Fuck. It was her. The same woman that had been starring in my recurring dreams for the past two nights. The same woman who'd just left me with a fucking note as if those few hours hadn't meant anything to her. Because it meant something to me. And that knowledge stung. But I could be professional, right? Especially now, knowing that she would be working with me - for me. The whole reason I'd gone out alone that night was because I had wanted to forget. Forget about how in a couple of days time, a whole ass company would be my responsibility. How I'd have to live up to the great Benjamin Miller's reputation. It had been fate when I'd seen Aaliya and flirted with her. I hadn't planned to take her home, but the allure was too tempting. It had been the perfect solution to get away from real life problems. Until bitter reality hit again the next morning, in her absence and a flimsy note. I had never expected to see her again, despite wanting to, but here we were.
I pretended to ignore her, as I entered the room, knowing that I wouldn't be able to take my eyes off of her if I did. The moment I'd seen the back of her head, I'd known something was familiar about her. That smooth, silky brown hair tied up in a pony. The tanned skin that was now covered in a formal blouse and pencil skirt. It was torture. The pure shock on her face was worth it though. The way her lips had popped open in an 'o', surprise evident on her face. She had recovered quickly, I had to give her that. Aside from that initial reaction, she had given nothing away.
I'd only introduced myself and welcomed the new joinees, letting Mac take over since he was the head of HR. Ever since Dad had started Dellite Inc, his main focus and emphasis had been on being a team, rather than just boss and employee. Hence, why he was the one who liked to welcome new employees onboard. I didn't get the logic behind that but okay. Benjamin Miller was still a man who believed in the power of personal connections and contact - something that he attributed to the success of this company. Which was fair, since we tended to have the happiest employees and minimum labor turnover. Who was I to complain?
We hadn't broken the news yet, save for the people in front of us right now, but Dad was going to step down as CEO and founder, wanting to pass it on to his one and only son. He'd been pestering me for the past year to take over and I'd only given in after his diagnosis. I'd been used to stuffy boardrooms and uptight directors and content with working as Head of Finance after graduating summa cum laude 9 years ago and getting a double Masters degree from Columbia before the age of 25. Overachiever much? Probably.
To be honest, It wasn't much of a difference here. The only thing would be that I'd be working as CEO and CFO instead of just one position, seeing as we hadn't found anyone qualified enough to fill in the vacant position of Chief Financial Officer. Which obviously meant that I would be Aaliyah's boss. And yes, I may or may not be reading the employee sheet right now while Mac droned on beside me, my eyes roving over Aaliya's name and her position. I kept staring at the loose sheet of paper, hoping that it would spout more details about the woman who'd plagued my thoughts for countless hours now. The woman who was an enigma to me.
"So that pretty much wraps it up." Mac's words finally snapped me out of my thoughts as I looked ahead, noticing how Aaliya sat ramrod straight, unwilling to make eye contact with me. We'd see about that. "You'll each be assigned to a HR representative who'll be introducing you to the company, its history and what you'll be expected to do and who you'll be reporting to, etc. We have a very informal work environment here at Dellite Inc, which means that everyone here is on a first name basis, no matter their job title. Neil, would you like to add anything?" Mac turned to me, one eyebrow raised, as if urging me to say something. He knew that I hated speaking in front of people but still urged me on, bastard that he was.
"I'm pretty sure Mac's covered all the basics and I do look forward to working with all of you. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to me or Mac."
With a polite smile and a nod, I exited the room, hearing the faint buzz of chatter even before we'd left.
"Send the new finance director to my office." I said to Mac as I adjusted my cufflinks. "I need to have a word with her."
"Is there anything I need to know?" He asked casually as I debated on my answer.
Mac had been one of my closest friends ever since university. He'd graduated with honors as well and we'd worked together in the same company before he'd decided to join Dellite with me. In fact, he'd been one of the factors that had convinced me to take the leap and work in my father's company, his pride and joy.
"Not really." I answered before I headed to my cabin and he headed towards the staff area.
"Whatever you say, bossman."
I shot him a dirty look, not bothering to reply before I closed the door behind me and took a deep breath.
I would never admit it out loud, but seeing Aaliya again had ruffled my feathers. But we needed to have a talk. I needed to see if she was on the same page and that we would be able to remain professional.
