BILLIONAIRE SCIENTIST & HIS NEW SECRETARY

CHAPTER 1

PART 5

After this part, I will be moving on to Chapter 2, FINALLY I would think!

Happy Chinese New year! Hope you had lots of "ang baos" (red packets) & your fill of new year goodies! pineapple tarts, bak kwa (sweet meats), love letters, egg rolls... -drooolllll-...

Don't own Tortall & its characters! Usual disclaimers apply!

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Daine & Miri's apartment...

Daine flopped on the battered couch the moment she entered the small apartment. She heard someone moving to sit on the floor next to her and turned her head to see an excited grinning face.

"So, so?" Miri asked excitedly. "Is he as hunky as they say he is? Is he still going out with that Hollywood actress? huh? huh? spill the dirt" She playfully tugged Daine's arm with puppy dog eyes.

Daine sighed. She just... did not want to even try to think over the horrendous series of events that occurred that day... She wondered if she even had a job tomorrow...

"Please please!" Miri pleaded, tugging Daine's arm with more force, exaggeratedly fluttering her eyelashes.

Daine could not stand proof against Miri's pleadings. She was greatly indebted to Miri, in more ways than one. Miri had kindly taken her in when she first arrived in the city. At that time, Miri needed to earn extra income to pay off the installments to the apartment to the owner of the building and decided to rent out a room. She had warmly welcomed Daine without even asking to look at Daine's forged references. It was perhaps foolhardy... but, it meant the world to Daine. Especially when Daine could not pay the rent initially and Miri even lent her money to get started! She never applied pressure (which she was more than entitled to) for Daine to repay her.

"Let's just say... it's been quite a weird day... things have been... kind of crazy," Daine said. "I'm nothing but a glorified babysitter for Numair actually. This morning, I had to drag him to a meeting which he was late to. Didn't help that it was a high level meeting and a few directors of the board gave me a dirty look when he strode in an hour late. I swear, he was just doing that to aggravate me!"

Miri raised an eyebrow. "Aggravate you when you've hardly met? Are you sure? He's well-known for being nice to even the little people, why last month he had went down to the rubbish cleaners..."

Daine winced and interrupted Miri's by-now familiar litany of Numair's outstanding qualities, "Well, I... accidentally scratched him this morning." When Numair had her under him, her right arm was trapped under him and she has instinctively swiped at him with her left hand, screeching, and "Get off me!"

"You scratched him!" Miri yelped. "Oh my goodness! My dear girl, what on earth were you thinking!"

"Hey," Daine protested. "It was an a-c-c-i-d-e-n-t! Anybody who saw it would know I was not at fault..."

"W-e-l-l," Miri huffed." If it wasn't your fault, I'm sure he would be nice about it. Being a woman-charmer and all."

Daine snorted, "No he wasn't. Probably because he doesn't really see me as a girl. Or he's only nice to females that look good." She frowned when she recalled her conversation with Numair...

"Ouch! Why did you have to scratch me for?" Numair demanded, being rudely brought back to reality and full alertness when Daine had scratched him.

Daine was similarly brought to full awareness when Numair narrowed his eyes and said sternly, "Wait a second. Who are you?"

Daine had to control her trembling, 'Calm down Daine, it's only natural you're a bit nervous. Your right hand is trapped by his body and his right hand is gripping your other hand... He's your boss and NAKED to boot!' Somehow, the thought that he was naked was very disturbing. "I, I'm your... your, new secretary. Veralidaine Sarrasri."

Numair said in what Daine thought was a haughty tone, "Ms. Sarrasri, I have no idea what you learnt in your previous jobs, but it is really unbecoming to break and enter into an employer's home without permission. I believe in most states, it is called a c-r-i-m-e."

Daine's eyes flared. "And in most states, THIS is called s-e-x-u-a-l h-a-r-a-s-s-m-e-n-t. I was told to drag you down to the meeting, which must have started already. I tried to wake up and it's not my fault that you had to drag me into bed."

Daine's eyes widened and her heart beat wildly as Numair leaned closer to her and said, "Sorry to get your expectations up, but... you're not my type." He rolled off her and wrapped the bed sheet around him.

"I don't think sooo..." Miri protested. "he is nice to both MEN and women-"

"You're saying I look like a man?" Daine raised an eyebrow. "well, that man purposely tried to irritate me today by taking an HOUR just to get ready for a board meeting that he was already late for! I could tell I was in so much trouble when I walked into the room. The board of directors gave me the evil eye..."

