I took a sip of my coffee as I stared off into the distance. The soft morning sun soaked the white plains and the distant hills with its golden rays. Everything is blanketed with soft snow and it glitters against the sunlight.
A lilting, sweet melody started playing in my head. A lovely morning with my wife ran through my mind. We are cuddling in silence with a cup of coffee, the morning sun seeping through our skin. Few moments later, our children come in, the three of them, and give us sweet morning kisses.
I sighed contentedly at the thought, my lips stretching into a smile.
A knock on the door woke me up from my reverie.
"Mr. Nikolaev, your new manager has arrived," Otto called from outside.
"Yes. Yes. I'll be down in a moment," I responded.
I heard Otto's steps retreat away from my door without another word.
She's early. It is only 8 o'clock in the morning and it is cold out.
I washed my face in a hurry and got out of my pajamas. I put on casual clothes and hand-combed my tousled hair. I jogged down the winding stairs into the foyer and walked towards the living room.
My eyes zeroed in on a raven- haired woman. She took a sip of her tea and I noticed a sort elegance with the way she brought the teacup to her mouth.
A corner of my lip turned up into a smirk.
How interesting.
She turned her head to where I was standing. I clipped a smile at her and she stood up. She gave me a fraction of a bow.
"Ms. Dahlia Jade McCrae, I assume?" I greeted her as I walked into the room. I held out my hand to her for a handshake.
She took it, her face void of any reaction.
"Yes Sir. I am glad to finally meet you."
We took our seats and a pregnant pause ensued.
"So... Senti has briefed you about everything that you need to know?" I opened.
She nodded.
"Yes Sir. I am fully aware of my responsibilities as your new manager."
"Good. By the way, Senti informed me that you would like to stay with me and my family instead of having a place of your own since this is your first time living here in Kazakhstan. Is that right?"
She nodded in response, her smile stiff.
"I would understand if it's too imposing to you and your family Sir."
"It's okay. Senti asked this of me and that would be very ideal. Senti was practically living with me before so it's nothing new. Being my manager is a very demanding job. I assume that Senti told you everything about this job and you had thoroughly thought over your decision before accepting it?"
She nodded again and smiled.
She looks much better when she smiles. It creates attractive dimple lines on her cheeks. She doesn't look as cold and emotionless as I thought minutes ago.
"Of course Sir. You can be assured that I don't go back on a decision I made."
I smiled back, much wider.
"Good. Good."
"Anyway, how do you find Kazakhstan?" I asked, changing the topic.
A faint smile passed by her lips.
"It is better than I had anticipated Sir. And I did not expect to see this beautiful mansion at the end of such a remote trail."
I nodded, suppressing a smile.
"I'm glad you like it. We will be staying here for a few weeks if things go according to plan."
She responded with a small smile.
"You should unpack your things now and get some rest. I'm sure you are tired from the long trip," I said, standing up.
She also stood up and nodded.
"Thank you Sir."
I was about to take my leave when I remembered something.
"How about breakfast? Have you eaten?"
Her hazel green eyes stared back at me, uncomprehending for a couple of seconds.
"Uh, I'm sorry but no. Not yet Sir."
I couldn't help an amused smile. She looked like a deer caught in headlights.
"Of course. It's still a bit early. Unpack your things in your room first. I'll call Leila to lead you upstairs. After you are done you can come back down and join us for breakfast. This is a good time to introduce you to my family since they will be leaving for Nursultan after the meal."
"Thank you Sir."
I nodded at her and took my leave. I called Leila on the phone on my way out and told her about the new manager needing a room.
My steps retraced the stairs back to my room. I went into the veranda and took my half- finished cup of coffee from the coffee table. I took a sip. It's already lukewarm.
I put it back on the table and sat down on the couch.
It's finally sinking in. I'm having a stranger and a woman by my side as a manager.
I have never considered it. It's not ideal. It is impossible not to get awkward or develop a complicated affection along the way. It could get in the way of work and even harm the both of us at the end. I can't believe I let Senti talk me into this.
I still remember the argument five months ago.
"Listen brother. I don't understand why you are insisting this McCrae whom I know nothing about to replace you. You know what being my manager is like. We stick to each other all the time, working through the night, traveling at ungodly hours. We even have to borrow each other's clothes. I need a guy like you. A man. Or if it's possible, a clone of you. The job is very demanding."
He laughed at me.
"I'm grateful that I'm somewhat indispensable to you brother but I'm telling you, Ms. McCrae is way better than I am. I promise you that. I've seen her work. I've seen her deliver results. She's a top honorary graduate in Melbourne University and she became an account executive at a top advertising firm in New York. At 24. If that woman is not competent and smart, I wonder who is.
I pursed my lips at him, still skeptical.
"Okay. Sure. If she is as competent as you said, why choose to work with me? She can climb the executive ladder further, solidify her career, earn a lot more "
He hesitated for a second.
"Uh.. she was in a situation and she didn't have a choice but to resign."
I stared at him with a growing suspicion.
He clapped me in the back with a huge grin.
"Trust me on this brother. Alright? If one day she decides to leave, I'll go back for you. That's a promise."
I know it's impossible for him to come back. At some point I have to look for another manager I can trust.
Well I guess I have no choice but to trust Senti on this one. She is a temporary manager I have to tolerate for the meantime. As long as she does her job well, I'm not complaining.
With a sigh, I stood up from my seat. I went straight to the bathroom and stripped off my clothes. Under the warm water, my mind raced about being back on the spotlight again. I do miss the stage, I miss the lights shining down on me, I miss my fans chanting my name but I'm afraid of that familiar loneliness in the crowd.
I pushed away the thoughts and willed my concentration back to lathering soap on my body.
***********************
YOU ARE READING
UNMASKED
RomanceArystan Nikolaev never entertained the idea of hiring a woman to be his manager. He knows the complications that comes with it. He tried to keep his distance and focus only on their work relationship. But there's something about the woman that draw...
