Chapter 4.

My eyes were wide open, my mouth hung a little bit and my heart stopped for a second.

His personal assistant. He wants me, his ex, the girl who broke his heart, to work for him as his personal assistant.

This can't be happening, I cannot allow for this to happen.

”No,” I whispered. My voice breaking as the word fought its way out. I sounded so weak. I felt as weak.

Ashton leaned forward. I shut my eyes closed and fought back the tears.

”You don't have a choice sweetheart,” He whispered.

I opened my eyes and stared at him bewildered. The sight was groggy from the tears that were building up. I tried pushing him away, I pounded at his chest but he didn't buckle. He didn't move an inch.

”This wasn't supposed to go this way,” I whispered as I gave up on trying to free myself.

”A lot of things weren't supposed to go the way they did,” He said. Hatred laced in his voice.

I felt his grip loosening and took the opportunity to push his arm away and run out.

I ran until my legs couldn't carry me. I fell to the ground and pushed my body back towards a wall.

I was in an alley, it was completely empty, and that’s when I broke. All the tears that I had suppressed for so long the screams and the agony that built up inside of me for years, came pouring out. As I sat there the sky started turning grey, the clouds were thickening and darkness soon took over the blue sky. On cue, the sky opened up and the rain poured down.

I didn’t care. I didn't care that I was getting wet, that I could get sick. I didn't care about the job or the internship. I didn't care about my future. I only did it for them, so that they could look down on me and be proud. So that they could see their daughter living their dream.

I felt my clothes getting soaking wet and my hair falling in front of my face. My screams of agony were starting to die down as the rain hit me with all its might. My tears were replaced with the droplets of water that rolled down my cheeks. And my inner self was replaced by a darkness, a hole that had grown for every passing year. It had finally consumed me.

I felt nothing. I wasn't cold, I wasn't upset or angry, I was nothing.

”Ms.Shaw!”

I held my knees to my chest and my hands were resting on the ground. I stared blankly ahead on the empty road.

”Ms.Shaw!”

It sounded as if someone was yelling. But I couldn't hear, or perhaps I just didn't care.

”ELENA!” Someone shouted.

I turned my head slowly to see where the sound was coming from. A few meters away from me stood a silver BMW and a man was standing by the drivers' door with an umbrella over his head.

When did he get here?

It was Pazzi, Ashton's colleague. I stared at him for a moment before turning my head again and staring at the emptiness.

I felt a hand on my shoulder but didn't react.

”Elena, get in the car,” He said. It wasn't a question, it sounded more like an order. I didn't respond.

Pazzi crouched beside me and turned my head with his hand so that I was looking at him.

”Elena, get in the car. Let’s go,” He repeated, softer this time.

”No, I'm good. You can leave now,”

”Is everything alright? Has something happened to you?” His face was void of emotion but his voice held worry.

I didn’t respond.

The cold was starting to claw its way into my bones. I was shivering and my body felt frozen and numb at the same time.

”Your lips are blue, we have to get you out of here,” He said. He slipped one arm under my legs and the other behind my back. Pazzi carried me to the car and placed me in the back seat.

He turned up the heat and started driving.

I stared out of the window for as long as I could remember before my eyes closed and the darkness greeted me.

____________________

”Urgh,” I groaned as I pulled the sheets over my head. The sun was beaming in and it felt like my head would explode any second.

I decided to go back to sleep and rolled over to my side, cozying down in the bed.

My hand dragged over the sheets and the other was underneath the satin-cased pillow. It felt like sleeping on a cloud.

Wait.

I don’t have satin cases.

My eyes flew open and my body jumped up in shock.

This wasn't my bed nor my room. This wasn't my apartment. I looked down at my body and saw that I was wearing a white T-shirt.

What the fuck is going on here? I don't remember anything from last night besides the meeting. Wait… Holy shit, Ashton wants me to be his personal assistant.

Slowly the memories started coming back and the headache got worse.

The door opened up to the room and Pazzi came in.

”Oh good, you're awake,” He said. He stopped by the fat of the bed and crossed his arms over his chest. He wasn't wearing a shirt and his body was…wow.

”Like what you see?”

I cleared my throat and quickly averted my eyes.

”What happened last night?” I asked him.

”You don't remember?”

I shook my head at his question. If I had remembered I wouldn't have asked.

”We fucked all night and then you fell asleep,” He stated. My mouth dropped and my hands started shaking.

Pazzi looked serious for a moment before he burst out in laughter.

”Relax I'm joking. The boss would've killed me,” He said as he walked into his closet and grabbed a shirt.

”The boss?” I asked, confused.

”Yes, perhaps you don't remember him, also your ex-boyfriend, Ashton,” His voice was drenched in sarcasm, making me roll my eyes.

”I was driving home from the office last night when I saw you sitting by the old shed in the alley.

You were completely drenched and you looked,” He trailed off.

I started remembering.

His eyes held sadness and pity. It was awful.

”I should go,” I said and threw off the sheet and got off the bed.

”We can go together, I’ll buy us some coffee,” He said.

”No that’s okay I’ll just call an Uber,”

”Why would you call an uber when we’re going to the same place?” He asked with one eyebrow raised.

”I’m going home, Pazzi,” I said and grabbed my pants from the chair in the corner. He must’ve had them fired for me last night.

”Home? Elena, today is your first day at the office,” I blinked a few times and then looked away.

”I’m going to the office. I’m not going to work as that idiot's personal assistant just so he can,” I realized I didn't want to say too much, not knowing how much he knew about Ashton.

”Just so he can what?”

”Nothing, I’m just not going. I’ll go back to school and find another internship somewhere.” I said.

”You don't know,” He said quietly.

”Perhaps you should call your principal,” Pazzi continued as he looked away.

I looked at him in shock. A sense of panic starting to build up within me.

I searched in my bag for my phone and quickly dialed Mr.Grayson’s number.

”Hello?” He said in his raspy voice.

”Mr.Grayson, hi it’s Ms. Shaw. I was calling to let you know that I didn't get the internship at Carlson enterprise, so I’ll be coming back to school and re-apply to other companies,”

Mr.Grayson coughed a bit and the line went silent for a minute.

”Ms. Shaw, I heard that you didn't get the internship, but you got a position at the company. You’ll take it,”