C3 Chapter 03

Pedro Monterey

I woke up with the awakening of my cell phone, the sun was already coming through the window, causing a strong luminosity against my eyes. Then I wake up and feel my eyes burning, I blink my eyes slowly for a few minutes until I get used to that brightness.

I squinted slowly, but I didn't want to wake up Heloise, my fiancée, we ended up sleeping late last night after a senseless argument, because she believed I was hitting on one of the newest writers in the company, just for greeting the young woman with a kiss on the hand.

Her face was resting on my shoulder, almost on my bicep, but I managed to move successfully without waking her. After successfully getting out of bed, I proceed to the bathroom where I perform my necessary personal hygiene and return to my room where I see that Heloise was still sleeping.

As soon as I am in front of the closet, I look at my clothes for a few moments and choose to wear a black suit, dark pants, and shoes in the same color.

Even because being the owner of a company in Brazil is not easy, even more so for a book publisher where books are not valued, even more, if they are national. Thinking about this, I bought my father-in-law's company, and transformed it into "Monterey Publishing House". Unfortunately, my father-in-law's finances were not doing so well and his company was getting worse, and now that he had become engaged to Heloise, everything drastically worsened.

Thinking about helping him, I bought his company and turned it into the largest publishing house in Brazil, which aims to publish books by independent writers; most of my competitors only aim for success, so they decide to publish only works by well-known people.

As soon as I finish my coffee, I head for the elevator of the condominium where I live and thank God for not finding anyone who could bother me, the neighbors will probably still complain about that mess that had occurred, Heloise could be quite scandalous when she wanted.

When I arrive at my destination, I press the elevator button, and the elevator doesn't take long to arrive, so I put on my sunglasses and get in. I press the button again so that it can go down to the first floor, where the condominium garage is located. I get close to the car, and immediately get into it, starting it, I don't want to take too long to get to work and be late for interviews, even though they are not many, I like to dedicate myself to the maximum to each one of them, and since I was the CEO of the company, I had a reputation to uphold.

Not only that, but I drive for a few moments and I confess that I find it strange that the traffic is not as bad as it always is, maybe the universe is helping me and because of this I manage to arrive quickly at the company and I notice that there were already some people in the company waiting for the interview time.

Among those small people, only one had called my attention, a redhead with medium hair and beautiful green eyes, however, as I did not want to be late, I quickly follow inside the company and as soon as my employees realized that I had just arrived, Carla soon approaches me.

— Mr. Monterey, how nice that you have arrived. The interviews are about to begin. Let's go straight to the room – Carla reminds me of the interviews.

— Sure, let's go – I say.

Soon we headed to the room where the meetings would be held, all the other interviewers were already there.

— People, we will start the meeting soon – I say, and then everyone sits at their respective tables.

After telling Carla, the interview people started to come in. My world seemed to have stopped again, I could not see anything else in front of me when I saw that same girl from the entrance entering the meeting room. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen in my entire life. She had huge green eyes, medium hair, a plump mouth, and an angelic smile. I know I have a fiancée, but Heloise had been promised to me as a form of “payment”, I can't lie and say that I never felt anything for Helô, but as time went by our relationship was wearing thin. Heloise had changed, becoming a shallow and difficult person to live with, and nothing reminded her of the sweet young woman I had fallen in love with.

I felt I needed to find out this young woman's name soon, I knew that my life would change drastically. She seemed to hear my thoughts as she looked in my direction, and from afar I could smell her sweet perfume, which made me want to wrap myself in her beautiful red hair.

That girl had awakened things in me that I never imagined I would feel again, and later I found out her name was Eliza Campos, but these feelings that had been unknown to me for the last few years. I had only pondered them with Heloise, but our relationship was no longer the same.

After the interviews are over, I ask Carla to pass me all the resumes, so I can analyze them with more caution, it would be nothing new if I hired Eliza to compose my staff, since I had been impressed with her above-average intelligence.

Once I got my hands on the resume of the mysterious redhead, I confess that I was even more impressed. After reading her full name, I remembered that I had seen it somewhere before. She is a promising young woman in her writing career, which makes me want to find out more about this mysterious redhead.

What also makes me wonder why she didn't follow this line of work to become my secretary, I seemed anesthetized with all that, so after analyzing all the resumes, I asked Carla to call Eliza, I wanted to talk to her, I know I can't mix my personal feelings with the professional ones.

