Beyond Love and Lies

Chapter 8- Cafeteria

    “Boss?”  Damien heard his receiver spoke. It was Charlene.

    “Yes.” He replied

    “Mr. Ricaforte is here.”

    “Great!! Let him come in.” 

    Not long after, his office double door opened wide.

    “Damien Daniel Davidson!!” Daniel greeted. 

    Damien stood up abruptly from his chair. 

    “God-dad Daniel!! Oh, the greatest!” He said, walking towards Daniel Ricaforte.

    His late father’s best friend served as his guardian and godfather. He was his mentor before taking over the D&D group of companies. Daniel was the former CEO before he acceded the business his dad left for them after he died.

    “Damien, son, how are you?” Daniel said, hugging his godson Damien, patting his back.

    It's been a while since they last met. Daniel rarely returned to the city since he gave up his position as the heir of his best friend David’s company. He handled the company for a while since the Heir-Damien was still a teenager when David died. Daniel trained Damien at the same time he was tending his own business. Damien was indeed dear to his heart after losing his best friend, David. It was shocking for them when he passed, but he stepped up to help his family.

    “I'm great, great to see you! It's been a while. How are you?” Damien asked. He sat back to his chair, and Daniel sat on his receiving chair.

    “Your man is still alive and kicking. It's good to hear you are doing well. I've heard about your impending engagement. Is that even true?” Daniel queried. He was doubtful since he knew his godson's antics.

    “Oh, God. No. It’s a rumor mom started. You know her.” Damien defensively answered. His mom didn’t stop even after talking with her. She was still insisting on him getting married to Jastin Lionel.

    “Good, the family is bad news, son. I don’t know why you're mom is drawn to tie your family over them.” Daniel said.

    He knew the family much in the business world—they're involved in the black market. The Old Lionel once asked him to tie up with the company when he was The CEO of the D&D group of companies, but he never agreed. He knew how much money the company will earn, but he can't stomach to put his late best friend's hard-earned business in danger.

    “Yes, I will not ever agree. Dan, plus it is my own life we’re talking about it. She has no leverage on me. I got the company, and it's in good hands, but…” he stopped. Recently the company has been facing an accounting problem. There were financial reports he looked over that didn’t make sense, and he knew it was terrible. He asked to have it investigated by head accounting, but the result was still the same. He knew he needed to call it out soon.

    “Is there anything bothering you?” Daniel asked him

    “Yeah, just finance thing department, but it'll be fine, got it covered,” he said

    “Okay, let me know if you need advice or something. You know where to reach me,” Daniel offered.

    “Yes, of course, I will.”

    A soft knock on the door interrupted their attention.

    “Boss,” it was Charlene. She was holding two cups of coffee on a tray. She knew well the two people and how they'd like their drinks. She walked towards the two men and put their coffee on the table.

    “Thank you, Charlene,” Daniel said to Charlene, smiling.

    “Oh, no worries, sir,” Charlene sheepishly replied.

    “Thank you, Charlene. Please cancel my next appointment. I got to talk to my dad,” Damien said to her, then looking back at Daniel.

    “Copy, boss,” Charlene affirmed before leaving the room.

    Damien sipped his coffee. “So, How’s Elise?” he asked.

    Elise was Daniel's loving, sweet wife that Damien once dreamed of becoming his mom. She was a simple woman and loved tendering her family while his mom grew up in a social circle and didn’t care at all. Although Matilda, their mom, loved them too, something was still missing for him and Diane.

    “She’s doing great busying herself with her new hobby, beekeeping, though there are times she breaks down, she’s getting there,” said Daniel. His poor wife still hasn’t got over it after losing their children years ago.

    “I'm happy to hear she’s doing great. I would love to order more flowers from her Garden for the renovation of the company’s lobby. I want fresh flowers and plants. I’ll let Charlene arrange it,”

    “She would love to hear that,” Daniel said, chuckling. Elise’s hobby of house gardening bloomed into big business in New Jersey. It was part of her therapy. She was now tending four gardening businesses all over the city. They still lived in the same lakehouse he gifted for her on their wedding day.

    “I would love to visit you soon, once this mom’s crazy ordeal is over.”

    “That’s good,” Daniel said. “Well, son, I came here to tell you that I just bought an old hotel in the city. Are you familiar with the Dobrev hotel?”

    “Oh, that massive old hotel? Did you buy it? Congratulations!” Damien cheered happily. Daniel Ricaforte was a hotel and real estate expert.  He had been buying and selling and even managing hotels in different cities and states. 

    “Thank you, that’s why I came here. I want your construction company to handle it. I have asked my secretary to forward the business papers to you, but I wanted to break the news personally.” Daniel delightedly revealed. His god-son would probably love to have business with him.

    “Of course, that’s great news, Dan. I'm honored to do business with you.”

