Chapter 4: Chapter 3

NOAH

Noah wasn’t one to visit his brother, even after they’d patched up their relationship somewhat. When you’ve spent so much time and energy hating someone, trying to ruin them, you can’t expect everything to be hunky-dory just because you had a change of heart. Especially if you never really cared to know the other person in the first place.

But this visit wasn’t about Noah trying to bond with Asher. It wasn’t about curiosity, about seeing how his younger brother was settling into his new suburban life with Maggie Hart.

Sure, Noah wasn’t as self-centered as he used to be, but he hadn’t completely changed either. He needed some information and figured it was best to get it face-to-face. Asher had invited him over, and he’d accepted, having plenty of time on his hands and not minding a trip to the countryside.

He’d grown to appreciate nature through his travels, and he’d also learned to navigate public transportation. He had to switch buses twice to get to Asher’s place, which gave him the chance to enjoy the scenery without the stress of driving. It was strangely freeing.

When he told Asher, his brother laughed, but it wasn’t a mocking laugh. Asher even offered to drive him to the nearest bus stop, but Noah declined, preferring to walk.

“Is Miss Astaire still working for us?” he asked, once they’d exchanged pleasantries and he’d complimented the house.

“Of course she is, as per your request,” Asher confirmed. “Why do you ask?”

“Just curious.” Noah shrugged. “I figured Tamara would’ve done everything to get her fired by now.”

“Oh, she’s tried.” Asher chuckled. “She gripes about Lillian every chance she gets. She doesn’t like your former assistant, and she doesn’t like having her hands tied.”

“I can assure you, the feeling is mutual,” Noah smirked.

“Why am I not surprised you were sleeping with her?” Asher snorted.

Noah laughed, then steered the conversation back to his original question.

“Is Tamara making life difficult for Miss Astaire?”

“Are you worried about her?”

“Not really. That little spitfire can handle herself just fine.”

“She sure can. And to be honest, I’m not a fan of hers. If you hadn’t vouched for her, I wouldn’t have hired her.”

“I’m surprised you trusted my judgment on this one.”

“I did check her references. She’s competent, but she’s lacking in the personality department.”

“You asked for someone skilled, not a saint,” Noah shot back.

Asher chuckled and nodded while Noah took the opportunity to sip his tea. Asher commented on his unusual choice of beverage, but Noah brushed it off.

“Why?” Asher asked suddenly, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.

“Why what?” Noah feigned ignorance, though he had a pretty good idea where this was going.

“Why make an exception for a girl like her? You’ve been a jerk to most of your former employees, so why go to bat for Lillian? I know you weren’t sleeping with her.”

“Of course I wasn’t!” Noah exclaimed, shocked. “Have you seen her?”

“I have. And unlike you, I’m not shallow. She’s not ugly. Her fashion sense and makeup might not be corporate material, but she’s not ugly.”

“If she’s pretty, she’s doing a damn good job of hiding it,” he deadpanned. “Anyway, it was her spirit.”

“I didn’t peg you as someone who appreciated spirit.”

“Neither did I,” he admitted. “But in Miss Astaire, I did. She was smart, capable, and didn’t try to get in my pants, which was the last thing I needed when I hired her. She was mouthy too, but I oddly didn’t mind.”

“How did you hire her, again?” Asher asked, intrigued.

“That’s an interesting story.” Noah grinned. “My previous secretary, who I fired for incompetence…”

“But you slept with her anyway,” Asher interrupted.

“True,” Noah nodded. “She wasn’t particularly good in that department either, if you must know. Anyway, she hired Miss Astaire just to spite me. I fired her on sight, but the replacement didn’t show up the next day. So, I had to swallow my pride, call her, and practically beg her to come back because I was swamped with work and the spiteful witch had intentionally messed up my appointment schedule.”

Asher’s laughter echoed through the room, and Noah couldn’t help but join in. The past had been rough, but now, it was just a funny memory.

As their laughter subsided, Noah found his voice again. “Promise me you’ll keep her on, Ash,” he said, his tone serious.

“Don’t sweat it. I’ve got her back, even if she doesn’t realize it. But I swear, if Tamara wasn’t so damn good at her job, I would’ve shown her the door by now.”

“Do you really dislike her that much?”

“It’s not her, it’s her methods,” Asher explained. “Like when she denied Lillian’s summer leave because it didn’t fit her schedule.”