"I heard he's quite a fastidious man about dressing up. According to High Society, he takes on average, an hour to get ready every morning when he wakes up," Miri said thoughtfully.

"Well," Daine snorted. "If he is late, he jolly well hurry up! Especially when the big bosses were WAITING for him. Besides, he is such an egotistical womaniser! After the meeting, the directors asked him about his scratches and he just lifted his eyebrow in this, this, oh, wink wink, kind of, you have to ask, sort of way! And to think! I felt so guilty, when I later followed him to this photo shoot for the cover of GQ, the artistic director was upset that he had injured his face. But Numair just gave him this knowing look and went, 'Oh, you can say that things have been... wild recently'. GRrrrr! Why did he go around giving people the impression that had must have had some mad orgy the previous night!"

"Awww..." Miri said.

"Did you just say awww?" Daine demanded, blinking in surprise.

"Yes..." Miri answered. "I think that's so sweet of him! He's protecting you!"

"Are. You. kidding. Me?" Daine spluttered. "He just wanted to give everyone the impression that he was some wild stud."

"For all you know, he could have had some er hum, action last night," Miri said as Daine tried not to roll her eyes. She knew that was not true, considering that all the items she had picked were distinctly male and he was alone in the morning.

"Anyway," Miri continued. "Surely you don't expect him to tell the truth. That you had scratched his precious face on the first day of job! Imagine that after coming to the meeting so late, he adds oil to the fire by complaining that you had scratched his face when he had an important photo shoot later. If he was really that diva you're trying to portray, he would have long thrown you to the lions and kick a fuss that you had scratched him. After all, he is a very important front of the company. I doubt Tortall Inc would be as well known if not that he and Jonathan was such hunky and drool-worthy guys..." Miri giggled. "as compared to Ozorne the CEO of Carthak Inc, he's like a strutting peacock."

Daine rolled her eyes, "I don't see why you have to keep defending Numair."

Miri raised her eyebrow, "And I don't see why you have to keep slamming him. Just take things easy, give him the benefit of the doubt."

"Hmm..." Daine said, and was saved from a reply when her watch alarm beeped. She got up from the couch and ran into her room to change.

"Where are you going?" Miri asked.

"Off to give tuition to the Alicia Draper," Daine replied from her bedroom, her voice muffled by the sweater she was pulling on.

"Oh... your first lesson with the brainy child on gifted programme who is off to MIT at first opportunity," Miri said. "Good luck!"

"Thanks," Daine said, striding from the bedroom towards the door, thinking, 'Let's hope everything will go smoothly and her relatives won't give me problems!'

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Along an uptown street...

Alanna rammed into a large figure as she exited from a restaurant. She looked up into laughing dark eyes.

He wagged his eyebrows, "Hot date?"

"Why is it everyone seems to be asking that?" Alanna demanded, her fist on her hips.

"You mean everyone by, Jon and George?" he said teasingly.

Alanna gaped, "Now how did you... oh shesh! This company is nothing more than a glorified gossip mill!"

"Now now," Numair smiled. "You wound me, surely my inventions mean something. So, stop evading the topic, why are you here?"

She sighed, pushing her hair away from her eyes. "I'm just meeting Thom. He just got fired and came to this city to find better job prospects."

"Thom?" Numair said. "Isn't he your twin who graduated from Stanford?"

"Yup, that one," Alanna replied.

"Then he shouldn't have any trouble getting a job," Numair comforted. "I'm sure he has the pick of firms."

"Well, I hope so," Alanna said. "Just that he didn't get good referrals. He's brilliant, but just so reckless and moody. Hard to get along with."

"Hmm..." Numair said consideringly.

"Anyway," Alanna shook her head. "Where are you off to? Hot date? eh eh?" She nudged Numair with her elbow.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but my life is not as exciting as the media makes it to be," Numair laughed. "I'm off to see my niece actually, to pass her some science apparatus."

"Looks like it's a family night for us, wild singles," Alanna joked. "Since she's your niece, I guess brilliance must run in the family. Wants to be a researcher like her favourite uncle eh?"

Numair smiled and said, "Let's say Alicia Draper wants to outshine me and be the youngest entrant into MIT. "

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Thanks for reading! Just note that I do have school, that's why I can't update as regularly as I would have wanted.