Rolling my chair around to see the floor to ceiling windows, I contemplated how things had changed over the blink of an eye. Dad's Alzheimer's diagnosis, becoming CEO of his company, wanting to escape from everything for a while, finding Aaliya and having what was the best night so far. It was all so overwhelming. And I didn't know what to think of it. I certainly had no choice but to step up now. A knock sounded on the door, breaking me from my thoughts as I swiveled around.
"Come in." Aaliya entered, her eyes anywhere but on me as she stood stiffly, her body language indicating that she was uncomfortable. "Please have a seat." I gestured towards the chairs in front of my desk. There was a beat of silence before I uttered my next words. "I'm sure you know why I've called you here."
"I assume it's about work?" She asked, one eyebrow quirking as she finally made eye contact with me.
"It is about that," I conceded. "But I wanted to talk about something else too."
"If it's about the night we spent together, then I don't want to talk about it. It was one night. You didn't know me and I didn't know you. I think we can leave that in the past and remain professional going forward." She blurted out as I swallowed harshly, knowing that she was right.
"Yes, but -
"I don't think we should talk about it anymore, Mr Miller." She paused for a second, hesitant. "I don't want any unnecessary complications." She finished as I pressed two fingers to my forehead.
My mind knew that what she was saying was true. It was just one night. In fact, I was the one who broached the subject and was going to talk about it with her. But still, my heart didn't want to accept her words. It wanted to feel the thrill that I had felt two nights ago.
"Right. Of course. We can't have that happening." I agreed, steepling my fingers in front of me. "But I need you to know that that was the best night of my life. I won't say anything more, but I needed you to know that."
Her face softened a fraction before she smiled at me. "Likewise, Mr Miller. But nothing can happen between us ever again."
"Nothing at all." I repeated, leaning back in my chair. I wish it could though.
After a minute of silence, Aaliya wiped her palms on her skirt, something I'd caught her doing during the introductory meeting as well, before she spoke up.
"I presume that's all you called me in to discuss?"
"It is. And the fact that, as you already know, you'll be reporting to me directly. I'm sure that Mac must have already briefed you about your day to day responsibilities, but if you have any doubts, please feel free to email me."
"Will do." She nodded, her face morphing into that polite mask as she got up and reached for the door.
"Oh, and Aaliya?" Her head turned to face me, a questioning look on her face. "Please call me Neil. Everybody here calls me that. Mr Miller is my father."
With that, I turned my attention to my computer, hearing the soft click of the door just seconds later.
Fuck. Was this how it was going to be every single time I interacted with her? Every single time we worked in close proximity of each other, given our job titles? This strange tension between us, that I hoped dissipated with time? Shaking my head, I pushed all thoughts of a certain dark haired beauty away from my mind, instead focusing on the draft that our PR and Communications team had sent to me for approval. We'd be breaking the news of me taking over Dellite Inc tomorrow morning, saying that Dad felt like it was time he gave up the reins and to sit back and relax, due to his age. Nothing about his condition, obviously - he didn't want that getting out.
I was halfway through typing my response to the PR team as another knock sounded on the door before it opened. Tina, one of the oldest employees in the company as well as the reason for the downfall of my parents' marriage, entered. She had been a pain in my ass for a while now, bitter about the fact that I'd chosen to make Mac the head of HR rather than her. I didn't know what it was, but something about her rubbed me the wrong way. I'd have to do something about her soon. So far, she hadn't done anything wrong - except for meddle and be my father's mistress. He hadn't been able to fire her since she'd threatened to sue him and the company if she was fired without a reason. Benjamin Miller had never been one to take risks. But I sure would, if it came down to it.
Tina's sneaky eyes roamed over the seat Aaliya had been occupying a couple of minutes ago before they landed on me.
"I just came in to hand over these files. Mac said that you should have a copy and go through them so you know about our new hires."
"I'll do that. Thanks." I took the folder, waving it around in a clear dismissal.
"I hear that you called one of the new employees in for a talk. Aaliya Joshi, if I'm not wrong?"
"Yes, I did. Now if you don't mind, Tina," I pinched the bridge of my nose. "I have work to do, things to catch up on. I don't have time for mindless office gossip."
"Just curious." She shrugged her shoulders, not one wisp of her salt and pepper bob out of place.
"I'm sure you can see yourself out now." I usually wasn't so brusque with my employees, but Tina somehow managed to bring out the worst in me. Through my peripheral vision, I could see her face fall before she glared at me and marched out of my office. Jesus fuck, this was a mess.
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