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Chapter 24 - New Job

"I cannot believe you, Mason Emerson King!" Kelsey heard a booming voice from outside her room. She slowly got up from the bed and grabbed the robe laying on the sofa chair. She wrapped the robe around herself and tightened the knot for she was only wearing a fitted crop top and short-shorts.

"How can you not tell us that you're getting married?!" The loud, yet gentle voice yelled once again which only brought Kelsey's curiosity to peak. She walked towards the door and leaned closer to it, placing her ears beside it. She knew it was wrong to eavesdrop but she couldn't help herself.

"Can we please talk about this in a calmly matter?" Kelsey heard Mason replied which seemed to only fired up the situation.

"Calmly matter?! We're talking about marriage here, Mason!"

"Ow." Mason muttered and Kelsey thought he was probably hit by the aggressive and angry woman. She couldn't hold herself anymore as she slowly opened the door and peeked through it. She could see a woman's beautiful figure with her back turned towards her and Mason's frustrated and annoyed face. The woman was holding him by the ear as he winced repeatedly and grabbed onto her hand to lessen the pain.

"If I didn't see the news online, I wouldn't even have found out that you are getting married. How can you not tell me?!" She continued to bicker.

"Ow, mom, you're really hurting me." Mason complained as she pulled on his ear tighter. 'Mom?' Kelsey thought as it registered in her mind. The woman right in front of her was no other than Mason's mother. From the looks of it, she didn't look too friendly. Kelsey couldn't help the gasp escaping her mouth and both Mason and his mother, Victoria, seemed to have heard her and turned their heads towards the door.

Kelsey caught a glimpse of her beautiful face. No wonder Mason and Ella looked like goddess. Their mother was incredibly gorgeous with her blue, captivating orbs, her wavy brunette hair, and her very defined cheekbones. Not to mention, she had an incredible figure.

She released Mason and he quickly rubbed his ear to eased the pain. The woman walked closer towards the door and Kelsey felt frozen in her spot. She couldn't moved her limbs as if she was struck by lightning. "Come out, sweetheart. I don't bite." She gently ordered waiting for Kelsey to come out.

Kelsey took a deep breath before opening the door and stepping out of it. She unconsciously placed a hand on her chest and bowed her head in respect. "Good morning, ma'am." She politely greeted and kept her head low. She was afraid that if she made eye contact, she was going to melt and die of hyperventilation.

Mason's mother placed her arms across her chest and studied the woman who was going to be marrying her son. She glanced at her from head to toe studying her with scrutinizing eyes. "You must be my son's fiancee. Kelsey Parker, is it?"

"Yes, ma'am." Kelsey anxiously answered with her head still bowed.

"I guess I'll get to know you more later at dinner." She announced causing Mason and Kelsey to whipped their heads towards her direction.

"Dinner?" Mason asked warily.

"Yes, dinner." She responded nonchalantly. "And your father and I decided to stay here at your penthouse for awhile." She declared and Mason shot her an irritating look.

"Mom! You can't do that! Besides, the house has been empty for two months. Or you can even stay with Ella. I'm sure she'll be happy to entertain you." He argued.

"Take it as your punishment for not telling us about your sudden marriage." She said as Mason sighed in defeat. Kelsey watched the two bickered. It was quite amusing in her opinion. She couldn't believe that Mason caved in. He must have been a mother's boy. "Well then. I'll see you two later." She said her farewell and left the two in terror.

~ * ~ * ~

"Where are we going?" Kelsey asked Mason once she had fastened her seat-belt.

Mason place the key in the keyhole and ignited the car as it roared to life. He fastened his seat-belt and pulled out of the parking lot. "You said you wanted to work, right?"

Kelsey quickly stared at him, her mouth slightly agape. "You're letting me work?"

Mason slowly nodded without sparing her a glance. It was hard enough for him to caved in and let her go to work. But he figured, she had nothing to do at home anyway. It was better than arguing with her. "I really didn't want to."

"What made you change your mind?" She asked. Mason replayed the moment when he saw her and his employee, Brandon Kane, flirting at the lobby or his building. He could feel his blood rising and he tightened his gripped on the wheels as he remembered the memory.

"That's not important." He said changing his head to forget the thought. "What's important is, I'm letting you work. You should at least thank me."

"Thank you." Kelsey forcefully said with a tight smile on her lips.

"I would've accepted it if it was less sarcastic." He commented as he shot her a smile. Kelsey snickered by his remarked.

"Sorry, that's the best I can do."

