CHAPTER 2

“Is that Alex Tate?”

“Yes, that’s him. He is the CEO of the Tate Industries”

“Damn! He’s so fucking hot!”

“All I want to do is spend the rest of my life with him!”

The ladies present at the bar whispered among themselves together with their body languages longing for him

Amelia’s eyes widened in shock, she turned and asked the lady who stood next to her, “Please, who is that man?”

“You mean you don’t know him?”

“That’s one of the hottest man in the city!” Flora chuckled

“His name is Alex Tate, the CEO of the Tate Industries. He also owns 55% of this bar’s shares” Flora said. “So, he is more like our boss too” she laughed while hitting Amelia’s shoulders slightly in a jokingly manner.

Flora asked, “You seem uncomfortable with that news, is everything okay?”

Flora was instructed by the manager to show Amelia around, just so she can get acquainted with the working environment and prepare to take orders. She seemed a bit comfortable being around Amelia.

“No, there is nothing wrong. I am fine” Amelia said, unconvincingly.

Flora, with an eyebrow raised, she said, “Now tell me how I am supposed to believe that?” Anyway, it’s fine. The manager may be needing either of us anytime soon to place an order for Mr. Alex so be prepared in case it is you who does that.

“Oh my God! Did I just… that means I slept with my boss?” Amelia’s mind raced with shock as she thought

Following their conversation, the manager raised his hand a little above his head, in an attempt to signal Flora as her presence was needed at the moment. He grabbed a spot at the most beautiful corner of the bar for himself and Alex to sit and discuss.

“Sir, you called for me” Flora said

“Yes, I did”

“I received a call from Mr. Pius, one of our biggest clients. He needs a large number of red wines for his birthday celebration. Can you check the store and let me know what we have? Please give me a feedback on this.” The manager instructed.

“Oh! One more thing. Tell Amelia to arrange one of our best drinks for Mr. Alex Tate” he further stated

“Oh no don’t worry about it, I’m fine.” Alex interrupted

“Are you sure about that? You know we both own this bar.” the manager chuckled while giving a soft tap on Alex’s back, and they both laughed together.

Following that response, Flora walked past them, proceeding directly to the task that was assigned to her.

“Thank you for the drink offer, but I think I’m more interested in who the lady over there is” Alex said while pointing towards her. His gaze lingered, a sense of intrigue compelling him to learn more as he anticipated the manager’s response.

He never had the chance to delve into or discover more about Amelia beyond the night they both shared together.

“Oh! Amelia?”

“That’s my latest employee. She’s working for me based on a contract anyway” he said, emotionless

“What contract?” Alex asked, stirring of interest that beckoned him to explore further.

“Hmmm…”

The manager let out a deep sigh, pondering how to commence narrating Amelia’s tale to Alex.

“So, Amelia is—“

“Please, hold on a second. I need to take this call” Alex interrupted

While he was on the call, a group of influential figures made their entrance into the bar, their aura of influence immediately drawing eyes and commanding respect.

Amelia recognized them. Apparently, they were her friends before her predicament stroke. She hesitated to approach them, a mix of anxiety and fear wash over her as she imagined the possibility of being mocked.

Every other worker on duty during that shift had tasks to perform, but she was the only one who didn’t have any other orders to carry out at that moment.

“What’s the worst that can happen?” Amelia thought to herself

She made her way towards them, her steps slow and cautions, and her heart pounding. A daunting feeling of intimidation overshadowed her, knowing she was about to face their potential mockery.

“Hi, good day” Amelia said, forcing a smile. “Are you ready to take an order, or would you like to take some time to review the menu?”

“Amelia Walmart!?”

“No way!”

“You have got to be kidding me”

“Amelia, a waitress now?”

They said among themselves, laughing so hard

“Okay, since you all don’t have anything to say, I will be taking my leave now” Amelia said emotionless, ignoring all that they said

“Not so fast baby, we are ready now. Give us the best of your wines and make it quick!” Natalie’s laughter prompted the others to join in.

Amelia left their midst in irritation. She expected such reaction and so, it didn’t really bother her. She hurriedly proceeded in taking the orders and had it delivered to them.

“Oh no, we changed our minds. Kindly get us another kind of drink” one of them said, being overly loud.

“So, who is going to pay for these drinks?” Amelia asked

“Oh! We will. We aren’t broke like you” another responded in laughter

“We aren’t responsible for your father committing suicide, leaving you bankrupt” Natalie snared

“How dare you say that?!” Amelia yelled in anger, her voice, above her normal voice tone which captivated the attention of every other occupant at the bar

“Why are you yelling? Everyone knows about it” Natalie responded, letting out a sarcastic laughter

Following the occurrence of what was happening, the manager and Alex made their way to the scene

“What’s going on here?” the manager, Mr. Sebastian asked

“Sir, we are good. We were just having a conversation” one of them said

Alex glanced in Amelia’s direction and moved closer to her. Releasing a short smile, he reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder.

“Are you okay?” he asked

Amelia couldn’t bear to look at him, a feeling of shyness waved over her. She hesitated for a moment before uttering a response

“I am fine” she replied

“Can I see you for a second, please?” Alex pleaded, with his voice soft, slightly above a whisper

“Okay” Amelia responded

“Mr. Sebastian, I will like to have a word with Amelia, and thereafter, I will take my leave. We will continue our discussion when we can and please, ensure this situation is properly managed” Alex said, looking in disgust at the sight of them.

“Okay, I will. Although they said they were fine, and there is no cause for an alarm” the manager responded

“Alright then.” Alex responded

Alex stretched out his hand, indicating to Amelia where he wanted them to go for their conversation. As she walked in front of him, a wave of emotions stirred within him, the memories of their past night resurfaced, causing him to blush. Upon their arrival, they began to converse.

Amelia had told him everything about her he needed to know, leaving him with a feeling of concern and an attempt in restoring to Amelia all that was apprehended by the bank, and most importantly, discovering who the person behind the scandal was.

As they parted ways, Alex got into his car. The information he had just received from Amelia left him unsettled. In an attempt to address the situation, he reached for his phone to make a call.

“Good day Mr. Lawrence. Please, I will need you to do something for me” Alex said.