Lauren
She intrigued me. Ever since I laid eyes on her, I knew she was different from other women I had already met. She wasn't just a beauty, there was something about her that was making me curious, and I couldn't resist not knowing what it was. Her mysterious vibe, and lack of emotion really piqued my interest, it made me wonder what kind of a person she was if I got to see her true self.
I wanted to get to know her, so I took the time to personally look for any contact information I could find, and when I did find something, I let my secretary contact her. Imagine my surprise when she showed up, looking totally different from when I first saw her, which really amplified my curiosity. I meant, she probably liked to change her style from time to time, but I couldn't shake the feeling that there was something behind the change, something deep, and adding to the fuel was how she said she couldn't wait to work for me. The way she said it, I felt like there was more to it.
I hired her on the spot for two reasons. First was that I wanted to do something as a thanks to her for helping me got out of the mess that night. I thought words weren't enough for what she did because if it wasn't for her, I would have probably caused a scandal which would end up in tabloids, something I was trying to avoid for the sake of Harrington's reputation, and also the Coldwells. The second reason was I felt like I needed to get close, and find out who she really was, for my sake. I could tell her mysterious vibe was slowly pulling me towards her, and for the first time, after so many years, someone had stirred my curiosity, which only meant one thing for me; once I would get interested with someone, I wouldn't stop no matter until I had satiated my curiosity.
"Ms. Harrington?" Alex's familiar voice echoed through my head, snapping me from reverie, and I turned my chair to face her.
I cleared my throat, "Yes, Alex?"
"I'm done with the office tour, Ms. Harrington. I'm ready for whatever work you would like me to do."
I smiled when I eventually thought of something, "For now Alex...I want you to come with me, I'm gonna check the venue for my engagement party."
"Of course, Ms. Harrington."
"Great!" I blurted out excitedly, thinking I would get to spend time with her. It would be a good opportunity to pry something out of her, and maybe get to know her better. "Now, let's get out of here," I added, making her frown for a moment at my enthusiasm. I grabbed my bag, and walked out of the office with her following behind.
~~~
A comfortable silence enveloped us as we sat next to each other in the car. Since we left the office, Alex hadn't said a word looking like she was in deep thoughts as she watched the cars and buildings blurred past us. As much as I didn't want to interrupt her pensive mood, and the fact, I was also admiring her side profile, I still had questions to ask her, and I wouldn't get anything if I didn't start asking now.
"You don't talk that much, do you Alex?" I asked, grabbing her attention as she turned to me.
"I don't, Ms. Harrington," she simply replied, and I nodded understandably, taking a deep breath.
"Well, I'd like to change that if you're gonna be working for me...So, tell me about yourself Alex."
Her right brow faintly twitched as she looked at me pensively, "There's nothing really interesting about me, Ms. Harrington."
"I'm sure you're an interesting person Alex...but, alright..." I said, shrugging my shoulders, "I won't force you to tell me, well at least not now, after all, you just started working for me, I'm sure you're still uncomfortable talking to me..."
"Thank you, Ms. Harrington."
"Although...I'm kind of curious about one thing..." I trailed off when I noticed her narrowed her eyes for a fleeting moment, and I mustered up my stern expression to let her know I was getting serious, "tell me Alex...why a black rose?" I asked, recalling the articles I had read about a black rose tattoo symbolism, which, by the way, the results were actually gripping. For me, Alex wasn't just a person who would do something without thinking things thoroughly, and I bet she wouldn't just get a tattoo without a reason. Sure, maybe she just liked to get tattooed, and I was just thinking too much, but it couldn't hurt if I put meanings to some things I had noticed about her.
Eventually, I noticed her right brow twitched once again, causing me to suspect something...Could it be the twitching of her eyebrow, her tic when someone asked her personal questions?
"Honestly, Ms. Harrington...I just like what it symbolizes..." she said forbiddingly as her gaze was getting intense behind those glasses. The light atmosphere around us immediately turned into something intolerable, and all I could do was stare right back at her, trying to search for something in her eyes.
"And what does your rose particularly symbolize, Alex?" I slowly asked. She pursed her lips, and didn't answer right away, until I felt the car had reduced it speed, and slowly pulled to a stop, unfortunately.