“Well, Ash, I can’t exactly fault her for that,” Noah admitted. “I’ve done the same thing plenty of times.”

“That’s why your employees couldn’t stand you,” Asher retorted with a smirk.

“True enough. So, what happened with Miss Astaire’s leave?”

“It’s all sorted out. Thank God Lillian had the sense to email me about it. She could’ve gone to HR, but I have more sway. It was a smart move, considering HR would’ve taken forever and they would’ve had to consult with Tamara first.”

Noah chuckled. “I bet Tamara wasn’t thrilled about that,” he commented.

“I couldn’t care less about what she likes. I outrank her, so she had to swallow her pride and take the reprimand without trying to outsmart me.”

“She probably took it out on her assistant, though,” he sighed, pausing before adding, “I wanted to thank you for honoring my request about Miss Astaire. You didn’t have to.”

“I don’t like firing good employees. But I still don’t get why you made an exception for Lillian.”

“And I’m not going to explain,” he declared. “Not today, anyway. I need to get going. It’ll take me about two hours to get to the mansion.”

“Dad’s probably pissed that you won’t use any of the cars in the garage.”

“He is, but I’m used to not having a car.”

“You used to love driving.”

“And now I love other things. Like my freedom.”

With that, he stood up, and Asher followed suit.

Asher didn’t extend an invitation for dinner, and Noah was grateful. He wouldn’t have hesitated to decline, but it was nice not to have to. He realized he hadn’t seen Maggie Hart while he was there. Maybe she was avoiding him, or maybe she was giving the brothers some privacy. Or maybe she wasn’t even home.

He shrugged it off. It didn’t really matter to him. He was already on his way to the mansion.

What he really wanted to do was visit their Europe unit. He hadn’t been there in a while, and it would be a good chance to see the city and check on Miss Astaire. He knew the quirky girl could take care of herself, but his presence would remind Tamara that her secretary was still under his protection, so to speak.

A little reminder about the importance of restraint wouldn’t hurt either. Every now and then, he found himself wondering about his strange attachment to his former secretary. It wasn’t like him to care so much about anyone.

Sure, he wasn’t the same jerk he used to be, but the only people who had ever really mattered to him were his parents. His mother’s death had crushed him, and his deep respect for his father had driven him to emulate him. He cared enough about his brother’s happiness to try and restore it, but that was it.

Lillian Astaire wasn’t family. She wasn’t even a friend, because he didn’t have any. She wasn’t his type, and to this day, someone who looked like her would be the last person he’d hire.

But somehow, she had wormed her way into his life. She had quickly picked up on his quirks, and despite her odd ways, she had always shown him respect. Plus, she was the only woman who had ever put Vanessa in her place.

That was one memory he would cherish until his dying day, but he didn’t feel comfortable sharing it with his brother. Vanessa had fooled them both, and even though they were over it, he didn’t think it would do them any good to bring her up. That’s why he had dodged the question.

But when he was alone with his thoughts, he couldn’t help but reminisce. After his journey to China to bring his brother back, things changed. His divorce wasn’t public knowledge yet, but Vanessa, always in the know, had heard about it and decided to make her move on him again.

Clearly, she hadn’t taken the hint from her last attempt a few months prior that he was no longer interested in her. She’d breezed into the company, her charm making it laughably easy for her to bypass security. Miss Astaire had intercepted her on his floor, their voices carrying clearly to him.

He’d had to step in to stop their verbal sparring. When he invited them both into his office, Vanessa looked smug, probably thinking he was going to reprimand his secretary for her behavior. Miss Astaire seemed to think the same, quickly saying,

“I just told her that you don’t accept people without an appointment, boss.”

“I am sure you did,” he replied.

“And I am sure it doesn’t apply to me,” Vanessa interjected arrogantly.

“Of course, it doesn’t,” he responded, his next words wiping the smirk off her face. “You shouldn’t be allowed in the building at all. Did you charm your way inside?”

“I had to see you. I needed to see you,” she insisted.

“You saw me. Is that enough?”

“Can we talk?”

“I am certain I don’t have much to say, but since you are here, go ahead. I have some spare time.”

As he gestured for her to begin, he watched Miss Astaire head for the door. She was many things, but indiscreet wasn’t one of them. He appreciated that, but in this case, her discretion wasn’t necessary.

