Chapter 2 Haunting Memories

The huge glass windows and impeccable furniture gave life to the room. The chairs were pure vintage and the desk was made of pure mahogany. Papers were littered all over the table; all marked with red ink. The buzzing sound in the room emanated from the air vent that had a slight fault; so many times, someone had been called to fix it but nothing worked.

It was a beautiful and eccentric office; fit for a CEO. The office chair was occupied and someone was seated there, typing rapidly on a laptop. A huge sigh followed every moment the enter key was pressed.

A broad shoulder and perfectly sculpted legs were visible under the table. Javier knew he was extremely good on the eyes and he flaunted it every single moment that he could. His jet black hair was neatly gelled to the back but from the looks of it; his hands had run severally through it due to frustration.

With another grunt, he flipped the banded papers, littered it with red ink and tossed them aside. He was fed up with the incompetent Pa's that were hired and fired in the span of one week. Mrs Pat, his Personal Assistant, was aged and had planned to retire but she made a promise to get someone who could take up her role effectively.

Unfortunately, the previous ones they hired always had a hidden agenda; to sleep with him or to get closer to him because of his wealth. Now, the PA that was currently working for him was asked to write a proposal for a business deal but it seemed she did a bad job.

"I am already fed up with all these things Mrs Pat hired! I can't work with this!" He exclaimed. Javier loosened his tie and threw his head backward; he expected to return back from his vacation to meet a well-detailed PA but it was unfortunate that things didn't turn out as planned. Santorini was great, Coco even made it fabulous. The memories and the times they spent together filtered through his mind which caused a smile to form his lips. Coco Palmer, his girlfriend; to him, was one of the greatest things that happened to him. Not only was he drawn by her charisma but he was in love with her brains. She was the perfect woman that would help him to grow his empire and take him to the highest ladder.

A knock on the door halted his thoughts. "Mr Black, are you daydreaming again?" Mrs Pat questioned, bringing in a cup of coffee. He shook his head negatively and sent her a small smile.

"We're definitely firing this new PA, take a look at this. This is absolutely nonsense, I can't do this anymore." He huffed.

She laughed softly and said. "I've always wanted to do that but I waited for a go ahead from you. First thing tomorrow morning and she's gone."

"Thank you." He breathed. She placed a hand on his forehead and clicked her tongue.

"It seems like you're about to have a headache, why don't you take a break for a while? Drive around to clear your mind." Mrs Pat suggested and looked at him with worried eyes. Javier had always pushed himself when it came to his business and so many times, she had chased him to leave his office when other employees had closed for the day. He worked too much for his age and acted like any moment from now, someone would come out of the shadows and steal all that he had achieved and it made her concerned.

"I just came back from a vacation, I'm perfectly fine and trust me I had a great time and I rested well." He stretched out, giving her a sly smile. Mrs Pat turned up her nose in disgust, the thought of how he spent his vacation made her uncomfortable.

"What do you even see in that girl? Is it the money, because I know you have tons of them?" She threw her hands up in the air. Coco and Mrs Pat didn't walk on the same path, she despised his girlfriend and the feeling was mutual. Right from day one, she had always had a bad feeling about the girl and she had tried severally to separate them from each other but to no avail.

"Mrs Pat, you need to loosen up a bit. Coco isn't that bad, I just feel that she's easily misunderstood by people. Trust me, if you get to know her, you'd actually like her." He explained.

He already had a permanent picture of Coco in his head and has refused to see past the red flags.

"You of all people are telling me to loosen up, where is the Javier I know?" She queried, looking at him with huge eyes. Javier was known for being stiff and strict; loosening up wasn't in his dictionary.

"I guess Coco is really rubbing off on me. I think I like it." He smiled. She scoffed and rolled her while sipping her coffee; Coco was still on her radar and she wasn't going to give up until she found out what she really wanted from her boss.

"Well at least she was able to do something right with you even if I know it's for her own selfish reasons."

There was a distant look on his face that couldn't be hidden and Mrs Pat noticed that.

"You know; it wasn't your fault that she died. Javier, it's been ten years now, you need to move on and let go." She softly said, touching his cheeks.

He inhaled a sharp breath and forced himself not to relive the memories he had fought so hard to bury. It's been a long time and he didn't want to hear anything about his past.

"I'm going to take that break that you suggested." He hurried out of the room with his keys. He was haunted by her.