Innocence Auction (Book 1)

Chapter 12

Abel

Spending the weekend away from Chicago had been just what I had needed. While I had not had a woman in my bed every night like I normally did, I still felt more like myself. Like Amabella was not controlling my mind quite as much as she had before. That and I had had several successful business meetings with new clients and secured a good deal with Amabella's father. I sighed and sat back in the seat of the private plane I was currently travelling in. I was heading the fuck home now. I was feeling a little homesick. Which was not like me. I could normally do months away at a fucking time. But apparently I was missing Chicago. 'Or the person in Chicago' I thought bitterly. I sighed and downed the whiskey that was sat beside me. I was coming back a day early, so I knew Ace would not be expecting me in the office until tomorrow. However I had an urge to swing by the office. Mostly to make sure Amabella had actually gone into work in my absence. I am sure she was pissed at me for leaving her. It would not have surprised me if she had chosen to defy me. She had it in her to do so.

Getting off the plane, I was hit by the humidity of the Chicago heat. I was grateful when I saw Jenkins pull the car up a moment later. I hated the sunlight. Hated the heat. Which often was the reason people moved to Chicago. For the heat. I had not been one of those people. I had moved for the business opportunity. "Home Sir?" He asked a moment later. "No the office please Jenkins" I say and he nods before we set off towards the office. Stepping out of the elevator on the 86th floor, there was a vibe in the office I could not quite put my finger on. It was like something in my absence had changed. But I had no fucking idea what. Because looking around, the place still looked the same. Approaching the reception desk, I was surprised to find Anya unusually absent from it. 'Where is she and who the fuck is answering the phones' I thought bitterly as I continued through the office space. Deciding I would see how Amabella was doing, I headed for her office next. I did not bother knocking, instead I walked straight in. Afterall I owned the fucking place, so I could do what the fuck I wanted. Walking in, her office was just as empty as the reception desk. 'Where the fuck was she?' I thought as I walked out, slamming the door behind me. The sound echoed through the oddly quiet office and I began walking further down the corridor when Anya's face appeared from the staff room door. I watched as she noticed me, almost panicked, and then leaned back inside the room.

I stormed down the corridor to the staff room in hopes of finding out what the fuck was going on. As I did so, Anya walked past me, on her way back to her desk no doubt. Reaching the door, I could hear the voices of several people, all trying to talk in hushed tones. I walked straight through the doorway and I watched as several staff members jumped apart and quickly vacated the room. Leaving Amabella and Ace alone in the room with me. "Would somebody like to inform me, what the fuck is going on here?" I snap as I take in the buffet food on the table and the cake. "Abel, I did not think you were coming back until tomorrow" Ace says a little nervously. "Well surprise, here I fucking am" I snap. Ace sighs and steps away from Amabella a little more. Though it had not escaped my attention how close the two had been standing together when I had entered the room. "I better go" Amabella says as she heads for the door. "Oh no you fucking don't, you will stay right where you are. What the fuck is all this shit" I snap and point to the food on the table. "Reward for the staff?" Ace says but he phrases it like a question which instantly makes me think he is lying. "I do not know what the fuck is going on here, but something fucking is! Now I am going to my office, you have until the end of the day to fucking come clean otherwise I am going to start firing people. I will not tolerate this shit when I am not here" I snap before I turn around and storm off down the corridor to my office.

Amabella

"And you want to tell him we are together" I squeak out a moment later when Abel had left the room in a huff. "I think it's better we come clean than risk people's jobs" Ace says softly and deep down I know he is right. We had told the whole office about our relationship this morning when we had arrived at work together. Everyone had been so pleased and with Abel being absent until tomorrow, they had gone out and got some buffet food, so we could have a little party to celebrate. Well that is what we had been doing, until an unexpected arrival from Abel soon broke up the party. "Would he actually fire everyone?" I question a moment later and I did not even know why I was asking. I knew the answer. He would. Without a doubt. He was that cold and unfeeling, he would not give a shit if he made everyone in the office jobless. Over a party. Because ultimately that is what he was currently pissed about. That we had a party in his absence and we had been caught seeming to be unprofessional. Abel did not do fooling around or fun at the best of times. He certainly did not do it in office hours. Had we known he was coming back a day earlier than anticipated, we would never have done it. Then we would have not been in this mess. But as it stands, he had come back and we were in this mess. And only Ace and I could fix it. Or so we hoped. Though I was not sure I would still have a job when Abel heard what we had to say.