LOVE, LIES AND BULLETS

CHAPTER SEVEN

           
              ARROGANT BOSS

     
     
          "He's here?" Adriana said, her heart starting to race. She felt a moment of panic, but she tried to stay calm. Mark nodded. "And he wants to see you".
"He wants to see me?" Adriana asked
"Yes, he just came in and went straight to his office," Mark said. "I think he's in a bad mood."
Adriana swallowed hard. She knew that it was important to make a good impression on Luther, but she wasn't sure how to do that. She had a feeling that it would be difficult to please him.
"You should go and see him immediately", Mark said and left
         Adriana sat at her desk, her hands shaking slightly, She doesn't know why she was feeling that way but she knew she needed to compose herself before she meet Luther. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and tried to calm her nerves. She thought about what she would say to him, and how she would introduce herself. Finally, she felt ready to face him. She stood up and smoothed her skirt, then walked to the door. Taking one last deep breath, she opened the door and walked into Luther's office.
           Luther was sitting at his desk, his back to the door and he didn't look up as Adriana entered. Adriana cleared her throat trying to get his attention, he turned around slowly, his eyes resting on her.
Adriana heart skipped as she saw the handsome man looking at her. His face was even more handsome than she had imagine, with broad shoulders and dark hair that fell over his eyes, But it was his eye that really caught her attention, they were deep green and they seemed to look right into her soul. Her heart began to race and she felt a heat rising in her cheek. She hope that he wouldn't notice her reaction but then she realized she had hipcuped .
"So you are the new secretary?" Luther asked looking at her.
Adriana felt her face grow even hotter when she heard his voice. She opened her mouth to speak, but no word came out . She felt like a fool and she was sure that she had just made a terrible first impression.
"Are you the new secretary?" Luther asked again, his voice sounding cold and unemotional.
"Yeeees", Adriana stammered as she gathered herself together.
"I hope you're are better than the last one", Luther said.
Adriana's hands shook as she tried to respond.
"I'll do my best sir, she managed to say. "I'm a hard worker and I'm committed to doing a good job".
       Luther studied her for a moment, his expression unreadable.
"I'm not interested in your personal life or your excuses," he said. "I'm only interested in results. You will be judged by your performance, and if you don't meet my standards, you will be replaced."
Adriana felt like a weight had been dropped on her shoulders. It was clear that Luther was a tough boss, and she would have to work hard to please him. But she was determined to do her best.
"Go get me coffee", Luther said suddenly and Adriana's eyes widened.
"Excuse me sir, what did you say?" Adriana asked.
"Get me a cup of coffee", Luther repeated his voice a bit louder.
"Okay sir", Adriana said not believing what she heard.
"So am back to making coffee again", she murmured as she made her way to the door.
      Few minutes later, she returned to the office with a cup of coffee as she dropped it on Luther's desk.
"Here is the coffee sir" Adriana to Luther who was focused on his laptop.
Luther took a sip of the coffee and his expression changed.
"This coffee is terrible!" Luther exclaimed, " How could you possibly think this is acceptable?"
"Sir but I made this carefully, I was once a barista at a coffee shop and no one has ever complained when I serve them", Adriana said confidently.
"So are you saying am a liar?" Luther asked angrily.
"No sir, I was just trying.......
"Get me another cup of coffee", Luther cut in not sparing her a glance.
"Okay sir", Adriana said reluctantly and left.
           As Adriana made her way to the break room to get another coffee for Luther. She couldn't stop thinking why his voice sounded familiar.
"Have I met him anywhere? "I think so, that's not the first time am hearing that voice, Adriana said as she entered the room.
       She was just about to pour the coffee when she remembered him.
"Oh I know, he is that jerk that told Ms Jones to fire Linda, but he is looking hotter  and more handsome now", Adriana found herself blushing.
"Get your act together Andy, you are not here for this", She said and hurriedly prepared the coffee before leaving.
    She entered his office and dropped the coffee on the desk.
"The coffee is ready sir", Adriana said
"What took you so long?" Luther asked as he took a sip of the coffee.
"This coffee is too weak", Luther said frowning, "I like my coffee strong. You will have to make it again.
  Adriana felt herself boiling up, this handsome brat is definitely using her as a maid. She maintained her cool and carried the cup of coffee from the desk before walking out.
        Adriana couldn't believe it. She had expected Luther to be a gracious and professional boss, but instead he had treated her like a servant. She didn't know if she should feel angry or hurt, but she knew she wouldn't be treated like this again. She poured the coffee into a mug and carried it back to Luca's office, determined to show him that she was more than just a coffee girl.
She knocked on the door and waited for Luther to call her in. When he did, she entered the room and placed the mug on his desk. Luther barely looked up from his computer as he reached for the mug and took a sip.
"Thank you," he said, without looking at her. "This is manageable".
Adriana felt her anger bubbling up inside her, but she kept her composure.
"You're welcome, Mr. Luther," she said, her voice level.
"Is there anything else I can do for you?" Luther didn't answer. He was clearly focused on his work, and he didn't seem to care about Adriana at all. She turned and walked back to her office, fuming inside.
She sat down at her desk and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. She wasn't going to let Luther's treatment of her ruin her day.She sat down at her desk and began working on the files trying to focus on her work and not on Luther.
It was hard to concentrate, though, with the image of Luther's smug face burned into her mind. She gritted her teeth and kept working, refusing to let him get to her.
             Adriana worked diligently all morning, and by lunchtime she had made significant progress. She decided to take a break and grab something to eat. She headed to the cafeteria and grabbed a sandwich, then found a quiet table to sit at. She took a bite of her sandwich and closed her eyes, savoring the taste. Just as she was about to take another bite, she heard the scrape of a chair across the floor. She looked up to see a man sitting down beside her, a friendly smile on his face. "Hey," he said, extending a hand. "I'm Paul. I work in the marketing department. What's your name?"
Adriana shook his hand, her own smile appearing on her face.
"Hi, Paul. I'm Adriana. I'm the new secretary."
Paul nodded. "I've heard about you," he said. "You seem like you're going to fit in well here. And don't let Luther get to you," Paul continued.
"He's a tough boss, but he's not a bad guy. He's just focused on his work and doesn't always take the time to get to know the people who work for him."
Adriana felt a wave of relief wash over her. It was nice to know that someone else understood what she was going through. "Thanks for the advice," she said. "I'll keep that in mind."
"You're welcome," Paul said, taking a sip of his coffee. "So, how are you liking it here so far?"
Adriana thought for a moment. "Well this is my first day, so I'm still getting the lay of the land," she said.
"But everyone has been really welcoming and helpful. I think I'm going to like it here."
Paul nodded.
"I'm glad to hear that," he said. "If you ever need any help or have any questions, feel free to ask me. I've been here for a while, so I know the ropes."
Adriana smiled. "Thank you, that's very kind of you," she said. "It's nice to know that I have someone to go to if I need anything."
Paul nodded and stood up.
"I've got to get back to work, but it was nice to meet you," he said. "If you need anything, just let me know."
"Thanks, I will," Adriana said. She watched as Paul walked away, feeling a sense of gratitude for his kindness. It was nice to have someone on her side in this new place. She turned back to her sandwich and took another bite, feeling a little more at ease.
      As she was about to take another bite, her phone beeped. She reached out for her phone and saw a message from Luther. Her heart sank as she read it.
"I need you in my office", it said. She took a deep breath and stood up, gathering her things. What could he possibly want now?
She wondered as she made her way to his office.
     