She suddenly smiled, "We're here, Ms. Harrington," she announced lightheartedly, making me clench my jaw at the perfect interruption. Without another word, she eventually opened her side of the door, and quickly got out of the car while I let out a sigh of disappointment, before getting out of the car as well. I straightened my dress, and flashed her a small smile as she waited for me, and together, we walked towards the restaurant in silence.
As soon as I got in, my eyes instantly darted from corner to corner, scanning the entire room, and I admit, the place was fancy, I could see why Ethan had picked out this restaurant as the venue for our engagement party. The furniture, and modern designs really made the place appealing, and adding to the allure was the pleasant vibe I was getting...but after all these things, I wasn't really feeling it as I wanted our engagement party to be held surrounded by nature, like in a beach or in a backyard, where I could easily take a breather if the party would get too much for me.
"This place is fancy," Alex commented as she was now standing next to me. I was probably spacing out that I didn't eventually notice her presence.
I nodded, "Yeah..."
"Do you like it here Ms. Harrington?" she queried calmly.
"Yeah," I answered halfheartedly. She didn't respond eventually, and I felt her burning gaze on my side, causing me turn to look at her.
"But you don't look excited as you were before, Ms. Harrington..." she plainly stated, and I cocked my brow, thinking that she was probably observing without me noticing.
"I like the place Alex...but yeah, honestly, I prefer a different venue, I just...I don't feel like it here."
Her expression had slightly softened, "Then why don't you tell your fiance about it."
I let a sarcastic chuckle, "How I wish he would listen Alex, besides...everyone likes it here," I said as I briefly roamed my gaze.
"Why wouldn't he listen? He's your fiance."
"It's...complicated...but enough about me, I wanna know more about you Alex, my personal assistant," I said, watching her expression, and as I expected, her tic had appeared once again. "I answered your questions, at least answer mine?" I added after a moment, feeling hopeful. She pursed her lips as she looked at me with searching eyes, but it didn't take long when I noticed her took a deep breath.
"Death..." she said vaguely, causing me to frown in confusion. She didn't avoid my gaze as her expression had turned into a stern one.
"What?"
"My black rose...it symbolizes death and...yeah, just death..." she answered grimly before her lips curled into a small smile, "Nothing interesting, really," she added, and suddenly walked away, leaving me confused and curious. I frowned as I watched her in the distance, thinking about the way she said those words. It was disquieting, causing my mind to reel with more questions than ever.
Someone she cared about probably had died, that what she meant by death, but what troubled me was the other thing that the rose symbolized. Death, and what?...I may be reading this too much, but I couldn't help it, my gut was telling me she was hiding something, and if that was the case, then she probably was hiding something as my gut was always right.
Just who are you Alexandra Kensington?
~~~
For after almost two hours, we finally got back at the office from a silent and painful drive. For the whole ride back, Alex hadn't said a word, and so was I, as my mind was pretty occupied by the thoughts of her. The more I thought about her, I could say she was truly an enigma, a puzzle I so wanted to piece together. We just met three days ago, just three days, but she was already starting to drive me crazy. If this went on, I couldn't imagine what myself would be, still figuring out such a mystery, that was she.
"Alex?" I called as I looked up, and saw her walking to the door.
She turned her back from me, "Yes, Ms. Harrington?"
I smiled, "Thank you...for accompanying me."
"Of course, Ms. Harrington...it's my job," she answered, and I nodded, watching her as she continued her way, but before she could reach the door, it suddenly flew open, and came inside was my fiance, Ethan. It caught Alex by surprise, but she quickly recovered, and stared at Ethan.
"Ah Alexandra, right? Nice seeing you again," Ethan greeted, smirking. I then fixed my gaze on Alex who still has her unreadable expression on.
"It's nice seeing you too, Mr. Coldwell," Alex replied, curling her lips into a small smile, although I noticed it was a little strained.
"Babe, what are you doing here?" I interfered when they fell back into staring once again, a playful smirk was still etched on Ethan's face.
Hearing my voice, Ethan turned to face me as if he just noticed I was also in the room, "Oh baby...I just wanna see you...and tell you something," he said as he strode towards me, then stopped in front, kissing me on the lips, but I didn't respond so he immediately pulled away. He scowled, but it didn't last long when he suddenly smiled.
"I'll just be outside, Ms. Harrington," Alex suddenly spoke up behind, but before I could say something, Ethan had beat me to it as he whirled around to face her.
