and gave me a menu as the door opened like 3 minutes after me. Not paying attention to anything but the menu, I didn’t realize the man sat in my booth.

“Hi, Jade,” the voice sends shivers down my spine. I haven’t heard it in so long.

“Hi, Mr. Phantom,” I smile, a bit nervous about what he has to say to me.

“I understand you needed space, and I gave it to you, but you need to do this. Not only for me but for the safety of your parents,” he threatens, and I chuckle at his failed attempt.

“Trust me, I’d want to watch as you torture them. Trying to threaten the livelihood of my parents won’t get you anywhere, but I’ll do it on one condition,” I bargain with a smirk on my face.

“Anything,” he states with his eyebrow raised.

“My aunt, she gets everything, and anything she wants, and you have to pay her medical bills,” I say sincerely.

“What medical bills?” he questions.

“She has cancer,” I sigh and say, looking away from him, trying not to cry.

“Oh, okay,” he said, not wanting to push the subject.

“I also get to be an authorized user of your credit cards,” I smile, changing the subject, and he chuckles.

“Deal,” his smile wide as we shake hands.

We ate in comfortable silence. This isn’t so bad. Maybe he won’t be awful to deal with as a husband.

“Wait, do we have to make this look plausible?” I question, and he shakes his head yes, chewing on his food.

“So then we’re either getting a house that Nia will move into, or you’re going to pay half of her rent,” I say. It isn’t a question. He either does it, or we don’t get married.

“I already have the house, love, don’t worry,” he smiles at me, and I chuckle.

We didn’t speak for the entire time we stuffed our faces. After we finished, the waitress walked over with the check. He quickly pulls out his card and hands her that with the tab.

“I didn’t even get to attempt to pay, Alejandro,” I say and sigh.

“You shouldn’t even want to try,” he smiled.

“You two are too cute,” the waitress said as she came back over with the receipt.

“Thank you!” Alejandro said as she smiled.

“You guys have a nice night now!” she says walking to the people who just walked in.

We walked out, and he walked me over to my car.

“I’ll see you at the office tomorrow then?” he asked, smirking at me.

“Do I have to?” I whine as he opens the door for me.

“Please, we miss you at the office,” he begs of me.

“Fine,” I drag out the sound of the word as I get in.

All he does is smile as he closes my door and walks toward his car, blowing me a kiss. Acting like I didn’t see it, I turn my car on and turn on some music before continuing my drive home. It was like 2 in the morning when I got there. In the living room with slow music playing sat Nia as she drank a cup of wine.

“Hi, roomie,” I smiled at her as I entered.

“I thought you wouldn’t be back for a while,” she stood, helping me with my things.

“I missed you too much,” I smiled at her, and she hugged me after setting my things down on the couch.

“I heard you’re engaged!” she says excitedly.

“Something like that,” I shrug unknowingly.

“So are you two together already?” she asked with her eyebrow raised.

“No, just happen to be getting married,” I say, and she sighs, putting her hands to her head.

“Why are you doing that?” she asked.

“He needs it so he can take over the business or whatever,” I shrug.

“Has he made a contract?” she said as I walked into the kitchen looking for something to drink.

“No, he may have it ready for me tomorrow,” I chug the water down and shrug.

“Most likely,” she says, shrugging along with me.

He, in fact, did have a contract waiting for me in his office. Walking in, both of his parents smiled and stood, walking over.

“I didn’t think I’d see you again so soon, darling,” his mother said with a chuckle.

“Always lovely to see you, Ms. Phantom,” I give her a hug, and we sit on the couch.

“Your husband said he’ll be here shortly,” his father inserted himself in the conversation.

I nodded my head and smiled, and she began to tell me about how her son called her crying over me.

“Me?” I question.

“Oh yes, darling, he was weeping like he’d never have before,” she mocked her son, laughing hysterically.

I didn’t find that very funny. I was upset he didn’t tell me, but it wasn’t anything to hold against him. I was gonna marry this man, starting off on the wrong foot wasn’t going to do us any good.

“My lord, finally, hello, beautiful,” the annoyance in his tone went away as soon as he saw me.

“Hello, Mr. Phantom,” I smiled as I stood.

“You still call him by his last name?” his father questioned.

“No worries, father, it’s okay,” he defends me as we sit, and he sets the contract before me.

“Don’t worry about having to sign it today, look it over and let me know in the next few days,” he says, and I smile.

“I trust you, sir, just one question,” I ask and look up at him.

“What, Ms. Spades?” he rebuttals.

“Do we have to be married forever?” I question and can hear his mother scoff.

“Yeah, as long as we don’t officiate the wedding you can be romantically involved with anyone else,” he says. “It’s in the contract,” he smiles.

So basically, don’t have an intimate relationship with him, and I should be fine. Is he insane? Who wouldn’t want to have that with him? He can obviously find someone to handle his needs, but I don’t think I want him to. 

“Okay, can I have a pen?” I ask, and his mother quickly shuffles over to grab it. She practically runs toward me, with a wicked smile on her face. 

His parents left almost immediately after I signed the papers, and he and I just sat in silence. He sat next to me on the couch and took out a little black box.

“What’s this?” I question.

“Just open it,” he smiled.

I took off the bow and opened the box, finding his Amex card inside. I looked over with a small smile on my face.

“You know I was kidding, right?” I asked.

“Even if you were, as my soon-to-be-wife, you have no choice,” he smiled.

“So now what?” I question.

“You and Nia move in,” he smiles.

“When you said you had the house, I thought you meant to look at it,” I said, shocked.

How’d he know I’d say yes? What if I told him to go ahead and kill my parents? What would he have said then?

“Nope, paid in full a few weeks ago,” he shrugged.

“Oh my stars,” I say, and he laughs.

“So for this wedding, are we doing a garter or what?” He smirks at me.

