Published: Aug. 02, 2019----Sept. 30, 2020

Katelyn has been sitting down in a table beside the pregnant Phoebe for an hour already. She started working as one of the assistants to the executive secretary since Jared left for L.A.

After her conversation with Meme that night, and finally agreeing to work with Jared, the next morning, a memo from the H.R. department was sent to the finance department of her immediate transfer to the CEO's office colleague's surprise.

As usual, she again pretended to know it only at that time. Besides, it was only in their department who knows about it at that time. Afterward, she was not sure anymore as there were no gossips about it.

Tess, on the other hand, was sad as they will not see each other often, but when Katelyn told her that she will still eat her lunch with them, her loneliness ebbed. Then Tess encourages her to do her best, so the post she has will become permanent, but forbid her to have anything to do with Jared and Blake.

Here she is now, on her third day, oriented by Phoebe on the software used to have universal access to the companies under the Steele group. For her first day and second day are all about her duties inside the office.

In her opinion, Phoebe is an ideal Executive secretary, so professional, never even asked her the reason for her being in the office but just trained her as told. She is smart, well -organized, and confident.

While the other one, Michelle, is a different story.

Yesterday in their pantry area, while she was drinking water, Michelle came and immediately asked about her professional and personal background. Her being in a newly hired status made one of Michelle's well-defined eyebrows raised.

She doesn't want to judge other people's characters so early, but she knows Michelle will be one of those rare people she will not like.

This morning when she was going to bring the coffee she had made for Jared as per his request, Michelle intercepted. She took the tray from her and then delivered it inside, making Jared go out of his office and calling her inside.

The smirk that she saw Michelle gave her as she passed by her to go out of the room made Katelyn realize that it was deliberate so that Jared will reprimand her.

But Michelle was wrong in assuming that Jared will be angry with her because after the door closed, he hugged her.

"What are you doing? We are inside your office, and it's during working hours." she protested while trying to get out of his embrace.

"Stay still, Tori, I just want to hug you." he tightened his hold on her while coaxing her and his gentle voice soothed her mind and made her limp on his arms.

"Oh, her treacherous body again, once touched by this man, becomes weak." She scolded herself, but she hugged him back too.

She did miss him. Not only was that Meme's reason to stay the night with them to remind her about some of her duties as a wife, but also because Jared has to go to California for two nights. Like before, Jared doesn't want her to stay alone in the apartment, so Meme stayed.

She almost forgets where they are, if not for his voice.

"How do you find your first day here in my office?" he asked while touching her face, and then his finger traced her lips. In an instant, she felt her body heated as a response to his touch. She eluded herself from being tempted by avoiding his advances.

But suddenly, his lips were on her, coaxing her mouth to open. Jared pulled her closer and kissed her with hunger on it. As usual, her unreliable body responded, and it was a good thing that a knock on the door separated them, or else she cannot imagine what state of dishevelment she will be with Jared becoming smoking hot.

She has no idea who came inside until she heard a voice as her back faced the door. "Good morning Mr. Steele, I have already taken care of everything."

She was relieved to hear it's Mark who came inside, not Michelle. She was going to turn around to go, but Jared stopped her. Holding her hand, he led her to his table, took out a tissue, and wipe on the side of her mouth.

"Jared, Mark is here,' she reminded him.

"So what if he is here? He knows you are my wife." then he leaned on her and whispered." Do you want to go out and let those two outside see your kissed lips?"

Her eyes bulged with what he just told her, "where is the mirror?" She asked while looking around to find it. But no mirror was there, only the big abstract painting on the wall, and then she saw Mark sitting on the brown leather couch with a folder on his hands and busy reading on the papers in it.

Jared leads her to the wall in line with the couch and on his table's left side. He pushed a part of it, and an empty room came into her vision." Go inside, the bathroom is in there." he told her while she enters.

Then the wall closed in, and she was left inside, with her thoughts.

She only heard incoherent words from outside and knew that Jared and Mark were already in discussion.

She looked around the room. At first look, it seems bare, but once inside, she saw a couch was on her right side, hidden in her view earlier as the door covered it. On the opposite of it was a built-in cabinet.

A curiosity of what was inside of it made her walked in that direction, but then she stopped her stride as it occurred to her that she does not have the luxury of time to inspect.

She is at her working hours, and Michelle will question her actions if she stayed long.

She immediately walked to the direction of another door at the end of the cabinet and opened it. Once inside, she was surprised by what she saw.

It is a luxury on its own, with a bathtub, a shower cubicle, and cabinets that she is sure contains towels and Jared's things. Instead of opening it, she directly went to the mirror.

"He had made fun of her again," she thought upon seeing her face.

