Forsaken betrayal

Episode18

"Are you okay now?" Lennox asked, pouring her the fourth cup of tea.

"I am."

They stared at the horizon from the open doors of the terrace, each holding their words back in an awkward silence. Gealic was particularly stunned by her own words. She had never lost it that hard, she had never even ranted to Ethan in that way. She wondered if Lennox was bringing out the worst of her, or if this was what she really was.

Lennox on the other hand could not wrap his hands around how she had been happy in the morning and had turned a whole line under at night. Amelia was always sad, never getting what she wanted, she always looked depressed around the house and only smiled when she stood in front of the press, promoting one movie or the other.

He thought of how much she had tried to get him to love her the way he did, resorting to dangerous antics when she couldn't get what she wanted. He felt pity for her, knowing how he would feel if he was after a business goal so bad and it didn't work out. But Amelia, he had no way of loving her, he couldn't pretend or disguise the hatred he felt for her. Sometimes the hatred turned to pity, sometimes to..., sometimes to fear for her life and something to a sinking fear of what she could do to him.

Lennox, the man who everyone feared, was scared of his wife, the thought amused him.

"You know, I've considered taking you to an asylum." He broke the silence. "I was convinced that you had gone mad."

"Why didn't you?"

"You'd die if I did."

"Why are you being nice now? Have you finally fallen in love with me?" She taunted.

"No," He answered, getting up to his feet. "Just like you, I'm tired. I'm tired of you."

"Come in." Alex replied to the knock on his office door. His eyes started up as a strange lady walked into his office. "How many I help you?" He asked.

"My name is Tori Carbero and I'll be working as your temporary personal assistant while Mrs Leanna is on her maternity leave."

He raised his brows in..."Do you work here?"

"Yes sir, I've worked in the...for two years now."

Alex smiled, intrigued, "How am I just meeting you?"

"I work in the background." She smiled

"Your name again?"

"Tori Carbero," She replied

Alex leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers. "Well, Tori Carbero, I don't need a personal assistant. I'm doing just fine on my own."

She stared at him in confusion, "But, your mother-"

"Ah, there it is. My mother put you up to this, didn't she?" His lips curled in a knowing smile.

Tori bit her lips in frustration at the situation she had gotten herself into.

She remembered when Mrs. Morrison, the CEO's wife approached her one day when she spent long hours after work to complete and submit some files. She had first thought the woman was displeased with her, but then again, they had not met before. The CEO's wife was known to be cunning in her reasoning and brutal in her punishment, a little thing out of place could cost Tori her job. It might have not seemed like it then but this job was everything and more to Tori and her sick brother.

The older woman called Tori into her office that day and asked for her full name. When Tori provided the name, the woman smiled, revealing what Tori later knew to be a scheming smile. "You've been let go of your job." She said.

Tori looked at her in devastation, "Ma'am, please don't do this. What have I done wrong?" "Shhhh," Alex's mother gestured, putting a finger out over her lips. Tori immediately obliged. "I will give you another job."

Relief rushed through her veins at the woman's words.

"You'll work for my son."

"Mr. Lennox?"

The woman's face cranked in laughter at that, "No, not that one, the other one, Alex Morrison. He is one of the managing directors in the company, I'm sure you know him." "Yes, yes ma."

"Yes, you'll be his personal assistant."

"He has a personal assi-"

"Shsss," The woman gestured again. "I'll sort that out myself, you just do what I have you do." "Yes-"

"You'll be his personal assistant but you'll be working for me."

"Pardon?"

"You'll inform me of everything he is doing, where he is going, who he is meeting, down to what he's eating and who he's hooking up with." When Tori's eyes widened in surprise, she explained. "Alex is not like Lennox, he keeps himself away from me. No mother would love that, right? You wouldn't love it if your brother started hiding things from you, would you?"

Tori's eyes darted up, shocked. "You want me to spy on him?"

The woman smiled, "Will you? I'll pay you four times your salary the trouble."

Tori hesitated.

"Your brother needs the money." She urged.

"B-but I don't know how to pretend."

"Anything is possible when you are desperate enough. Let me know when you've started, I'll forward your first pay."

Here she was before Alex Morrison, barely ten minutes into the lie and she had already been discovered.

"What did she employ you for? To seduce me?"

"Pardon?"

"My mother sent you, that can never be a good thing. It's either to seduce me or to spy on me. Don't feel bad, you're not bad at lying, I only figured out earlier from Mrs. Leanna what my mother was up to." Alex stated. "Oh," Tori exclaimed, as though that information would help her in any way. At this stage, she had already lost her job. "I guess I was quite desperate then." She thought to herself.

"So Miss Tori Carbero, thank you but I don't need your services."

"Yes sir," She answered and turned to leave, embarrassment coursing through her veins. And just like that, her two years of working in the company had come to a humiliating end. "Wait!" He stopped her.

She turned around wondering what more the Morrison family wanted from her.

"You can stay and do your job." He continued, having a complete change in mindset.

"Why?" She couldn't believe how he could just change.

"If I send you away, another person take your place." She smiled at her. "I'd rather take the devil that I know while she's still here."

She smiled, oblivious to the life waiting ahead of her.