Ruined (A Dark Alpha Billionaire Romance) (6 page)

I decided to do some extra research on Harrison Media so that I could impress my employer in the morning and show him that I could be useful and professional. Newly invigorated by my plan, I jumped up and grab my laptop and hurried to the library. I poured over the research I had done before, looking at the trends relating to Harrison Media’s new clients. Mr. Harrison had mentioned something about a new direction with him taking the helm.
How can I help him with that and prove that I’m valuable?

Harrison Media had flourished under Mr. Harrison’s leadership, and while it was still a top advertising firm, it hadn’t really done anything outstanding and newsworthy in the past few years. I realized that if Harrison Media wanted to end up in the news again, they should start in the news. Blake Harrison had all the contacts he needed to end up on the front pages of the paper and I was going to help him get there.

I typed furiously, my plan forming in my head as it rushed out my fingers and danced over the keyboard. I would plan an event so spectacular for the launch of Blake’s return to the helm of Harrison Media that it would be on the tongue of everyone from socialites to business titans the next day.

By the time I was finished outlining my plan, the moon was high in the sky. I glanced at my clock and realized I had worked through dinner. I yawned and stretched, finally feeling the fatigue that had been kept at bay by my excitement. Tired and hungry, I got up and walked down to the kitchen to find some food. The kitchen was dark and empty, but an investigation turned up some leftovers in the industrial-sized refrigerator. I sat down to a bowl of cold pasta primavera, too tired to even heat up my food.

After rinsing out my bowl, I stumbled up the stairs and down the hall to my bedroom, collapsing on the comfortable bed immediately. As I lay there, I briefly considered showering and changing into my pajamas, but the dark blanket of sleep settled over me and I never got the chance..

Chapter 4.

I woke up to the blaring beeps of my alarm clock.

“Shut up,” I mumbled as I reached out to find the snooze button. Unfortunately, my arm didn’t reach far enough and I had to put my feet on the cold floor and take two agonizing steps before I could reach the blaring clock. Once I was up, there was no point in climbing back into bed. I stumbled sleepily into the bathroom and turned on the shower. Shimmying out of yesterday’s dress, I managed to climb into the freezing cold deluge.

“Fuck!” I slapped a hand over my mouth, afraid my father would come yelling and pounding at the door. A laugh bubbled inside me as I remembered that my father wasn’t here and no longer controlled my life or the words I spoke. I laughed as the freezing water pounded down on me and I let out a stream of curses.

“Fuck! Shit! Hell! Damn! Fuckity fucking fuck, you fuckers!” It felt like I was finally letting loose a dam that had been holding everything inside of me for far too long. I was no longer that girl I’d always forced myself to be and it felt amazing.

My little outburst was cut short by a knock on my door.  I quickly wrapped a towel around my shivering, dripping body and opened the door a crack. Jane’s wrinkled face peered back at me with concern.

“Is everything alright?” Her eyes darted around the room. “I heard shouting in here while I was heading to breakfast.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I was just talking to myself.” I felt the pink blush of embarrassment on my cheeks, but couldn’t help the smiled that tugged at my lips. “I was just…singing in the shower, but badly.” I added when she still looked concerned.

“Alright then. I’ll see you down in the kitchen,” Jane said as she hobbled away. I shut the door behind her and laughed at myself. Maybe I was going a little crazy, but I felt a real happiness bubbling up inside me.

I threw on my clothes quickly, opting for a simple black pencil skirt and flowered cardigan. I threw my wet hair up into a bun and rushed down to have breakfast before it was time to meet with Mr. Harrison. Jane was already in the kitchen with her plate of quiche. I grabbed some as well and poured a cup of coffee.

“Sorry about earlier. I got carried away with celebrating my freedom,” I explained to Jane as I sat next to her.

“Not to worry, dear,” Jane replied, smoothing the napkin on her lap. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Shouting can sometimes indicate something more…sinister.” She looked down at the napkin, as if studying the folds.

I nodded, even though she wasn’t looking. “I’ll be more careful about my volume in the future,” I promised. I gulped down my coffee in a few large sips and then quickly shoveled the quiche into my mouth. “I’ve got to run and meet up with Mr. Harrison now,” I said to Jane as I placed my dishes in a pile and bounded out of the room.

I somehow managed to reach Mr. Harrison’s office at precisely 8:00.  I glanced down at my watch and let out a sigh of relief. I knocked tentatively, suddenly worried that my employer would still be angry about my intrusion the night before.

“Come in,” the deep voice called out. His tone was calm and level, betraying none of the emotions I had witnessed last night.

I pushed the door open and entered the brightly lit study.  Blake Harrison sat at his desk, his usual impassive expression masking his deeper thoughts. He gestured to the large armchair across the desk from him, so I hurried in and slid into the comfortable seat.

“You surprise me.” His voice was deep and smooth, with no hint of anger.

“I’m sorry about the picture and about last night,” I blurted out hastily, hoping he could read the sincerity behind my voice.

Blake’s expression stayed perfectly calm but his eyes flashed with emotion. “No need.” With two simple words, his strong voice cut off my apology. The flare of emotion drained from his sharp eyes.

“As I mentioned, I’m surprised by your natural intuitions in this field. I came across the laptop you so carelessly left open in the library last night.”

I couldn’t be sure, but I thought I detected a hint of humor in my employer’s voice.

“Your oversight gave me the chance to look over the plan you were outlining for a launch party and you actually have a very solid intuitive understanding of unconventional marketing techniques. Your plan is missing some key components, such as a list of leaders in the industry and key media personalities and socialites to invite, but your overall plan is a good one.”

