♡
Sara's POV
2 months later
"Stop laughing Michael!", I protested as he snickered behind the file. I put my hands onto my hips and waited for him to meet my eyes.
Two months ago we had been almost caught by Marie and Gerard, and he still found it funny! I couldn't believe him sometimes. Michael was such an intriguing man – stern, furious, hard ruling, then suddenly silly and all smiley when he was in a good mood. At work he was a stern man who required you to prove yourself daily to him, privately he was a cuddly guy who loved to eat and do nothing all day long - total opposites basically.
Today, we had come to work together, per usual, after he had crashed at my place. Michael and I stayed over at each other's so often, that each of us had half their stuff at each other's place. I owned every makeup product double because I left some of it at his, as well as my pj's, underwear and such. Yesterday I had washed at least three suits of his, which was quite normal now.
After Melinda had trained me sternly the past two months, I had quickly grown into her position of the general secretary of Beaumont Enterprise. Not without mistakes though. Thankfully Michael was patient. I had brought him wrong files, sent wrong emails, scheduled appointments wrong – but he endured my nervousness and played along until I was sure enough of myself.
Now I handled it pretty good. Not perfectly, but I was getting there! It was almost lunch time and I had managed to do quite a big chunk of work already, as well as schedule his next two weeks in advance. As always, he was terribly busy, and we would only see each other when he slept over at mine's or over the weekend.
That reminded me – Léon had called him while he had been outside the company to sign a contract. His family was quite nice, and Léon often called to keep in touch with him; as well as his children. His niece loved to talk to him, even if she blabbered nonsense all day long. But Michael always beamed when Estelle talked to him and I was sure he would make a wonderful father one day.
I was dragged back to reality when my boyfriend looked up again.
A smirk laid on his perfectly arched lips and his blue eyes twinkled amused. "Admit it mon amour, in hindsight it was funny."
"It was embarrassing! Our clothes were everywhere, and we were half naked!"
"They didn't mind at all", Michael brushed it off with a shrug.
"Marie wanted to skin me alive!", I huffed, yanking the file out of his hand. Thankfully Michael had managed to calm her down, as well as Gerard.
Marie wasn't as bad once she calmed down and listened to what you had said – in fact, I often speak to them since Michael views them as his parents. Gerard is a calm individual who cracked funny jokes often, while Marie is a very emotion driven woman who wanted the best for them. They sort of reminded me of my parents, which made me miss Austria even more.
"Also, stop rereading the damn file! You checked it already, you should be preparing for the meeting in ten minutes!"
"Yes boss", Michael sarcastically replied, grinning at me. "Who would have thought that my secretary of two months could already be this demanding?"
"Well, I'm sorry for wanting to keep your business alive", I said with a smile as I walked out of his office.
I smiled as I heard him go after me – who would have thought that the Michael Beaumont would be so clingy?
His strong hands wrapped around my waist as I reached my desk and he planted heated kisses on my neck and shoulders. For a while, I enjoyed it. I leaned back against him, into his arms and closed my eyes. Michael let out an approving hum as I did that and kissed my collar bone for a long time.
"Michael ..."
"Nobody will see us", he mumbled and lifted my chin with his fingers. We exchanged a quick kiss nonetheless and then shared a laugh as we met each other's eyes. "Ready for another meeting?", Michael asked with a proud grin.
"Yes, Mr Beaumont."
"Oh stop it", he softly shoved me with a grin. "It's Michael for you."
"I'll try to keep it in mind", I stuck out my tongue to him and shoved him towards his office. "Go fetch your jacket and let's leave. We don't want to keep our business partners waiting."
♡
Eleanor's POV
A few hours later
As always, daddy's office was kept dark and silent, which caused me to suppress a deep sigh. I knocked once, didn't wait for an answer and twisted the door open to the dark room.
For once, he wasn't alone but had company, which made me furrow my brows. It was almost 5 o'clock, he would finish in half an hour with his work, he never spoke to clients this late into the day. Usually he would have some opera music playing in the back while he drank some wine and leaned back.
A tall man with somewhat broad shoulders and brown hair was standing in front of my father's desk, and I could somewhat tell it was a blue suit that he was wearing. Daddy really needed to open those damn blinds.
I stood there and watched him converse. They were talking for a long, long while and I wasn't really listening to them, in fact, I almost left again to get my nails done until I heard my father raise his voice.
"So it's a deal then, Mr Anderson." Deal? What kind of deal? How much money was involved in this?
"Of course Sir. It's always a pleasure to work with you."
"Likewise", daddy's deep voice rumbled. Then he spotted me. A polite, fake smile filled his face which didn't reach his eyes. "Nathaniel, meet my charming daughter, Eleanor Hawkins."
"Naturally I know the jewel of the Hawkins Enterprise. A pleasure to meet you in person, Miss Hawkins", the man turned and extended his hand.
I scanned him for a while. I didn't know him, but he looked younger than me. We shook hands courtly. He wasn't bad looking, but nowhere near Michael's beauty. No perfect features, no brooding expression which could turn oh so lovely when he smiled, no piercing eyes, no perfectly swooped hair, no manliness and no charm when it came to introducing himself.
