Desires Die Hard

Jake stepped out of his office and made a beeline for Anya. “Anya, we need to talk.”

“Is there anything wrong, Jake?” Anya asked.

“No, what I mean is…it’s the middle of the day. We’re at work. Your suitors are free to send you gifts but it’d be great if they tone the elaborate gestures down a notch. It might reflect badly on the firm,” Jake said gently.

One wouldn’t be able to discern the hidden meaning beneath Jake’s words.

Anya hadn’t. She had no idea what Jake was really trying to say at first.

She thought he was rebuking her for causing a commotion in the office. Her pretty little face fell. “I’m so sorry, Jake. There must have been some kind of misunderstanding. Mr. Brown and I don’t know each other personally at all. I promise this won’t happen again.”

“I won’t do anything that will damage the company’s reputation.”

Profuse apologies flowed from Anya’s lips. Jake’s heart fell back into his chest. So, she didn’t know Shane personally.

From the looks of it, Anya wasn’t interested in Shane at all.

Jake felt a lot better. Nevertheless, he kept his face straight as he spoke. “I’m glad to hear that. We’re a reputable firm, Anya. We have a reputation to upkeep.”

“I understand, Jake,” Anya nodded.

“You should get back to work,” Jake said with a soft smile before heading back to his office and throwing himself into his

work.

Anya watched as Jake walked back into his office. She held her hand against her forehead and pressed her palm down. hard. What an eventful day.

Honestly, she was ready to break down.

Anya pulled herself together the next moment and requested the receptionist for the hotline to a delivery service. Then, she called the number and requested that they come down to JK Couture to collect the roses and the Chanel bag.

They were to return both gifts to Shane.

Anya had no idea where Shane lived but she managed to locate his office.

After some deliberation, she decided to have the gifts delivered to Shane’s office.

Done with the call, Anya headed back to her desk and threw herself back into work. She had to finish the design for Mdm Welton’s hat.

She wanted to get this over and done with so that she could move on with her life. She didn’t want to have anything to do

with the Weltons.

The young woman started working on the draft.

Meanwhile, the receptionist and a couple of designers had gathered in a group and started gossiping. “Did you see what happened? She’s really something, Isn’t she? I can’t believe she caught the eye of Shane Brown! He’s so hot and so rich!”

“Yeah, she’s something, that’s for sure. Did you see the Chanel bag Mr. Brown got her? The envy is killing me!”

“Mr. Brown isn’t that good looking. He’s rich, I’ll give you that, but he’s not exactly tall, dark and handsome.”

“Who cares? He’s one of the Nordenic Quartet. He could look like the beast himself. Women would throw themselves at him regardless of his looks!”

“How did she manage to have someone like Mr. Brown fall head over heels for her? I don’t get it. She’s just a little prettier than the average young woman.”

“I see you’ve got eyes. That’s how she managed to charm him. She’s pretty! She’s got a pretty face and she used that to seduce the pants off men.”

“That’s disgusting. She did the same to Jake too, didn’t she? Is she planning on dating the both of them at the same time?”

“What a slut. How could she do that? She’s a disgrace to the female sex. All she’s got are her looks. How could she resort to using her charms Instead of relying on pure hard work to earn herself her place in the company?” Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

“Keep it down! Don’t let Carol hear you. She’s going to be so upset if she hears you.”

“What was Anya doing at the reception?”

“She wanted to arrange for a delivery. She’s returning the flowers and the bag to Mr. Brown.”

“Trying to seem like she’s above gifts, is she? She should stop that act of hers. She’s probably trying to trick Mr. Brown into giving her more expensive stuff. She really knows how to get what she wants.”

“That’s right. She’s shameless.”

“Let’s get back to work. Jake’s going to step out of his office any time now.”

Everyone fell silent immediately. The group scattered and everyone got back to work.