My heart thumped loudly in my chest as Mr. Harrison spoke.  He was actually complimenting me and validating my abilities. All my concerns that he might fire me for my mistake last night flew from my head. I had a real chance to prove my worth and help Mr. Harrison with his new campaign.

“I would love to plan this event, if you approve,” I said quietly, trying to keep the hopeful excitement out of my voice. I couldn’t stop my hands from fidgeting with the ends of my cardigan as I waited for his reply.

The silence was lasting too long. Maybe my employer didn’t actually trust me to turn my plan into a reality. Maybe I had overreached. I glanced up through the thick cover of my dark lashes and saw Mr. Harrison’s amused expression looking back at me.

“You can plan the launch party, but I have one condition,” he said, his expression sharp but his green eyes twinkling with humor.

“Thank you, sir,” I replied. “Anything.”

“I need you to stop acting so meek and afraid. If you want to be in charge of important tasks, you must act confident in your abilities.”

I blushed, but looked up and met his gaze. Our eyes locked for a moment and I found myself breathing shallowly, my heart beating rapidly as my eyes wandered to his soft lips. He usually held his mouth in a hard line, but his smile transformed his lips into soft, slender pillows. I couldn’t help wondering what they would feel like, pressed against mine.

“Yes, sir,” I replied, my voice stronger and more confident.

“Good, now get to work and report back to me this evening on your progress.” Blake turned from me and looked back to his stacks of paper, breaking the spell that held my eyes fixed on his strong, angular face.

I headed straight to the library, where my laptop lay open where I had left it the night before. I decided to start with the easy part of the planning, coming up with a theme, and work from there. I sat at the wooden table and looked around the expansive room, trying to imagine what would excite the rich, famous, and powerful guests that we would need to attract. The only parties I had ever attended were childhood birthday parties and cake and punch parties in the church basement. This party would need to be something far beyond my previous experiences. It would need to be glamorous and exciting. What did I know about glamour?

I glanced around the library again, wondering what I knew about anything. My eyes settled on the shelves next to me, packed heavy, thick old books that were begging to be dusted off, inviting me into their own little worlds. Books. I knew about books and stories. And what better place than this beautiful castle for a fairy tale party? Once I had the first idea in place, more and more pieces fell into place as my mind raced through the many extravagant parties I had attended in my head over the years as I read my way through all the classic stories.

The hours passed by quickly as I typed and researched and put together my plan for an extravagant, masquerade fairy tale ball to usher in Blake Harrison’s new role at Harrison Media’s and introduce his new campaign to the world. By the time I finally glanced at the clock, I realized that I had worked straight through the day and it was almost time for dinner. I quickly emailed everything I had compiled to Mr. Harrison and closed my laptop.

I found Jane already waiting in the kitchen by the time I got there. Her shaky hands were having trouble with the soup ladle, spilling droplets of vegetable soup all over the shiny counter. I rushed over and gently took the ladle from her hand.

“Here, let me help you with that.” I filled her small bowl with the fresh, piping hot soup and quickly wiped down the counter while she gathered some fresh bread and cheese and took her food over to the table. I helped myself to some soup as well and went to join her.

“Thank you for the help, Gracie dear,” Jane said with a small smile. “My body just isn’t what it used to be. No matter how much I try to fight it, time always wins.” The sadness in her eyes was heartbreaking. I wondered what she was like when she was my age. I wanted to ask her about her story and how she had ended up at the Harrison Estate, but I had other questions first.

“Jane, what happened to Mrs. Harrison?”

Jane put down her spoon slowly, looking down into her bowl for a few long minutes. Finally, she looked up at me, her eyes filled with sadness.

“That isn’t my story to tell, dear.” She said softly. “But it is a very sad story. I know Mr. Harrison can be angry and unpredictable, but believe me when I say he has his reasons. Don’t judge the poor man too harshly. If anyone deserves kindness in this life, Blake does.” She picked her spoon back up and returned to her soup, making it clear that the conversation was over.

I mulled over her words as I quietly finished my dinner. It seemed that I was right about Mr. Harrison’s wife passing away; and according to what Jane had said, it must have been under very tragic circumstances. I felt a deep ache in my heart for Blake. He must have truly loved the woman, and his pain was obvious. I wished I knew a way to help him ease the pain.

Once I finished dinner, I decided to stop by Mr. Harrison’s office. I wasn’t sure exactly what I would say, but I wanted to let him know that I was sorry for my mistakes and that I was working hard to help him reclaim the life he wanted.

I saw a soft glow coming from under his door and knocked gently. After a few quiet seconds, the door flew open and Blake stared down at me, his eyes wild.

“I told you to never bother me here unless I’ve instructed you to come. Are you incapable of following instructions?” He growled. “I didn’t take you for an idiot.”

“I…I’m sorry,” I stammered. “I was just…I wanted to apologize…” I trailed off as the fire in his eyes burned even brighter. The words caught in my throat. He was right. I kept making the same stupid mistakes. Every time I tried to fix things, I only made them worse.

“You need to learn how to obey.” His sharp voice cut through my self-pity as his hand reached out and roughly grabbed my arm.  “Come in here so I can teach you a lesson.” He gave me a tug and I stumbled into his office as he slammed the door behind us.

“How old are you, Grace?” His voice was softer now, but he still managed to sound menacing. His face was so strong and angular, his green eyes piercing through bronzed skin and brown hair. He somehow managed to look even more handsome when he was angry.

“I’m twenty-three,” I replied, feeling confused and worried. What did my age have to do with my mistakes?

“So young.” His voice sounded sad and wistful now. “So sweet, so pretty, so naïve. You will soon find out that the world is cruel and violent. Let me give you your first taste.” His tone changed to a sharp angry bitterness as he spoke and I found myself shivering despite the warmth.