Chapter 3

The following day, Pedro was surprised to see his cousin waiting for him at the garage. He narrowed his eyes at Keith and asked him, "Are you on your way somewhere?" 

“Yes. I need to see Miss McBride today but she doesn’t have a phone,” Keith replied.

“So what? Are you going to be a nuisance in the office?” 

“Nope. How about letting me work there temporarily?” 

“Are you fucking serious, Keith Lassiter?” Pedro asked because the man vowed to step on their grandfather’s building. “Is it because of Adrienne McBride? Are you smitten by her beauty?” 

“Yes,” Keith replied plainly. 

“Wow, this is great. Everyone has been bothering you about working side by side with me but you wouldn’t budge,” he reminded Keith about their usual banter during family gatherings. 

“Well, things happened and I have changed my mind,” he declared.

“Oh really? This is great, come on!” 

Although Keith Lassiter had no prior experience working in their family business, the man graduated in Business Management, and he did well in school. Their grandmother has been pressuring Keith to join him but the man preferred to enjoy his life with women and cars. 

“You look awful in that colorful suit,” Pedro criticized Keith’s choice of color. The suit was bright red, and it didn’t fare well with his long black hair. 

“You and your awful sense of fashion. Do you know this is the current trend?” 

“Let’s go,” Pedro chose not to comment on the matter, especially about fashion because he was not interested. 

“I’ll follow your car,” Keith stated. 

Pedro nodded his head in agreement but when he saw the type of car Keith was about to bring to work, he could only shake his head in disbelief. His cousin planned to show off but he knew Adrienne better than Keith, and the woman wouldn’t be impressed. 

Later on, when they arrived at their destination, Keith smiled at him. For a moment, he could feel a little bit of anger towards his cousin. “Do you think she will be impressed?” 

“Yes,” Keith replied confidently. 

“She doesn’t seem to be interested in you,” Pedro stated a fact.

“Perhaps, but you know me, Pete. I can make her fall for me,” he declared. 

Pedro narrowed his eyes at Keith for speaking with so much confidence. “What if you can’t make her fall for you?”

“Don’t you know me?” Keith responded with an inquiry. “You know that I am capable of winning anybody’s heart.”

“Alright. However, you should also remember that dating someone who’s below our level would only cause a problem in the future,” Pedro reminded his cousin. 

“How can I forget?” Keith asked and then he smirked.

“How much do you like her?”

“Very much,” Keith responded confidently. Well, it wasn’t about beauty but more about her character. He couldn’t explain to his cousin but there was something intriguing about Adrienne McBride.

“Then, may the best man wins,” Pedro announced, and Keith immediately stopped walking towards the lift. 

“What do you mean by that, Pedro?” 

“I’m just saying that you are not the only person who is interested in my assistant. Good luck,” he added. 

“What about you, Pedro Lassiter? Are you not attracted to her?” 

Keith’s question caused Pedro to frown. Was he ever attracted to Adrienne? “I am so busy to think about it, Keith.” 

“Liar,” Keith reacted violently. 

“You are talking nonsense, Keith. You know your way to the HR office, right?” 

“Yes, but I want to see Adrienne first,” he stated. 

“Do whatever you want,” he said without looking at his cousin but fate probably has another plan for Keith because they just got inside the elevator when Adrienne McBride joined them. The woman was surprised to see both of them inside the lift, but she managed to smile sweetly. Pedro groaned upon seeing Keith’s joyful expression but he couldn’t embarrass his cousin in front of the staff. Wait, why did she look so fresh in the morning? 

“Good morning, Adrienne, how are you today?” Keith greeted first. 

Adrienne smiled at Keith Lassiter and said, “I’m all good, Mr Lassiter. Thank you.” After responding to Keith’s greetings, her eyes darted towards her boss but the taciturn man was busy with his phone. She pouted her lips as she returned her attention to the other guy. 

“Keith. Just call me Keith from now.” 

For a moment, Adrienne stared at her boss to ask for approval, but then, she probably realized that Pedro Lassiter has no say on the matter. “If you wish to, Keith,” she agreed. 

“Perfect,” Keith claimed, and then he simply asked Pedro to move a little, and to give more space to the woman. 

Adrienne heard Pedro groaned but she chose to ignore it and just smile at her boss. “Good morning, Mr. Lassiter,” she greeted him as well, but the man seemed to be thinking about something else. He was too occupied to listen to her, so she just masked her embarrassment with a smile. 

