Chapter 11: A Walk Alone

Arielle had quietly wandered back to the secretary's desk with her warm coffee in hand. Alexander hadn't been open to any pleasantries when she had given him his morning coffee. He merely grunted in acknowledgement as his eyes remained glued to the stacks of papers that stood as tall as the large coffee cup itself. Her eyes quickly caught sight of details that she usually wouldn't, like the faint lines that were etched into his forehead. Years of stress, genius, and hard work were likely the cause of them.

His jaw line appeared stiff, as though his teeth were clenched while he focused. His lips were pursed and his shoulders were completely rigid. Arielle frowned slightly. She hadn't realized how long she had stood there until he began blinking more and raised his eyes to meet her. Arielle gasped and took a step back. For a second, his eyes were not hard and cold. His lips parted, preparing to say something.

She found herself feeling hopeful. She wanted to apologize, but didn't know when would be best. Yet her hopes for quick reconciliation were cut short as his phone began to ring. He cleared his throat and gave her a brief nod. She watched as a wall lifted before her eyes and it was as if she were no longer there.

Arielle played with her hands and glanced over at the small desk that she used to work from, before turning swiftly and exiting the large office. She could feel his eyes on her back, but she knew it would be useless to attempt her apology now. He was a busy man and she couldn't think of good time to pull him aside.

Arielle could see Susan's eyes following her from her peripheral. She didn't blame the older woman for her curiosity. Arielle herself would wonder why Mr. Marquee and her had been so bold to discuss this before an audience. She could only imagine what thoughts may have been flying about in Susan's head. What would come of it if she asked?

Arielle shook her head. No. It wouldn't be wise.

She recalled fighting her hands as to keep them from clenching. She didn't want the flurry of emotions to go on without her. She had to lead them or else- or else she didn't know what would come of it if she didn't.

Susan tapped her fingertips besides the ancient keyboard. She continued to steal glances at Arielle and watched as the intern closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. Susan frowned. She knew that look from a mile away. The secretary herself had battled a similar frustration and confusion before she had begun courting her own husband.

"So..." Susan began as she slurped loudly from her straw. Arielle cringed at the sound which was soon met with a sheepish and apologetic grin from Susan. She carefully set down her cup and clasped her hands together. Her eyebrows grew closer together as she appeared to search for the right words.

"Yes, Susan?" Arielle asked while gnawing at her bottom lip. Her eyes darted between the large office doors and back to where she sat. Arielle didn't plan the perfect way to share without over sharing. What could she begin with? What did Susan understand from their conversation? The witty secretary wasn't born yesterday and because of this, Arielle assumed that she knew more than what met the eye and likely more than what met her ears earlier too.

"So as you know, the elevator nearly barred me from my escape." Susan's opening line earned a raised brow from Arielle.

"No actually, I didn't realize." Arielle replied softly. The image of her bedroom filled her mind. If only she could be there now, curled up into a ball and hiding.

"I'm... I'm not surprised." Susan replied slowly. Arielle pouted at the secretary's response, but listened further. "I know it isn't my place, but I've never seen so much tension in one place before. It felt like I could cut through the air with a butter knife- a sock even!"

"Why would you have a sock?" Arielle asked quietly.

"Is that all you- never mind." Susan swatted the air. "All I'm saying is, it felt like I was sitting in front of my TV, 10 years in the past, watching one of those unnecessarily dramatic romantic sitcoms. And although I had always hoped for the two leads to get together so desperately- well it seems more complicated here."

"Here?" Arielle's jaw dropped as realization dawned on her. "Susan, nothing can happen between Mr. Marquee and I. You know that. Besides we hardly know each other." Arielle explained while motioning her arms. Susan noted that her new friend and her boss were both very animated people when they wanted to be.

"I know, but it's exactly that. You hardly know each other. That could change." Susan's eyes appeared to hold some sadness within them, but Arielle couldn't tell why.

Arielle shook her head slowly. Yet disagreeing with Susan took more effort than she would have liked. She didn't know if she were hearing Susan correctly or if her ears were playing tricks on her. It seemed as though the older woman supported the notion of them being together, but that couldn't be right.