They drove downtown and sang random songs playing on the radio. Mason parked at the lot and got out of the car. Kelsey followed suit and eyed him in bewilderment. "I'm going to be working here?" She asked in awed as they walked inside.

Ricky glanced up as he heard the chimes attached at the top of the door. He patted the chef on the back and excused himself. He strode towards the door where Mason and Kelsey were standing. "There's my new chef." He announced as he clasped his hands together. "Ready for your first day?" He asked as Kelsey took in his words. It seemed like a dream and she didn't want to wake up. It had been her biggest dream to be able to work at such a high class restaurant with a very talented chef like Richard Hellman.

Mason eyed Kelsey and waited for her response. She seemed to be in a dazed and was undeniably speechless. "'Thank you, Mason,' would be the right words to say." He said, wanting her to repeat after him. She turned her head towards him and a grin suddenly appeared on her lips. Her whole face illuminated with joy and excitement as if she was a kid getting her favorite chocolate bar in a candy store.

Mason thought she looked absolutely stunning when she was happy. Her whole face lit up and her smile was contagious. "THANK YOU, MASON!" She sincerely repeated and jumped on him, pulling him into a hug. Mason was caught off guard and his whole body stiffened. He soon relaxed and wrapped his arm around her waist with a genuine smile on his lips.

Ricky watched the two in amusement. He knew his friend was totally whip for her. He really wished that Mason would fall for her and marry in complete honesty.

Kelsey and Mason pulled away from the hug and she thanked him once again. "Ready?" Ricky asked earning her attention. She nodded eagerly in response.

"Alright, I better head out before I'm late for work. Take care of her." Mason ordered his friend and Ricky only chuckled and nodded his head.

"Will do. Now go so we can start our training." Ricky responded.

Mason kissed Kelsey on the forehead before heading out and Ricky couldn't help but snicker at how whipped his friend was as if he was under her spell.

~ * ~ * ~

After work, Mason headed straight to La Mille to picked up Kelsey. The grin on her face was still intact as if it couldn't be erased. She entered the car and fastened her seat-belt.

"How was your first day?" He asked as he pulled out of the parking lot and headed to the penthouse.

"It was amazing! Thank you, Mason, I'm really grateful!" She wholeheartedly told him.

"You've already thanked me."

"Thanking you forever will never be enough. This is like a dream come true and you made it happen! So thank you!" She once again said and Mason only chuckled.

"Are you saying that I'm your fairy-god-mother?"

She giggled at his joke and nodded her head. "In a way, yes, you are."

They both laughed for a good minute before Mason broke the happy atmosphere. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but can we talk about the dinner tonight?" He asked, wiping the smile off of Kelsey's face.

"Dinner! Oh my gosh, I completely forgot!" She yelled smacking her forehead with her hand. Worry washed over her face as she placed a hand on her chest in anxiousness. "What do we say? What are your parents like? Are they strict? Are they friendly? What do I wear? Do you think they're going to like me? What if they don't? What do I do?-"

"Kelsey!" Mason practically screamed and cut her off. Kelsey whipped her head in his direction and shot him a nervous look. "Relax, okay? Just take a deep breath..." He demanded as he took deep breaths with her. She seemed to calm a little bit but there was still worry in her eyes.

"My parents are just like any other ordinary parents. My mom's usually nice but she likes to know everything. She's mostly annoying and likes to meddle in her children's lives. My dad is more of the poker face. He's strict when it comes to business but he could be kind at times. Just don't get him mad." Mason described as Kelsey slowly took every information in.

"Do you think they'll find out that this is all fake?" She asked him in wonder.

Mason hesitated before answering, which worried her more. "Maybe." He simply responded.

"What does that mean?" She questioned with furrowed eyebrows and shot him a puzzled look.

"I told you, my mom likes to know everything. If she smells something fishy, she'll most likely try to find out what's up. And as for my dad, he'll probably do a background check on you." He nonchalantly said and Kelsey got irritated by his uncaring reaction. She hit him on the arm and glared at him.

"Ow!" He hissed glaring back at her and massaged his arm to eased the sting. "What was that for?"

"Do you not care if we get caught? Why are you acting as if meeting your parents is such an easy task?!" She barked at him in frustration.

"Because I'm certain that they'll like you and not get suspicious at all!" He stated, which seemed to calm her a bit.

"Why are you so sure about that they'll like me?"

"What's not to like, Kelsey?" He simply replied which shut her up. She suddenly felt the butterflies swarming around her stomach once again. Mason just knew what words to say to calm her down and make her tingle all over the place. "Don't worry about it and just relax. We'll get through this together." He added and that did the trick. She was completely falling for the man she was only to marry out of a contract.