Liza woke up in a heavily curtained room with sun rays peeking through the deep forest green curtains. Her head pounded and her heart raced as she took in the unfamiliar surroundings. This was definitely not her room, she vaguely remembered drinking too much and prayed that she hadn't done something stupid enough to get herself fired from her coveted position. She couldn't believe that she had let herself get carried away at her boss's daughter's wedding.
She had always been proud of her ability to control her feelings but one chance encounter with Jonathan and all the control over her emotions flew out of the window. Frustrated with the suspense over the drama she may have caused last night, Liza decided to walk out of the room. She got up from the bed and hissed as her feet touched the cold marble floor. She silently opened the door and walked out of the room. Liza could hear someone in the living room and she made her way towards the noise in hopes of finding out where she was. Liza hoped that it was not some strange person or worse someone from her office.
As she entered the somewhat warm drawing-room her attention was immediately drawn to the dark-haired man sitting on the chair. That shade of hair seemed familiar to her. It was nearly the same shade as Jonathan, Liza gasped at the thought and prayed that it wasn't Jonathan, anyone but Jonathan. Hearing her gasp the man turned around and Liza let out a breath of relief. "Hey, you are up?" he said more like a question. Liza couldn't help but feel disappointed as she realized that it was not Jonathan but Steve.
"Wow, you look pretty disappointed to see me. I have never seen that look on a woman's face upon seeing me, most of them just go stare starry-eyed at me." Steve said. Liza instantly felt annoyed at his arrogance. "Now you have seen one," she said. "I know he simply replied with amusement dancing in his eyes. "Did-did you bring me here?" she asked hesitantly. "I wish it had been me then I could claim to be your knight in shining armor and demand a kiss from you in return but sadly no it wasn't me, some guy called Jonathan found you. He said that the waiter mixed up your drink and gave you alcohol by mistake instead of giving you juice. Since Krista and George had to leave for their honeymoon they decided to let you sleep at my house."
Usually, Liza would have squirmed uncomfortably at his remark of being her knight in shining armor and demanding a kiss but right now Liza had more pressing matters to think about like how Jonathan had found her. Liza was surprised that Jonathan had found her and yet hadn't taken her back to his condo but had taken her to Krista instead. Had it been the old Jonathan he would have taken her back to his condo without even thinking for a second, maybe he had a girlfriend now or he had more important matters to attend to than looking after her. Who was she kidding? Of course, she wouldn't matter that much to him now, and hadn't she herself written in her last letter that she was leaving him forever and setting him free from her then why did she feel the twinge of disappointment in her stomach? It must be the hangover she concluded. It must be the hangover clouding her emotions bringing out emotions that weren't even there in the first place. "Can you get me an Advil, please? My head is killing me," she asked. "Yeah, of course just wait here" Steve replied.
Liza sat down on the black couch. Rubbing her temples with her fingers. Her head had started pounding viciously. "Here you go," Steve said as he handed a glass of water and Advil. Liza swallowed the tablet and rested her head back. "You can take a shower in my bathroom. Krista left some clothes for you" Steve said as he watched her take deep breaths. "No, it's fine. I will just go home. "Liza said. "I will drive you then," Steve said and went to retrieve his car keys before she could protest. Liza felt embarrassed at her lack of professionalism. Even though Steve was a friend of George and Krista he was still a client of the company and she felt ashamed that he had to see her in this condition. "Come on let's go," he said.
Liza followed Steve out of his house and into his car. She didn't know the name of the car but she could guess that a car like this would have costed a fortune. Both of them sat silently in the car before Steve broke the silence by speaking "So...will you tell me your address or do you like my car so much that you are going to spend the entire day glaring at its dashboard ?" "Oh, sorry. I am so sorry for wasting your time." Liza said as blood rushed to her cheeks. Steve chuckled "It's alright. It's not like I have something important to do. Come on now tell me your address." Liza gave him directions to her house and before they knew Steve had parked his car right outside Liza's building. Liza got out of the car and bent down to look at Steve through the window "Thank you so much for dropping me and letting me stay at your house and I am sorry for causing trouble" she said. "It's fine. I am glad I could help. I will see you later. Bye." Steve said as he turned his car around and drove off.