“Knowing who you are, I shouldn’t let you anywhere near me,” I laughed as my face turned a bright red.

“You know you’d love it,” his smirk now a wide grin.

I shiver off the thoughts of him. I wink at him and smile, and he laughs as he exits his office. I know I won’t last, but the least he could do is not make it so damn hard.

“Can you tell me where we are, please?” I say as he enters through the door.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart, you should be going home soon.” He smiles as he comes to caress my face.

I try to graze away from his touch, but he just laughs as he reaches for my face, knowing I can’t move away any further.

“You’re sick,” I say and spit at him.

He turns around, wiping the spit off of his face, and he manically begins to laugh.

“I don’t care who you belong to, do that again and I’ll kill you,” he threatens.

“Do it! Kill me! I’d rather be anywhere but here!” I shout, antagonizing him.

I prayed that he did. I didn’t want to be stuck in that room any longer with him. He was already starving me. He was trying to kill me either way. He walked out of the room, and I tried to struggle my way out of the rope that kept my hands tied. Being starved for however long I’ve been in this room definitely made it practically impossible to escape. I sat looking around the room. No wall in the room was fully visible. The only light in the room was the one above me. I let my mind ramble on and on until I heard footsteps coming. I was so hungry my eyes could barely focus. He looked nothing like the man who took me, though. He had beautiful caramel skin and tattoos that I couldn’t focus on.

“Hi love,” he said, and I knew it was Alejandro.

“Why’d it take you so long?” I asked him.

“I’m sorry,” he said and scooped me up.

We exited the room where I heard a lot of commotion. I didn’t care to pay attention to it. I was leaving! I was finally gonna go home. I was free. The last thing I remember is getting into a car. When I woke up, I was in the hospital. I looked around and found Nia and Mateo asleep in chairs to my left. I began to remove the IV and the vital reader, and I stood. I walked toward the door, and it opened for me. Alejandro stood there with two bagels with strawberry cream cheese.

“You’re up, thank god,” he said, pulling me into a hug. “Why are you out of bed?”

“I—sorry,” I gave up before even trying.

I turned around and got back in the hospital bed. He laughed as he closed the door behind him, awakening both Mateo and Nia.

“You’re awake!” Nia quickly stands and throws herself on top of me.

“Good seeing you back, Jade,” Mateo said, hugging me as well.

“Can you guys tell me how long he had me for?” I questioned, looking around the room.

“2 weeks and a half,” Alejandro says, and my jaw drops.

“Jesus,” is all I can say.

“Me and Nia are gonna go get breakfast, you want anything?” He asks me.

“No, thank you, though,” I smile and wave as they make their way out of the room.

“Listen, Alejandro,” I begin to say, adjusting myself in the hospital bed.

“Please, don’t quit. I know this is all kinds of twisted, but you can’t quit. I need you, Jadyn,” he said, a tone of sincerity in his voice.

“All kinds of twisted? I almost died! I was kept in a dark room, where I wasn’t fed, and I didn’t bathe. You may be used to this, but I’m not. I’m a normal person for Christ’s sake!” I shouted as I stood.

“I understand, and I’ve put up more security for all of my staff’s safety, please don’t quit,” he begs.

“Your staff? Alex, I’ve slept in your bed before. You literally called me your wife not even 2 hours before I was kidnapped. Which I, by the way, didn’t get an explanation for,” I try saying without yelling.

“Then let me explain everything to you, please just sit down and relax,” he asked.

I did as he asked, finally getting the explanation I’ve been wondering for the last two weeks of captivity.

“Go ahead,” I take a deep breath as I sit on the bed.

“If I’m going to officially take over the company, both the legal and illegal. I need someone as my wife, just on paper, so I said that to set in motion the fact that I’m going to be taking over soon to the Sinclairs,” he explained.

I’m still extremely confused on what the hell that has to do with me. So now I’m obligated to do it?

“So what now? I have to marry you?” I questioned.

“Well…” he said, giving me my answer.

“What the hell, I can’t marry you!” I shout, my stress level rising.

“I own you, Jade, you have no choice,” he said, making me laugh manically.

He sat serious as he watched my movements.

“Get out, Alejandro,” I say, trying to calm my breathing.

“No,” he said.

“Get out!” I say, standing, trying to push him out.

He didn’t even move from the chair. I wasn’t strong enough to even get him out of the stupid chair. I continued to push him as the tears began to overflow out of anger. He just sat there. He let me take out all of my anger on him. Once I had finally given up, my hands still pushed up on him, I put my head on them. He wrapped his arm around me and just let me cry until I fell asleep once more.

I woke up once more in the same hospital bed in the pitch dark. I looked around the room, lingering on a singular corner. As I continued to observe it, someone peeked from the darkness, and it was the man who took me. I began to yell as loud as I could, shaking in fear when my eyes burst open, finding Alejandro shaking me awake.

“You’re okay, it’s just me. You’re safe,” he soothingly said as he caressed my hair.

I sighed out as I took a good look around the room to make sure I was safe.

“I don’t think I’ll ever be safe around you, but that’s okay,” I say as I snuggle back into his chest and go back to sleep.

The next time my eyes opened, Alejandro was gone, and my things were being packed up.

“I get to go home?” I ask excitedly when Nia shakes her head yes with a big smile on her face.

I got out of bed, helping them pack up my things. I wanted to run but I had nowhere to go. It’s not like my parents are any better. I just knew I needed time away. I barely started living my life; I can’t possibly be giving it up for a man who’s unlikely to actually care about me.

“Jade, I can’t say I understand what you and Alex are going through, but he actually does love you. I’ve never seen his eyes light up for anyone the way they light up for you; he literally drops everything to just talk to you, even just to watch as you walk by,” Mateo said. 

It’s like he could hear my thoughts.

“Don’t make me laugh, Mateo. That man can barely understand the definition of love,” I say as I chuckle.

