Chapter 1

'Miss Klean, the CEO would like to see you now." The junior secretary said to Varisha Klean with a warm smile and for a strange reason, whatever had caused Varisha to have doubts about this interview seems to have disappeared at this moment. After attaining a degree in hotel management at Stanford University, Varisha set to prove to the world that she could make it without their support. She never got their help when she needed them, anyway. This was the first step to being the girl she was truly meant to be. Her parents separated when she was twelve and the court granted her father full custody of her and her brother because of his influence, even though he was abusive both physically, verbally, and sexually to both of them. Varisha had grown up watching his father mistreating and abusing her mother and her mother, only having the strength to leave fifteen years after their marriage. Tasha Klean had filed for a divorce, citing that the marriage had a lot of physical and emotional abuse. Tobi Klean her father, was a control freak and always had anger management issues and he had only got worse after their mother filed for a divorce. He would always blame them Varisha and Andrew her twin brother for every misfortune that ever came his way, like how he lost his job and couldn't find a decent job, and how he couldn't get his old life back, how his life sucked, how he wasn't able to make anything out with his life and how it was all their fault. He'd always find them revolting, annoying, making Varisha wonder why he wanted custody. When Varisha and her brother turned fourteen, they ran away from home to their mother, which they had then thought was the safest place on earth until a day when they came back home from school only to find their mother, dead on the floor of her home. According to the police report, she had been shot, and the killer had gotten away before the police and although the case was opened for weeks, there was no positive outcome. Their dad had come up at the funeral, but they knew he must have had something to do with her death. Varisha knew they were young back then, but they were not dumb. After the funeral, Tobi demanded that Varisha and Andrew return home to him, and while Vary refused his offer, Andrew thought about it. According to Andrew, who had been keeping a close tab on Tobi, he had taken counselling and already found himself an outstanding job and that they could use that. He also stated that they wouldn't survive on their own, seeing that they were still minors and they needed a superior watch and guild so they won't get thrown into the orphanage home. Varisha refused because she knew he had not changed a bit and only going to abuse again. Andrew didn't know about the sexual abuse, and Varisha didn't want to tell him. She knew their father hadn't changed; she knew he would soon be back to his old ways, especially as soon as they returned home with him. Varisha couldn't convince Andrew to come with her and he couldn't convince her to come with him and so they separated, and that was the last time she saw her twin brother and that was seven years ago. She walks into the CEO's office as directed by the junior secretary and she enters the office. The seat faces to the window so that she can't see the face of the man in the room who should take her interview. 'Can you please close the door, please?" comes the deep voice behind the desk and she nods immediately, closing the door and gripping harder on her purse in anxiety. She had submitted her credentials at the Hilton's hotels not really expecting a call because come on it takes luck to get this chance, and someone once told her that as a woman only get above by being one of these three; being really smart, knowing people in powerful places or being on your knees, but when she had gotten a call from the Hilton hotel manager asking her to come for an interview today, she knew it was her once in a lifetime chance and she had to bring all the smartness that got her straight A's throughout college to this interview. 'Are you going to just stare at the seat, or do I need to tell you to have a seat before you have a seat?" comes the same voice, except this time a little irritated. Why was he being irritated at her? Has he seen her before? And how the hell does he even know she isn't seated? Probably the tinted glass wall has a reflection of her. She brings herself to look at the window, hoping to see him, but she does not see his face. It's all her fault. Instead of going to bed last night, she should have done her research on the man she was coming to meet today, and that way she wouldn't be here wondering what this man looks and acts like. The man behind the chair makes an angry grunt, and my heart skips. 'If you're not ready for this interview, I'll not have you waste any of my time." She shakes her head quickly like he could see her. 'No, I really need this job." She admits unable to his the desperation for the job. 'Then get seated, damn it, I don't have all day!" he commands, and she silently obeys, although she really wanted to tell him that. ‘He is being a sick, arrogant jerk.' As the thought leaves her head, he answers, 'If you had learnt how to control your mouth, then maybe you could have gotten a chance at this job. Now leave my office this minute." Varisha raises her brow confusedly, wondering what she had done to make her lose her once in a lifetime opportunity. 