Chapter 3 The unwelcoming meeting of the hero and heroin

Phoenix still had no idea. "I am a regular customer here. Don't you know my usual order?" Asher shouted roughly, stamping his palms on the counter and sending the articles on it to fly in the air.

Phoenix slightly jumped on her feet at his unexpected action. But she was a woman with high self esteem. She gathered every ounce of bravery in her and spoke with her head held up. "Sir, I was earlier employed at the cash counter and I am looking at the front desk for the first time here."

The girl not only was under qualified for the job, she had the guts to give him back replies too. He was already running late to the party and the teenager was wasting more of his time.

"None of my concern. Bring me my flowers. I'm already running late" He spat the words with distaste at her before looking at his Rolex.

Phoenix gritted her teeth. Her anger was hardly in her control. The man seemed educated and rich but was with the least manners.  What sort of a father was that guy who could sell his daughter to this heartless wolf in return for his debt. Phoenix pitied the girl who is used as a scapegoat in the dreadful deal. She had very good idea about people of such sort. They are very arrogant and bossy because of the pride of being wealthy.

"Where is your boss? I need to speak to her." She went to Mrs Patrick and informed her about the suit clad self conceited hunk standing at the counter.

Mrs Patrick looked through the small gap of wall and the door, her vision reaching Asher at the entrance. "Oh my God, did you say something to him?" She asked Phoenix anxiously.

"I did not tell him anything Ms Patrick. He was the one who shouted at me." Phoenix said with almost tears in her eyes.

Ms Patrick patted the back of Phoenix in order to calm her and walked to Asher plastering a smile who was glaring daggers at Phoenix.

"I apologize for the inconvenience, sir. My assistant is new to the front desk. Since I had some urgent work to do on the backend computer, she took my place for the time being. Here is your bouquet." She handed Asher a beautiful bouquet of white roses in a sweet smile.

"Hmm." Asher looked satisfied seeing the roses in his hand. But his face marked to revulsion the moment he saw Phoenix. "I wish I do not see this girl, the next time I come here. She is not at all customer friendly."

Phoenix wanted to punch two holes in his head. The nerve of the man to talk so impolitely about her, in front of her. For pity's sake she was not a maid in his house and living at his mercy.

He seems to be very rich. She observed, the suit he was putting would itself cost a fortune. With the bulging biceps, thin and tall almost 6 feet 5 inches he was sinfully hot. As an icing on the cake he possessed those hypnotizing dark blue eyes, a pointed nose and a sharp jaw. She was sure girls would worship the soil he walked upon. But everything goes down the drain with the sharp mouth that he possessed. But Phoenix wished God she would never see the man again.

Ten minutes later Asher was welcomed to his parents home with a warm hug from his mother followed by a kiss on his cheek. "Mom, stop treating me like a kid. I am thirty years old." He made a complaining growl. But Aliza least cared. She continued to pamper him by combing his hair with her fingers while standing on her tippy toes.

Just then his father came and shook hands with him after a side hug. Asher preferred his father over his mother during social gatherings who goes all cozied up with him without minding the public. For heaven's sake, he is the CEO of a multinational company with a turnover of more than fifty millions in a month. What if somebody clicks a photo of him and paste it on the front page of the next daily? His mother was least bothered about those things.

He had  finished his dinner with his parents and an hour later Emerald and Asher were back home.

The night before going to bed, he was changing the clothes of Emerald when he found one of the pair of ear rings stuck to the lace of her flannel frock. He took the silver coated earrings in his hand and observed them.

The girl at the flower shop.

Asher thought about her, she was incompetent at work but he has no idea why Emerald liked her.

The next day….

In quick commanding steps the CEO walked through the oak wood door. The secretary Mary walked behind him in a hurry. She placed a cup of black coffee on the table and took out the notepad from the folder to read the appointments for the day. "Sir, you have a meeting with Russian delegates regarding our new branch at 2 pm. Within an hour you have a conference call with branch heads and… Asher was hearing his secretary, took his pen to sign the documents waiting for his perusal when he felt something poking him in his pants pockets. He took it out. It was the earring of the girl from the flower shop.

"The girl from my usual flower shop lost her earring in Emerald's dress. Deliver it back to her.

"Yes sir." The secretary replied but wouldn't move. "Now what?" He yelled dropping the pen on the document in front of him and she slightly jumped on her feet from his response.

"Sir, the manager from one of the casinos is here." Mary completed her sentences too fast, ready to quit his office at the earliest.

"Send him in." Asher growled and took his eyes back to the document seated in front of him.