“He may not know what it is, but that’s why he doesn’t know what to say to you. He’s never had that before, not by his parents, not his siblings, not even a girlfriend. He’s been alone practically his entire life,” Mateo stands up for his best friend. “Just give him a chance.”

“I can’t, Mateo, you just don’t understand,” I tell him as I sigh, trying not to cry once more.

“Okay,” he says in a defeated tone.

After finally getting home, I showered, feeling relieved to be home. Wallowing in bed about to fall asleep, the doorbell rings.

“Please go away!” I yell as I throw the blanket over my head and sigh.

The doorbell rings again, and I go open the door. I find two men and a frail woman now looking at me in awe.

“Is there anything I can help you with?” I ask as I look the men up and down.

“Are you Jadyn Spades?” The woman questions, stepping before the men.

“I am. May I ask who you are?” I question.

“Family, come with me,” the lady placed her hand out, and I took it.

She had a face that seemed extremely familiar. It felt like a fever dream seeing her, a good one. Taking her hand felt so right. We entered a car and it drove until I fell asleep. The next time I woke up, I was on a bed. Not my bed but a bed. My dream was all about my childhood and how I used to spend most of my days at her house.

“Aunt Tori,” I said as I ran down the stairs looking for her.

“Good evening, Jade,” she smiled as she saw me.

“How did you know where I was?” I questioned as I sat down next to her on the couch.

“I’ve always known, sweet pea.” Her smile never leaving her face.

“So why didn’t you come sooner?” I asked her trying to comprehend what she was saying.

“You didn’t need me any sooner than now,” she said, looking at me.

“I guess you can say that,” I say and we get quiet.

“So what’s up with you and this Phantom guy, he sounds like a real tool,” my aunt says, making me laugh.

“I couldn’t even tell you. He swears he wants nothing to do with me, but when it comes to me, he’d apparently kill someone!” I begin to shout, looking at the news on the television, finding the man who took me dead, in a river with no fingers.

“He killed that man for you?” my aunt questioned.

“Maybe? I’ve kind of been trying to avoid him,” I admit to her.

“Trust me, sweet pea, I can tell,” she said, taking a sip of her tea.

“I don’t think I can work for him much longer; we’ve gotten too involved with one another to maintain a professional relationship,” I say, and she looks over, dumbfounded.

“If he’s killed a man for you, he isn’t letting you go anywhere, sweet pea,” she takes a sip of tea. “Especially not after he’s asked you to marry him.”

“H- how do you know about that?” I stutter, and she smiles widely.

“He came and asked for my hand. He looked so nervous, it was adorable,” she answered in awe.

“He came here?” I rhetorically asked myself.

I began to put pieces together. He doesn’t need me, so why is he trying to marry me? So confused right now. Is he marrying me for business or for pleasure? At this point, he needs to just tell me how he feels. This is so annoying.

“I have to talk to him,” I say, standing up.

“Duh, sweet pea,” her tone deadpanned. She didn’t even take her eyes off the TV.

I picked up my phone and began to look for his number, but I stopped. I was entranced in my own thoughts of wanting to stay away from him and needing to get away. 

So I decided not to call. I told Nia I was away and that I would happily continue to pay her my half of the rent whilst away “on vacation.” Maybe he didn’t come looking for me because he didn’t need me. And for all I know, that’s a good thing. I just hope when he does come looking, he won’t be upset.

“What happened?” I asked, concerned.

“The Sinclairs are being so damn annoying,” he said, irritated.

“How so?” I pushed further.

He looked over defeated, and I knew that was my sign to stop asking questions. I still had so many, like why the hell he said I was his wife, or why I had to be at that meeting in the first place. Was he gonna force me to marry him? Is he really the man that Nia says he is? My mind rambling, I pondered, looking out the window. We then reached what I assume was his mother’s home.

“Hey, what are we doing here?” I questioned as I looked over.

“This is our family meeting about the meeting,” he said cleverly as he opened the door for me.

I smiled as I got out of the car, and he took hold of my hand as we walked toward the house.

“Why did you call me your wife in there?” I asked, slowing down our pace.

“I can’t tell you, not yet anyway,” he said, dodging the question.

“What does that mean, Alejandro?” I asked, completely stopping in my tracks.

“Jadyn, please, let’s just go inside,” he begged, and I turned around to walk back to the limo.

He grabbed my arm and pulled me back, holding me in place.

“Let me go,” I said, trying to remove myself from his grip.

“Jadyn, get in the house,” he demanded.

“Alex, let me leave,” I finally ripped free of his grip and walked away.

“Jade!” he yelled for me, and I continued to walk.

Now a few blocks down from where I was, I sighed and sat on the curb. I grabbed my phone to call Nia when a car pulled up next to me.

“Hey, pretty lady,” the man in the car said.

I looked up, finding the son of the Sinclairs. I silently stood, not looking at him, and tried to walk away. I could hear his car slowly following behind me; I had already been dialing Nia’s number when he rolled up on me, so I assumed she was on the phone.

“Where are you running off to?” he said, trying to converse.

Ignoring him, I began to walk a little faster, trying to get away.

“You know you won’t make it far, sweetheart. Get in the car,” he threatened, his words making a chill run down my spine.

“I’m good, thanks,” I said, still walking.

“Don’t make me get out of the car, Jadyn,” he said. My body froze at his words.

“How do you know my name?” I questioned, turned toward his car.

“You aren’t that hard to find, sweetheart,” he said.

He made me sick. His stench repelled me as he walked toward me, shutting his car door. Everything about the man before me was evil. I could feel the hatred as he invaded my personal space. His anger was so strong, behind it was so much sadness.

“Please,” I muttered as he tried pulling me toward the car.

“Don’t make this hard on yourself,” he said, picking me up over his shoulder.