'Excuse me?" she asks, more of blurts out in confusion. 'Calling your to be boss an arrogant jerk is the top of ‘things to do to stay unemployed for life's list'." He said with an acidic voice laced with anger and so much frustration, she almost can feel him burning from so far away. 'Well, most employees think their employer and bosses are jerks, bitches and asshole." She chuckles, which isn't quiet because it is loud enough for the man behind the seat to hear. 'If all employers were to pay attention to the words uttered by their employees, then they will have no employees because they'd probably fire all of them, and that would be ridiculous because without the employer no work will be done and then you will be no boss." 'Well, none of them had ever taken it upon themselves to call me a dick to my face before." Answer the voice of the man she's yet to see. 'I didn't mean to call you a dick; it was supposed to be an inner thought, one that everyone has. I'm sorry, I take it back. I need this job." She knew she was sounding kind of pathetic, but she knows she can't help it. She needed the job desperately. If only her big mouth hadn't gotten in the way! ‘I have to prove to myself I can survive without Tobi Klean.' She whines to herself, her heart breaking at the thought of losing this chance. That line has kept her at her peak throughout college. Her father told her she couldn't be anything, and she wanted to prove to herself that she could. What she said or something similar to it makes him turn around to see the pretty lady who has been making him feel like blowing his brains out because of how dumb and smart she seems to be all at once. She is pretty with those adorable brown eyes and full lips and he wonders how those pretty lips could utter the crap he's been listening to in the last five minutes. Okay, he's attracted to her at first sight and the image of her in the tinted glass has nothing on her, but then again she isn't the first he's been attracted to at first sight, so that won't make it any easy for her, in fact, it's going to make things even more difficult. Varisha looks up at him and oh boy she had to admit to herself that ‘He is beautiful!' she unknowingly blurts out again, guess she can't seem to differentiate a loud whisper from thoughts and he can't help smiling at how cute that is. Her eyes drop to his nose and the full beards he's raring that's almost covering up his mouth, and this further confirms her suspicion when she first heard him speak ‘he is also Italian!' she says and it sounds more like an irk which is really not what she thinks. She's been keeping up with Gomorrah, her favourite Italian show and it helps her understand the Italian culture and styles and, most of all, accent. He has heard her and frowns at her words, not wanting to read into them deeply, but doing it anyway and he had let the opinion of someone he knew nothing about affect him. He clears his throat and, having had enough of her craze show, he replies, 'Yeah, as far as I can remember, I am, and you are black, and I'm not employing you." 'Is that because of what I said earlier or because I'm black because I am suddenly confused." She counter, trying to keep her mind from wandering off to analyze his solid and firm face and oh goodness, his hair! 'You were the first person who mentioned race." 'I didn't say I wouldn't be your employee because you were Italian now, did I?" Suddenly he does not know what the hell she is rambling out of her mouth because none seems to make sense. How did she get to decide if she should be employed or not? 'You aren't even employed yet, so you can't decide what you want in your employer." 'Well, would you want to change that?" Her brow rises curiously. Is she seriously trying to manipulate his decision? Why was he even having this conversation? There were others out there waiting to be interviewed, but she seems to be one of those few daring ones and hell, he'd gladly let them wait a few more hours just to get to know her more. 'What's your name?" Suddenly taken back she asks short of breath. 'What?" Because the god of beauty just wanted to know her name. 'Do I have to spell it? What is your name?" he asks impatiently, his breath going rough and edgy. She shakes her head, 'N—no," she stutters, fidgeting with her hand and glancing up at him to know if he is serious, but only looking away when she realizes his gaze also fixated on her. 'My name is Varisha Klean," Vary for short-form. She doesn't dare say that out loud, but what she asks out loud is 'what is yours?" Oh goodness! She thinks, this is getting weirder, ‘cause did she just ask him what his name was? This isn't some first time meeting; this is an interview, one that would determine the ‘cause of her life for a very long time and she is seriously messing it up! 'Haha! Funny. I could use that, a minor distraction from my normal, boring, suicidal life." He said the last part to himself. 'My name is Keenan Hilton. I'm your new boss."