Chapter 3

His Ex's Sudden Appearance Shattered My Daydream

I stood in front of my mirror for twenty minutes, changing outfits three times before settling on a navy business suit. Not too revealing but not boring either, with the skirt hitting right at my knees—professional but still cute.

After two coats of mascara and some light pink lip gloss, I took a deep breath at my reflection.

It was Sunday, so the whole office would probably be empty except for us. Just thinking about it made my heart pound.

Maybe today Alexander will tell me why he picked me for this project. Maybe we'll actually talk about something other than work. Maybe...

"Claire, chill out," I told myself, patting my cheeks.

At 8:50, I stepped off the elevator. The entire 30th floor was dead quiet except for my heels clicking on the marble. Alexander's office door was closed, but I could see light underneath.

I fixed my hair one more time and stopped in front of his door. My hand froze mid-air—suddenly I was so nervous. I'd barely slept last night thinking about today.

My knock echoed in the empty hallway.

"Come in," Alexander called.

I pushed the door open with my best professional smile—and froze.

There was a woman sitting on the couch.

Not just any woman. A drop-dead gorgeous woman with endless legs crossed elegantly, wearing red heels that had to be at least four inches.

She stood up when she saw me, her lips curving into a perfect smile.

"You must be Alex's new assistant?" Her voice was silky smooth with a slight British accent. "I'm Victoria."

Alex?

My heart dropped into my stomach. She called him Alex?

"Um... yeah, I'm Claire," I managed to smile, looking around for Alexander.

He was sitting behind his desk in a perfect suit, looking as cold as ever. When he saw me, he just nodded. Didn't even stand up.

"Just put yesterday's files on the desk," he said in pure business mode, like I was some delivery person.

The folder in my hands suddenly felt like it weighed fifty pounds. This was nothing like what I'd imagined. I thought today would be special, just us two. Maybe he'd bring me coffee again, maybe we'd actually talk...

"Darling," Victoria suddenly purred.

She glided toward Alexander's desk like she was on a runway. Watching her walk, those perfect curves made me feel like a total nobody.

Victoria reached his side and casually put her hand on his shoulder.

"I've missed you so much," she leaned down, her lips almost touching his ear. "I'm back now. Can we try again?"

I stood there feeling like I couldn't breathe. Back? Try again?

So she was his ex? Or maybe current girlfriend?

I stared at Alexander, hoping he'd push her away or at least look uncomfortable. But he didn't. He just kept looking at his papers like Victoria wasn't even there.

"I'm working," Alexander finally said, totally calm. "Claire, just leave the files."

That's it? Just dismissing me like that?

I walked over to his desk like a robot and put down the folder. My hands were shaking a little, and I prayed they didn't notice.

"Your assistant seems a bit jumpy," Victoria straightened up and looked at me with this amused smile. "Is she always this inexperienced?"

The words hit like a slap.

My face went bright red. Inexperienced? Yeah, I'd never dealt with someone like her—someone so perfect she looked like she stepped out of Vogue, even her voice screaming that she was better than everyone else.

I'd been such an idiot.

"Claire?" Alexander's voice cut through my thoughts.

I looked up to find him watching me. Those blue eyes were still gorgeous, but now they felt ice cold.

"Anything else?" he asked.

Anything else?

I wanted to ask who Victoria was, what yesterday's email meant, what all those little sweet moments had been about. But I couldn't say any of it.

"No, Mr. Sinclair," I heard myself whisper. "I'll go work on the other stuff."

I turned and walked toward the door way faster than I'd come in. Behind me, I heard Victoria laugh.

"She's so sweet," she said. "Does she have a little crush on you?"

I stopped for a second, waiting for Alexander to say something. But all I heard was typing.

That silence hurt worse than anything she could have said.

I rushed straight to the bathroom. The second I got inside and made sure it was empty, I finally let myself fall apart.

The girl in the mirror looked like a mess. My carefully done makeup was smudged, my face was white, my eyes were red. I splashed cold water on my face, trying to wake up from this nightmare.

He had a Ex—a Ex who looked like a freaking supermodel. And what was I? Just some ordinary assistant, fresh out of college, barely making rent.

How could I have been so stupid?

My phone buzzed. A text from Bella: "How's it going today? Any developments?"

I stared at the screen, not knowing what to say. Tell her I just got a reality check? Tell her my boss has a perfect ex-girlfriend and I'm just some pathetic nobody?

Finally I typed: "My boss has a Ex. And they seem to be making up soon. I was totally reading into things."

I shoved my phone back in my purse and took a deep breath.

Get it together, Claire. Time to face reality.

I fixed my makeup and practiced smiling in the mirror.

When I walked out of the bathroom, I told myself to forget everything that just happened.

I was Alexander's assistant. Nothing more.