Chapter 26 – Beginning with a Daring Encounter

“Haven’t, not didn’t. I am getting it done today. I just need to take care of something first,” Benne corrected.

“And now you want to make her your personal assistant? You want her to see your face and find out who you are?” Harry continued, choosing to ignore what Benne had just said.

“If your worry is about her seeing my face, then you really don’t have to bother yourself. I have it all figured out. She isn’t going to see this face. And the few times she might get to see me, I will make sure I am beyond recognizable,” Benne assured Harry.

Harry ran his right fingers through his hair in frustration, “Beyond recognizable? What does that even mean? What has come over you for crying out loud? Where is Benedict Delgado?”

Benne chuckled, and then tried to keep a straight face when Harry glared at him, “I’m right here,” Benne said, tapping his chest, “Look, this whole idea is not as crazy as you think. Just see this as me trying the have fun and relax. I’m trying to take that leave you have been badgering me to take for eons,”

“The only thing I see you taking leave of, is your senses. Don’t you think you’re doing too much for a lady you don’t even know much about?” Harry asked with a concerned frown.

“Isn’t that the point of everything? How am I expected to know much about her if I don’t get close to her? And how can I get close to her when she keeps trying to get me fired as her driver? I’m just doing this to secure my spot by her side,” Benne said as he returned to his desk and sat down by the edge, making Harry narrow his eyes at him.

“What is so wrong with meeting her as Benedict Delgado?”

“Do you really need me to answer that question? You ask like you don’t know how women pretend around a wealthy man. We have been through this whole discussion already, just stop boring me with your questions. Please stop! You’re beginning to sound like my mother!” Benne said with a shake of his head.

“Why her? What is so special about her?” Harry asked in resignation.

“I already told you. She intrigues me,”

Harry paused for sometime, and then his eyes lit up when something else occurred to him, “You lied to me about how you met her, right? Something happened between the both of you other than what you told me, didn’t it?” Harry asked suspiciously.

“I didn’t lie. I chose to withhold some information, but I definitely didn’t lie,” Benne corrected.

“Why? What are you hiding?” Harry asked, curiously. He knew whatever Benne was keeping from him was probably the reason he was hell-bent on getting close to Celsie, and that was also the reason Celsie wasn’t comfortable with him being her driver.

“It is personal, so I can’t tell you anything.” Benne said with a grin.

“Come on! I thought I was your best friend?” Harry asked, making a cute face.

“No you’re not. And you shouldn’t do that with your face, you look awful,” Benne scowled at him, making Harry sigh.

“Okay. I get it. You don’t want to tell me whatever happened between yourself and Miss Miller at the club. But can you at least tell me your plan? What is her job description now? What am I supposed to do? How do you hope on avoiding her so she doesn’t see you? How do you shuffle between being the CEO and being her driver at the same time?” Harry asked, looking at him expectantly as he waited for the answers to his questions.

“Like I said, she will be my personal assistant. I will communicate with her via my office line as give her instructions daily. She doesn’t have to do much paper work, but we will give her something just to make her think she is really working. I want her to be at my beck and call. All you have to do, is be around to keep her on her toes.” Benne said with a wink.

“And you? What do you want to do about your appearance?”

“My brother is an actor, remember? I can easily get bears and wigs to diguise myself. That shouldn’t be too difficult. I will drop her off at the office as Benne her driver, and meet her in the office as Mr Delgado, her boss.” Benne said with an excited twinkle in his eyes.

“You’re insane!” Harry said with a shake of his head.

“Yeah, you’ve been saying that all week.” Benne said as his eyes fell on the wall clock, “It’s time to serve my lady her lunch. Got to go. Let’s talk later,” Benne said as he stood up and headed for his private elevator, and Harry followed him.

“Benne?” Harry called for the last time before he could get into the elevator, hoping Benne would let him talk some sense into him.

“You know me. And I believe you’ve always trusted my judgement, right?” Benne asked, and Harry sighed, “Just trust me as you have always done, okay?” Benne said before getting into the elevator.. He smiled once the door closed, and couldn’t help feeling sorry for Harry who he knew was really trying hard to be a good friend.

“Oh my God! Did I just worsen everything?” Celsie cried as she collapsed on her seat and took off her glasses before resting her head on the table. She was really trying hard not to sob.

What the heck had happened in there? She had gone to see Mr Harry, not the CEO, so why had the CEO chosen to get involved in her business? Why had she allowed her big mouth put her in trouble? “Oh God! Please just rewind the time back to yesterday, I won’t complain ever again, I promise.” she prayed silently.

She stood up from her seat and put on her glasses once again before she started pacing around the office. Mr Harry had asked her to clear her desk today and resume as the CEO’s personal assistant the next day. Why? Why were they taking things too far? She hadn’t meant to challenge their authority. Why did they even have to say she had to be extra nice to Benne? Celsie raised a hand to her temple which was beginning to throb, and cussed Benne for bringing so much trouble to her.

Yes. This was all because of Benne. He was the cause of her current predicament. If only he had been minding his business and had not caught a glimpse of her to do list or even offered to be her one night stand that night, she wouldn’t have been in this mess.

“What am I going to do?” Celsie groaned pitifully.

“Ma’am?”

She looked up when she heard her secretary’s voice, “Yeah?”

“A message is going around that the CEO has asked that henceforth every staff must leave the company premises at closing hour, and no one is to carry any work home,” She said, trying hard not to sound too excited about it.

“What? Why?” Celsie asked with a frown.

“I have no idea,”

“You can leave. Thank you,” Celsie said, and the secretary gave a curt nod before leaving.

“Why are they doing this to me?” Celsie asked, at the verge of tears now. She lived for her job. She loved taking work home, since it took up most of her time and kept her busy. What else could she do if there was no work?

“Maybe I can invite Sonia over,” She thought before picking up her phone and dialing Sonia’s line.

Sonia who was seated in the middle of her apartment which was littered with balls of discarded sheets of papers, picked up her phone distractedly when she saw it was Celsie calling, “Hey girlfriend!”

“You should come down here at once. I think I’m about to die,” Celsie cried, making Sonia snap her head up from her laptop.

“Huh? What is wrong?”

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