The Secret Marriage

Chapter 9: Live with us

‘Lana Sage in an office wear? One word: WOW.’

- @therealzach

The dreadful meeting ended, and Sara escorted Lana to her future work station.  On the door, her father's name "Charles Sage: Chairman" was still in the holder. Lana gasped when she realised that they had appointed her father’s former office to her. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door slowly. 

A familiar smell invaded her nostrils. It was Charles’s comfort scene, a fragrance oil diffuser; sandalwood and frankincense. It was a nostalgic fragrance that stuck to Charles’s clothes after spending the whole day in the office. 

It was surreal for Lana to be there. She was ever against his suggestion to follow him to work, especially during bring your children to work day. Lana would throw a tantrum or make excuses every year to avoid wasting time in the office. Now, she was here. She understood why father requested her to come. 

The place was cozy.  The walls were in a beige colour. There was a dark oak wood table accompanied by a black burgundy chair. A similar coloured leather sofa was placed at the corner of the office. Above it was a mounted painting of Lana’s palm with a scribbled name of hers when she was six years old. 

Every step she took reminded her of her father. His personality still lingered in the room. She sat down on the comfy armchair and looked at the items on the desk. They left all untouched: his stationery on the holder, the large stapler that has a staple on its side and his name on the black plaques. Lastly, a picture of both them framed in a gold antique frame and a hand-written message that said:  "I will work hard to make you proud."

Warm tears trailed down her cheeks. She did not know that Charles had constantly thought of her. Lana had consistently been the fuel of his motivation: without his lovely daughter, he would not have worked as hard. He wished to give her what he could not have when he was a kid - a nice home. 

Sara handed Lana a tissue before saying, "Please get settled and inform me when you’re ready. Mr Davies will brief you on your position and role description. I wish you the best and let me know if you need anything." 

The thought of seeing Mr Davies suspended her from being sentimental. He was the unhappiest person when Cameron announced her intention. She hoped that she does not have to deal with the grumpy old man every day. Especially not after the argument they had earlier on. 

Someone was knocking on the door. 

“Come in.”

On the contrary to her expectations, it wasn't the old Mr Davies. Instead, it was Henry Davies. 

“Nice to meet you again, gorgeous. I trust you’ve settled in your office?” he took a seat opposite of Lana.  

“Yes, it’s wonderful.” Lana was getting excited. Her perspective on work changed with his presence. 

"Here's your employment letter and an employee handbook," he stated as he handed Lana stapled pieces of paper and a book. Henry had it ready shortly after his talk with Philip.

The first page was the company’s hierarchy:  

In memory of our founding father, Charles Sage

Co-Founder/Chairman - Mr Philip Lance

Chief Executive Officer - Mr Cameron Lance

Chief Operation Officer - Mr Henry Davies

Chief Financial Officer - Mr Wilson Davies

“You’re the COO?” asked Lana. If she had known, she would have gone to his office to show some courtesy. 

“I don’t look like it, do I?” he laughed. “Well, the perks of being one of the shareholder’s sons I presume.” It wasn’t entirely accurate, Henry was a business genius. He finished high school earlier than everyone else and went to college at the tender age of 16 years old. Philip noticed his ability and scouted him. Henry had been working his way up and eventually landed this position. 

“No, I don’t mean it like that,” flustered Lana. Her question came out wrong. It was merely a curiosity. “From the last name, I assumed that Wilson Davies is your dad?” 

“Yes, I’m sorry about him. He is a man that doesn’t enjoy changes; hence, the strong objection.” 

“Don’t worry about it. It’s normal for him to be that way.”

“Thank you for your understanding, Ms Sage.”

“Please, call me Lana,” she didn't want Henry to sound distant. Their rank was a confusing one, Lana being on the board was higher than Henry. However, in the working industry, Henry would be her superior.  

“Sure, Lana.” Lana could feel the chills when he uttered her name. She was studying his lips when he continued: “Let’s get back to the contract, shall we?”

She flipped the thick stack of paper that was containing all the information. 

Her name printed in bold and below it stated: "Deputy Chief Operation Officer" 

“Are you freaking serious?” Lana was shocked, sure she demanded for higher management but she did not expect it to be on such status.

“Yes, I’m totally freaking serious,” Henry teased Lana. “Philip expected big of you as the successor of late Charles Sage.” He omitted the part when his little rendezvous with Philip.

“But why? What if I screw this up? Shouldn’t I be starting small?” Lana regretted not taking Cameron’s advice to start small. An office admin sounded appealing to her at the very moment. 

“Philip wants you to observe and learn the ropes of the operations departments. It is a crucial part of a corporation. It helps you to understand what our business does to earn money.”

In that instance, Lana realized that she had dug a deeper hole for herself. Suddenly, the weight of responsibility started to weigh in on her shoulders. She thought that maybe she was not ready for this kind of importance to be given to her.

“Don’t fret about it. I will be around to teach you myself. We will work closely together. I hope that we get along great.” 

Her hesitation dissipated after hearing those comfortable words. Lana smiled with the thought of working closely with a nice guy like Henry Davies. He explained more of her position description before taking his leave. Lana would officially start her career a week after the wedding. She could not wait to start a new chapter of her life. 

As she spinning around on her leather armchair, she did not realize that Cameron had been tapping on the door. Frustrated with the lack of attention, he barged into the room without an invitation.

“Please, stop,” he grabbed the backrest of the chair to prevent it from turning.

“Hello, Mr Lance. Have a seat.” Lana was playing the part of her profound title. 

Cameron narrowed his eyes and replied, “No, I would rather stand here.” He was standing beside her leaning on the marble desk. 

“Fine. Whatever suits you, Mr CEO,” Lana rolled her eyes emphasizing on his title. 

“Do you find everything up to your liking?” 

“Yes, I do. So, why are you here?” Lana asked, curious by his sudden hospitality. 

Cameron’s pride would not let him admit that he wanted to check up on her. After the incident in the meeting, he was worried that Lana would be affected.  Meetings with the boards were difficult. He could remember his first encounter. It was a throat lunging discussion. The meeting room sounded louder than the fish market.

Instead of telling his proper feelings, he gave another reason to be there, “Philip wants you to move in with us today.” 

“How about Rick?” She imagined how devastating it is to make Rick move from the suite he loved so much. 

“He can stay in the suite until he has found an apartment. But not too long.”

“I don’t get it. Why is Philip insisting we living together? Wouldn’t that be suspicious?” The image of living with the devil infuriated her. She does not think that she could tolerate his obnoxious behaviour. 

“Why? Wouldn’t it be great to live with me? We will see each other every single day.” Cameron closed the distances between them. Lana  sat glued to her spot. 

“As if I want to look at that face.” Lana faked barf. On the contrary to what she claimed, her imagination ran wild. The thought of them sharing the same room together, sleeping on the same bed. The way fog will appear when he just comes out of the shower with only a towel covering his lower half. 

“Is the naughty escort thinking about something lewd?” Cameron asked, whispering to Lana’s red ear. Their eyes interlocked, Cameron’s pupils dilated covering parts of his green iris. 

Lana wanted to shout, "I’m not an escort!". Instead, she stuttered unable to control her train of thoughts. 

“You don’t have to worry, Sage. Unfortunately for you, I have standards to uphold.” Cameron chuckled before continuing, “My father stays in Lance's Mansion too. So does the other 8 butler, drivers, and attendants. I doubt anyone would take notice of someone like you. They would assume you are one of our helpers.”

“Screw you,” hissed Lana. 

“You would love that, wouldn’t you?”