“Don’t mind the old man. He’s occasionally grumpy, especially in the morning,” Keith assured Adrienne McBride that it was alright to be plainly ignored. “Pete, she said her greetings, please pay attention!” 

“I heard her, Keith,” Pedro replied.

Adrienne gasped in disbelief when Pedro confidently claimed about hearing it but not saying a word. “Do we have a problem, Mr Lassiter?” She inquired because the man had been acting differently since last night. “How about you apologize first?”

“Why? Did he do something wrong to you?” Keith interfered. 

“I guess it’s only right to just ask him, Keith,” Adrienne said, but her eyes were staring daggers toward Pedro Lassiter. Thankfully, they arrived at the floor before Pedro Lassiter could comment another word. She exited first with a smile.

“Hey, Addy! Please wait for me!” Keith called out.

“Hold on,” she suddenly stopped when her phone kept on ringing, and she wondered why Pedro’s mother called her. She motioned Keith to keep his distance for a while as she took the call. “Yes, Mrs. Lassiter. Right now? Okay, noted.”

“Where are you going, Addy?” Keith inquired.

“Please don’t call me that, Keith. I like Adrienne better than Addy,” she told him. 

“I’m sorry, so where are you going, Adrienne?” He sounded silly but he liked it just fine! 

Adrienne just smiled at Keith because she didn’t want to divulge the information that Pedro’s mother wanted to meet her at the nearby coffee shop. The woman said it was just quick, and she believed it wouldn’t jeopardize her job. “Excuse me for a moment,” she just told him, and then she hurried back to the elevator. Fortunately, her boss didn’t notice, thanks to his crankiness in the morning. 

A few moments later, Adrienne arrived at a dainty coffee shop just a few blocks away from her workplace. For a second, she stood near the door, and looked around. When she found her, she immediately strolled towards the sophisticated mother of Pedro Lassiter. 

“You are fast,” Nancy Lassiter said before gesturing for Adrienne to sit down. 

“Good morning, Madame,” she greeted the woman as usual. 

“Hmmm I know this is uncalled for, dear, but I really need your help,” Nancy announced while working on her doe-like eyes to get Adrienne’s sympathy later on. 

“My help? For what?” She inquired.

“I am worried about Pedro. He seemed so contented with himself, and he did everything just to avoid marrying someone…and you helped him with Natalya.”  

Adrienne suddenly became comfortable at the woman’s statement especially when Nancy Lassiter’s voice implied something like disappointment. “How did you know, Madame?” 

“I know everything, but I am glad he asked your help, and it means a lot to me,” Nancy continued as she stared into the young woman in front of her. Pedro disliked women except for family members, so asking his secretary for help was a big deal for Nancy. Then, a loud sigh escaped from her lips to make it more dramatic. 

While listening at Nancy Lassiter, Adrienne wondered if she did something wrong. Then, her eyes widened when the realization hit her. “Are you going to fire me?” 

“No, silly girl. What I mean is, my son must have felt comfortable with you or he wouldn’t ask you to do such a thing,” Nancy explained. 

“Or maybe he has no choice,” Adrienne believed that her boss was left with few options in dealing with Natalya Caldwell. He was pressed for time, and she was available! Otherwise, he wouldn’t bother to ask her for help. 

“No. I am sure that’s not the reason, and that’s why I am here. Can you help me?” 

“About what, Madame?”

“Seduce him,” Nancy announced. “Make him fall for you, or get yourself pregnant with his child.”

“W-what?”

“He needs an heir but he’s not interested in any woman,” Nancy said. 

For a moment, Adrienne considered Nancy Lassiter’s offer. Even if Madame didn’t say about the compensation details, she knew that there would be money involved. “I don’t think I’m capable of doing it, Mrs Lassiter.”

“One hundred thousand dollars,” Nancy suddenly said. “You can take the fifty percent right away, and the balance can be claimed once the child is born.” 

“Are you serious?” She asked but when Nancy Lassiter nodded her head, she narrowed her eyes at the woman and exclaimed, “But this is ridiculous!” 

“Maybe. However, we are desperate to see his child being born in this world. Help us, and you will be fairly compensated. Think about your grandmother, dear. She’s still in the hospital, right?” 

Adrienne nodded. 

