First Assignment (1st Version)

Thirteen

Jade Hernandez

After telling them what I found out while I was back at headquarters, Alice just looked at me blankly.

"Say something!" I couldn't stand the silence and their stares much longer.

"I... I didn't know she hated us that much. We were business partners for a long time!" Alice suddenly bursts out, which surprised me.

"Yeah..." Eric looked shocked. I never thought this would shock him so much. "I... need to think."

Alice and I took that as our cue to leave his office. "That was... bad."

"Bad? No, it was horrible. I've never seen my brother so shaken up before." Alice whispered. "So I'm not allowed to go anywhere by myself?"

"Yeah, sorry. Same goes for Eric too. My dad already had my brothers investigate further. Meanwhile, I'll be with you guys. If I'm not around, get Aribelle or Jackson, okay?" She nodded.

"This is your first job, is it not?" I merely nodded. "Sorry you have to go through this."

"It's fine." We somehow reached the living room, and I sat on the couch. It was a dark grey color, which matched my mood at the moment.

"So... what are we supposed to do during this time?" She asked with a worried expression.

"Do what you normally do. Except I'll be with you more often than not." I took a deep breath. "We can't let her, or her minions, know that we know they're targeting you guys, okay?"

"Haha, minions. Okay."

With that, our conversation on the topic ended. For now.

*****
Eric Reinhardt

"Eric! Come on! We're dating now, so what's wrong with introducing me to your parents?" Everything is wrong. We're not dating, and you forced me to be your "boyfriend".

"I told you, they're traveling overseas right now." I subtly removed her hands from my arm.

"Then can you show me around the company?"

"It's not my company, it's my parents. Sorry, but... I can't." I don't want her to be anywhere near me or the company, which will soon be mine in a few years.

"Fine." She stood straight with her head held high, and threatened me. "If you don't show me around, then I can just tell my father to stop being your business partner."

I groaned mentally. Not again! She's a complete daddy's girl, so she always used it to her advantage. Like now.

"So?" She tapped her high heeled foot impatiently. "What are we gonna do now? Like where are we gonna go?"

"We can go to the amusement park." I suggested.

"I don't go to amusement parks. I'm not a child, okay?" She scoffed.

"Well, you sure are acting like one." Actually she's always been acting like one.

She was fuming by now, and turned around with a flip of her hair. She walked some distance away before turning around and shouting, "That's it! We're breaking up!"

"What?" Did she say what I think she said?

"We're. Done." She sneered, showing who she really was under all that makeup and jewelry. "And don't worry about the company. For all my dad knows, I dumped you."

That was the last time I saw her, but soon after, the sales in my father's company went down, almost to the point of bankruptcy. Mom and Dad fled the country after handing the company over to me, and I didn't hear from them until years after.

However, I met a girl on the same day, and she was the one who kept me going even when I felt like giving up, besides Alice.

"That's your girlfriend?" I nodded. "Good thing you guys broke up."

"How so?"

"She seems like a horrible person from the way she just acted." The girl looked to be in middle school, while I was in high school.

"Yeah, she is. By the way, my name is Eric. What's your name?" She doesn't look like a bad person, with dark brown hair and big, bright green eyes hidden by a pair of rectangular glasses.

"Jade."

Super short chapter, I know. But it's a bit much to take in, right? Besides, I haven't updated in a while so this is what I have so far.

This book is already kind of messed up (the character's personalities aren't really consistent and clear, plot mistakes, boring/useless parts...), so I decided to just finish this book just as it is, and get all my ideas out there. Then, once this book is completed, I'll make a new version.

So, please bear with me and this book, point out mistakes or whatever, I promise I'll make it better.

Thanks for reading this far,

- Erelaveth