He's driving me crazy!!!

It was Jasmine's first day working for the mysterious Jason Halem. She had prepared for this day, dreamt of it even.

She had imagined how she should strategize from day 1 and steal his heart and body then stab him in the back with the sharpest knife possible. It was pure evil and she loved it, she loved every bit of it.

However, the start of the day was particularly gloomy. The sun refused to shine and hid in a corner for a long while. The clouds looked like they were about to shed tears of sorrow. Something felt off but she shrugged it off and kept her mind focused on what was important at the moment: Jason Halem.

She looked around the beautiful apartment she now occupied courtesy of a billionaire boss and a company so far away from town. The place was absolutely beautiful. The interior was a gorgeous blend of black and white colour in the most aesthetic form possible.

Yes, it looked expensive but it didn't seem like his style though. Well, maybe that was because it was built for employees and not for him.

It was highly probable that they played it safe using such simple colours but for her, it was the best decision ever made.

After a long shower, she clenched her robe tightly around her and gritted her teeth. The unbearable cold was one of the downsides of this part of town and even with a heater in the apartment she still did not feel warm enough.

She was used to the hot, buzzing environment with strangers unintentionally and sometimes intentionally bumping into you in the walkway on a usual busy Monday morning.

Now as she drove to work, she could count the number of people she saw. She could swear she even heard birds chirping away, announcing their presence most subtly.

As she stepped out of the car, she breathed in the cold air, it felt like a stab to her lungs as she walked briskly to the building.

Work as a secretary starts at 9 am but she decided to be early since it was her very first day, so by 8 am she was strolling into the halls of the big company.

Also, she had no excuse if she ever came late; part of the job requirement was staying at the company's owned residence and she had to comply.

She wasn't complaining though. It was a far cry from the tiny apartment she had in the city and she gets to save money she would have spent on transportation to and from work.

As usual, she was dressed to break hearts and confuse minds. This time around she chose to go a little bit gothic with just a touch of blue, probably because of how blue she felt.

She had on a black pencil skirt with her signature side split at the front. Her exotic looking black shirt complimented the skirt and it was tucked in the mid-abdomen to accentuate her hourglass shape.

She wore black heels with red bottoms and tied a pretty blue scarf loosely around her neck to add that extra touch of class. She let down her lustrous hair today and she looked stunning.

"Good morning Claire," she greeted, giving the receptionist a warm smile.

She didn't particularly feel jolly this morning, but she never broke character, no matter how awful she felt inside.

As usual Claire, the receptionist was too star-struck to immediately speak the moment she saw her. Jasmine wondered if this would be a daily occurrence and how comfortable she could be with this.

"Good morning miss Calvin," she finally replied, "How was your first night at the company's residence?' She asked.

That's true! It was Claire who finally made clear all the requirements of the job with her and gave her instructions to the residence with a key to her apartment.

She was so nice and Jasmine wanted them to be friends. She genuinely liked her, plus it would be beneficial for her to get as many people as could get on her side from the beginning.

As a receptionist, she was sure Claire saw everything and knew a lot more than she let on.

"Splendid, just splendid, and please just call me Jasmine, no titles," she said.

"Okay Jasmine, that's nice. I know it's a little chilly here than in the city but you'll get used to it with time," she reassured, trying her best to make Jasmine feel comfortable.

"It was not that bad, but with time I might get used to it," she said, she was lying, as usual.

It was terrible and she almost gave up this whole mission. It was also a lie that she will get used to it. She didn't plan to stay here long enough to get used to this.

"Is Mr Halem around?" She asked, hoping the answer was yes.

She wanted an opportunity to go into his office and start a conversation with him. She had to get things rolling as soon as possible.

"No, he usually comes in very early but today is an exception," she replied.

"Hmm, hope nothing's wrong," Jasmine inquired.

It would be disastrous if something were to happen to him at this moment. I mean, it would certainly affect all her plans.

No! He must be alright, he had to be. But what if he was sick or had to travel? That would mean that she would not see him for days till whenever.

Gosh! She hoped she was wrong. More than anything, she prayed her worst nightmare didn't play out in front of her.

"Oh dear, all is well. He's just running a little late that's all," she soothed her.

Claire was astonished at the serious show of concern the gorgeous new secretary just showed for the boss. She could see in her eyes that she truly cared about what happened to Mr Halem.

If only she knew the true reason behind her concern, maybe then she would not be so pleased with the new hire, maybe then she would not look up to her like an Angel sent from above because Jasmine Calvin was a lot of things but certainly no angel.