Jonathan woke up in his luxurious bed in the high-end condo. Yesterday had been interesting for him. He had met Liza at the place he had least expected to meet her and later he had found her in a state he had never expected to find her. Liza hated drinking because of her low tolerance but he knew that something pretty upsetting must have happened if she drank so much wine. He remembered how close to falling Liza had come when he had found her. He was expecting to find her and talk to her, maybe try to have a civil and polite conversation with her but instead, he had found her nearly unconscious and about to bang her head on the makeshift wooden floor. His first thought had been to bring her back to his condo but then he thought about angry Liza would be if she found herself waking up in his condo so he took her to Krista instead.
Now that he thought about it he could have just asked Krista about her address and taken Liza back to her house but he did not want to put Liza in the spotlight. He knew how Liza was and knew that she would hate it if anybody saw her in a drunken state. He was thinking about calling Krista and asking her about Liza when his phone rang. "Hello," he said "Mr. West, this is Leslie Santiago. I hope you are ready to sign the deal we had discussed earlier this morning." The woman on the other side of the phone spoke. "Definitely, as long as you agree to the conditions that I have mentioned." He said grinning. "We have decided to agree to your conditions. I am looking forward to signing this deal with you." Leslie spoke. "I am looking forward towards this deal to Mrs. Santiago. Believe me when I say that I am more eager than anybody else to sign this deal." Jonathan said as he ended the call. Jonathan grinned like a Cheshire cat. The plan to win Liza back was set in motion and he would not let anybody stop him from wooing his ex-wife.
Liza entered her apartment, taking in the pictures adorning the wall, the black rug that Carson had brought for her when he had gone to Russia, the warm beige couches, and instantly felt relaxed. She had moved out from Carson's and Melanie's apartment after a year of getting a job. They had never made her feel unwelcomed but she knew that like every other couple they needed their own privacy and their own space. So she had moved out and had bought this apartment. It seemed to be perfect for her. It was a cozy two-bedroom apartment. Liza had spent the last three years making the apartment. Her apartment was now a symbol that she was independent, that she didn't need to depend on anyone. She was proud of all of her achievements and making a home for herself in California was one of them.She took in a deep breath and let her shoulders relax. Her mind unwinding from the events of the previous day. She had expected a chaotic wedding, it was Krista's wedding after all but she hadn
Liza walked into the beige and gray-colored high-end office expecting it to be calm and silent as usual. She loved to come early to the office, not only because it gave her a head start but also because she enjoyed the calmness that the silence brought her. It allowed her to think and to enjoy being by herself. It was a sign of her independence and she loved it. It was not just a job for her but it was something that had enabled her to stand up for herself without depending on anybody and that's why it was so special to her. Her cabin was her sanctuary where she could immerse herself in doing the work she loved. When she stepped into the usually silent office she was surprised to find it teeming with people. Everybody was rushing here and there.Some were cleaning the desks, some were arranging the files, she was about to ask what was happening when Nick, one of the helpers, came up to her and said –"Miss Nestor. I have fixed the broken coffee machine and I have also cleaned t
Why now? Was the only question running through Liza's mind. She had successfully avoided Jonathan throughout the day but just when the day was about to end and she was finally going to be out of reach, she ended being trapped in an elevator with Jonathan. How cliche, Liza thought to herself, the ex-wife being trapped in an elevator with the man who broke her heart and is also her boss now. It was a scene that she had read in countless manuscripts and an event she wanted to avoid at all costs. She wasn't running away from him, she just didn't have the energy to deal with him right now. The elevator ride that only took few minutes seemed to be taking hours. None of them broke the silence. "Liza..." Jonathan started but Liza stopped him before he could continue. "Don't talk to me unless it is related to office, don't even look at me unless you need me to do something related to work" she said in a calm and cool voice. Jonathan couldn't help but flinch back as the coldness of Liza's voi