This guy was utterly boring. Dull. Tiring. Bland-
"Eleanor, this is your new partner."
"What do you mean, daddy?", I swirled around to him with a pounding heart. My ears were ringing. The last time we spoke about partners, I had married Michael.
Not again.
Not again!
I didn't want him to meddle with my love life! The man he chose were everything I didn't want them to be! There was one man only who I wanted and he knew that damn well! "I don't want anybody besides-"
One of the newspapers he always read was pushed towards me with a flick of his fingers. Utterly confused I stared at it. "Why are you-?"
"Just read it, Eleanor", daddy sounded annoyed and crossed his hands in front of him, resting his chin on top of his folded hands.
I picked it up. Le Monde? Why would he read a French-?
My heart dropped to my stomach.
"Michael Philippe de Beaumont's new potential partner?", I stuttered as I read the French headline.
"You should read the papers more often", my father swirled around in his chair. "They've been covering the rumours for almost a month now."
I greedily scanned the picture and swore loudly. The woman next to him I immediately recognized – the brown hair, the big eyes, the curvy build, the smile - She had carried files to Michael's office when I had visited him. "Isn't that one of his employees?", I screeched angrily, crumpling the paper with my hands.
"Yes. And my ex-wife", Nathaniel spoke. My head snapped up to him. I must have heard wrong.
He had his fists clenched and looked furious. I followed his eyes and saw that they were piercing my laughing Michael. When he looked over to 'Sara', his eyes softened somewhat and there was longing on his face.
Then it came to me. How didn't I recognize him immediately!? Anderson. Business. Money business. Top five. "This cheap looking woman was married to the heir of the Anderson family?", I spoke loudly, trying to ignore my stinging heart. He doesn't love her. He can't love her. She must be after his money - I'm sure of it!
But ...
I glanced down onto the colourful picture again. Michael seemed so happy as he looked back to the woman behind him. Their hands were intertwined. Both were laughing at something. I hadn't seen him at ease like this for a long time.
"Sara didn't know of my status", Nathaniel yanked the papers out of my hand. "And it should stay that way."
"Hiding your true identity because you are scared she'll steal your money?", I asked with a grin.
"Isn't that what you did to Michael?", he asked with a raised brow.
"Listen here you-", I stepped forward and raised my hand. My father cleared his throat.
I stepped back and crossed my arms with a huff.
"As charming as they say", Nathaniel cleared his throat. I felt a vein pop up on my forehead. How dare that fucker!?
"Why should I work with this rude guy daddy?"
"Because you both have the same goal in mind – to destroy Michael."
I eyed my aging father for a long while. My father avoided me, per usual. He never did a business for others. Only for himself. He must have his own reasons to reach out to Nathaniel. He couldn't possibly be scared of Michael's thriving business, he was in the top three unlike Michael.
What was he plotting this time?
Before I could ask, Kathy, daddy's secretary, entered the room. "Angus, meeting in five."
"On my way", my father said with a groan as he got up and moved past us, without even looking at us.
Nathaniel and I were left alone. I went to open the blinds and turned around to scan him more thoroughly. Definitely younger than Michael, skinnier, smaller, less muscular. A whiny face with no confidence in it. Pathetic.
My partner, I huffed silently.
"Why do you want to destroy Michael?", I openly asked.
Nathaniel's brown eyebrows rose up in surprise. "I guess it's the same reason you have. I can't stand it to see him happy with my significant other."
Well, she didn't deserve it! He needed a strong woman by his side who would carry his name, who could handle the pressure and who could lead a business alongside him. The Beaumont's were well-known and respected, so if she did anything wrong, their name would be tainted forever!
I had an important status, a big name and a very influential father. I knew how the business needs to be run, unlike her. What did that scoundrel have what I didn't? Debts?
It was me who deserved the status of his name! Eleanor Hawkins-Beaumont. CEO of Hawkins Enterprise and Beaumont Enterprise. Mother of Michael's children. Family leader of the Hawkins-Beaumont! Véronique would have loved that idea and she would have fully supported my decisions in our marriage. She had done so the year we had been married, even if I had rarely seen her! I came from an influential family myself, I knew how to handle the media and I was a good hostess! Michael was fully set with me!
Nathaniel looked pissed himself, now that I looked at him even more. "You were initially a business tie too? Your marriage, I mean", I started, leaning against my father's desk while crossing my arms.
"No, Sara isn't wealthy. We met at the University", he ran a hand through his hair. "Also, my wife is none of your business. I just don't to see her with him, that's all."
"Ex-wife", I corrected. I handed him the papers. "When did you divorce?"
Nathaniel didn't answer me, neither did he take the papers I offered.
"You recently divorced, judging from your reactions. The bitterness doesn't get better", I mumbled and tossed the papers into the trash where it belonged. Where she belonged.
He loved me. He had loved me. As much as Michael denies it, we had loved each other. The looks he had given me had been real. He was forcing himself to be with her. I can tell. I just know it.
"What do we do?", I started again.