I kicked and punched and fought, but nothing worked. He threw me in the back seat of his car and quickly steered off. I punched the glass over and over, my hand begging for me to stop. I finally gave up.

“Where are you taking me?” I questioned, wiping the tears that fell down my cheeks.

“Don’t you worry your pretty little head about it,” he said with an evil chuckle.

It sent shivers down my spine, and I felt utterly disgusted.

“Why are you doing this to me?” I asked.

“You’re a prized possession of the one and only Phantom, whose guts I utterly hate,” he said, disgusted.

What does he have to do with me? I’m also not a possession. I really hope he’s doing this to spite him and he doesn’t do anything to me. I just want to go home and sleep. If this is what it’s gonna be like working for the Phantoms, it’s time to find a new job.

Popping up out of nowhere was Nia with the biggest smile on her face. She stared in awe at the box that sat on the couch with a big red bow on top.

“I thought it’d be racks on racks of dresses,” Nia said, dragging a little, upset.

“Me too, I was excited,” I shrugged as I set my things down.

Nia and I looked at the box, then each other, and I took a deep breath.

“It better be good. If not, I’ll cry. Hopefully, he was in the right mindset when buying the dress,” Nia said in the midst of breaking down.

“I don’t know where his mind is half of the time,” I trailed off, trying to distract myself from opening the box.

“Come on,” she dragged, excited for me to open it.

I sat down on the couch, putting the box on my lap as Nia threw herself down next to me. I unknot the bow, letting it fall on the sides of my thigh, and take the lid off of the box. Inside was a pair of black heels with pearls on them. Under them was a black dress. It had a corset that was see-through on the stomach area and had a very high thigh slit.

“This was definitely extremely expensive,” Nia said as I pulled it out of the box to look at it.

“I can tell, especially with these heels!” I said, picking them up.

“You think the pearls are real?” she asked, and I laughed.

“Why would he ever give me real pearls?” I questioned, genuinely confused.

“Maybe that’s his way of telling you he likes you,” she shrugged, and I kind of chuckled.

I never told her what I had overheard in the office today, and I kind of don’t think I should.

“Maybe,” I agreed with her and stood, putting everything back in the box and walking to my room.

After showering, I put on the dress and admired myself in the mirror. I can never figure out what to do with my hair.

“Let me see!” Nia yelled through my door. I could tell she was listening.

I laughed as I opened the door, and she looked at me in awe.

“You look so good!” she said as she bounced with excitement.

“Thank you! I have no idea what to do with my hair though,” I sighed.

“You never do,” she chuckled and sat me down, beginning to do my hair.

She did a side part with a braid that had pearls in them. My edges all had a pearl that looked like it was holding it in place.

“Wow, so beautiful,” I admired, and she smiled.

“Now put on those heels!” she said giddily.

As I put them on, there was a knock on the door. In an all-black suit stood Alejandro, and I smiled.

“I thought you said you didn’t know where I lived,” I said, and he chuckled.

“Maybe I did,” he smiled as I walked over to the door.

“Bye Nia, I’ll be home in a while,” I said before closing the door.

We made small talk as we went through the elevator and to the limo. He opened the door for me and smiled as I got in. He got in after and looked over.

“I’ve never been in a limo before,” I said, my expression surprised.

“Glad I could be the one you experience your first time with,” he said with a smirk on his face.

I laughed as I brushed off his flirtatious remark. I got to control the music and eat the small chocolates that were offered. Once we got there, it felt like we were at the Met Gala. Everyone walking in was dressed in their fanciest dresses and beautiful gold necklaces. I felt underdressed, and I think Mr. Phantom could tell.

“Don’t worry, doll, your dress costs more than they could ever imagine,” he said cockily.

“You think that’s my issue? Wow, you’re sick,” I chuckled as the driver opened my door.

I got out with a hold of his hand and walked toward the entrance. I turned back to wait for him, and he was almost directly behind me. I let him get in front of me, and he led me to wherever we needed to be. Then we found his mother in a beautiful royal blue dress and a man in a three-piece black suit.

“Good evening, mother, father,” Alejandro stated as he stepped aside. “Mother, you’ve met my assistant. Father, this is Jade.”

I smiled and set my hand out to shake. He settled my hand in his and gently brought it up to his lips. Obviously extremely uncomfortable, I shifted backward, trying to remove my hand, but he gripped it tighter.

“Okay, you can stop harassing my assistant,” he said, slapping my hand out of his, stepping to his father.

“Don’t be so stupid, son, we’re all having good fun here,” his father said, tapping his back.

“Sure we are, let’s head to the meeting, shall we?” Alejandro said as he took my hand.

Walking away from his parents, I took a look around the building. No cameras, no security, and all of these people seemed to be some sort of wanted criminals. The “meeting” he spoke of seemed to be some sort of feast. The table was set, there were 6 plates on each side, and there was food in the middle.

“Phantoms and Sinclairs, please be seated,” his father said at the head of the table.

He sat as everyone gathered on either the left or the right side. I kind of stood in the corner, surrounded by common criminals, with the two most dangerous Mafias in New York sat face to face. I was honestly already nervous enough even being in the room, but Alejandro’s eyes searched the room for me. As he found me, he called me over to sit next to him. As I sat next to him, the family before me watched intensely.

“Who’s the girl?” the woman, who I presume to be the wife, asked.

“My wife,” Alejandro quickly answered.

His wife? What is he talking about? I tried my hardest not to switch the blank expression on my face, fidgeting with my fingers.

“Right,” one of the girls said as she laughed.

I looked up from my hands and pierced my eyes directly at her.

“What’s so funny?” I asked. Her silence went quiet after I spoke.

It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop in the room. The men at the edge of the table began to speak and negotiate over territory. Honestly, why the hell am I here?