There were hustle and bustle around the office. The normally sluggish morning hours were teeming with life again. There was a lot of excitement in the people to see their new boss. Yesterday they had merely gotten a glimpse of Mr. West but from today he was to start working officially. Every person had their files completed, checked, and arranged, ready to be presented at any moment they were required to. The women in the office had seen Jonathan West on magazine covers, he was one of the most successful businessmen in America, and they gushed on about how handsome and brilliant he was and how great it would be to work with him.Liza smoothed down her black pencil skirt and rubbed her temples, wishing that all of them would stop talking for at least a moment. She had barely gotten sleep the previous night and all the caffeine she had taken hadn't kicked in her system yet. She sighed as she took in her reflection in the little ornate mirror that she had kept in one of the draw
Liza paced back and forth in her office. She could see Jonathan working on some files and was sure that if she left now, she won't have to face Jonathan. Initially, her office had been at the opposite end, however, on the insistence of Leslie she had to shift her office in the room next to Jonathan. Their office was now divided only by a glass wall and some flimsy blinds.Liza had tried to avoid Jonathan every day but somehow she always ended up talking to him at least once, whether it was due to some client or due to some other editorial work. She was getting tired of this game of cat and mouse. She had been worrying over Jonathan ever since he came to the office and had barely spent any time with Carson and Melissa. Hell, she had even forgotten that Alex would be returning tomorrow from Paris.She cursed herself silently as she saw Jonathan catching her in the act of watching him. Her cheeks blushed red as he smiled at her and got back to his work. Her body had
Liza woke up feeling fresh for the first time in the last few days. Maybe it was her resolve not to avoid Jonathan anymore or it was meeting her family after a long time, but whatever it was, it had relaxed her enough to allow her to get some sleep. She stretched lazily and got up from the bed. After brewing some coffee, she started getting ready for the office. She was actually looking forward to going to the office and was surprised as she found herself humming a tune. She picked out a dark blue blouse with a grey pencil skirt and blazer and went to shower. After showering, she put on her clothes and was ready to head to the office.She was the first one to come to the office, as usual, so she walked into the empty office and unlocked her cabin. Sitting down, she sorted out her work for the day and took a sip of the coffee that she had carried from her house in a tumbler. She loved the taste of dark roasted coffee. She began reading the most recent manuscript while drinking
Jonathan was trying to read through the report but was failing miserably. He read through the words but his mind failed to register them, all he could think of was about Liza and the guy she went out with. It was frustrating and disappointing at the same time. It had already been a month and he had failed to hold a civilized conversation with Liza, how was he supposed to make her fall in love with him if he couldn't even get her to talk to him. He peered into the adjacent empty office. Liza had forgotten to close the blinds in her hurry, so instead of the usual pale pink and beige blinds, the glass wall was transparent providing Jonathan with a view of her office. Liza's laptop was closed, some manuscripts that Liza had read were scattered around it, Liza's coat hung on the back of the chair and a coffee cup from valentine's sat on the table. Jonathan felt like a creep for spying into Liza's office but he couldn't help himself it was the only way he could get some clue about Liza. H
Jonathan stood in front of Liza's office. He was tapping his foot nervously against the hardwood floor. The other employees looked curiously at him as they passed by him. It was unusual for them to see Jonathan out of his office. In the past few days Liza and Jonathan had shared more than a smile, they had made small talks, shared some laughs and he had even made her blush once or twice though he was pretty sure it was out of embarrassment rather than shyness. Their relationship was going steady and dare he say that they were almost friends. So here he was standing in front of her office, trying to gather the courage to ask her to go to the celebratory ball with him.He knocked on her door once. "Come in," she said distractedly. Jonathan stepped into her office. Her eyebrows were furrowed in concentration as she read through the script in her hands. She irritably pushed a strand of hair behind her ear as it fell in front of her eyes. "Um Liza, do you have a minute," he said.