Never Kiss Your Best Friend

Chapter 4

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Aaron McOwen's POV

I looked in the mirror, checking myself from top to bottom as I tucked the tie tighter to my neck, which gave me more of a decent look. I headed downstairs, coming out to the parking as I opened my car gate. Did I check the lock one last time? Nodding to myself, I jumped inside, turning my head to the left to reverse the car.

Once I parked in the VIP area, I headed toward my office with a golden word at the top of the door: assistant. I had been working as my father's assistant for four years now. Because uncle Jacob, my father's best friend and his previous assistant, left the position to join the board of directors.

Anyway, I opened the door and sat in my comfortable leather chair as I started revising the day schedule. One reason I opted for this position rather than taking the vice president's post was that being an assistant to my father allowed me to observe him. How he talked to his clients or how he made sure that people would listen to him. Basically, I watched every move of his. Not that I did not have my way of doing things, but he was my greatest mentor and I had always looked up to him. I did not want to be like him, but as his son, I had some of his traits. And every time I figure out a new similarity with him, I study him and polish myself.

The phone at the left corner of my table broke my train of thoughts as I picked it up. "Assistant of Alex McOwen. How may I help you?"

"In my office. Now," he said, hanging up right after that.

I furrowed my brows, collecting the tablet and the diary with myself. After two knocks on his door, I heard a faint 'come in' and slipped inside, standing in the middle of the room.

He motioned his hands to the seat opposite him. I bit my lower lip as I settled myself. "You asked for me, sir."

That was the one thing I established for us. Called him sir in the office and 'papa' in the house to maintain professionalism. Gotta keep personal and professional life separate, you know. Even though he opposed the idea initially, but accepted it as time passed.

He flipped a file in my direction, making me knit my brows in confusion. "Lead the contract and grab the deal. Consider this your last test for the position of CEO. If you succeed, this chair is yours."

My eyes bulged out of the sockets, making me rewind his words again and again in my mind like a tornado. My ears yearned to listen to these words from him.

In those four years of my service to him, I was not only his assistant but a trainee, too. Before that, I had led deals and made some contracts that lifted the reputation of our company and set a new benchmark for the competitors. Whatever he threw at me, I took it with all my determination and proved myself worthy of the position. And he made sure to never disappoint me with an easy challenge.

But this was what I was waiting for. The look in his eyes said millions of words amidst the silence as if telling me that the right time and right challenge had come and I had to put my sweat and blood to sit where he was.

As a father, Alex McOwen was everything one could only wish not to have. A perfect balance of cold and warmth.

I took a deep breath as I opened the file and read the first-page line by line with all my attention. I was trying to find words in my mind, and I was failing miserably. This was not at all what I expected to be given as a challenge. "Papa, are you sure this is what I have to do?"

"Why? You don't think you can do it?"

"No. I mean, of course, I can do it. It's just I have never dealt with a megacity project before."

He nodded, rubbing his index finger over his chin as he thought about whatever. "UAE is thinking about building one of their islands for a tourist attraction, along with apartment buildings and other facilities with them. The budget is 50 billion dollars. I want a full-fledged plan by the end of this month. If you succeed in grabbing the deal, which I might add is the biggest offer we've had in the history of this empire, you will be doomed worthy of the title and I shall bid my retirement."

I blinked, looking into the same pair of eyes as mine that held hope and a challenge. But one thing was missing in those old eyes; certainty. And that was what I would wipe out like clean air after the storm.

"I will not disappoint you, papa." Fuck the bullshit of formalities when all I could see in front of my eyes was the dream I had seen ever since I was twelve.

"Good luck," he said with a small smile on the corner of his lips.

"But do I need to resume my assistant duties along with this?"

He smirked. "Not at all. When will uncle Jacob be useful?"

I grinned and left the room with the documents. For the rest of the day, I spent all my time reading and analysing the points mentioned in the contract, syncing the detail in my brain to grasp every minute detail until my eyes hurt and I couldn't look anymore for more than a minute. With coffee after coffee and washing my eyes with cold water, I re-read the documents again, filling out the missing points I skipped during the first read.

By the end of the evening, I was well aware of everything I needed to know about. With thorough research and plenty of hours later, I bid my farewell to papa and everyone in the office. As I passed through the hallway, our employees looked at me with respect in their eyes. I smiled at each one of them, wondering if the hidden part of me wanted to see the fear in their eyes, too. The part of me that was like petrol to my engine, the oxygen to my system and yet... hidden deeper than the depth of the ocean inside me.

I sighed, taking a turn toward the seventh arrondissement to Champ de Mars. A beautiful late night walk was everything my mind needed at the instance. The rest of the matters could come after that.

The coat jacket hanging loosely on my shoulder and one hand in my pocket, I marched toward nowhere. The glistening sun now shone under the radiant colours of orange and grey as the sunset in peace behind the horizon. Seven more minutes and it would be dark.

Five meters ahead of me, I saw a similar image of the girl I had grown fond of over the past two weeks. The neighbour who now was my friend, standing with cotton candy in her hands as she devoured it like a beast. I paced my foot in her direction with a smile on my face, without thinking that I came here to walk alone.

"Aye, dancer," I shouted, waving my hand at her.

She looked at me with wide eyes, a grin forming her lips as she ran toward me. "Aye, stalker." She said, waving her hand at me as I did.

Over those two weeks, we had made a custom of meeting at our respective windows in the evening to say hey to each other and talk. The conversation with this wise woman was never dull. She always had something meaningful to tell and something to joke about. Even though she was an overthinker, and we were not the best buddies all the time, I felt comfortable in her presence.

One hour of endless talking with her on a weekend as a get together in her apartment felt like I knew her for ages.

"What are you doing here?" I said, taking the cotton candy from her and biting from the side she had not eaten.

She wrinkled her brow with a groan, and I shot her a blank expression as if to say what if took a bite? "At this point, I am convinced that you are seriously stalking me. Everywhere I go, you pop up like a pigeon from a magician's hat. Don't you work at all?'

There she was. The talkative hummingbird.

I rolled my eyes at her. "Come on. Let's take a walk. If I will feel generous, I will drop you, too."

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A/N

Aye yo, lovely people.

So, how is he? A charmer with beauty and brain? 

What do you think about Aisha and Aaron's friendship? I like that they just click with each other like that. 

VOTE+COMMENT ❤️

Love to all,
Yours truly,

Tanya(Ta_Bloomfield)