    They continued talking more about business and family matters. Damien missed this kind of conversation with his own Dad, and Daniel filled up the missing spot by being like a father figure to him. And the same with Daniel.

 ~

    Andy’s eyes were roaming around as she ate her lunch. It was her first time sitting and using the cafeteria since she started working at the company. She usually spent time with Mickey eating outside or bringing her lunch, and eating at her cubicle. The ambiance was quite right, although she was conscious of how the other employees looked at her. They must be thinking who the hell was she.

    “Hi! I know you!” Charlene merrily implied, approaching the beautiful woman sitting at the far end table of the cafeteria. She was the same woman whom she collided with on the floor and sassed by her Boss.

    Andy nudged her head up, and her eyes widen to see who the person was, “Oh, hi! yes… Charlene!” she greeted the woman who was standing next to the table. The same woman she met three months ago.   

          "I didn’t know you're working here, May I join you?” she asked, smiling at her.

     Andy nodded, smiling, “Of course! Sit down, yes, I started working here about three months ago. I’m stationed at the Auditing department,” she replied.

    “Oh, that’s why but I never have seen you in this cafeteria before,” Charlene stated before biting her apple.

    Andy drank her water. “Uhm, Yes, it was my first time actually, been busy down there, and I usually spend my lunchtime with my twin.” she filled.

    “Oh, interesting, I'm sorry. Your name is Andrea, right?” Charlene sheepishly asked as she removed the rest of the packaging of her sandwich.

    “Yes, but you can call me Andy. I feel Andrea sounds too old.”  She sniggered.

    “No! not at all. It's such a sweet name for a sweet woman like you,” Charlene said, sensing the woman in front of her was a darling.

    “Thank you, Charlene.”

    After introducing themselves to each other, Both of them talked about their jobs and their position. Andy said she was working as an assistant to someone else’s assistant, which Charlene found strange. Charlene then told Andy she was an assistant s***h secretary to the CEO.

    Andy almost choked on her food. Her eyes went wide as saucers upon hearing it.

    “Was he the CEO? that cocky Guy?”  She bluntly whispered to Charlene. Careful that someone might have heard her.

    “Yes, I'm sorry about that day.” Charlene apologized, remembering how her boss acted towards Andy.

    “No, No, please don’t say that. It was totally fine,” Andy said, assuring Charlene, though her sanity was still asking questions about how he could be the CEO.

    Her brows creased, “The CEO’s name is Damien, not Daniel?” Andy asked.

    Charlene frowned at Andy. “Yes, the old one was Daniel, and the latest one is Damien.” She explained. Andy must be confusing with the old and new.

    “No, I'm sorry, I'm confused, Isn't the man who shouted at me named Daniel?” Andy asked again. They met twice at the gala. He said his name is Daniel, and the occurrence that happened about two months ago at the mall confirmed his name was Daniel, not Damien.

    Charlene was confused for a second. “Oh, I get it. It is both his name. Mr. Davidson’s full name is Damien Daniel Davidson.” She stated.

    Andy’s mouth formed O. “Oh, I see,” she said. Why did he say a different name to her. ‘woman, you said a different name to him as well,’ Andy’s fickle mind reminded her. She chuckled inwardly.

    Charlene curiously asked, “Are you okay? Are you still confused?”

    Andy waved a hand, “No, it's okay. I got it. I was just surprised we were talking about the same man…” She blurted.

    Charlene scowled. “What do you mean?” her curiosity didn’t leave her body.

    “Nothing, never mind,” Andy answered. It was too early to tell Charlene about what happened between her and Damien that she knew as Daniel.

    After chatting for some time, the girls finished their lunch,

    “I got to go, Andy. I hope to see you again during lunchtime if you’re not busy meeting up with your twin,” Charlene said, getting up and cleaning her table. “And please let me know if you need anything,” she added.

    “It’s a pleasure to meet you again Charlene, See you soon.” Andy bid.

    Both ladies said goodbye after exchanging their phone numbers.

    “What a day!” Andy mumbled as she sat on her chair in her workspace. The man who bought a blender for his friend and the man she knew by Daniel's name was none other than the Damien of Damien Davidson group of companies.

    Her eyes gaped, “Wow,” she murmured, couldn’t believe what she just discovered,

    She sighed deeply before continuing her work at her desk, it wasn’t the office work but the little investigation thing she was doing. She hasn’t fully solved it yet as she might need to pull out some strings to get access to the company's confidential records.

 “And please let me know if you need anything,” Andy remembered Charlene saying.

“Alas!” She blurted. Charlene might help her to do it; all she need to do was gain her trust. She must tell Charlene this since it was for the company she was doing, and it was a plus because Charlene was the secretary to the Top boss.

Andy smiled inwardly. ‘What would this Damien think once he found out that “Mikaela” was helping him to solve his company problem?’ her mind thought, but her heart started beating erratically just thinking of him. What is he doing to me?. She asked herself for the nth time.