"You should go check on Mark. I'm fine." I said, hugging my arms around my knees, my eyes lowered to the floor and my lids growing heavier due to all the tears I had spilled.

"I am not leaving you so that you can cry alone in your room." she huffed, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"I am fine." I said but the frown on my face said otherwise. When she didn't move and the scowl on her face didn't loosen, I sighed and sat straight.

"I thought working with him would be fine. We could just be colleagues and have a fine professional relationship but I was wrong. Seeing him daily just makes everything harder." I said in one breath. "A part of me is still holding on to the concept of us together."

Ava gently rubbed my palm, warming my cold extremity. Her eyes lingered on my face for a moment after which she said, "You love him Clara, no matter how much you deny."

I almost let out a chuckle at her words, almost. "Isn't it easy.." I whispered. "To love him when his looks has changed. The concept of falling for him just makes me hate myself more because it proves that I am just the same shallow person."

"Don't be so hard on yourself Clara. I have known you for many years and I'm telling you that you aren't the same person anymore. And as far as loving him is concerned, I think you fell for him a long time ago. You just haven't realised it yet." she said and I inhaled deeply.

"I don't know. I just... I think my karma is not going to stop chasing me." I stated in a pessimistic tone.

She stood up and then cast a disappointed glance at me. When I thought she was going to leave, she turned the lights off and shifted beside me on the bed, pulling the blanket over me.

"I don't know about karma but I do know that the girl I met five years ago, she had lost everything she lived for, in a very young age. And I think that girl has suffered enough in her life and now she just deserves the best." she said, enveloping me in a hug.

Smiling at the my wonderful support system, I returned her hug and we both lay down to sleep. At least I have Ava, my friend who is always there for me, no matter what.

...

Exactly at 9am, I entered the conference room, expecting it to be empty but I gasped when all six pair of eyes diverted to me, eyeing me up and down.

"Good morning everyone." I plastered a professional smile on my face and moved to sit beside Amber. The faint frown on her face told me that I was late, and that too on the day of the heads of department meeting. As the CEO's assistant, I should have been there before everyone else.

Thankfully, she turned her attention to the screen. "Well, as I was asking before, should we give Francis Inc. a chance? Because Peter told me that last time we signed a contract with them, the slacking and lack of professionalism from their side caused us a huge loss." Amber asked and then continued about few other things.

I couldn't focus on her words because my eyes were froze on Aaron. To say that he looked like hell won't be an understatement. There were huge bags under his eyes and his always gelled hair looked unusually messy. He had a huge cup of coffee in his hands from which he was taking small sips, all the while messaging his temple.

He is hungover.

First, Zac Rivers presented his opinion about how the change in leadership of Francis Industries might have improved their working. Then a cute, short, blonde woman voiced her opinion on how we were better off without them.

One by one, each head had said something except Aaron. When he didn't say anything, I added something from my own experience. "I think everyone deserves a second chance. We can't let a mistake define a company or a person." I said, remembering what Ava had said last night.

Before Amber could say anything Aaron raised his voice. "We can expect someone to change his or her habits but one thing can never change. Nature." His words sounded like they were directed to me, not the company.

"Well," Amber started to say something but I cut in between.

"Never is a very big word. We shouldn't throw it away so casually Mr. Vincent." I claimed, despite my instincts telling me not to.

Aaron's eyebrows furrowed at my words and he straightened up. "Sure. I mean you obviously know more about throwing things away than me." he said and to describe briefly my feelings at that moment, it stung, bad.

An air of awkwardness filled the room, with everyone looking towards us with confused or worried eyes. Realising that the meeting just took a strange turn, Amber dismissed everyone and left the room herself too.

Giving a brief look to Aaron's angry face, I stood up and prepared myself to leave. But something unexpected happened. While I was passing by his chair, he stood up and gripped my hand, pulling myself into his hard chest.

"What was that?" he asked, his voice slightly slurred.

I gulped nervously because of his strong cologne blocking my ability to think. "Wh.. What?"

"Don't pretend to be innocent Clara. You aren't fooling anybody." he mumbled under his breath, his eyes glaring into mine.

"I was just giving my opinion." I said, thankfully without stuttering.

"Opinion, huh." he said, tightening his hold on me in a painful manner, his fingers digging into my waist. "Nobody gives a rat's ass about your opinion. After all, you're just a secretary. So next time you decide to open this pretty little mouth of yours, remember that I know you. The Real you, the one that you have been trying to hide." he spat, the feeling of indignation spreading through my being.

Once he was finished, he pushed me away from him with a jerk, enough to make me stumble on my steps. He then left without looking at me again while I stayed back, cursing myself for deciding to say something.

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