"Miss Lancaster? Please fasten your seatbelt. We will be landing soon."
I looked up from my phone at the flight attendant who was smiling at me. She was way too happy this early in the morning.
"Yeah okay." I grumbled back at her.
My attitude had no affect on her smile whatsoever. The woman walked away and closed the door to the cabin.
It had been a long year at boarding school in New Hampshire. My father couldn't make the graduation ceremony so he sent his private jet to get me as a sorry instead of making me fly first class.
I honestly didn't even want to go home. I wanted to go to my boyfriend, Erics home in upstate New York for the summer. His family loves me.
Father insisted that I come home so he could spend time with me before my first semester at Stanford.
I'd probably only see him 3 times over the next 3 months. He's a very busy man.
My father owns about 150 clubs across America. He also invests in small businesses and uses his recourses to make them successful. I think he is part owner of like 50 businesses in California alone. I stopped paying attention when he started investing elsewhere.
The one thing my father doesn't invest in is time with me. It definitely hurt my feeling when I was younger but now I don't really care. He keeps me happy with a large allowance and free reign to do whatever I want.
After the plane landed at Van Nuys airport I walked into the airport building. Usually my dad sends Paul, his driver, to pick me up but he was no where to be found.
Instead I saw a woman with a sign that was just a crumpled paper with my name written in sharpie. Interesting.
The woman holding the paper was looking around anxiously. I had never seen her before. She was beautiful. Her long brown hair was straightened and fell around her face which had a pair of glasses on it. She had on a grey pencil skirt and a white blouse. There's no way she could be much older than me.
Must be another assistant my father hired to "assist him." He does have a knack for going through assistants. That's why he hires like 5 of them at a time.
I laughed to myself and walked over to the woman.
"Nice sign." I said gaining her attention.
"Oh.... Uh.... Yeah.... When I got here I realized you wouldn't recognize me since I was just hired." The woman reached out her hand to shake mine. "I'm Emilia Cole."
I took her hand and shook it.
"Hello Emilia. Shall we?" I said dropping her hand and motioning for her to lead the way.
"Do you have any bags?" She said turning to walk towards the door.
"The pilot will make sure they get to my house." I followed.
She crumpled the already wrinkled paper and shot it into a trashcan as we walked out.
We walked into the parking lot. She pulled out her keys and opened the door of a what looked like a early 2000s Honda civic. It looked like this might be its last drive.
"Is this thing safe?"
"Of course it's safe! My dad taught me how to maintain it myself." She smiled.
"That doesn't reassure me." I groaned.
"Well you can either get in the car or wait here for an hour for a Uber. Your choice." She shrugged getting into the drivers seat.
I climbed into the car and folded my arms. This might be the ghettoest car I've ever been in.
"Will this thing even start?"
She turned the key in the ignition and the car spluttered to life. She turned to look at me with a "told ya so" manner.
If I'm being honest I found this whole ordeal very amusing but I couldn't let her know that.
She pulled out of the airport and started driving towards my fathers house. My phone started buzzing in my pocket about halfway there.
It was Eric.
"Hi Eric." I smiled answering my phone.
"Hi babe. How was your flight?"
"It was pretty boring. I don't understand why my father couldn't have scheduled a later flight. How was your drive home?"
"It was okay. I wish you could've come with me."
"I know." I pouted. "But we will be at Stanford together in 3 months. I'll also try to come visit you as soon as I can."
I looked out the window and we were pulling through the gate to my fathers estate.
"Listen babe I'm just getting home. I'll call you later." I said glancing at Emilia who was clearly listening.
"Okay. I love you."
"Love you too." I smiled and hung up the phone.
"Boyfriend?" Emilia asked.
"Uh... yeah."
"Is he cute?"
"Extremely."
"Good for you! The cute ones are hard to lock down at your age." She laughed.
"At my age? What are you like a year older than me?" I said sarcastically.
"How old are you?"
"18." I stated firmly
"Then I'm three years older than you thank you very much." She pulled into a parking spot and we got out of the car.
I climbed out of the car and started walking towards the house.
"You're welcome." Emilia said behind me in a sassy way.
I spun around and looked at her. No one had ever talked to me like that. Most of my fathers assistants either groveled at my feet or refused to talk to me at all.
I continued looking at her as she walked past me into the house letting the door close behind her.
What the fuck. She's a pain in the ass. At least I won't have to see her very often.
I walked into the house and up to my room. I wanted to take a nap. Just as I was closing my eyes my phone went off again.
"Hello?" I groaned into the phone.
"Are you sleeping? It's 12 PM Clara." I heard my fathers voice laugh through the phone.
"Well someone sent a plane for me at 6 AM."
"Oh I'm so sorry princess. You have such a hard life." He said sarcastically through the phone.
I laughed with him.
"It really is. Anyways is there something you needed father?"
"Yes I'd like you to come to dinner with me tonight. My flight gets in at 6. I'll send a car for you around then."
"Sure. As long as it's not the same car as this morning. That thing was a death trap."
My father laughed.
"Emilia really helped me out this morning by getting you. Don't give her a hard time."
"Yeah yeah. She doesn't seem like your typical hire. Very head strong. Not a lot of groveling."
"Well she had a rough upbringing. But her application was outstanding. She has a bright future and I'm excited to help her on her way."
"Oh father. Just a sweet old sap."