"That has no reason to change." The shakiness in Arielle's voice was slight and she hoped that Susan didn't notice it.

"You say that now," the secretary sighed. "But soon, you'll want to know him more. I see it eating at you. The boss has had a tough life and from what I've heard from you and your mother, so have you. He lights up when he sees you and recently, I've seen that light reflected in your eyes, although briefly."

"Susan, we hardly know each other-"

"And that can still change. Look, I'm not saying to date him or to cross any boundaries. Just be his friend." She recommended.

Arielle shook her head. "I- I don't know if I can do that and I don't date. I knew that from an early age, that God would show me my husband." Arielle stated matter-a-factly.

"Hm. I believe in God, albeit possibly not as seriously as you do, but I know that people tend to pray about things like that. So have you prayed about him?" She asked. A small smile grew on Susan's face as Arielle's head snapped in her direction.

"Why would I? There's no way, so I can't and we shouldn't entertain that idea." She whispered rather loudly. Susan wondered if her friend knew the purpose of whispering.

"How do you know that?" Susan countered as she leaned back in her seat.

"I- I just-" Arielle fought to find the words. Her eyes darted back up to the large office doors and she swallowed. No. She thought to herself. Quickly she averted her gaze and shook her head. "I just-"

"You never prayed about him." Susan stated plainly. She could have easily guessed it, but witnessing Arielle search for an answer only proved to be a useful tool.

"...No. I haven't" Arielle sighed. She rested her face in her hands. She felt absurd for having to explain it, but she felt even more absurd in the realization that her secretary friend wasn't entirely wrong. She hadn't prayed about him. He wasn't on the list and to be frank, Arielle didn't have a list. She prayed about her possible future husband, but she didn't ask who he may be.

"Don't you think that's a little unfair?" Susan continued.

Arielle scowled. She wasn't angry at Susan's words. If anything, she was mildly frustrated with herself. Sure she may have not found a reason good enough to pray and ask if he had been the one God had planned for her, but she didn't come across anyone that seemed as though they were the one that God intended for her. Yet she couldn't lie. She had been allowing her own bias to be in control and so she doubted that she would ever think of seeking God on the man behind those doors.

She mumbled a short prayer under her breath for guidance, forgiveness, and emotional control. It was as if Alexander was there for the full purpose of exposing Arielle's downfalls, but she knew it was her own fault that she had her shortcomings- not him.

"You know what? Sure, I'll pray about it." She finally responded.

Susan squealed and clapped her hands with a large grin on her face. Arielle laughed at the bouncing woman and shook her head at her antics. Yet both woman paused in their movements when the sound of a door opening grabbed their attention. Alexander Marquee exited his office with his head held high.

"This is no time for clapping," Me. Marquee interrupted. Susan abruptly moved her hands back down to her keyboard and re-focused her attention on the stoic man that stood in the middle of the lobby. He held pages in his hands and released a sigh that made it easy to believe that he was annoyed.

"Sorry, sir." Susan apologized. "Is everything alright?" She asked.

"No, Ms. Burnes has failed to complete two assignments and due to that, my morning meeting has fallen through." Arielle's eyes widened at his statement. When had she done that? Her morning usually consisted of coffee and her assignments and this morning she grabbed his coffee and did the- she never did the assignments. Arielle gasped and slapped her hand over her mouth.

For a second, she saw his eyes soften, but it was quickly covered up by the blank, unamused stare. He shook his head and sighed.

"Please complete it now and don't let it happen again. Susan, please reschedule the appointments that had to be postponed." He instructed before curtly nodding and turning away.

Arielle watched as he walked away. His shoulders were rigid and each step appeared to be calculated. It was as if he was there, but he wasn't. She could see that he was in no mood to speak with her anymore than he had to and she thought about the off chance of him being the man God intended for her to marry. She simply couldn't wrap her mind around such an unexpected answer, but as she watched him walk off without a stolen glance nor a boyish smile she knew that if he were, then boy did she make things complicated.

