Chapter 4 The Jerk.

He didn't have a clue about her identity yet. Of course, he didn't; why would he remember the waitress he had insulted and cost her a job?

"Chloe Carter?" A voice snapped her out of her daze. A middle-aged woman in a tailored gray suit, one of the HR personnel, smiled at her.

"Please follow me."

The HR enters the conference room and briefs Chloe about the company, her job descriptions and the do's and don'ts, as well as the company's mission and vision.

After the small briefing, Chloe appreciated the HR. She sampled and congratulated her again, then asked her to follow her. "Mr. Astor will meet you shortly."

Her heart slammed against her ribs as she followed the woman. Every fiber of her being wanted to turn around and walk out, but she couldn't. Not when this job was her ticket to a stable future. They reached the private office and the woman gestured silently for Chloe to step quietly inside a dimly lit room.

She stepped inside slowly and plopped down with hands clasped tightly in her lap amidst a flurry of tumultuous emotions swirling wildly.

Minutes passed before the door opened again. Heavy footsteps filled the office space. Just then, Chloe lifted her gaze and found Liam Astor standing before her. Still, no sign of recognition in his sharp eyes.

He walked around his desk; his movements were precise and calculated.

"Miss Carter," he said, his voice deep and commanding.

"Welcome to Astor Industries. I expect efficiency, competence and absolute discretion from my employees. Do you understand?"

Chloe clenched her fists beneath the table, forcing herself to nod slowly with evident restraint.

"Don't nod while I talk to you," Liam uttered with a cold voice. He snapped her out of the gaze. "Do you understand me?" Chloe answered… "Yes, sir."

"Good." His gaze flicked over her, assessing. "Your responsibilities will be demanding, but I assume HR has already briefed you?" "Yes, Sir."

"Then let's get to work." Chloe excused herself and rushed headlong into the bathroom after getting a brief respite, pulling out her phone and dialing her best friend's number swiftly afterward. Olivia picked up on the second ring.

"Chloe! How's your first day?" "You will not believe who my boss is." Chloe leaned against the sink, lowering her voice. "It's him, Liv. The jerk from the club."

A beat of silence. Then Olivia burst out laughing. "No fucking freaking way!" Chloe groaned. "This isn't funny." "Oh, but it is. The universe said so." "Here, suffer some more."

"What do I do?" "Nothing much, baby girl. Just keep your head down, do the job and don't let emotions get in the way. He's your boss now and not some rich asshole in a bar."

Chloe sighed. Olivia was right. She needed this job more than she needed revenge. When she got back to work. Liam delved deeply into the conversation as Chloe suddenly stepped into his office, handing him a rather thick file.

His fingers brushed hers briefly; a jolt of awareness sparked between them in that fleeting instant so intensely. He glanced up briefly, murmuring a hasty "thank you" as his fingers rapidly flipped through pages.

Chloe, on the other hand, was standing in front of him and was staring at him lustfully. "Are you done ogling?"

His gaze snapped abruptly back her way. His eyes narrowed, scanning her face slowly in a careful and deliberate manner, like piecing together fragments of a complex puzzle.

A flicker of something flashed in his expression with fleeting recognition and raw surprise. Chloe swallowed hard, refusing eye contact outright with sheer determination.

Air crackled suddenly with very unspoken heavy tension. As Liam rapidly concealed his thoughts behind a mask of indifference, his face settled into its customary air of superior haughtiness.

"That will be all, Miss Carter."

Chloe turned on her heel, walking out with her chin high, but she could still feel the weight of his gaze burning into her back.

"That will be all, Miss Carter." Chloe spun on her heel, walking out with her chin held ridiculously high; she felt his gaze burning into her back.

Later that evening, Liam met his best friend, Brian Luis, at a swanky underground lounge tucked away downtown, where they sometimes hang out after the day's work.

They sipped whiskey slowly beneath dim lights, as conversation was shifting from business towards Liam's odd, newfound colleague suddenly.

Liam leaned back in his chair beneath dim lounge lighting that cast sharp shadows wildly across his face suddenly.

The amber liquid in his glass caught the glow of city lights filtering through massive windows, reflecting golden shimmer as he swirled it absentmindedly near softly humming speakers.

"There's something about her," he mused, more to himself than to Brian.

His brows drew together deeply in contemplative silence; his expression was unusually pensive. "You mean your new PA?"

Liam's fingers tightened around the glass. "She's… familiar." His voice held a note of frustration, as if the thought had been gnawing at him for longer than he cared to admit.

He muttered quietly about her being utterly captivating somehow. "Maybe you've slept with her," he quipped, taking a slow sip of his drink.

Across from him, Brian Luis lifted a brow, his ever-present smirk tugging upward at the corner of his lips slowly.

"Maybe." His voice was dry, but there was no conviction behind the word. Liam's fingers tightened fiercely around the glass as his eyes locked intensely onto the speaker.

"But I don't think I have." Brian tilted his head, studying him. "Then why does she bother you?"

Liam's grip on his glass loosened suddenly as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on bony knees in slow motion. His voice held frustration like a slowly unfolding dark cloud, his eyes flashing deeply with annoyance from someplace.

"I don't know," he admitted, the words tasting foreign on his tongue.

Brian leaned forward suddenly with a rather amused glint deep within his eyes. He quipped, "I still feel you might have slept with her on one of these your shitty days," while slowly raising his glass for a sip of whiskey.

Liam's grip loosened as he leaned forward, suddenly resting his elbows on his knees.

"I think she's different." And that, more than anything, was what bothered him the most.

Brian leaned back. "Ooooh! ... Speaking of different, you still need a fiancée."

Liam groaned. Oooh! Gosh! His grandfather's will was so clear that if he wanted to claim his inheritance, he needed to appear 'settled' in a committed relationship. Brian grinned. "What if your PA becomes your fiancée?" Liam stilled. The idea was absurd and yet… it made sense.

In Liam's mind, Chloe was strong-willed, attractive and not interested in him, unlike other girls who danced around him in the quest to draw his attention to them. That alone made her the perfect candidate. No messy emotions; it will be strictly a business deal.

His fingers tapped against his glass as the thought took root in his mind of how to present the offer to her, with him not knowing how to go about that.

Liam was battling with his inner conflict that night. He sat in his penthouse, staring out at the glittering skyline, while his mind remained restless.

Chloe Carter... She was nothing like the women in his world, women who draped themselves over him, seeking wealth and status. She didn't cower under his gaze, nor did she try to impress him. That intrigued him and irritated him at the same time.

But to think of it, will she agree to his proposition? He doubted it. But something told him he would enjoy trying to convince her. A smirk tugged at his lips as he told himself, "Liam, this is definitely going to be interesting."