Chapter Six

"My lady, you have a meeting scheduled for ten thirty. And right after that, your father requested to meet with him at eleven. Would you like an early or late lunch?"

Malia nodded, barely hearing the words that were spoken, all she registered was 'meeting.'

"Miss Malia?"

Malia raised her head, staring at her secretary straight in the eye. "Jamie, could you give me a minute?"

Jamie pursed his lips and blinked. He gave her a look that said 'Are you serious, girl?’ Then, he smiled haughtily. Malia rolled her eyes and waved him aside. "Of course, my lady." He said

Jamie was, in one word, sarcastic. He was young, only eighteen about to turn nineteen in a few weeks. Sometimes Malia wondered why her father had hired an eighteen-year-old and paid him more than most teenagers earned in a year in just a single month. And not just that, made him her secretary even though he had no qualifications at all. Jamie was skinny, tall, and carried himself with the confidence of a king. He was also quick-witted and with a sharp tongue that didn't discriminate against his victims. Some people called him rude and arrogant, Malia couldn't help but agree with them.

"Make yourself useful elsewhere, Jamie," Malia said, going back to typing up the report she was working on.

Sales had been skyrocketing since her marriage to Grant. The Stone Empire was rapidly expanding and Malia was at the forefront of it all. This meant that she had even more work to do, and the last thing she needed was her teenage secretary worsening her headache.

"Oh, but I did try that once, right?" Jamie said in his annoying high-pitched voice with his signature flourish that made him look like he was on the set of a movie. "And my lady, you lost ten million dollars." He finished, inspecting his nails.

Malia winced trying not to remember that episode. Just the mere mention of it made goosebumps cover her skin. She could recall what happened as clearly as if it had happened yesterday. In a fit of anger, she ordered Jamie to be sent out of the corporate building, saying that he was annoying her. The security obeyed her request and threw Jamie out. It was two hours to closing, she thought she didn't need him anymore for that day. In her anger, Malia didn't stop to consider the importance of her secretary.

Because of that, she missed a meeting that was supposed to guarantee her a deal of ten million dollars on the spot. She didn't even know what had happened till her father showed up as she was about to leave and began yelling.

Malia tasted humiliation that day, and she never wanted to experience it again. Needless to say, Jamie was reinstated as her secretary, this time her father warned her about what would happen if she so much as tried to fire Jamie. He was the only one for the job, her father had said.

Malia glared at the boy. He had a smug smile on his face. "You were saying, my lady?" He said, his voice as polite as ever.

Malia sighed and rubbed her temples. "What is the schedule for today?"

He raised his chin and smiled. "Excellent, that's what I like to hear. So, as I said earlier you have a meeting at ten. Mr Blackwood and his board will be in attendance, I believe they want to further feed upon your marriage to Grant Hudson."

Malia nodded. This was nothing new, after all her marriage to Grant had been to the benefit of both families. "Okay, what's next?"

Jamie looked down at the iPad in his hands. "Then you have another meeting by eleven, with your father, and the senior board."

Malia frowned. It wasn't every other day that she had a meeting with her father and the board. "What could be the problem?"

Jamie shrugged. "I don't know, perhaps he wants to congratulate you on your marriage." His green eyes were narrowed with mischief.

"Very funny, Jamie," Malia said with a straight face, looking him dead in the eye. "It's too early for your sarcasm."

"I thought you liked my sarcasm, it lightened up the air around you didn't it?"

Malia ignored him, pointedly going back to the report she was typing, intentionally making the sound of her typing very loud. This was the hint for him to leave. Luckily for her, he took it. He mumbled something she didn't hear before he walked out, closing the door behind him loudly but not loud enough to be called a slam.

Malia exhaled and began to get ready for her meetings and appointments.

***

At work, her father was Mr. Stone, commandeering, authoritative, and smart. He wasn't her father, he wasn't her daddy, he was the owner of the company.

Malia stood before the small team composed of her father and three of his trusted financial advisors. Malia knew each of them individually, and she knew how they felt towards her.

