Meeting Mr. Mogul (Book 1 of Mr. Mogul series)

Six

"Am I in trouble? Are you going to fire me?" I asked, with a trace of anxiety. I looked at her guiltily, squirming.

"Please stop fidgeting, Ms. Peterson. I'm not here to fire you, and you are certainly not in trouble," she said as the corners of her lips tugged up in a smile. "I'm here to hear your side of the story since my brother seemed incapable of telling the truth."

"What... what do you mean?" I stuttered, unsure of her words.

"So, you insulted him. That part is true, right?" she asked with a smirk, her eyes gleaming in amusement.

I stiffened at her words. "Is this a trick question? Are you trying to test me?" I asked, overlooking her delight at the situation.

"'No' to the first question and a 'Maybe' to the second. So..." she trailed off.

"Yes, I insulted him. The man belittled me. He was a prick, so I told him off."

"Yes, my brother can be a handful sometimes," she agreed, "but I assure you, he wasn't always like that. He became what he is now after our father died. I can't blame him. He worked hard to get our old man's company, but our dad gave the company to me instead."

"I'm sorry to hear that," I said after a beat of silence, not sure what to say.

"So, let's talk business," she stated and gestured for me to sit across her.

I sorted out my jumbled feelings as best as I could. My heart was beating rapidly as my thoughts raced on her implication of business. What kind of business does she want with me?

"Before I proceed, I want to know more about you. So, Andy, where do you live?" she asked, taking me by surprise.

"Oh! I currently live in my friend's couch in an apartment in Brewerytown," I said with hesitation, shy at this admission.

"Your salary is about three thousand a month, but is now less since you quit your other job, correct?" she asked.

"Yes."

"And you pay a portion of your father's medical fee? Is your salary enough to cover those expenses?"

"Yes," I replied softly as I stared at her, "How do you know all of this?"

"You sent an application for our job postings, Andy. We have your background file with us," she answered with a smile. "I also read that you applied as an art curator for our new gallery."

"Wait, you own Galleria de Belle?" I asked, stunned.

"Yes. An art gallery is a good investment," she replied with a chuckle. I finally noticed her blue eyes. They were the same shade of blue as Mr. Mogul's and were luminous in the light.

"Here's my offer," she continued after a brief pause, her demeanor turning serious and professional, "You can have the job as art curator if you work as my executive assistant for the next three months."

"Why?" I asked, astonished by her offer. Where is she going with this?

"I fired my last assistant, and I'm in need of one right away. You don't have to worry. We pay about forty-five thousand a month. I'll even throw in an apartment. After all, I don't want my assistant to be homeless," she replied with an enthusiastic smile.

I stared at her, my eyebrows practically disappearing to my hairline. The woman just looked at me stoically, just like her brother did before her. I mentally scoffed at the similarities.

"It's a generous offer, Ms. Maxwell, but why me?" I asked again, daunted by the offer.

"So far, you're the only woman who was able to look past his physical appearance and face him straight on. I've never known any woman, except me, my mother, or his assistant who can," she said with a grin.