Chapter 12: Insults

He hardly slept last night. He had taken the room just beside hers and all he could do on that massive bed was to think about her. She disturbed him so much. He was staring at the ceiling, wondering what colour was her nightdress.

This solid wall was separating him from her but that was not all. Her attitude was also separating them. She had this wall of coldness around her. She was so pure, a fatal woman. Unimaginable thoughts that had never barge in his mind since so many years were resurfacing again. He had never really loved a woman, he was more like a playboy but after that incident that happened with his treacherous mother, he never considered dating again. He was glad he was a bachelor.

Now there was this Victoria, a woman he hardly knew but which perturbed him like hell! Who was she? He knew that she was different from all others. She seemed to know exactly what she wanted to do and had already planned her fate.

After a tremendous willpower, he managed to pull himself out of bed and after what it seemed like to be an eternity, he managed to reach the doorknob. He stepped out slowly from his slightly dark room, briefly blinded by the bright light. He raised his hand to cover his eyes and felt that his arm bumped against something.

Victoria who was an early riser, had already freshened herself and was heading back to her room with a cup of warm tea when the door beside her opened and Jake literally bumped into her.

She tightened her grip over the cup and said, "Hey be careful!"

She stared at him as he was bare chest. So muscular? She instantly averted her eyes and mumbled, "Good morning, Mr Hills."

He gazed at her and approached her. "Morning Kate. You brought me tea?"

She turned her back to him, as a gesture to hide the nice tea from his view. "It's mine. I left some for you in the teapot."

He teased, "You seem agitated. Look at me."

She gritted her teeth, "Oh please, I have much to do than look at you."

She continued to walk but he swiftly blocked her way. She forced herself not to gaze at his muscular body and stared right into his eyes, "What do you want?"

"Where are you going so early?"

She wondered why he never answered her question and it was always her that had to answer him. She was professionally dressed in a knee length black business dress and her hair was neatly tied into a chignon.

She responded with a tip of annoyance, "Unlike you, Mr Hills, I'm not the owner who have the privilege to arrive late. If you excuse me..."

He moved aside and let her walk. "You like to be excused huh? Wait for me. I'll take a bath and we'll go to my office together. Is that clear, Victoria?" The hell she was going to wait for him.

She replied firmly, "As clear as water, Mr Hills." She resumed her walk to her room, very well aware that he was still watching her.

Jake smiled at himself. Finally she had started to obey him. He shook his head and went to the bathroom. He would make sure she did not have to wait for him for long. It would be too painful for her to see him away from him. These sensations had reawakened.

He knew how the women he had dated felt when he was not in front of them. They felt insecure. They were frail creatures and so was that Victoria who was willing to obey him. He liked to play the dominant one and as per him, he had already dominated her. Of course, after all, women liked to kiss the road on which he walked. There were no exceptions. These untrustworthy creatures were all the same. Gold-diggers...

As soon as she felt sure he was in his bathroom, Victoria took her handbag and walked out of the apartment. He was mad to think that she would wait for him. She knew that if she would have refused him, he would have continued to argue with her and time was something she could not afford to lose. It did not take her long to find a taxi. Taxi drivers were renowned to be really fast and this one proved it.

She paid him and walked into what was supposed to be her building. She took the lift and went directly to the top most level. She let her belongings on her own desk and knocked at the door behind her office, "Good morning, Sir. How do you do?"

Robertz observed her secretary and then at the clock, "I like punctuality. I'm fine and you?"

She responded, "Equally. So where do I start?"

Robertz gestured towards a heap of files and said, "An easy task. You can start by analysing these business files, putting them in order, planning a schedule by organising the most important ones first. There is a catalogue of hotels, restaurants etc on your desk. You can already book the most appropriate places which will be suitable for our different clients. Research them and you'll know their tastes."

"Okay." She took the files in her arms and walked away to her own office which was just in front of his. Robertz was surprised she did not protest at this load of boring work he gave her. But it was good for himself. Jake had indeed hired the perfect secretary.

Victoria looked at the heaps of files and knew that it was going to cost her a lot of her precious time but that was needed. She had to get close to Robertz and find out what method of torture would suit him more. She laughed at the thought.

Whether she did her work in the right way or in the wrong way, it would not make any differences to her as her sole objective was to get justice for her parents. She was starting her job when a woman walked in her office and she nodded at her as a sign of polite greeting. "I have to talk to you." She was surprised for she did not even know her.

"So you're the new secretary?"

Victoria frowned. Why was she talking in a rude tone to her? Nevertheless she responded, "Yes, why?"

She seemed to work here since she had no handbag or anything with her. If she had come here for a meeting, then she would have at least brought a file. The woman who was about the same age as her sat in front of her and bluntly asked to confirm, "Jake recruited you, right?"

"Look, miss...I don't know what you want or who you are, so can you get straight to the point?"