“No need to go, Miss Astaire,” he called, and his secretary gave him a look of uncertainty. “I was about to summon you inside anyway. We have to go over my schedule for the week.”

“I would like to talk to you alone, Noah,” Vanessa said through gritted teeth, trying not to sound demanding.

“I understand. But it won’t happen, so you can either begin or see yourself out. You came on a very busy day. The only way to be able to spare some time is this: you can take it or leave it.”

“Can I see you later?” she proposed.

“You are not supposed to see me anywhere, Vanessa,” he said firmly.

“What’s the harm now? You are getting a divorce, aren’t you?”

He laughed.

“Is it this, or could it be that your last fiancé dumped you when he caught you cheating on him?” he sneered. Two could play at this game, and her life was more scandalous than his.

“How do you know about that?” she murmured, frowning.

“How do you know about my divorce?” he retorted.

“I care about you.”

He laughed harder.

“You’ve cultivated some sense of humor since I’ve last seen you, Nes,” he said.

“I wasn’t joking. And if you are keeping tabs on me and call me by my nickname, it means that you care as well.” Her tone was hopeful. She still believed that she could turn the situation in her favor. Poor Nes.

“Oh, I do care,” he mocked. “I care about my peace of mind, so when I heard about your misfortune and since our last meeting, I gave the order to the security of the building never to let you in. But since this failed, I’ll have to fire the culprit. You cause more trouble than you are worth.”

“You used to value me more when you seduced me,” she said, pretending to be hurt.

“Did I ever though? I mean, seduced you.”

“You positively did,” she smirked.

“I have some doubts about that, and a meaner person in my place would easily believe that you made me believe that I did.”

“I would never. I sincerely fell for you, and you did everything in your power to conquer me.”

“Vanessa, you were engaged to my brother, you slept with me, tried to make a pass at my father as well, and you had another man—thankfully outside of my family—as a permanent lover. You are hardly the type of damsel waiting to be conquered by a valiant knight.”

“Someone’s been keeping busy,” Lillian Astaire snorted out of the blue.

“Shut up, you freak,” Vanessa spat. The girl glared at the woman.

“I don’t appreciate the disrespect you show to my secretary, Vanessa,” Noah said coolly. “After all, she is welcome here, and you are not.”

“Why would you employ someone like her?” Vanessa asked, her voice dripping with disdain. “Does she even know what soap is?”

“Well, I do bathe, though admittedly not as frequently as you open your legs. At least my scent doesn’t have the power to wipe out a cockroach army within a ten-mile radius,” Lillian retorted without missing a beat.

Noah had to fight back a laugh, which was no easy task. He took great delight in seeing someone finally put Vanessa in her place. Just as she opened her mouth to retort, she was cut off.

“In case you didn’t notice, you’ve been dismissed,” Lillian said, a smirk playing on her lips.

“How dare you, you little freak?” Vanessa spat back.

“I’m just helping you out here. I know his ‘you’re dismissed’ look better than anyone. You don’t want to embarrass yourself any more than you already have by showing up uninvited, trying to win over a man who couldn’t care less about you.”

Before Vanessa could unleash her fury on his amusing assistant, Noah decided to step in. Lillian had brightened his day; he couldn’t just leave her to fend for herself.

Not that she needed much defending—her tongue was as sharp as a knife.

“Miss Astaire is correct,” he said.

“What?” Vanessa’s gaze snapped to him.

“You’re dismissed, Nes.”

“We’re not done here.”

“We’ve been done for years. Don’t make me call security to escort you out. It would be utterly humiliating for you, and you don’t need any more embarrassment today, I reckon.”

She stormed out in a flash, and he was certain she wouldn’t make the mistake of trying to contact him again.

Turning to his assistant, he put on his sternest boss face.

“Next time you interfere in my personal matters, Miss Astaire, you’ll be out of a job,” he said, his tone flat. “Understood?”

“Yes, boss,” she said, nodding. “But she was really getting on my nerves.”

“She has a way of doing that. But we won’t have to deal with her again.”

He didn’t need to tell her she was dismissed before she opened the door and slipped out.

~Good girl.~

He could safely say that this incident was what sparked his unusual fondness for his former assistant.

When the time came for him to leave everything behind, he felt compelled to do something kind for someone—just once in his life—without it being a way to make up for past wrongs.

Of course, she wasn’t supposed to know about it.