Chapter 3: Working

7th April 2011

May didn't want to get up this morning. Her eyes wouldn't listen to her and open up when she wanted them to. Urgently too. The only reason May was so tired was because her mother-in-law woke both her and Drew up at four in the morning to bid them goodbye as she jetted off to god knows where to see god knows who in god knows what kind of setting. So that was her gone until the next time she returns – which was unknown to everyone, even the woman herself.

May didn't understand how Drew managed to get himself out of bed so easily at six, way earlier than necessary. Work didn't start till nine and it only took about fifteen minutes to get to the office. May peeked at her alarm clock once again. Surely Drew was done in the bathroom now. With that thought in mind, she went into the bathroom, her movement slow and sluggish. Maybe a shower would wake her up.

She opened the bathroom door and locked it behind her. She took her pyjamas off and was about to remove her underwear too.

"Seriously May?" she heard a voice which caused her eyes to shoot wide open. Whirling round, she saw Drew in the Jacuzzi.

May felt her cheeks heat up rapidly and couldn't scurry out of the bathroom quick enough. It was at times like these she hated locks on doors, even though this one operated by a simple flick.

At least her eyes were open now.

xxxxxx

After the morning's faux par, May couldn't bear to face Drew again. Hopefully he wouldn't bring it up. She slowly went down the stairs, catching the attention of the green eyed man seated at the dining table. Drew looked up from his plate of pancakes and stared at May as she approached the table.

"Morning May dear." Drew smiled which May found odd. Why was he being nice to her all of a sudden? Did her mother-in-law decide to stay ANOTHER night? May hoped not; she didn't think she could keep her fake smile much longer.

She smiled warmly and approached the table, taking the seat across from Drew's. She had a view of the kitchen and saw someone dressed like a penguin whipping up another batch of pancakes. For her possibly? May hoped so because the aroma was enough to make her mouth water.

The said penguin came out of the kitchen with a fresh plate of stacked pancakes. He introduced himself as Alfred, the butler, before dismissing himself to do whatever it was he was being paid for. That was something May liked right away – having someone to serve her all the time. But it dawned on her. Alfred was the reason why Drew was being nice again. Not even the butler could know about their fake marriage.

"I see why you're being nice now." May said once she was sure that the butler was out of earshot.

"Of course." Drew smirked. "I have to say, I'm quite impressed that you caught on."

May stopped eating her pancakes for a minute to look at him. "I'm being paid. Of course I'll stay on guard and play along when necessary."

"Well, be prepared to play along till five today cause that's when work finishes." Drew said, "Now eat up, we're leaving soon."

May nodded even though she didn't understand why they were leaving so early.

xxxxxx

The car journey was filled with things May had to be familiar with in order for "the system to run smoothly" or something like that. May tried hard to remember everything Drew was firing at her but she could only write everything down so fast.

Once there, the chauffeur opened the door, allowing the 'loving' couple to step out. May linked her arm through Drew's and walked into the black, white and grey coloured building (which strangely enough reminded her of Alfred's work attire).

All eyes were on them as they walked in. It was the first time anyone of the employees had ever seen the wife of Drew Hayden, one of the richest CEOs.

They made it into the lift pretty sharpish and even then May continued to link arms with Drew, worried about being watched through the security cameras. He was surprised that May was smart enough realise that.

"Okay, so your office is on the top floor, the accountants' department is on the fifteenth floor." May repeated, trying hard to remember where some of the important places were. "The meeting room is on the sixteenth floor…"

"And where is your floor?" Drew asked, trying to get her to remember what was probably the most important floor to her.

"Emmm…" May hesitated but still managed to answer. "Floor seventeen." She replied enthusiastically once she remembered.

"Good. Not such a ditz after all." Drew mocked just as the elevator doors opened, letting them out on the top floor and leaving May with no time to retaliate.

But she could've. No one was on the floor. Drew's personal assistant hadn't showed up yet but it was still early. At barely eight, she didn't need to be here for at least another half hour. Drew usually showed up at nine sharp.

He unlocked his office door and pushed them open and once he had done so, it revealed a classy looking bookshelf that was straight ahead of them, a set of black leather couches (what is it with rich people and leather?) and a matching elegant black and silver glass coffee table. His desk was partially hidden behind the shelf that held a few ornaments such as a priceless hand painted vase. But once May did enter far enough into his room, she could see a neat stack of files on his trendy desk which had a good view of the city's streets and building as well as the harbour and its ships which looked tiny from their height.

Drew shut the door behind him and led May over to his desk. "Sit down." He commanded.

May complied and sat in the seat across from his side of the desk. She still wasn't sure why they had to be here so early but her question was soon answered.

Drew skimmed through a few documents and separated them into two piles. He handed May the larger pile and which must've had about four documents. "These are floor plans for a few locations in La Rousse. Don't screw it up." He said sternly.

May thought it was a bit unfair. She was new to the job and she was already handed four different projects. Sure, they were related to what her architecture and interior design degree and sure, they were all pretty small projects but still, it was her first time, shouldn't Drew be giving her one first to test the waters?