I soon zoned out, not paying attention, and was refocused by a hand on my thigh. His hand made me shiver from the sheer coldness of it. I looked over and found him not even paying attention to what he was doing. I then got used to the feeling of his hand on my thigh and zoned out once more.

After about two hours of constant bickering, Alejandro tapped on my shoulder, and we stood. Walking out with his family, I could tell he was irritated. I wouldn’t be able to tell you why I wasn’t paying attention.

“Hey Jade!” I heard Mr. Phantom call for me. 

“Yes, sir?” I questioned. 

“Can you go grab some lunch, please?” He asked. 

“Of course, what did you want?” I asked him, taking out something to write his order down.

Whilst telling me what he wanted, I could feel his eyes intensely watching my every move. It made me nervous being under such tense surveillance, and I think he knew that. His tone got huskier and darker. Shaking subtly, I dropped my pen. Why does this man make me so nervous? 

“Sorry, uh, hold on,” I said, bending over to pick up my pen. 

“You okay, Ms. Spades?” He questioned as I stood back up. 

“I’m just fine, Mr. Phantom,” I said, signaling him to continue telling me what he wanted to eat. 

I watched him as he stood stalking toward me. I took shallow steps backward, soon reaching a wall. He chuckled, looking at my face and how red it was. 

“Do I make you nervous, Ms. Spades?” he questioned. 

“N- No, sir,” I stuttered, just looking into his eyes.

“I don’t believe you, especially since you look so flustered. You should get punished for lying to your boss,” he teased. 

A hand left the side of my head. Moving his hand to my waist, my breath stopped. Where is everyone? How is he doing this to me? Why do I like it? 

Rapidly having questions roam through my head, he swiftly removed himself from me as the door began to open. 

Mateo entered, almost immediately regretting the decision. I sighed and recollected myself, patting down my pencil skirt I decided to wear today. 

“Hello, Mateo!” I said with a huge smile and wave. 

“Hi,” he replied with the same energy. 

“I was just on my way to get Mr. Phantom some food. Did you want something?” I questioned, unable to look at Mr. Phantom.

 “Where are you going?” Mateo asked. 

“Panera,” I simply stated. 

“Oh, no thank you,” he said and smiled.

I did a quick nod before exiting. I got to my car and screamed out all my frustrations. He has to be doing it on purpose. There’s no way he just acts like this. 

In a moment of distress, I FaceTime my roommate, Nia. 

“Hey boo,” she said as the call connected. 

“Hi, girl, oh my lord,” I said, setting her up on my phone holder and turning my car on. 

“What happened now?” she sighed, sitting up to look at me. 

“He pinned me against a wall,” I said. 

“What?!” she shouted giddily. 

I told her the story in explicit detail from this morning to now whilst picking up his food and driving back, and we kind of just talked about it, trying to put the pieces of his flirting together.

“I still don’t think it’s super smart to get too close to him, Jade, he’s evil,” Nia said, shuddering at her own words. 

“I don’t think he is. I think that’s how the media paints his picture. He’s a 20-year-old with a successful corporation, Nia, they’d do anything to bash him,” I replied in defense of him. 

“I get that, but you need to understand there’s so much about him that you don’t know,” Nia disagreed with me. 

“I know that, you act like we’re getting married or something,” I sighed. 

“You’d probably like that,” she chuckled, and I rolled my eyes. 

“And if I did?” I laughed back, and her eyes grew wide. 

“You really like him, huh?” she questioned. 

“No, Nia, I barely started working for this man like two months ago or so?” I said, confused about how long it’s been. 

“Yeah, yeah, call me when you get here so we can look at the dresses Alex got you,” she said, blowing me a kiss and hanging up. 

I grabbed his food, locking my car and walking into the office. People conversing smiled and waved as I walked over to the elevator. 

Making it back to my office, I set my things down and walked over to the door that leads to Mr. Phantom’s when I overheard his conversation with Mateo. 

“What’s going on between the two of you, Alex?” Mateo interrogated. 

“I don’t know, if I’m being honest. I like her, but what if after tonight she wants nothing to do with me?” Mr. Phantom asked, genuinely concerned. 

“That is highly unlikely, Alex. Do you not see the way she looks at you?” Mateo fought in my defense of my feelings. 

Is there a way I look at him? Obviously, the man is fine as can be, and everyone knows that, so everyone probably looks at him like that. 

“Yeah, but almost everyone looks at me like that,” he came to his own defense. 

“If you say so, man, just know that I know that she likes you,” he said, and I decided to stop eavesdropping and walk in. 

“Hi! Sorry it took so long!” I said with the food in hand, setting it on his desk. 

“You didn’t get anything for yourself?” He questioned. 

“I couldn’t really afford it, but I’ll be okay,” I said and set his food out. 

“Why didn’t you use my card to buy yourself something?” He questioned and stood. 

“I didn’t know if I was allowed to,” I replied, unable to look him in his face. 

“You’re always allowed to, why would you think you weren’t?” He questioned. 

“I don’t know,” I muttered. 

“The dresses for tonight are at your house, take the rest of the day off to choose the one you want,” he said, obviously disappointed. 

“Okay, I’m sorry, Mr. Phantom,” I stated before exiting his office and grabbing my things.

“Is everything okay?” I heard the voice of a man.

I looked up, finding the one and only Alejandro Phantom with a towel around his waist and hair dripping onto his chest.

“Oh my stars,” I sighed as I turned away from him, completely forgetting that my knee was bleeding.

I heard him chuckle before hearing his footsteps walk around the bed and towards me.

“Hey, you’re about to get blood on my carpet,” he sighed, swiftly picking me up bridal style and guiding me over to his bathroom.

“How did I get here, Mr. Phantom?” I questioned as he set me on the counter.

“Well, I saw you had fallen asleep in our section, so I had Mateo stay with Nia. But after leaving, I realized I didn’t know where you lived, so I just took you here,” he shrugged, grabbing rubbing alcohol, cotton balls, and bandaids.

