It was currently noon and I was waiting in line at Starbucks. It was supposed to be my lunch hour right now, and I'd planned on going to Panera for a bread bowl. Unfortunately, my boss had other ideas.
Mr. Burke senior, Chance's father, decided that it was imperative that he had a latte by 12:15 for his next meeting. Mentally cursing the CEO, I stood my ground in the slowing move cue.
Ten minutes passed and soon I was nearing the front of the line. I reached in my small clutch for the credit car Mr. Burke had given me for the cost. I pulled it out, but me, being irrevocably clumsy, managed to drop the stupid thing.
"Crap," I muttered.
I went to pick it up, but suddenly I remembered what I was wearing. I cursed under my breath. Feeling brave this morning, I'd put on one of my shortest pencil skirts.
It wasn't anything trashy; it still came to mid thigh, but I knew that it would ride up with the slightest of bends. Grumbling, I tried to use my shoe to pick it up, but it was no use.
I was mentally calculating whether or not I could bend down at a none-flashing angle, when suddenly a tanned land reached down and picked it up.
Looking up, my eyes locked with familiar green ones. I gasped.
"Cooper? What are you doing here?"
Cooper smiled. "Getting my caffeine fix. You on lunch break?"
I shook my head. "Technically yes, but I'm actually here on behalf of Mr. Burke's Venti latte."
Cooper laughed. "That's right. I forgot you interned."
I nodded. Just then, the barista called, "Next!"
Moving quickly, I gave her my order. Behind me I heard Cooper order a Frappuccino. When he was done, he came to stand next to me while we waited for our drinks.
Just then, the sun filtered through the coffee shop's windows and illuminated my face. Cooper's eyes went wide.
"Holy shit! What happened to your face?"
I winced. Two days had past since the incident, but my cut was still noticeable despite all the makeup I'd used this morning.
And, even though I'd been sticking to collared blouses, the bruises on the higher part of my next were stil visible.
"Let's just say one of my business 'meeting's' went wrong," I muttered.
Understanding dawned on Cooper's face. "Shit, what happened?"
I shrugged, watching the barista as she dolloped whipped cream on someone's order.
"We showed up at the hotel. Shit went down. The next morning I woke up with these." I gestured to my injury.
Cooper looked apologetic. "I'm sorry."
I cocked a brow. "Why are you apologizing? It's not like this was your fault."
He shrugged. "I know. I've just always felt sorry for Chance's assistants."
My heart stopped. "Assistants? You mean there's been more girl than me?"
Cooper looked like he was having an "oh shit" moment. Immediately I knew that he'd told me too much.
I didn't care, though. My mind was still occupied with the fact that I wasn't the first of Chance's assistants. A flurry of emotion rose, but there was only one that I allowed in.
Curiosity.
"If I'm not the first, than what happened to the others?"
Cooper's Adam's apple bobbed, and a hint of pain flashed behind his eyes.
"I don't know If I should the one to answer this question."
"Bullshit. Tell me what you know."
Cooper shook his head. "Ask Chance. He should be the one to explain it to you."
With those final words, Cooper grabbed his Frappuccino and disappeared onto the bustling streets of New York.
~
It was nearing one o'clock by the time I got back to Burke Industries. The valet guys, dressed impeccably in black, rushed to get the door for me considering my hands were full the lattes. Despite my mood, I smiled at jovial people. At least someone was having a good day.
After going through the onslaught of security procedures in the lobby, I was fortunate enough to catch the elevator. The ride was a squished one, but soon I was on the top floor and heading to Mr. Burke's office.
I passed Judy, the secretary of my floor, on my way there. She smiled, but I could see the worry etched into her eyes.
Chance and I had come up with a cover-story for my injuries. Apparently I'd gotten mugged. Shaking my head, I flashed Judy a reassuring smile, before continuing my walk to Mr. Burke's office.
As I rounded the corner, I was surprised to see that the door was propped open. A few more steps and I could hear voices.
Two male, very familiar voices.
Like their looks, Chance and Mr. Burke had similar voices. Both were equally deep and lyrical, but Mr. Burke's lacked Chance's arrogant drawl.
Making sure to keep quiet, I stepped forward until I could clearly hear what they were saying.