Mr. Marquee's meetings were rescheduled and he seemed to need nothing from Arielle for the rest of the afternoon. He even went as far as offering her an hour paid lunch versus her usual unpaid half hour. Arielle didn't really know what to do with all of that time. NYC always had things to do, but there was nothing she could think of doing that would bring her any excitement and pull her mind away from all of her mistakes.

She finally decided that she would leave the building today and gift her lungs the freshest air that NYC could offer, although she didn't know where she'd go to find it. The journey down had already eaten away a few minutes from her, but she had plenty more.

The wind from the outdoors slapped her cheeks as she exited the tall AMI building. The streets were loud with the combined sound of cars honking and people talking into their bluetooth earbuds. The scene alone would have overwhelmed anyone that came from a quiet town, but Arielle's life always had too many things happening at once, so she had gotten used to it. There was an abundance of people all around. but the majority of them were alone.

She sighed and fell into pace with the many strangers that filled in the sidewalks. There were no smiling faces. Just like her, all of the people walking there appeared to have too much on their mind.

The cool breeze was welcomed by Arielle though. It kept her focused on her every step. She felt grateful to walk with little eyes on her. She quickly lost track of how long she had been walking, but it didn't take a genius to recognize that it had clearly been awhile. She reached the outer edge of Central Park and she breathed in deeply. The trees reached high above her head and the scent of each leaf traveled through her nose.

Fresh air.

She immediately hurried to one of the many benches that were splayed all throughout. Once her legs received the break they so craved, Arielle released a sigh of contentment. She tapped her hands against the fabrics covering her knees and focused her mind on what brought her joy.

"You know, I don't think he'd be happy to see how far you've wandered off." A man's voice could be heard speaking directly to Arielle. Her head shot up and the first tuft of platinum hair she saw told her exactly who had spoken.

"Lorenzo." She whispered.

"Ah yes, you remember me. I'm flattered." He greeted with a toothy grin.

"It's hard to forget the man who's been hunting me down and sending men to my house." Arielle replied calmly. She didn't know if it was due to everything that had happened at the office today or the combination of the sporadic events in her life, but she didn't have it in her to react anymore than she already had.

"Oh is that what he told you?" Lorenzo chuckled. The slender and tall man took a seat besides Arielle. She saw something glinting on his hip and when she raised her head, she saw the array of men all around. They were all his men. She was surprised to see none of Alexander's men nearby. Where could they have gone? She wondered, but as if he were a mind reader, Lorenzo spoke up to answer her question.

"Alex's men got a little distracted." He jested nonchalantly. It was a serious matter and he knew that, that's what made him so happy.

Arielle scowled. "What did you do?"

"Oh nothing permanent. They'll be fine. It had been difficult getting in touch with you." He shared with her as he leaned back against the bench and placed one of his arms behind her.

"That may be the point." She mumbled while scooting away until her hip smacked against the metal railing of the now, much too small, bench.

"Hm, a girl with a little bit of spice. I like that." Lorenzo smirked. Arielle fought back the bile from rising in her throat. Lorenzo was a disturbing man. Even without his threats and anger, he seemed that he would be awkward to ever befriend. She wondered if he had any true friends. "I thought you were too innocent for your own good." He shrugged.

"No one's innocent." She mumbled while glancing away.

"Ah, a fact of life." He sighed. His kind of happiness was found in cynical moments such as the one they were in. Arielle looked over at him, pitying him.

"But Jesus makes all the difference. He cleansed me and changed me... He can do the same for you." A small smile fell onto Arielle's face as she remembered just what He had done for her and how He was her rock both in and out of hard times.

"Oh you really are a devout church girl, huh? Trying to convert me?" He pointed at himself and laughed before a pout settled onto his face. The condescending tone wasn't missed, but she wasn't offended. All she could feel was joy in her identity that she received in Christ and pity for the man that only found temporary happiness in hurting those he envied, yet could never become.