"We should start small. Anything we do shouldn't be trackable. We don't want to be exposed", Nathaniel stared out the window. "Scandals usually do the thing."
Now we were talking! Maybe he wasn't as bad as I thought!
"So, we should spread a rumour into the world", a grin filled my face and I strode to the window with open arms. "Small rumours, important rumours, big rumours, scandals – how far are you willing to go, Nathaniel?"
His eyes were dead as they met mine. "As far as I have to go to get her back."
I had to smile. "Let's start simple: she's a gold-digger. Atkins. Now Beaumont. That will arouse the suspicion of a few people. And if the rumours aren't enough, then I'll take care of her. I have a few people who are in debt. Beat some sense into her, you know? She should have stayed in her lane."
She was messing with the wrong people and she would soon find out.
Nobody messes with Eleanor Hawkins. Nobody.
♡
Sara's POV
My heart stopped for a moment and the world stopped spinning with it. I stared at the text in my hands, but it was all blurry. I could only concentrate on the picture which took up half of the page.
I rushed frantically into Michael's office and entered without knocking. He immediately looked up from the accounting file and stopped punching numbers into the computer and calculator. His expression grew from concentrated, to annoyed and then curious and he straightened.
"Did you read the papers today?", I breathlessly talked while rushing to his desk. Michael let out a distant sounding hum and got comfortable again.
With shaking hands I put Le Monde down in front of him, but he didn't even look at it. Instead, he eyed the computer again. "Michael! This is important!"
"I've read it", he addressed me, without meeting my eyes while he signed the papers and put them onto the neat pile of finished documents. "It's not a big deal. Let the people talk."
"It is! We are on the front page!"
"Should I cut it out and frame it? I'm sure mother will be proud of us."
I stomped with my heel. "Michael!"
"I'm joking!", he laughed and pushed his chair back.
Michael went around the table and took my hands. I threw my head back to meet his eyes. "Let them talk. Now they know we are together, so what? One day they would have found out anyways."
"I'm your secretary!", I protested with a heavily beating heart.
"And?", Michael sounded bored.
All sirens went off in my head. "And? And?! It's scandalous for an employee to be in a relationship with their boss?", I explained to him while I was losing my mind.
My boo smiled lovely at me and it calmed me down a bit. Just a bit. But I was still in disbelieve we had made it on the front cover of Le Monde !
"Mon amour, if you knew how many bosses do this, you would be shocked. They don't care that you are working for me. My people are more interested who will lead the family one day."
"Excuse me?"
"Sit down", Michael pulled the chair for the visitors closer and got his own one. He placed it in front of me and sat down.
"My family is quite important and big. We have a say so in many, many things. We lead a sort of dynasty, if you will. Money means influence and well, we have a lot of it", Michael ran a hand through his dark blond wavy hair with an apologetic smile. It showed his dimples and laughter lines and made him ten times more attractive. How was he 30 years old?
"Most people in my family have a big business running or an important title. I'm no exception. We make it regularly into the media, even my younger brother who's a graphic designer and works for himself. Marie and Gerard were mentioned a few times too. Now, to the leading part: we have a family spokesperson and I was chosen next for that job."
I looked at him and he patted my hand. "It's no big deal, that's why I didn't tell you. It's just like your job: business dinners, business trips, exactly the same just that there's no money involved", he tried to reassure me with a lovely smile of his. Too bad I wasn't easily charmed by him anymore - well, as long as he didn't flirt with me.
"But the reputation of the whole family, its status and power", I added slowly which made him nod hesitantly.
"Well, yes, but you don't have to take part in it. Tatie Marthe never bothered to help oncle Victor with the family duties. It's not a big deal, they just want to know who the next two people in charge are."
Michael kissed my forehead after I stayed quiet.
But to not do the work, just to let him do it, while I stood there and did nothing? I couldn't just do that! Michael is already busy enough as it is!
"How ... if you know, this thing between us lasted", I started slowly. Michael smiled amused at my statement. "Continue?", he voiced with a grin.
"And we got married – how would this play out? What would my tasks be?"
"To look pretty – don't laugh, they really do look out for your appearance. You have to be able to speak to our guests, entertain them, be a good hostess and family leader. Sometimes we get interviewed but that's it basically."
"What kind of guests?", I inquired to know. So sparingly with the details!
"Presidents, mayors, politicians and so forth. Friends of the family basically." The way he said it just drove me wild. As if that were the most normal thing in the world! As if he talked about the washing detergent he used and not some higher up people!
I leaned back and fanned my face. Michael leaned forward and rested his forehead against mine. "It's alright babe. Sounds way worse than it is. You manage me, so you can manage anything else easily", he winked and pressed a loving kiss onto my lips. "Now, if you excuse me, I need to finish the turnover."
"You can be a pain in the ass", I agreed, laughing. "But you are my pain in the ass."
"I feel flattered", Michael beamed. "Dinner at mine?" This guy – never missing a chance to be romantic.
"Only if you make me your noodles!"
"A candlelight dinner for two – got it!"
I took the newspaper and went to my desk. What have I done to deserve such an attentive man?