"How much time do we have?" Chance spoke.
There was a pregnant pause before Mr. Burke's voice filtered through the air.
"A few months. Maybe less. I can't be sure."
I almost screamed when I heard the ear-splitting crash that followed Mr. Burke's words. It sounded like glass shattering.
But, the noise was tame compared to the animosity in Chance's voice.
"This is bullshit, Robert. You had every option and resource in the world, yet you still couldn't perform. You failed. And, when Burke Industries go Bankrupt, we're not the only ones who will suffer. We employ over fifteen thousand people. Thanks to you thousands of families are going to struggle to pay their bills and mortgages this year."
If Robert was going to say something, he never got the chance. Before I could comprehend what had just happened, there were loud footsteps and Chance appeared.
Face a mask of anger, he slammed the door shut, only to freeze when he saw me.
My hands were shaking so hard that I'd sloshed some latte on my exposed wrist. The burning sensation was the only thing keeping me sane considering what I'd just heard.
"How much did you hear?" he asked, his voice surprisingly collected.
"Enough," I whispered.
Chance nodded grimly. "I guess the cat's out of the bag now."
"How long have you known about this?"
He took a step forward. "By 'this' do you mean the fact that Burke Industries is going bankrupt?"
I nodded.
"Awhile. Even before my father came clean, I already knew we were going under."
"Why didn't you say anything? Why haven't your employees been warned and given notices?"
Chance shook his head. "Look, Piper. I've been trying, but my father won't give me access to anything. It's out of my hands at this point."
"That's bullshit. You're the heir to Burke Industries. There must be something you can do."
My voice had gradually risen, so it was no surprise that Chance clamped my mouth shut with his hand.
"Quiet. If we'e going to continue this discussion, I'd prefer if we do it in my office."
"What about your dad's coffee?'
Chance rolled his eyes. "Leave it by the door. I'll have Judy deliver it."
Just as I set the drink down, Chance started to pull me down the hall. His hand around my arm didn't release itself until we'd entered his office, and he'd shut the door behind us, making sure the lock was in place.
He motioned me to sit on the couch. I complied, expecting him to do the same. Instead, Chance headed for a wooden cabinet behind his desk. When he pulled it open, he revealed a mini fridge filled with various drinks.
He pulled out a coke and a larger glass bottle.
"Isn't it illegal for someone your age to be drinking bourbon?"
"Compared to the other illegal things i've done, underage drinking is the last on my list of things to worry about."
"Well than maybe I should have a glass too considering the illegal things I've done."
He chuckled. "Please. You're probably one of those health-conscious freaks."
I rose my brow. "Just because I care about my liver's state doesn't mean i'm a health-conscious freak."
Ignoring my comeback, Chance opened the bottle and took a big swig before joining me on the couch.
"Now, to continue our earlier conversation, there's something I'm doing in order to save this company."
"And what would that be?"
"Considering how smart you are, I would've thought you'd already figured it out."
I stared back blankly. "I don't get it."
"Think about it, Piper. What do you need in order to keep a company from going bankrupt?" He asked, taking another swig of his liquor. I did the same, the fizzy bubbles of my coke tickling my throat.
"Money."
He nodded, his trademark smirk beginning to tug at his lips. "And what have I been doing lately to get money?"
Suddenly it all clicked. From the very beginning I knew that Chance wasn't evil. Annoying and arrogant as hell--yes. But evil? No.
Chance was also filthy rich. Everything about him screamed money. His designer shoes, Mclaren sports car, Armani suits--there was no denying the wealth.
That's why it was so hard for me to understand why Chance was risking his life to sell drugs. He had the whole package, and as much as I hated to say this, there was still good in him.
But now, I knew the reason behind the drugs.
"You're selling the Platinum in order to raise enough money to keep Burke Industries from going bankrupt."
*******************************
DUN DUN DUN
So, we got a lot of information in this chapter!! Which means, we can now continue to keep the story rolling.
Things to think about:
Miguel still after Chance and Piper
Chance's other assistants--who were they? What happened to them?
Also, Mr. Burke. Is he good or bad?
Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter and please make to sure to vote/ comment!!! Also, I can't thank you guys enough for getting this story to #23 in Action. You guys are seriously awesome!
-Katherine