"For your own sake, I'm trying to tell you the truth." She replied. "I don't know why you're targeting me. I hardly know Mr. Marquee and I have nothing do with what ever has angered you, but I believe that God allowed this for your own soul. My God will always protect me, Lorenzo, but it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Lord." Arielle warned. Lorenzo's eyes narrowed at her words, but quickly his attention was drawn away. His eyes wandered towards one of his men and his entire form became still.

"We can talk more another time." His words were rushed as he came to a stand,

"Another time? What are you talking about?" Arielle questioned, but she didn't move from her spot.

His eyes were fanatic for just a moment, but when he looked back down towards Arielle, he gave her a large smirk. "Business calls. Toodles, dear." He replied before speeding away as though they were not talking with one another.

Arielle glanced about her surroundings and gasped when she saw that two of his men were down and surrounded, while a group of men that she recognized rushed up towards her.

"Are you okay, Miss?" One of them asked. He appeared to be worried, similar to the look one would receive from their protective older brother in a situation like her own.

"Yes, uh- yes yes I am. What just happened?" Her brows had furrowed.

"He was going to try and take you with him. We would have been here, but they hindered us. Threw some of us off. We had to get backup from some of Alexander's personal bodyguards." The young man explained as he tried to catch his breath. She noticed his hair was a mess and small bruise appeared to be forming below his eye.

Arielle ears perked up. "I'm so sorry. Are you okay? And Alexander's body guards? Does that mean that he knows?" The questions came out in a hurry causing the bodyguard to chuckle.

"I am alright, miss. Thank you for your concern. And yes, he knows, miss. He always knows where you are. He has to. To keep you safe." He answered. A small smile grew onto his lips. "He will be happy to hear that you've begun to call him by his Christian name."

Arielle sucked in a breath. "What?"

"Oh nothing." The young man laughed and gestured Arielle forward with his right arm.

She had stumbled and called him by his first name. She didn't think the guard would have noticed a detail like that, but they were paid to watch them 24/7. Arielle's cheeks reddened as she realized that there may have been witnesses beyond Susan, to their conversation earlier. Alexander had to know where she was at all times in case something like that happened, so that he could send backup. Even if it left him vulnerable.

"You're right. That was a silly question. My apologies. And... I should have called him that." She mumbled the last sentence. To Arielle's relief, he didn't acknowledge her last sentence.

"Here, let's turn this way." He instructed.

They walked out of the park together as a large group. Arielle was in the center. Once they fully arrived at the AMI building, she was surprised to see him standing right there in the center of the lobby. Alexander appeared taller than usual, likely due to the varying heights around him. His dark hair had been in a relaxed side part and his suit appeared to be clean, crisp, and costly- as always. There was a storm brewing in his eyes as he watched her.

The people around him slowed down and stared in awe. Arielle realized that they were probably not used to seeing Mr. Marquee out of his natural habitat. The CEO was a known workaholic and hardly left his office during work hours. He arrived early in the morning before sunrise and well before the majority of staff arrived and he left after everyone else left on most days. Yet now, here he stood in front of Arielle. His hands were clasped in front of him and his shoulders were stock still. His appearance alone likely intimidated many of his rivals.

She could feel the vast quantity of eyes that had fallen on her. People were pausing and pointing over at the pair and the many guards that were surrounded around them both.

"Mhm," Arielle began. She opened her mouth with an explanation ready, but before she could continue, Alexander raised a hand to stop her.

"Follow me to my office." He practically commanded. Arielle's jaw dropped for a short moment before she nodded and hastily followed after him. He had the advantage of speed as his legs were much longer than her own. The stares around them were growing and she fought to ignore them. She didn't know what could be going through their minds, but she didn't enjoy being the center of attention all too much.

They stepped onto the elevator with three guards following them on. As the doors closed, Arielle tried to remove her focus from the crowd of people who were pointing in their direction. She couldn't imagine what they were whispering to one another. She looked about quietly. The silence was deafening, but she didn't have the freedom to speak in front of the guards- or at least it felt that way for Arielle. It was bad enough that Susan had witnessed their discussion earlier. She couldn't handle more.

