Secret Baby with the CEO

Chapter 6

A month later

Isabella

“Hey, Isi..” Someone taps my shoulder and when I look up, I find Darby and Josh. I can’t say we are friends but these two are closest to that since the time I started working in Emblix. “We have a meeting with Siyona in ten minutes..”

“Any idea what it is about?” I ask with the back of the stylus on my lips.

“Don’t know..” Josh shrugs his shoulder. “Let’s go, find out..”

I quickly follow them to the board room. My boss Siyona Michaels is already there, waiting for all of us to join with a polite smile. She isn’t the usual rude, arrogant lady boss that make her employees cover in front of her and so far all I have felt in her presence is comfort and leadership.

The meeting begins as soon as our team of eleven members fill in the room.

“I don’t want to take much of your time..” Siyona begins. “I have a great news to share with you all today..”

The room goes pin drop silent with anticipation. Everyone here might know what the good news might be but still wait for her to confirm it. “We grabbed the deal with Ignite publishing house!!”

Her screech is shadowed by the loud hoots and clapping in the room. And why not? We all have be working our ass off to grab this deal with Ignite.

“So starting next week, we will not only be working for Ignite but also in Ignite.

Again the room goes silent as we blink at one another not understanding what she means by that.

“Mr. Bernardi wants us to work in his office building so that he can keep a close watch on the website and app’s outcome. You will all be given your own work stations.”

“Wow..” Everyone cheers again.

I don’t know if that makes me happy or not because the time I have spent here, I have come to love this small space. But I tell myself that this is all for good. I will be working in a renowned company and what am I complaining about?

***

A week later, our team moves to Ignite Publishing house. It is a massive building with a grand entrance. The receptionist doesn’t let us wait long and ushers us to a large meeting room which is temporarily divided into small open cabins, one each for all the eleven of us.

Siyona is given a separate office room adjacent to the meeting room so she can supervise us.

I look around and find my name placard on a desk facing the window which gives the city’s entire view. I just can’t wait to see how it would look in the night. This place is even better than what I had at Emblix. God, how did I suddenly become so lucky?

I can only thank my stars as I take my spot and neatly arrange my laptop and other work essentials on my desk. It is after lunch when Siyona informs us that we will be having a standing meeting with the promoters, The Bernardi-s, and Rossi-s, who are joint owners of Ignite, where the Bernardi-s hold a greater share.

I take a seat in the boardroom which is so huge and the one in Emblix was nothing compared to this one. Josh and Darby take the seat on my either side.

When I think of the name, that is, Bernardi, I think of a man in his late sixties, talk, bulky, maybe even with a tummy but what I see is a yound man in his mid-twenties.

“He’s cute..” Darby whispers into my ears as soon as he enters with the others behind him.

I shush her and quickly get up to greet them but all the air is kicked out my lungs at once when I see him walking inside.

Ledger

What is he doing here?

Does he work here too?

Is that really him?

No, he can’t be.

Maybe he is someone with an uncanny resemblance to Ledger.

Or maybe my mind is making him up since I really haven’t taken his thoughts out of my head since that sinful night.

I begin to hyperventilate.

Shit!

Shit

Shit

This is not happening.

This. Is. Not. Happening.

I try to tell myself but I know this is actually happening when the man of concern suddenly comes to a halt and his face is painted is shock. He quickly recovers from it though and comes to stand at the head of the huge mahogany table.

I try to keep my eyes down in a vain attempt to hide from him but I can already feel his eyes boring holes into my head.

“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen!!” I snap up when the baritone of his rich voice echoes the room.

Is he Mr. Bernardi’s secretary or something?

I silently wonder but my mouth gapes open when he is the first one to speak.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all this morning. I am Ledger Bernadi, CEO..” Then points to woman and man next to him, “This is Mr. And Mrs. Rossi, CMO and CFO and also my partners..”

They both nod behind him but all the words he speaks goes above my head. I can’t focus because all I can think about is the flashes of that night, how he worshipped my body, how I was writhing and moaning under his sinfully beautiful body.

I don’t have to look at my face to know I am blushing. Furiously.

Ledger must have seen that look on my face because he pauses for a second, gulps visibly with eyes turning a shade darker which sends delicious shiver down my spine. Breathing, at this point has become impossible. So I force myself to look away from him and that’s when he resumes his speech again.

And that’s not it. He is the freaking BOSS. Not just an employee like I expected him to be.

What was I thinking when I decided to randomly sleep with a stranger?

What must he think of me?

It is a valid enough reason to fire me.

What did I get myself into.

The moment the meeting gets over, which, let me tell you, where the toughest thirty minutes of my life, I send a text to Christy, my fingers typing frantically.

Me: The hot guy from the other night is my boss. He is Ledger Bernardi, CEO of Ignite publishing house.

Since she must be at work, she doesn’t respond which only makes me more edgier.

“Are you okay?” Darby asks me when she must have noticed my restlessness.

“Y-yeah..” I push out a response. “I’m fine..”

“Why do you look so nervous?” Her hand softly lands on my shoulder to squeeze comfortingly.

“I guess, I am a bit anxious about this new place..” I lie smoothly.

“Don’t be. We are all here. Everything is going to be just fine, Isabella..”

“Thanks..” I manage a smile at her. She pats and once she’s sure I will be fine, she goes back to her seat.

But I am nowhere near fine. I may never be able to be fine again.

If I think, I won’t be seeing Ledgeraka the boss around too much, then I am wrong again because it was made clear right from the beginning that he wanted the designs teams here so that he could keep a close watch on us. If that is the case, then I am a gone cause.

How did I land myself into this situation? I groan internally.

My phone pings with a text message and I jump out to open it, knowing who it should be.

Christy: Oh my God! Unbelievable but it’s also great!

Arghh!! Only Christy can find a situation as awkward as great

Me: Great? How? He is my boss, Christy and I had a one night thing with him.

Christy: Which was also one of the most passionate nights of your life, your words, not mine.

She adds a wink emogi.

Me: Christy! I am serious here.

Christy: Come home. We will talk about it.

I am happy when I don’t encounter ledger, I mean, Mr. Bernardi for the remaining working hours. I need the night to process everything, to really soak in the fact that Ledger is going to be my boss for the next few months and I will have to see him on a daily basis.

But my happiness and relief of this terrific day coming to a smooth end is snatched out of my hand when the door to the elevator pings open because the one person I don’t want to meet, probably for the rest of my life, okay that’s not true, is standing right in front of me.

For a second, I want to turn around and run away but that would be highly childish and disrespectful now that I know he is my boss.

“Ms. Isabella..” my name rolls off his tongue and it does unexplainable to my insides. “Are you coming in?”

“S-Sorry..” I mutter and then walk into the elevator before it closes, “Thanks..”

I face ahead of me and do everything in me to ignore him, drilling holes behind my skull. If I thought he wasn’t going to act like he doesn’t know me, then I am stupid.

“I didn’t expect to see you here..”

I slant my head to look at him smirking at me. “It was a delightful surprise..”

“I didn’t expect to see you here either, Mr. Bernardi..” As soon as the name leaves my lips, his eyes turn a shade darker, and it’s a harsh reminder of that night. I quickly look away, not able to match his molten gaze. But I want to make something very clear to him so I turn around and look him straight in the eyes. “Although, I wouldn’t say, us meeting again is delightful because I wouldn’t have done what we did if I knew you were my boss..”

“Boss’s boss..” He smirks.

“Right. Boss’s boss..” I clear my throat, “So, what I mean is, we should bring up that night again..”

“If you say so..” His perfectly shaped lips tip up into a lopsided grin and I can’t help but feel the miss of my heartbeat.