A small smudge of lipstick was on the side of her lower lips, not swollen as she fears, or noticeable unless someone will be that curious and inspect her lips. She took a tissue, wet it a bit with water, and then used it to remove it. After everything was clear, she tucked the hair that had come out from her ponytail. When everything in her looks presentable, she then turned around and walked out of the bathroom.

She listened to the door first to know if another person is inside Jared's office, but the two's voices were all she can hear as usual. She slowly holds the handle of the door and opened it.

Jared sits on his swivel chair, talking to Mark, standing beside him while pointing on something on the table. Seeing them engrossed in their work, she passed them without saying anything.

She took a deep breath once out of Jared's office; Michelle's piercing eyes met her. At that time, she wanted to brag and speak boastfully that her husband only missed her; hence she was called inside that is the last thing she will do. Instead, she walked towards her table with a down-turned head.

Once seated, she retook a deep breath and resumed on the papers that she had left behind earlier, and then Phoebe, who just came out of the pantry, passed her and told her to sit beside her so she can teach her about computer works.

The ringing of the phone beside Phoebe made Katelyn's thoughts returned to the present. She looked at the watch on the top of the table and saw that it was already time for a lunch break. Phoebe told her to have her break before reaching on the phone.

She stood up, excused herself on Phoebe, who's already engaged on the phone but wave at her to go.

Katelyn's eyes drifted to Michelle's while walking to her table and saw the latter picking up her bag already.

Katelyn sat down first at her chair, opened a drawer, took out her bag, fished out her phone, and then dialed Tess number.

After two rings, she heard Tess's voice answered," Hello Kate, I will wait for you on the fifth floor."

"Okay, Tess, I will just pick my wallet, and off I go," she answered, and without giving Tess time to say anything, she closed her phone and hurriedly took her purse.

Michelle was in front of the elevator with her back on Katelyn, but as if she has a radar that detects an object's presence on the signal's path, she turned to face Katelyn with a smug smile.

Though uncomfortable at the way Michelle's behavior to her, Katelyn still smiled.

"What took you so long inside Mr. Steele's office?"

"Mr. Miller asked me to look for some papers," Katelyn answered while the elevator they are waiting opened, and there came out another of her nemesis.

In a moss green body-con dress matched with a four inches stilettos, looking as if she had just stepped down from the runway, Charlize stared at Michelle first and then to her direction," are you new here?"

"Yes, I am."

"She will temporarily work together with me when Phoebe is on leave," Michelle added.

It made Charlize looked at the former haughtily before asking," am I asking you?"

"I am so sorry." Michelle apologized at the same time, lowers her head.

Katelyn felt that Michelle's personality is nothing compared to the haughty Charlize and made her question Jared taste when it came to women. He will be too shallow if it is only because of her beauty; he can have anyone with better behavior.

"Did Phoebe already tell you that I am particular with the women that work on this floor?" Charlize's question made Katelyn's eyes widen at its absurdity. Who does she thinks she is to ask her that? Granted, she has the label of being the girlfriend, but she is not the wife yet.

"No, she did not tell me anything besides I only came here to work, so we only talk about it."

"I hope so because if you pass your boundaries, it will be a problem," Charlize warned her before walking towards Jared's office door.

"Well, you heard what she had said, so be careful not to spend so much time inside Mr. Steel's office," Michelle told her while Katelyn entered the elevator, and the former followed.

Katelyn then punched on the button on the fifth floor and the seventh as she knows Michelle will be going to the cafeteria.

"Are you going to eat somewhere, Katelyn?"

"Yes, I am meeting my friends at the mall."

The curiosity of Michelle's behavior made Katelyn turned around and asked. "I have noticed that you seem intimidated with Charlize?"

"So, you know her?" Katelyn nods, and then Michelle answered her question," Not that I am scared of her; I don't want to pick up a fight, and besides, she is Mr. Steele's girlfriend."

"So what if she is a girlfriend? I am the wife," she wanted to say it out loud, but of course, as usual, Katelyn kept it inside and said," So because she is the girlfriend, no one can answer her back?"

"It's difficult to reason out with a possessive woman. You will know her in time."

"Hmm...Okay," Katelyn can only utter her agreement, but Michelle's information on Charlize made Katelyn think. "So, her first assumption regarding Charlize's behavior was right.

She must be careful that no one will notice her with Jared, or what she feared most would come true. Not only will she lose her hair but also she has to pay a lot."

The opening of the elevator and Michelle passing by and telling her," Mind the time," reminded Katelyn that she had overthought again and got carried away on it.

Tess was already waiting for her at the mall entrance once she's out of the lift. Not wasting their time, they just had an air kiss on each other cheek before going out of their office door. They directly walked to the restaurant where Nicole awaits them.