Mrs. Rose was a long-time friend of her father turned business partner. The common saying that held not to turn friends into business partners didn't apply to her. She had a wicked eye for money and could easily secure any deal or contract she wanted. She also knew how to communicate with people in a way that made them listen. Mrs. Rose liked Malia, but believed that the young heiress still had plenty much to learn.

Mr. Asher was the oldest among them. Malia didn't exactly know how he met her father, but he had the connections her father needed. Mr. Asher was a man who knew a lot of people, and that sure did come in handy in their line of work. Leon strongly believed Malia had no part in the business, and he didn't hesitate to make it known whenever she made even the slightest mistake.

The last was Mr Leon. He was young, maybe a few years older than Malia herself. From what she knew, he graduated from Harvard at sixteen. He was a loner who didn't look at all like a genius. He was the tech of the team, and his skill with computers was much more than his talents. He liked Malia, he said she was fun to be around. Fun being that she didn't speak to him unnecessarily and minded her own business.

Being married to Grant made them respect her a little more. It infuriated her.

"How's the research for the new enzyme coming along?" MrStone asked.

"I believe the board was informed that our research facility in Italy caught fire and we lost all data."

"You weren't aware?" Mrs Rose said and turned to Mr Stone. Her eyebrows were knitted together, a look of disbelief on her face.

Malia frowned. This was awkward. Her father cleared his throat. "Any luck with the data recovery, Leon?" He cleverly averted the question.

Leon snapped out of the daze he was in. "It wasn't just a fire, it was a deliberate attack. I was able to locate the perp. Should we track them down?"

"Well of course we should! Just how much did we lose in this fire?!" Malia flinched. Her father was getting really angry.

"Twenty-five million dollars, and an enzyme possible to slow aging by seventy-five percent," Malia said.

"This setback is nothing, we will bounce back from this," Asher said, but he didn't, however, sound too convinced.

"Any casualties?"

"None, sir. Everyone was safely evacuated and some sustained minor injuries."

"Why wasn't I informed of this?!"

Malia pursed her lips, not daring to say what she wanted to say. She had personally emailed him the report, she had personally informed his secretary to give him the latest developments. Malia hoped it wasn't what she feared. These days he was becoming....forgetful? She didn't want to think too much about it, and she wouldn't even dare ask him if anything was the problem.

"Well, now you know." Mrs Rose chipped in, her voice slightly disdainful. So they had noticed too.

"Is there anything else that should be brought to my attention, Mrs Houston?"

Malia flinched visibly. Mrs Houston, she didn't like it. It had a bad ring to it, and hearing it come from her father....from Mr Stone hurt for some reason. She steadied herself, putting on a mask of impassiveness.

"No, that would be all, Mr Stone."

She could feel a slight tension in the air. She felt Mrs Rose's eyes on her. Heck, she could feel all their eyes on her. The silence that descended upon their small meeting was very loud. Her father held her gaze without blinking.

"Wonderful." He said and rose to leave. "Have a wonderful day everyone. And continue to be your best." He said the last past pointedly looking at Malia. She looked away and down at the reports on the table in front of her. As they rose to leave, she began to pack up the papers.

It took less than a minute. She raised her head and almost yelled. Leon hadn't left, he was standing in the doorway staring at her.

"Is anything the problem?" Malia asked.

Leon blinked. "No, you seemed sad that's all."

Malia didn't know exactly what to say so she just smiled. "Ah," She said, packing up the last of the papers. "You could say that, Leon."

He looked at her for a long time but didn't say anything else. Instead, he shrugged and walked out of the conference hall. Malia followed not long after, humming a small tune to herself. That had gone well, incredibly well. She felt a bit of pride in herself. Until she saw Jamie speed walking towards her.

"What is it, Jamie?" She asked.

"How are you doing, my lady? You look ravishing."

Malia ignored him and continued walking. He raced up to her. "But I come bearing news!"

"Then, spit it out, Jamie. What news do you have?"

"You have a visitor."

"And?"

"It's a he and it's not darling hubby."

"Who is it?!"

"A.... Cane Roberts."

Malia paused, a bolt of electricity zapping through her. It had been ages since she'd last heard that name. "Where is he?"