"Shut it. I'll see you at dinner. I love you."
"Love you too." We hung up and I laid back in my bed.
I honestly was not expecting to see my father on the first week I was here let alone the first day.
Father owns houses all over the country. I truly never know which one he is at most of the time. This house in LA is basically mine and i've only lived here for three months out of the year for the last four years.
I decided I couldn't sleep, and that I'm hungry.
I walked down to the kitchen to make myself lunch. When I walked in, I saw Emelia sitting at the counter, eating what looked like peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Her brown hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, and she was staring at a folder with a bunch of graphs in it, her glasses were on the edge of her nose. I ignored her and walked to the fridge.
I grabbed some strawberries and yogurt, and turned around to put them on the counter only to see her Hazel eyes looking into mine.
"Do you need something?" I asked menacingly.
"Nope." She smiled still looking at me.
Being under her gaze made me nervous for reasons I don't know. She finally looked away from me, and I decided that She was annoying.
I huffed, grabbed my food and left the kitchen.
Was that woman going to be everywhere? Why was she here and not with my father.........wherever he was.
I spent the rest of my afternoon in my room, avoiding Emelia.
Around 5 o'clock I got into a red dinner dress. I did my hair and make up then I went out front to meet the limo that was picking me up. I sat in the backseat, waiting for her vehicle to move, but it never did.
Suddenly the back door opened again and in climbed Emelia in a pink dress. Her hair was curled, and she had put on a little bit of make up.
"What are you doing?" I asked shocked.
"Mr. Lancaster invited me to dinner." She smiled.
"What? Why?" I blurted out.
She shrugged her shoulders and avoided my eyes.
This bitch knows something I don't.
I glared at the back of her head for another moment then looked out my window.
What was going on? First my dad insists I come home for the summer and now this?
We pulled up to the fancy restaurant and the driver opened the door for us. Emelia climbed out first looking glamorous.
Unexpectedly, she reached her hand back into the limo and held her hand out to help me climb out of the car. I looked up at her face with that familiar friendly smile and I felt butterflies in my stomach. I took her hand and she pulled me out of the car. I stood upright and she let go of me I felt a shiver go up my arm. What the fuck was that?
We walked into the restaurant to the front podium.
"Name?" The man said without looking up at us.
"Lancaster."
Suddenly his eyes flew up to mine.
"Oh..... uh... right! Uh... right this way." He stumbled out from behind the podium and started leading us to the table.
I heard Emelia giggle behind me and I smiled to myself.
I was used to people acting the way that man did when they heard the name Lancaster. My father was a very powerful man in this city. He could make or break any business he wanted to.
We rounded a corner and I saw my father sitting at a table talking into his cellphone. When he saw us he smiled and immediately hung up his phone then stood up to greet me.
"My princess! I've missed you so much." He pulled me into a hug and kissed my forehead.
"Be careful father you might wrinkle your suit." I grinned up at him.
He smiled then let me go. "Oh and we shan't have that." He said sarcastically then turned to the woman behind me.
"Emilia thank you so much for coming." Then he pulled her into a hug.
My mouth dropped open. I have only ever seen my father hug me and the divorce lawyer when he got my mother to settle.
My father moved to sit down and Emilia walked past me smiling.
"Close your mouth you look crazy." She whispered as she walked by.
I closed my mouth and glared at her as she took her seat.
I took my seat across from her.
"So how was school Clara?" My father asked starting the conversation.
"It was good" I shrugged taking a piece of bread from the table.
"I paid a lot of money to that school for a "it was good"?" He laughed.
"I don't know...... it was school. Learned some stuff.... Took some tests..... hung out with people."
"Okay sweetie....... How's that boy the one you brought home for Christmas? What was his name? Edgar?"
I rolled my eyes. The last thing I wanted to talk about with my father was Eric.
"It's Eric. He's fine. He will be joining me at Stanford in the fall."
My father side eyed me. "Right."
"So I know you've met Emilia but I'd like to formally introduce you." He smiled at her.
"Clara this is Emilia Cole. I hired her about 3 months ago. She's a quick learner and incredibly smart! She graduated high school with a associates and has a bachelor's in business management at just 20 years old!"
"Please Mr. Lancaster. You are making me blush." She said her face turning pink.
"Oh stop it Miss Cole." He laughed at her. "She's incredible." He directed at me.
I looked at the two of them. Emilia took a sip of her wine. My dad was grinning at her.
What is going on here?
I have never once been introduced to one of his assistants. They kinda just show up one day and I learn their names over time.
"Why are you telling me all this?"
"Well that's why I asked you to dinner....."
"Oh please don't tell me she's about to be my new step mother." I groaned interrupting him.
My father looked at Emelia and they both burst into laughter.
"What is happening!?" I said in a louder voice.
My father stopped laughing finally and answered.
"I've asked Emelia to be YOUR assistant this summer. I'd like you to start learning how things work and how things are run."
My assistant?
"You said I could graduate university before I took over the family business." I said with a frown.
"I did." He nodded. "But it's never too early to start learning. Emelia here knows everything and is going to help you out."
My mouth fell open again.
"Father........."
"No Clara this is final."
The rest of dinner I sat moving my food around my plate not really eating. I was too upset to join into the conversation between Emilia and my father. I always knew I'd have to take over my fathers business eventually because I'm his only kid. But I was told I would be left alone till after college. Why did he change his mind?