Once they reached the top floor, the guards exited first. Arielle witnessed as they briefly searched the surrounding before gesturing for Alexander and Arielle to follow them off. She furrowed her brows. Why were they acting like this now?

Her little run in with Lorenzo wasn't expected, but there was no reason for them to be so protective here, in Mr. Marquee's own company building. Right?

Arielle sped up her pace behind Mr. Marquee. She glanced over towards Susan who watched the pair with a surprised expression. Arielle smiled sheepishly and turned her attention back to the retreating figure of her boss. It was just in time to avoid running into the side of the office door.

Once she walked into the office, Alexander closed the door behind her. He was breathing heavily with a knit forming between his brows.

"What were you thinking?" His began in a low voice. Almost too low to be heard.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Arielle replied. She began to toy with her hands, scratching the inner side of her index finger. It was hard for her to look at him. He seemed disappointed or even annoyed with her.

Mr. Marquee blew out a breath of air. "Arielle, why would you leave this building unannounced? Huh? These guards are here to watch over you, but they expect you to stay in this building during while you're on the clock!" He shouted while raising his hands. His voice held noticeable hints of stress and if Arielle heard it correctly, there was a tinge of fear there too.

"Well I wasn't on the clock anymore, Mr. Marquee. I-I went on my break, you gave me a break." She waved her hands around with knitted brows. She felt horrible, but she believed that she was allowed to leave the building while on her break. It wasn't common for her, but she didn't view it as an outlandish concept.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He demanded. He stalked forward and glared down at her. Arielle's eyes fell to the ground. What could she say? He didn't want to speak to her. Not after their yelling match in the lobby.

"I, well you didn't want to speak with me." She whispered.

"That's a lie." His rebuttal was shot back quickly. Something in his voice changed, softened, although not by much. His breathing was harsh and she could see that his fists were balled and assumed it to be anger directed towards her, but the rage Alexander felt had a face. A face with platinum hair. Arielle shook her head and took a step back.

"No, it isn't. When I brought your coffee, you hardly acknowledged my presence until I-"

"Until you refused to leave?" He cut her off. Arielle's lips parted as she thought of what to say, but nothing. It was true.

"Yes." She replied quietly. "I- I wanted to apologize, Alexan- Mr. Marquee." Her eyes widened at her slip up. Her second slip up of the day. She quickly lifted her gaze to meet his and it was like looking in a mirror. His eyes had widened too, his jaw dropped and his fists unclenched. She took notice that his breathing seemed to slow down as his entire body seemed to relax. It was as if her nearly saying his name, sedated him.

"What did you say?" He whispered.

"I said that I wanted to apologize." She replied quietly.

'What did you call me?" He corrected.

"Your name, sir." She quickly responded,

"My first name." Something in his eyes lit up. A small smile tugged at his lips, but he didn't give in completely. It was only slight.

"It was a mistake sir," she continued. She searched his eyes and began to feel sick in regret. The light in his eyes dimmed and for a moment, she wanted to yell and take it all back. She realized that she enjoyed seeing that light emerge in his gaze.

Alexander's smile dropped and he nodded. "Of course. My apologies." He studied Arielle, pondering over whether or not this would be a losing battle. He watched her. He could see a battle in her own eyes, although he would choose to respect her wishes, he still prayed for her mind to change. For her heart to want him too.

"Well you should go. I need to meet with you tomorrow for your review. If you'd like to talk about this more in-depth after our meeting, you're welcome too." He paused and his eyes traveled over her face, taking in every dimple and faint freckle. "I'm happy that you're safe, Burnes."

Arielle smiled and played with her hands. His response told her that he didn't hate her and maybe there was hope for a proper professional relationship if nothing else. She nodded and Mr. Marquee turned away, walking back over to his desk. Arielle turned and made her way out of his office, closing the large doors behind her gently and her smile grew as she stared down at her feet.

"Thank you, Alexander." She whispered to herself where he could no longer hear her nor see her anymore.

The warmth in her heart flipped and she knew that she needed to pray, just as Susan had encouraged her to. Arielle found that she enjoyed saying his first name in conversations and small part of her hoped that it could happen much more often.