"So I have to come up with a new design for these places?" May asked, even though she was certain that that was what she was meant to do.

"No, you're going to colour them in and pin them up on the wall." Drew replied sarcastically. "If I wanted that I would've hired a kid."

"No need to drag little kids into this. I was just trying to confirm it, geez." May said, a little bit annoyed at Drew.

"Don't talk back, May, I can make the rest of your life a nightmare and I'm not afraid to do so." Drew said in a threatening tone.

May tried to ignore what he said to her and rose from her seat. "I'll be getting to work then." May dismissed herself, or at least attempted to. She wanted to get away from Drew right away.

"Not unless you know where you are going." Drew stated as he approached her. "Now wipe that look off your face." He said to her, referring to her gloomy expression.

May inspired and expired deeply then linked arms with Drew.

"Sure thing, moody." May said with a feigned smile plastered across her face.

Xxxxxx

The journey from Drew's office to May's one was quiet. May put on a bright smile when she saw people and greeted them with a pleasant "good morning" but she never said anything to Drew and he never said anything back to her. She still hadn't recovered from Drew's threat.

May's room was considerably smaller than Drew's room. It didn't have the open space for couches and a mini bar like Drew's room did. All she had was a desk, a few empty shelves and some seats but she liked how the wall that was on the same side as the door which was transparent much like the opposing wall. She had a view of the city only, she couldn't see the harbour at all but she didn't mind. She had a feeling that Drew was going to pile on the work so she wouldn't have time to enjoy the ocean view anyway.

May said a simple "thanks" to Drew before he introduced her to the employees on the floor. He left her to get on with her work after that but not before a loving peck on the cheek.

May took her seat behind the desk and put her head down. She had a tonne of work to do but she was prepared to complete as much as she could as fast as she could. There was no way she was going to allow herself to fall at the first hurdle and allow Drew to doubt her ability to work. May opened up the first file and started to read through what the client wanted and the floor plan of the location. She thought it would be a better place to go to the place to see it in person, anything to get away from the increasingly loud whispers and awkward stares from people.

May tried to find the address in the document somewhere. Surely it had to be there. Her task was interrupted by the sharp knock at the door.

She looked up to see a smartly dressed girl. Luscious, red, shoulder-lengthed locks, great figure underneath the yellow sleeveless dress that hugged her slender waist not too tightly or loosely and a gorgeous set of pins.

"Hello, I'm Brianna, you must he the new Mrs Hayden." She smiled a welcoming smile and extended a hand for May to shake.

May nodded and reciprocated the smile, unsure about what to say to her except for a "nice to meet you." They stood there in an awkward silence for a minute or so until May decided to ask Brianna about work.

Brianna suggested that May goes down to the place and check it out for herself before planning anything. And May did as Brianna suggested. After all, if they both thought of it, it must've been a good idea.

Xxxxxx

It was almost lunchtime and Drew hadn't heard from May all day. He, like May, was too absorbed in his work to think about anything.

When he left his room, he saw no one. Not even his assistant. But when he took the time to think about it, he had a vague memory of his assistant knocking on his door telling him that it was lunchtime before politely dismissing herself.

Drew made his way down to the seventeenth floor and to his surprise, everyone was gone too. Except for one.

"Oh, good afternoon Mr Drew." She said, surprised by his appearance. She didn't expect to see him here.

"You're working hard like always, Brianna." He said to her.

Brianna was very good at concealing her excitement about being praised by him. "Of course," she smiled, "It's what I'm being paid for."

That phrase reminded him of why he was here. "Did you keep an eye on May like I asked?" He questioned.

Brianna looked at him. "I introduced myself to her. But I haven't seen her since then." She replied, the volume of her speech decreasing as she approached the end of the sentence.

"You were probably working too hard to notice her." Drew said, though what he thought in his head was completely different. "Have you eaten yet?"

Brianna shook her head.

"Then let's go. Lunch is on me."

"Thank you Mr Drew." She said with a slight pink tint on her cheeks.

Xxxxxx

May hadn't noticed where the driver was taking her to when she called the address but once there, she instantly realised exactly where she was. She requested to be dropped off in front of a little cafe, one with a small wood burning fire and scrumptious lemon cake.

Upon entering the place, May felt a wave of nostalgia smack her right in the face. She used to come here pretty often. The last time she was here was when she was ducking the rain - which was as heavy as it was today - and ended up formally introducing herself to Drew. The little table they sat and chatted away at was empty, pretty much like the rest of the shop.

xxxxxx

27th December 2010

"I-I'm May." May introduced once she had sat down on the wooden chair. She gave him a warm smile and extended her hand. "And I just want to say thanks for the tea and cake."

"No problem. And I'm Drew Hayden." The green haired man introduced. "I really like the shoes, by the way." His gaze darted down to his footwear for a moment.

May's eyes followed suit. "I thought you might." She said, her smile not wavering at all.

"Yeah?" Drew asked, curious as to how she knew.