“Oh, okay. Did you happen to see my phone? I can’t seem to find it anywhere,” I said, finding myself unable to look up from fidgeting with my hands.

“No, but I can help you look,” he stated, putting the alcohol-filled cotton ball on my scraped knee.

I didn’t even flinch as he patted it in. Once the bleeding had slowed, he quickly put a bandaid on it and looked up at me.

“The last time I saw your phone, it was on the side table,” he walked away from me and came back, phone in hand.

“Are you gonna put some clothes on now?” I questioned, hopping off of the counter.

“Yeah, why? Does it make you nervous?” he teased, following behind me out of the bathroom.

“No, just turns me on,” I winked as I stepped out of his room, lingering by the door.

I could hear his chuckle before he walked away. I was so utterly confused about where I was. I didn’t even realize I was no longer wearing my two-piece. I now sat in a plain white T-shirt with socks on. The shirt smells just like him. His sharp but warm cologne and earthy shampoo contaminated my nose as I finally took a breath that I couldn’t in his presence. I had no idea he lived in such a beautifully decorated apartment. Everything was perfectly kept together and matching the vibe he gave. His walls were a very dark shade of blue, almost black. The only way you could tell it was blue was when the sun hit it. His plants lit the place up with their vibrant color, and his condo smelled like pinewood. Unknowing of where I was or how to get home, I entered his kitchen and rummaged through his fridge for breakfast. I decided to make pancakes with eggs since it was one of the only things I could find.

“I thought you were leaving,” he snuck up behind me as I struggled to grab his pans.

“Well, I don’t really know where I am or how to get home, so I thought I’d thank you for taking care of me by making breakfast!” I exclaimed, still attempting to reach for his pans.

“That’s unnecessary, but thank you!” he smiled, finally helping me get his pans.

I think he just likes to see me struggle.

“Did you want help?” he asked.

“No, thank you, but you can watch if you’d like,” I offered, trying not to be rude.

He simply smiled and sat on a chair. I actually have no idea where it came from. I mixed the ingredients to make the pancakes, and I heard the door open. Heels clicked on the floor, and a lady emerged wearing a cheetah-printed fur coat with a black dress to match.

“Mother, what are you doing here?” he stood in shock, walking over to her.

“Can a mother not come see her loving son?” she questioned, pushing him aside so she could see me.

“And which skank is this?” she questioned, walking toward me.

“Actually, Ms. Phantom, my name is Jayden Spades, your son’s assistant,” I tried to say respectfully while being disrespected.

“Is that so?” she smirked, laughter erupting from her mouth with a huge smile. “I like this one, Alejandro.”

She turned toward her son and clicked her heels purposefully.

“Thank you, ma’am,” I said as she took her son into the next room to talk about family business.

Putting some music on my phone, I continued to make breakfast. By the time he and his mother came back, breakfast was done and ready to serve on the table.

“Would you be joining us for breakfast, Ms. Phantom?” I questioned, serving Ace some breakfast.

“No, sweetheart, but thank you for the offer. I’ll see you both tonight,” she said, clicking her heels right back out the door she came from.

“What is she talking about?” I interrogated menacingly, looking at him.

“Well,” he stayed silent, trying to figure out the words to say. “There’s this thing going on tonight that I kind of need you to attend with me.”

“Right, what is it?” I further questioned, now barely eating.

“It’s not something I can really explain. Please just come. You get a new fancy dress,” he tried to bribe, and I laughed.

“I’ll go just ’cause I love watching you beg,” I said, my face immediately flustered and now looking down at my food.

“What, can’t you keep eye contact?” he flirtatiously asked, reaching for my face.

His fingers lightly grazed my face as he lifted my chin to stare into my eyes. A flicker of emotion in a man who’s supposed to be dead inside? What a weird thing to see, yet grateful it’s something I can cause easily.

“I have to go home,” I blurted out, trying to change the subject. I know I look as red as a tomato right now.

“And why’s that?” he asked, removing his hand from my chin and picking up his fork.

“I have to get dressed for work. If I go home now, I can make it on time!” I said with a big, geeky smile on my face.

“Okay, I’ll have Richard take you home. Thank you so much for breakfast,” he said as Richard entered the room.

“Oh, did you want your shirt back?” I asked, standing.

“No, that’s okay,” he smiled as I walked off with Richard, who offered me house shoes to take home since I was barefoot.

I wonder what this “thing” is all about. All of this smells like danger, and it makes me so excited.

“Nia, hey!” I said excitedly, closing the door to our apartment.

“Hey boo, how was work today?” she questioned as I walked over to the living room.

“Strange, actually. Don’t mind that part though. Did you want to go out with me tonight?” I asked as she stretched.

“Oh my goodness, yes!” she shrieked, obviously excited.

“Yay! Okay, someone’s coming to pick us up at nine-thirty, okay?” I asked, and she stood up, jumping and pulling me in for a hug.

“Thank you so much!” She ran to her room and began to get ready for wherever we were going.

The way the tension was with both of them in that room, I wonder if it’ll get worse or not. I’m scared for my life, honestly. I really hope that some drinks will make them less uptight. I’m also going out with my boss so I don’t know if I’m allowed to drink. It would be one lame night out if I couldn’t.

Snapping out of my thoughts, I stand from the couch with a big stretch and head to my room. I grabbed a towel and showered, shaved my legs, washed, and deep-conditioned my hair. With a towel wrapped around my body and another wrapped around my hair, I stepped into my room.

Rummaging through my entire closet, I finally found my blinged top with no back. Looking in the same place where I found the shirt, I found the matching mini-skirt that went with it. I got dressed and paired it with a black coat and some black heels. We’re in the middle of winter in New York, I was gonna be cold at some point. My curls bounced out of the towel as I took it off, thinking of what to do with it. I ended up going half-up, half-down with two curly strands out in the front. Grabbing my purse and shoes, and exiting my room, I get a call from Ace.