"No, it's fine Alexandra, you can stay, I'm sure you would want to hear this too," he said smugly, making me roll my eyes.
What could he possibly wanted to say?
"What is it Ethan?" I asked impatiently.
"Dad will be having a wine tasting just for family and friends first, tonight..." he trailed off as he cupped my face, staring right into me, "and we have to go baby, dad wants us there," he added, capturing my lips. He then pulled away, and looked at Alex, "I'm inviting you Alexandra. You should come."
Alex shook her head, "I'm not a family friend Mr. Coldwell, and I don't want to impose."
"Wait," I butted in, "how come you just told me about this Ethan?"
"I forgot to tell you the other day baby, after our, you know, fight...I just remembered earlier, and when I did, I tried calling you, but you weren't picking up," he explained, making me nod as I remembered switching my phone to silent.
"Anyway..." he turned to Alex once again, "It's fine Alexandra, you must come...I already invited you, so the least you could do is show up, right?" he said jokingly.
I rolled my eyes, and looked at Alex, "It's okay Alex. I'll be there also, no need to worry," I assured her, hoping she would come. She didn't answer right away as if still contemplating, but after a moment, she nodded, causing me to let out a contented sigh.
"Okay Ms. Harrington. I will go."
"Perfect!" Ethan commented delightedly.
Perfect indeed.
With her around, I wouldn't have to deal with those smug people alone.
~~~
Alexandra
I heaved my body up, breathing heavily as I tried to stay longer under the cold water. Ever since Ethan invited me to the wine tasting tonight, it was like I hadn't gotten my focus for the rest of the day as I felt anxious, thinking about seeing the infamous Cliff Coldwell once again, for after so many years. Thankfully, Lauren had let me come home early as I felt the need to submerge myself, to ease my anxiety, and clear my head.
Speaking of my boss, I wondered what had gotten into her earlier, asking me about myself, and the tattoo. I didn't know what she was getting into, but I could sense she was watching me, observing me, and for all I knew, investigating me. It didn't help the fact that I almost spilled everything out when I had mentioned the death word, thankfully, I managed to stop myself from saying revenge or else, I would have ended everything I worked for at that moment.
I didn't know what, but there was something about her that forced me to tell her what she wanted to know. It could be that I was being considerate to her as she had also answered my questions earlier. Honestly, judging by her expression at that time, I got the feeling that she didn't have a say in some things, that her opinions and wants didn't actually matter, and it was sad when she had to accept, and gave in to them instead...But then again, I never understood why she had to deal with those people who wouldn't even listen to her. Was she that kind enough to put other people's interests above hers? Or was there any other reasons why she had to put up with them?
Well, whatever her reasons were, it didn't really matter, as she didn't really matter to me...
Having reflected enough, I pulled myself up, stepping out of the tub, and made my way to my bedroom to get dressed and prepare myself for the small event. After few minutes of blow-drying my hair, I put on the black long sleeve bodycon casual dress I laid on the bed, before putting little make-up on. Pulling my hair up into a sleek ponytail, I checked myself on the mirror to see if I looked good enough with the dress. After I was done, I walked to the bedside table to pick up my glasses, and wore it. I then grabbed my purse, and strode back to the mirror to look at my reflection for one last time, before getting out of my apartment.
As soon as I was out of the building, I decided to take a cab since the place wasn't that far, and I had to take the time to calm myself down, as the anxiety had emerged once again. Sitting silently on the backseat, I looked down at my entwined hands, and started thinking of my purpose, and why I was doing this in the first place, as it would help calm my nerves, and strengthen my resolve.
It took at least a couple of minutes before I started to gain my composure, and by the time I regained my focus, the cab had pulled to a stop. Paying the driver, I took a deep breath before getting out of the car. The huge metal gate that greeted was already open, and I saw several cars parked further in the front yard.
Straightening myself, I strode further inside, forgetting the lingering apprehension I was feeling, and as soon as I reached the door, I took another deep breath, and rang the doorbell twice. It took just a few seconds of waiting before the door suddenly opened, revealing the person I also expected to see.
Standing in front of me was the blonde woman named Amelia Coldwell, Cliff Coldwell's loving and supportive wife, the woman that I knew too well, the very same woman I left years ago...the woman who was once known as Amelia King, my mother.