May nodded and took a sip of the hot beverage then answered, while setting her mug back down onto the low wooden coffee table in front of her. "I noticed you rejected all the other shoes and looking at the shoes you wore when you entered the store, I thought the ones I chose suit you more." She paused to take a breather. "But I was only taking a taking a chance." May added with a smile at the end of it.

"So you like to take chances?" Drew questioned, arching an eyebrow.

May nodded. "Absolutely."

"You seem like an interesting character." Drew said to her.

May beamed at that comment. "Why thank you. So, do you come here often?"

"No, it's my first time. My driver went to get more petrol for the car." Drew answered. "I don't usually come up to this area, though I did used to live here."

"Whereabouts?"

"Near the university."

May suddenly gave him an enthusiastic look. "You went to La Rousse uni too?" May asked excitedly.

Drew nodded.

"I went there too, well, actually, I still do. I'm studying my last year of my master's." May explained.

Drew nodded. "It's a nice place to study."

May nodded then looked at her watch. "I need to go, work calls." She said, making a disappointed face. "But maybe I'll bump into you again if you're ever around this area." She added with a smile like the one she had when they sat down.

"Hopefully, but just in case you don't," Drew started and paused as he slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a business card in one smooth motion. "Here's my number." He handed her the card with his number on it.

May smiled. "Thanks." She said before leaving Drew behind.

He watched as she left, not taking his eyes off of her until her outline faded into the dense rain.

xxxxxx

7th April 2011

After lunch May stood outside the location and stared at it. The building seemed endless in height with the top and bottom of windows from each floor blending into the next. May wasn't sure if what she thought of as the top really was in fact the top of it. She went inside and found her way up to the desired floors and saw nothing and no one, obviously since she hadn't hired any renovators or bought any furniture for the soon to be new It restaurant. After getting a feel for the place she left.

But somehow she hadn't planned her trip out enough. She ended up standing outside in the rain while waiting for the chauffeur to return and by the time he had arrived, May was drenched from head to toe. Rainwater was trickling down her legs and forming a puddle in her shoes, lubricating her feet and ultimately causing them to slip off her feet slightly with every step she took.

She made a quick decision to go home and change into something else before returning to work. She slipped out of her dress and into a clean, crisp dress with a distinct dark bluey-purple top and a dark beige bottom and a pair of matching Carvella peep toe heels. She quickly fixed her hair and reapplied her make up then left to head back to the office to be stared at like some sort of circus freak.

Everyone had returned from lunch when May made it back- then again it was just about three o'clock. She went into her office and started to get the design of the first restaurant done, giving it a nice romantic theme. She found some really unusual looking ornaments to match the theme of the place like the heart shaped salt and pepper shakers and the red heart shaped love seats for the lounge area where she planned to put a bar. It's the little touches that made the special moments that people all too often take for granted.

She was so absorbed in her work that by she didn't even notice Drew standing by her room door. Or his loud, impatient knock.

"May." he interrupted her from her work. He moved closer to her and shut the door behind him. "Where have you been?"

"Here, planning the place." she said, indicating the files that were open and her monitor that had her plans on it with her pen. She didn't look up at all and continued to type things as they conversed.

"I came to find you at lunchtime and Brianna said she hadn't seen you all day after she introduced herself."

Is that so? May thought.

"I went out to check the place out." May said, her typing had ceased.

"Why? You're not supposed to just leave like that and it doesn't take you four hours to do something like that." Drew tried to keep his voice down in case any of the employees outside were trying to eavesdrop, which they most likely were.

In the other room Brianna could hear the couple speak loud and clear and she was enjoying every minute of it. She loved the well concealed holes in the walls.

"I went to get a feel for the place and it's all the way up north." May said, getting riled up by this conversation. She had completely stopped working by now.

"Why? That's what this is for." Drew said, picking up one of the many sheets scramble upon her desk. "I don't know if I can promise you your job after the two years." He said a bit more quietly. He knew the walls of this room were thin and didn't want to risk letting anyone hear that part.

May stared at him intently. "I know what I'm doing and if letting me see the place in person helps then I think it should be allowed." She defended.

"Then you better have a good idea at the meeting next week." Drew said before he stood up straight. He turned and left after that, slamming the door behind him.

May stared at the door for what seemed like a long time before she readjusted her attention from her door to her desk, a new determination rising in her. She was NOT going to let Drew get the better of her.

xxxxxx

May yawned. It had been a long day and all she could think about was work. She had completely finished one of her four projects but as a consequence, she had to sacrifice eating a nice home cooked meal. Her dinner at the office consisted of some ham and cheese in between two layers of semi-stale brown bread. Not fancy or particularly good but it would have to do. She didn't get home until eleven but that wasn't completely her work's fault; there was that factor and she didn't want to see Drew.

The elevator doors slid apart and invited her in to the place she now called home even though it didn't feel like it. For May, home should be a place where she could completely relax and feel she didn't need to keep her guard up all the time. Like now.

After a long day like today, the last thing she wanted was to see Drew so instead, she crashed on the couch downstairs.

Well, that's all for his update. Main points were just to introduce Brianna who will feature more in later chapters :)

Hope you enjoyed this chapter and reviews are, like always, much appreciated!

~silver-hedgehog