“Hey, are you outside?” I asked, putting him on speaker as I bent down to put on my heels.

“Yeah, I hope you dressed cute,” I can hear his smirk through the phone.

“Don’t I always?” I smugly reply and hang up on him.

Not long after, Nia walked out of her room in a black mini-dress and some silver heels. We were opposites! We chuckled seeing each other and made our way out.

Finally getting outside, a limo sat right in front of the entrance. A man seemed to be waiting for us because as soon as he saw us, he opened the door. We entered, and there we found Ace dressed in black pantsuit bottoms and a black button-up with the top three buttons undone, showing off his tattoos. Next to him was Mateo with a white button-up and the same black bottoms as Ace. Both of their hair was messily styled, and they smelled like Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue.

“You didn’t tell me it was with Ace,” Nia says, smacking my arm as the door shut behind me.

“I knew you wouldn’t come if I did,” I say, looking at her with nervousness in my eyes.

“Hey ladies,” Mateo says, very obviously under the influence.

“Hi,” Nia says shyly, smiling at him.

“Wow, you do clean up nice,” Ace says, looking me up and down with a smirk.

“Like I told you, I always do,” I say, blowing him a kiss, and he chuckles.

The ride there wasn’t as awkward as I thought it’d be. Nia quickly got loose and began to have fun. She was singing and dancing all the way to the club. The car door flew open with flashing lights blinding me for a second.

“Talk about a flashbang,” I say as I am helped out of the car by Ace himself.

“You’ll get used to it, love,” he replies as he places his arm around my waist and poses for the cameras.

“I didn’t know he was so famous,” I whisper to Nia as I admire Ace’s face shining in the flash of the cameras.

“Yeah, me neither,” she says, as shocked as I am.

We walk into the VIP section of the club, and waitresses immediately come to him with his drink. He throws himself down on the couch, grabs his drink, and takes a sip almost immediately.

Nia and I sat in a corner of the super big couch and chit-chatted. I felt like I was being watched the entire time. The hairs on my neck stood, feeling the presence of someone behind me.

“Can I have a dance?” a man appeared behind me so quickly I didn’t notice him until he spoke.

“No, thank you,” my face obviously showed that he scared me.

“Oh, come on, what if I buy you a drink,” he tries to convince me.

Uncomfortable, I shift in my seat and lean away from him and onto Nia.

“Sir, I said no,” I replied, frightened.

“Alright, and I’m not taking no for an answer,” he grabbed my arm, and immediately both Mateo and Ace stood.

Ace walked over to me, gripping the man’s arm a lot harder than the guy was gripping mine.

“I’m pretty sure she said no,” he removed my arm from the man’s now loose grip.

“Sorry, dude, I didn’t know she was yours,” the man said, trying to remove his arm from Ace’s grip.

“Apologize,” Mateo states, his eyes piercing the man like daggers.

“I’m sorry, lady, have a nice night,” he said, visibly shaken by the two tall buff men as he ran off.

“Thank you, guys,” I say, turning toward them, glee sparkling in my eyes as I look at them.

“Of course, sweetheart,” Mateo said simply with a smile as he sat back down on the couch.

I sat next to Nia once more, and she cooed about how Ace was so protective of me for about 20 minutes.

“Alright, I know I shouldn’t, but I need a drink,” I say as I stand.

Nia follows behind me, and we order drinks at the bar. Practically chugging the drinks down was not the best decision. My throat burned for like 15 minutes after, but by that time, I was on the dance floor without a care in the world. The music slowed, and a slow song turned on. Nia was almost immediately dancing with Mateo, so accepting that I was alone, I went back to where we sat, and Ace was nowhere to be found. I sat down and laid back, waiting for everything to be hype again but ended up falling asleep.

“Ms. Spades!” Ace shouts for me. I sigh as I stand, grab my tablet, and walk into his office.

“Yes, Mr. Phantom?” I ask, stopping in my tracks when I see another man in his office.

The tension in the room felt sickening. As soon as I stepped in, I wanted to leave.

“This is my right hand, Mateo. He’ll be around most of the time, so get used to his face,” he states as I turn to look at Mateo.

He stood near the door, hands clasped before him, tattoos covering both of his arms and a scar across his face. He studied me the same way I was studying him. His stare sent chills down my spine; it was cold, as if he hated me without even knowing me. I nodded my head, since he doesn’t seem like much of the talking type, looked back at Mr. Phantom, and turned to exit.

“Wait, Ms. Spades,” Ace says, making me turn toward him once more. “We want Jersey Mike’s today. I’ll take a pastrami sandwich.”

I proceed to pull out my tablet and type the kind of sandwich he wants and once more turn to Mateo.

“What about you, sir?” I say, looking up at Mateo. His body stiffens as he looks at me, eyes lurking with a sense of something.

“I’ll take the same thing as Alejandro,” he murmured. I can tell he was flustered, he was just good at hiding it.

“Alright, I’ll go get those. I should be back in like 20 minutes,” I smile at them, finally exiting the room from whatever tension was there.

Now confused and in a haze, I rush out, not paying attention to where I’m going, and run into a pole. “Ow, Jesus.”

With a deep sigh, I continued to walk, now actually paying attention to where I was going. Finally feeling like I could breathe as the sun hit my face, I took a deep breath.

“What is wrong with me?” I throw a fit as I walk toward my car.

Taking another deep breath before I got in my car and began to drive was definitely necessary. Oddly enough, this Jersey Mike’s had a Drive-Thru. I was so confused. I thought I was crazy. Finally obtaining the sandwiches, I drove back, and Linda’s car was in my spot. I knew it was Linda’s because she had it written on the hood. What a weird thing to do. I parked wherever I could and walked into the building where I found Linda yelling at the receptionist.