Lillian observed her. She was indeed beautiful. In fact, more beautiful than her. And that fact made her want to kill her. Had she somehow managed to seduce Jake? Jake had never employed someone so briskly without even getting a thorough check on her background but who was she to him.

She burnt to ask her that question but right now, she would contain herself with her interrogation, "What's your name already?"

Victoria was irritated. "Victoria Hyland and you?"

"I'm Lillian for your information and it's me who take care of Jake's things here. So you better stay away from him."

Victoria did not know by what she was more surprised; her words or her behaviour. What did she want with her? She continued, "I'm Jake's secretary and if I find you near him, I'll make sure you lose your job."

Victoria wanted to laugh. If that foolish woman knew what she could to do her, she would think twice before threatening her. The job; she did not even care but her revenge; she did. If anyone would become an obstacle in her way, she'd make sure they'd surrender before they even get in the war.

Victoria answered back, "I'm not interested in Mr Hills if you want to know and nor in the people that hangs around him." Lillian thought she was going to explode. She dared answer back but worse, she dared insult Jake.

She would report her to him. She'd make sure she would not stay here any longer. And if she was going to stay, she'd make sure she would suffer to such an extent that she would beg for her own dismissal.

"Victoria Hyland!" Jake barged into her office, ready to give her a lesson for having left him alone in their apartment. The most annoying in all that was that she did not even mind when he looked at the way she was comfortably seated at her desk. She had not even bother about him. He had been a gentleman again to give her a lift at which she had said: As clear as water, Sir. My foot! I feel like drowning her right now.

Victoria rolled her eyes and mumbled, loud enough for Lillian to hear her, "As if one nuisance was not enough!"

Lillian was shocked at what she said. She was also relieved Jake was here. She smiled at his hero. He would handle everything. He would protect her from that new witch.

She rushed to him and hugged him, "Jake, I'm glad you're here! If only you knew!"

Jake was surprised at Lillian's worried voice, "What's wrong, Lily? What happened?"

She held him more tightly, hoping Victoria was watching them. She indirectly wanted to tell her that Jake was hers only and only hers. He loved her more than anyone else, that's what she wanted her to perceive. Victoria watched them, quite bored. She had seen enough drama like that and she had to complete that first task that was assigned to her by Robertz.

She heard Jake exclaimed in pure anger after a short while of whispering with Lillian, "What? How dare she!" A moment later, the arrogant man was in front of her desk and banged his fist on it with such a force that some loose papers raised in the air and fell on the floor.

He vociferated, "How dare you insult Lillian?"

Victoria wondered why she was not shocked at such an accusation. Maybe because Finn had shown her how to deal with this. She had to be confident. If she lacked confidence, people would take advantage of her, they would abuse of her kindness. She knew she was still that kind person her beloved parents formed her into but she rarely showed it.

She would never never change herself into something they did not want her to be but Finn, he did not change her. He showed her the right way and she knew he would always. He and Rosabella were the sole persons on this planet that actually cared for her. Their opinions about her counted the most in her eyes and what people like Jake Hills thought of her, she did not even took into consideration.

"I've not insulted her, Mr Hills. I did not even know her until she arrived here."

In her peripheral vision, she could almost see Lillian grinning. A defensive sentence which she knew would be probably ignored by him. Jake frowned hard at her -- at that woman he hardly knew-- but she was busy consulting the files on her table. This fact made him want to kill her at this very moment. She did not have the right to ignore him.

He leant forward and warned, "Ms Hyland, if I ever hear another complaint about you, I will--"

She slammed down the pen that was in her hand and raised her head to look at him, challenging him as well as interrupting his sentence, "You will what, Mr Hills? The worst you could do is fire me from this job."

She was damn right but also wrong. She did not know him. He could go to any extent to protect the ones he loved; his father and Lillian. They were his only family. He could throw her by jail, could make sure no one would ever hire her again and what else, he could ruin her life in a snap of fingers.

He was powerful but she did not seem to realise it yet. He had proven it to her; he had detoured the plane where they had first met and at that time also, she did not value his power and his status.

He whispered only for her to hear, "You don't know what I can do to you, Kate darling. You can't imagine."

His dark eyes reflected something other than threat but he retrieved back before she could try to think about it. He straightened himself, checked his Rolex watch as if to indirectly tell her that he was wasting his time with her and coldly ordered, "Resume your work, Ms Hyland! I don't pay you to insult my secretary! Dare come near her again."

Lillian was enjoying the show. She liked it when Jake would take her side. She felt so protected and secure. She walked to Jake and lingeringly placed one hand on his shoulder and the other one flat on his chest to restrain him from doing any more thing, "Let it be, Jake. You'll spoil your mood if you continue. Let's go."

Jake looked at Victoria indifferently and he placed his arm behind Lillian's back and they walked out of her office. Lillian sneakily turned back making a thumb down to her.

She shook her head, ''As if I insulted her. People sometimes do not know what they really want... but I do."