After a few minutes of waiting, I hear someone knocking on my door.

— You may enter – I answer.

The person then enters, and I notice that it is exactly Eliza.

— Good afternoon! Mr. Monterey – She says, looking away, I was looking intensely at that wonderful redhead, I believe she must have realized how much she had moved me. Eliza then extends her hand in my direction.

— Good afternoon! Eliza – I returned the length to her, holding her hand with a certain strength, so she could realize what she had done to me – Please, sit down – I pointed in the direction of the chair near my desk.

— Thank you – She thanked me, smiling shyly, and sat down in the chair I had shown her earlier – Would you like anything?

— You can rest assured that nothing serious has happened," I answer, noticing that Eliza had become distressed at being called into my office, "I just wanted to ask you a few things. I just wanted to ask you a few questions.

I didn't want to make her uncomfortable, nor should I get involved in this way with an employee, even more so when I am engaged to another woman, but it was something I could not avoid at all.

— I could see her taking a deep breath before answering my question.

— I looked deeper into your resume and realized here that you were a successful writer, but that you stopped your career. Not that this means that this profession is not worthy, but, it is nothing that I can't help but question – I add.

— I ended up leaving aside this dream of becoming a famous writer only because of my family – She answers – Besides the fact that I have been away from this field for a long time. Now it is very complicated to get back into it. I believe I was too young, but now I feel more centered and mature.

I smiled content with her answer, it was genuine happiness for Eliza, I could see that she loved being a writer, but that she decided to grow up and come back when she was more centered, this just shows that she was a professional person.

— I get it. I was impressed with your works, it was only after reading your full name that I could remember something – I say – My goddaughter introduced me to your books.

I was extremely pleased to see that the person who is trying to get the job as secretary is someone I was already somewhat familiar with.

— That's nice, but how old is she? — Eliza asks.

— Fernanda is very mature for her age, of course I know what her books are about.

— Isn't she too young to read this style of book? — She asks, still speechless, "Since they are about overcoming stories.

— I confess that at the time I tried to make her stop reading these stories, which, in my opinion, are subjects a little heavy for a child – I say, quoting the word heavy – But I decided to read them to get to know them and I can confess that I loved the way you write.

— I am very happy that you liked it. I loved my work, although it's been a while since I wrote anything – She speaks smiling, which made me want to reciprocate.

— No need to thank me, that's why you and two other people were hired, I need committed employees. Do you want to be part of our team? — I ask.

— Of course, I accept – the answers – I require a job to improve the things I know how to do and to improve my life.

After Eliza answered this, I felt like asking her why she wanted to change her life, but it was not my right to ask about it.

— I understand, you can go back to the waiting room – I answer – Carla will call you later to talk about the service schedule. I hope you make the most of this opportunity and who knows, maybe you'll be able to publish a book in our publishing house.

I can't explain what would happen next. Not only that, but I approached Eliza slowly and felt a shiver run through my body, that perfume was driving me crazy. I wanted to see more of her, and I would certainly make it happen.

I could see that Eliza seemed disconcerted by my presence, but before I could do anything, Carla entered my room with some papers in her hands.

— Mr. Monterey, I'm sorry. Am I interrupting something? — Carla asks.

I come out of the trance in which I find myself, disassociating myself from Eliza and answering.

— No, you didn't interrupt anything, I'm just talking to Eliza about the job opening – I

was trying to disguise my frustration, however, I know that if she hadn't shown up something might have happened that I would regret bitterly.

Eliza then turns toward me and speaks.

— Mr. Monterey, I appreciate the job opportunity, but now I have to go," she says, smiling shyly.

Before I can say anything, Carla speaks in my place.

— Eliza comes with me, I'll give you all the job schedules, as Mr. Monterey urgently needs a personal secretary, you'll start tomorrow. Is that alright? — Carla asks Eliza, handing me some documents that required my signature.

I had never really felt this way about anyone in my entire life and I have always been a womanizer, but when I had to help with the finances at home I needed to change, grow up, and become a man.

When Elisa says goodbye to me again and leaves the room to talk to Carla, she leaves a trace of her perfume that impregnates my entire office, making me feel a strange shiver running through my entire body. Making me want to smell her perfume straight from the source, from her beautiful neck. That wonderful redhead didn't even have a notion of what she had done to me, which awakened different feelings in me. Would it be reciprocal?