      

         THE BENSON'S MANSION

           Robert stormed into the sitting room, his face red with anger.
    "What should I do now, I have done everything possible to be on the line but it doesn't seems to work, should I just sell it off? I'm furious!"
Anne who had been sitting on the couch stood up and approached her husband. She placed a hand on his arm and looked him in the eye.
"it takes one scumbag to deal with another", Anne said.
"What do you mean by that?" Robert asked curiously.
"We have gone through so many difficulties, challenges to be were we are now, I think you shouldn't be afraid of anything now, don't be a weak man", Anne said still confusing Robert.
"What are you implying now?" Robert asked
"Scandal", Anne said simply.
"Scandal?" Robert repeated looking at her.
"Just a scandal and everything is settled", Anne said as Donovan rushed in looking furious.
"Why do you always put that son of a bitch first ", he demanded. "is he perfect or what? You always do everything for him and ignore us! Do you even care about us?
"Calm down son, you are talking to your father. He loves you both equally and we're all doing our best to raise you well", Anne said with a low voice.
"Lies! pure lies mom, Donovan shouted.
"You always say it yourself that he love that bastard more than us and we should do anything possible to win his favor, you know it mom, stop pretending and tell your husband the truth", he said his voice trembling with rage.
"Donovan!" Anne shouted angrily.
"You are really worthless you know?" Robert who was quiet the whole time suddenly said. "He strive to survive, he had reasoned well that's why he is my favorite and I will always do the best for him".
"I always thought that one day you will really come to your senses, but I was totally wrong, you squandered my money, got expelled from school, sleep with different women and the most annoying part is you and your brother got into a rape case. You guys are really my problem, always trying to bring me down.
"And so, are you perfect or what! You also cheated on mom with your secretary, she also cleaned up the mess you did", Donovan shouted and Robert stood up angrily, slapping him across the face.
"She gave me something that is hundred percent better than you, I will continue to treat you and your brother this way until you learn your lesson and if time is not taken, I will leave everything to Luther without giving you guys any dime", Robert thundered.
"You dare not Robert", Anne said with a mean expression.
"Try me and see, Robert and left.
  Anne ruffled her hair frustratedly as she sat back on the couch.
"That son of a bitch", she cursed under her breathe.
"I told you mom, is not going to end here". Donovan said sitting beside her.
"I think is time you take action Donovan, win your father's favor, his company is having an unexpected turn now, you can actually win his favor by helping him out, think positively, shouting won't help, we need results", Anne said.
"What should I do now?" Donovan questioned curiously.
"Donovan, I need you to throw that bullet", Anne said looking at him.
"Do you mean to kill?" Donovan asked as Anne sighed.
"I would have done that if I wanted to but it won't end well. Son help him get rid of his rivals for a start, with that we will progress to making him trust you and see potential in you and when everything is settled  both Noami and the company will be yours forever. I will tell you how to go about it, don't worry", Anne said a smirk playing on her lips.