This time they will eat in the restaurant where they met the blind date of Nicole, which is now her boyfriend. She is already sitting in a table of four, waving for them, so instead of asking a waiter for their reservation, they went directly to where she is.

"I missed the two of you," Nicole told them as they greeted her with a peck on the cheek.

Tess then sits down beside Nicole while Katelyn on the opposite of Tess.

Once seated, the waiter asked for their order. It was also the time that Katelyn's phone rings. She immediately looked at her two friends upon seeing her caller's name and good thing they were busy with the menu; she turned off her phone.

It is the first time that she had done turned off her phone on Jared's call. She knows there will be repercussions to her action, but she is not in the mood to talk to him.

She took the menu and then gave the same food she had ordered before.

"Kate, how's working at Mr. Steele's office?" Nicole asked her after the waiter left with their orders.

"This is only my third day, and Mr. Steele just came from a trip today, so I cannot judge anything yet," Katelyn answered and then took the glass of water for a sip.

"Speaking of his trip, don't you know that there was a photograph of Charlize with him in L.A.?" the news that Nicole had imparted made her almost choked on the water that she was swallowing. She immediately took the napkin and wiped it on her mouth that garnered a reaction from Nicole.

"Are you affected?" Nicole teased her.

"Of course not, why will I be?" She denied, but it's a surprise for her as it never entered her mind that they will be together in L.A.

Meme told her about Jared's mother's side of the family owns the Marsh Entertainment Company managed by his maternal uncle. As one of the heirs, he visits, attending a meeting or a new project at least once a month.

To hear that he brought Charlize on his business trip made Katelyn felt humiliated. Does he need to flaunt to everyone about his intimate relationship with Charlize? What does he think of her? Just a keep woman for him whose only there to warm his bed?

Many questions that rummaged into her brain made Katelyn tired of finding an answer, or maybe she was just afraid to realize what she is on Jared's eyes.

"With millions of pounds involved and her agreement to the situation she is in, does she have to complain?"

"Kate, come down to earth," the voice of Tess made Katelyn realized that she is not alone. Immediately she laughed and answered," I was thinking of where I put the ticket of "The Legion" concert."

"You mean you are going to watch it too?" Tess asked with disbelief in her voice that made Katelyn answered, "Yes, actually, my cousin gave me tickets." There the lies again, she scolded herself.

"Oh my gosh, which one of them does your cousin know?" Katelyn sees the other side of Tess, the fanatic one.

"He told me it is Louis,"

"Kate, I can kiss your cousin. And it's Louis? I could die, ah..."

"I do, don't worry, Tess."

"Hey, do I have a ticket too?" Nicole interrupted them in which Katelyn answered, "actually, I have four tickets, but I forgot it the drawer in my house."

"So better bring it tomorrow and give it to us," Nicole suggested, which surprised Tess and Kate.

"There is no work tomorrow," Tess clarified.

"Tomorrow is shopping time for the three of us," Nicole told them, but as the waiter served their food already, they could not ask her why but instead started to give attention to their food.

After they had finished their lunch and Katelyn paid the bill, they all went back to their work, but while they are walking, Tess asked about what Nicole means of them going out tomorrow.

"We have not been out for more than a month. You two have salaries already. So let's go out and do buy some girly stuff tomorrow." Katelyn wanted to protest, but upon seeing her expression, Nicole immediately stopped it. "Please, no excuses tomorrow."

With a shrug, all Tess and Katelyn can ask, "What time will it be?"

"We will meet at twelve, at the mall entrance," Nicole told them and walked ahead.

When Katelyn was alone again in the elevator, she thought of how to ask Jared. But then she remembered what Nicole had told them and Charlize's behavior towards her earlier, concluding that her being territorial has some basis.

Though she still has more than a year's, thoughts of giving back Jared made her heartache. "Oh, why does my heart be involved?" she looked at the elevator ceiling with blurring eyes. She wiped her eyes with her hands before tears can mar her face, took a deep breath, and promised she must put distance between them from today and onwards.

She got out of the elevator and saw Michelle looking at the watch on her table, but Katelyn ignored the former as she knows of her being on time.

It was late in the afternoon that she saw Jared and Mark going inside the office as, according to Phoebe, they went out during lunchtime together with Charlize.

Katelyn tried not to be affected by anything regarding Jared; she is here to work.

But as usual, her resistance was tested once they both go home in the house.

She tries to ignore Jared inside the car, but the building awareness of his presence beside her made it difficult for her to concentrate.

Once Jared closed their apartment door, he pulled her to his embrace and kissed her, which left her prey to her hungry predator. Common sense left her, and literary left her bared of any covers.

End of Part 17

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