“Take the offer,” Nancy said again.

The offer was tempting but something else has bothered her. Pedro Lassiter could have any woman in the world, and his mother didn’t have to pay. “Why me?” She asked. 

“Because you are special, and my son needs a special woman like you,” Nancy said while staring into Adrienne’s eyes. “I know you are worried about something, but the money can help you.” 

“So, will you take the child from me once he is born?” Nancy’s answer to her inquiry could make or break the deal. As a child, she was also abandoned by her parents, and the pain that she went through while growing up was too much. She couldn’t let her child suffer the same as her. She’s maybe young and inexperienced but she’s not heartless as her mother. 

The conversation she had with Pedro’s mother affected her mood at work. Keith Lassiter probably noticed the changes in her mood because he suddenly distanced himself from her. Whereas for Pedro Lassiter, as usual, he was insensitive to his surroundings and focused on his work. 

From time to time, he would require her help, and she was fine with that. However, they had a slight argument when the man demanded to take her to another dinner meeting with a woman he wanted to dump. Why his mother did arrange several dates for her son? With his looks and qualifications alone, Pedro Lassiter could get any woman he wanted without his mother’s help! 

She wanted to say no but she has also signed another agreement with him, to be at his disposal any time. She signed it for additional pay. Another sigh escaped from her lips as soon as she saw Pedro coming out of his office. He looked gorgeous in his suit, and if she didn’t know better, she would swoon for him. For a moment, she stared at his boss, and recalled her conversation with his mother earlier. 

“Let’s go now,” he ordered. 

“Okay,” she just said while following him. 

Later on, while in the parking space of the building that he owned, Adrienne noticed Pedro unbuttoning his plaid shirt beneath the four-button fashionable jacket before he boarded the car. When he removed the button, he appeared more comfortable, and she had to turn away as quickly as she could before he noticed. Pedro Lassiter donned a magnificent suit with exquisite trimmings, as he often does.

"I hope you don't mind, but may I ask you a question?" Before he started the engine, she queried.

Pedro arched his thick brows in reaction to the woman beside him. "I hope it's not too personal," he continued, "since I'd hate to discuss my data with someone like you."

Adrienne rolled her eyes at Pedro as he belittled her for the nth time. "No, sir, it's nothing personal."

Pedro started the engine to get things moving because they were running late for supper. "All right, shoot!"

"Do you like men? Or, are you gay?”

He inadvertently stepped on the brake, causing his partner to curse. Pedro inhaled deeply and told himself to disregard the woman's inquiry. Or was he just plain obvious? No, she might be looking for information to use to exploit him for money. Then he asked, "Why?" With his eyes narrowing at her, he asked again. “Do you want to see how powerful I am in bed?”

Adrienne noticed how he grinned before, and he must have assumed she would fall for his ruse. "If you're trying to intimidate me, just stop because it's not going to work. Just so you know, gays can be powerful as well.”

When Adrienne managed to rebuff his statement, he tightened his jaw. She demonstrated her knowledge of men, and he had to deal with it. "Are you okay with sleeping with a gay?" He attempted to assault her with his words once again.

"No, but you'll be an exception if it ever comes to it."

Pedro slapped the steering wheel before stepping on the gas, hoping to frighten the woman with his driving speed. When he looked at her, she was calmer than ever, and the dumb brat even grinned when she noticed him glancing at her.

He succeeded in terrifying her, but she refused to give him the joy of knowing. Even if she wanted to vomit, she pulled it together for the sake of her dignity and smiled at him. She was only relieved when Pedro parked his prized automobile in a dark alley. 

"I thought we are heading to a hotel,” she reminded him. 

Pedro punched the steering wheel while inside the car, startling the woman he had paid generously for nothing! He clinched his teeth, trying to think of a way to express his displeasure with her. “Of course. By the way, I have another dinner date tomorrow and you have to come with me. Same time tomorrow," he said.

"What are you talking about?” She raised her voice when she inquired because she had to visit her granny in the hospital. She couldn’t delay it any longer! Adrienne was taken aback by his announcement since it is crazy! No, it wasn't ludicrous, but it was exhausting! She couldn't be his secretary during the day and his whore at night. It was too much for her!

"I'm sorry, sir, but I won't be available tomorrow."

"Whether you're available or not, you're going to be with me!"

"Is that a threat?”

"Yes," he said.