"Oh, I'm glad," she replied and even clutched her chest to show her relief, "alright then, I better get going, see you around Claire."

"You too," she replied.

Sitting at a desk doing official work was strange to Jasmine. There was a reason she chose to be a freelance journalist and not having to work a 9 to 5 job was one of those reasons.

Behold, here she was stuck in the very thing she was trying her best to avoid. Life always finds a way to play games with you but she consoled herself with the fact that what she was doing was a means to an end.

Even though she was working at Jason's company, it was her choice and she was indirectly working for herself anyways, as whatever she found was something to make up that big story she needed.

She was sure of herself, she always has been, it was one of the characteristics she developed early on in life.

She had to learn the hard way that she was a one-woman soldier and there was no prince charming or Santa Claus coming to save her. She was on her own, alone, but she wasn't lonely, or so she told herself.

The sound of the telephone on the desk brought her back from imagination and to planet earth. It was a high pitched sound that filled every bit of the empty room.

She picked it up after the 3rd ring and gently placed it by her ear.

"Hello?" She asked through the phone.

"Hello, it's Claire, I called to let you know that Mr Halem is on his way up, thought I'd give you a head's up, but wait a minute, is that how you plan to receive calls for him?" She asked.

"Erm, What do you mean?" Jasmine requested, completely confused.

"Oh dear, a simple hello won't suffice! You have to do the whole 'this is Mr Halem's office speaking thing too' to add to that," she advised with a little laugh.

Jasmine was needless to say extremely embarrassed that she could forget something as basic as that and it was evident in her long sigh through the phone.

Claire on the other hand found this as a cute first-day mistake and was ecstatic that she was of any help to someone she envisioned was as close to perfection as she could find.

"Thank you so much, Claire, you're a lifesaver," she groaned.

"You're welcome," she replied, but she was still on call.

"Alright then, later," Jasmine said as she hung up after getting a similar reply from Claire.

She thought this job would be a piece of cake but here she was already doubting herself and making sloppy mistakes on the first day.

Pull yourself together Jasmine!

She repeated as she tried the breathing technique she recently learnt to calm her nerves.

However, that was of no use as she held her breath immediately Jason was in sight.

He looked ruggedly handsome as she last remembered. He had on a dark blue suit with a white undershirt and his hair looked like he just got out of bed.

It was messy and someone peculiar about fashion like her could tell that he tried to style it but eventually gave up.

It was the little things but she noticed that something was not right. He was a little shy of the man she met the other day.

He had a little stubble and his eyes were bloodshot red like he had not slept well for a while. His skin looked flushed and he wasn't staring at her as she hoped.

He was looking straight forward even as he got close to her desk.

"Good morning, Mr… sorry Jason," she greeted him, to get his attention.

She stood up also for effect. It was her first day at work after all and she dressed like this, particularly for this moment.

Call her superstitious, but she believed in these little things. She believed in the importance of first impressions and first official meetings.

Today was supposed to be a great day but so far it has been awful and now this is happening!

He looked taken aback a little by her sudden greeting. He stared at her for a while as if he was having second thoughts about hiring her.

Jasmine tensed up a little bit. She never felt comfortable around this man, especially when he stared at her like he was doing now.

"Good morning…. Uh..." He started, making hand gestures as if trying to recall her name.

"Jasmine, Jasmine Calvin," she told him.

"Ah yes, sorry, welcome and do have a nice day," he said, storming off into his office before she even had a chance to reply.

Jasmine felt completely crushed and defeated. How could he forget her name! And here she was thinking they had a memorable meeting.

Something was going on with him, of that she was sure and it must be serious if he could forget her name or maybe it was all in her head.

Probably she imagined what went on between them.

No! She wasn't gullible. She was able to read people even after spending just a few minutes with them. She accurately read him that day and she could confirm he was at least intrigued by her.

She could see it in his eyes and in the way he smiled at her. She could feel it when they were so close to each other that she could feel his breath on her.

However, things have changed and she had to know why. Jasmine never gave up and she wasn't planning to now. So with a little pep talk and some motivational words, she walked towards his office and knocked lightly.

She didn't know if she should walk in or wait for a little, but while she was still contemplating his voice called out from within, loud and clear.

"Come in already!" he yelled.

She opened the door gently and stepped in walking as if her life depended on her very actions. His suit jacket was now over his chair and she could see his muscles almost ripping through his shirt.

"Sorry for being a bother," she said, trying to break the ice.

"If you have to be sorry then maybe you shouldn't bother in the first place," he retorted.

Oh no, had she just made a mistake?!