“I told you! I have a meeting with Mr. Phantom!” She shouted at the young lady who was on the verge of tears.

“Actually, you don’t. Stop yelling at this poor girl,” I calmly said, getting behind the counter and letting Cynthia go.

“But I do, you can ask him,” she tried to convince me, and I laughed.

“I’m his secretary, dummy. He would’ve told me to put it on his calendar, and we both know he’s too busy to not put it on his calendar,” I say. Offended at my comment, she tried to reach over and hit me, but she missed badly and I didn’t even move.

I laughed hysterically as she tried over and over to get to me. Once she finally gave up, she sighed.

“I just, I need to see him one more time,” she said to me sincerely, practically begging for sympathy.

“I’m sorry, Linda, I’m gonna have to ask you to leave,” I responded, genuinely apologetic.

She left. What in the hell made her act like that? Over Alejandro Phantom. I wonder.

I finally make it back to Mr. Phantom’s office, not knocking before entering and not even looking at him before I go to close the door. I begin to ramble, “Mr. Phantom, I’m sorry. I know you must be upset, but I had to deal with Linda. She was–” I finally turned to look at him and see he was nowhere to be found.

“So great talking to you,” I sarcastically say to myself.

“He said he’d be back in a few,” Mateo said from the corner of the room, scaring me half to death.

“Okay, please don’t scare me like that,” I say, putting my hand to my heart and taking a deep breath.

“So sorry,” he chuckles as he steps toward me.

“Here’s your sandwiches; I have work to do,” I pass him the bag and walk toward my office.

“Hey, uh, me and Ace are going out later tonight. Would you like to tag along?” He says, stepping in between me and the door.

“Can I bring my roommate? She’s definitely the one who deserves a night out,” I say chuckling, the hardest overworked worker ever.

“I don’t think he’d mind. Go ahead and bring her. The more the merrier, anyway,” he smiles, finally moving out of my way.

I thought he was stone-cold. Why the hell has his mood changed? Why is he chuckling and smiling? Lord, please don’t tell me I’ve lost it. I can tell something fishy is definitely going on, and I’m scared to get to the bottom of it.

“Hey, Jayden, right?” her roommate excitedly questioned.

“Yeah, but you can call me Jade. It’s nice to finally meet each other face to face, Niara,” I smiled as she sat on the couch.

“Oh my goodness, agreed. You can call me Nia, by the way. Are you going to college?” She asked, wanting to get to know me.

“Yeah, actually, it’s my last year. What about you?”

“Your last year? Are you in a two-year college?” She questioned.

“No, I graduated high school at 16 and am graduating right before my 20th birthday,” I said, and her eyes gleamed in delight.

“So cool!” she yelped in excitement, making me chuckle.

“Are you in college?” I asked, and she shook her head no, taking a sip of her drink.

“I went to a trade school and became a medical assistant, best decision ever,” she said, very relieved about her choices.

“I wanted to, but my parents didn’t let me, so,” I shrugged as I stood once more with a stretch of my arms above my head.

“Do you have any jobs lined up?” Niara asked me before I could walk away.

“Yeah, actually, I start tomorrow as a personal assistant for this guy. His name is Ace,” I said as her eyes grew fearful.

“Like the Alexander Phantom?” she was barely able to utter the words.

“Uh, yeah, I guess,” I shrugged, confused by her fearful voice.

“He’s dangerous, please be careful around him, Jade,” she said, genuinely concerned for me.

“I will, thank you for the warning, Nia,” I said, a smile forming on my face before walking toward my room.

The next day arose, my ear-splitting alarm violently awakening me. I sighed before getting myself up and into a cold shower. Now awake and showered, I stepped back into my room and began to look for clothing. I put on these black pantsuit bottoms with a white long sleeve and a tan vest on top and some black Jordan 4s. I grabbed my purse, exiting my room, closing the door behind me. 

Walking over to the kitchen, Nia had made coffee earlier that morning, and it was still warm, so I helped myself to a cup and sent her a thank you text. Walking out, I locked our front door and headed to the elevator. I could hear my shoes tap on the floor. The draft in the hallway made me shiver a bit as the sun hit my face while waiting for the elevator. Finally getting to the garage floor, I walked over to my car and soon drove off. Playing music as I drove, singing along, I got to the office, parked in my spot, and went into the lobby. I got onto the elevator with this woman. She had 6-inch stilettos with a pink pencil skirt and a white top. She looked at me and chuckled.

“What’s funny?” I questioned, annoyed, looking at her.

“Nothing, your outfit is just too cute,” she mocked, laughing some more.

“Who are you to talk about me? You’re wearing the ugliest color of pink, black stilettos, and a white shirt. You don’t even match,” I stated. She looked me dead in my eyes, her expression now angry.

“Do you know who I am?” She asked.

I laughed. “Am I supposed to?”

Reaching the top floor, her stilettos angrily clicked off of the elevator and wherever she had to go. I took a deep breath before continuing to where I had to go, finding the same lady in my boss’s office. I knocked before entering, and Ace was laughing at the lady.

“Good morning, boss,” I said.

Out of breath, my boss turned to me and said, “You’re so funny.”

“Me?” I questioned.

“Yes, you! Not only funny but correct, Linda, you’re fired, and she’s your replacement,” he said so coldly; it gave me goosebumps.

“What! I have done nothing wrong for you to fire me,” she yelled at him, but he just gave her this odd, terrifying look, and she sighed, walking out of the room.

“Your desk is in that room. If I call you, you’re close enough to hear me but able to create your own space. You also get a complimentary tablet to keep track of my schedule and set up my schedule as well,” he said, passing me a white brand-new iPad.

“Okay, thank you so much,” I said, standing.

“Today should be pretty easy since it’s your first day,” he said, then ended the conversation, banishing me to my new office.