"Yeah, Mr. V. She's not lookin' so good when she left. Nuh-uh… She really thought you were gonna fire her!"

Vince groaned inwardly at Raquel's report via a phone call while he's on speakerphone. He didn't expect that his mate would be THAT devastated over their failed meeting.

"I swear, V, if she gets into an accident because she's crying while driving, I'll kill you myself!" screamed a far-off female voice that can be heard in the background.

"Is that Diwa?" mumbled V from his imposing leather executive chair. He has now fully reclined so he could try to recover from his recent failure.

"You bet it is, Alpha! And I meant what I said! What the hell, you had to give her that kind of letter, huh? What were you thinking?"

"Di, just come to the phone and stop yelling! Geez, good thing we're in Roderick's closed office, or else the whole building's gonna hear you rage."

Vince had already stood up and was now putting on his coat. "Good luck with that, R. She was never good at being ordered around anyway, which is why she chose to be on her own."

"I heard that, V! Not my fault that I wanted to be more a human than a wolf!" countered Di.

"Wait Di! Mr. V, can we please concentrate on your mate, please? I don't think she should be…"

"Wait, wait, wait… MATE?! Are you serious, Raquel?!" Diwa exclaimed, her tone about two to three notes higher.

"Yes, she's our Luna and…"

"So, what the hell just happened in your office that got her so upset, V?"

V interrupted the hyper female, "Di, listen, I need to get to her before she actually leaves the building. Would you just ask Raquel for details, and, whatever she tells you, please keep it to yourself? Now, I gotta go."

So much for trusting you… a voice growls in his head as he rushed out his office door.

"Shut up, Roth, or I swear…"

"What did you say, Sir?"

V turned around momentarily to face the speaker, which he just passed as he exited his office, "Myron, cancel and reschedule all my meetings and appointments this afternoon until tomorrow morning. I don't even want my cellphone to vibrate because of anything business-related. Except for you… or maybe Raquel…"

"Of course, Sir. And I've asked security to close the level where her car is parked and…"

V stopped at the entrance of his private elevator and looked back at his personal assistant. "Which basement level, Myron?"

"B4, sir."

The smile on Vincent's face was priceless.

"Thanks, and you're getting a bonus for that," grinned the Alpha as he stepped into his private elevator.

"Happy hunting, Sir," said Myron with a smile and a wave.

* * *

"What do you mean, you've closed the exits? What's happening?"

"They're testing the new automation program for all the basement parking levels, Ma'am. Just so happens that they're testing this floor right now. So, sorry, but you might have to wait a few minutes."

Siel couldn't hide her feelings anymore even if she tried, so she just gave the security guard a sullen pout then just stared ahead while still sitting in her car.

"Thanks for your patience, ma'am. Have a nice day…"

The upset but still lovely secretary fumed at the cheerfulness of the guard and almost wished that she could yell whatever it is that's on her mind to his face…

Patience? What fu**ing patience?! I have none left! I practically botched the one last chance of me keeping my job! I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHY I'M GOING TO LOSE MY JOB IN THE FIRST PLACE! AND BEFORE CHRISTMAS TOO! And now you tell me I'm practically a prisoner in your goddamn company's basement! WHAT THE HELL! DO YOU GUYS KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING TO ME?! DO YOU EVEN REALLY CARE?!

Siel was already hitting her steering wheel with her fists midway into her mental monologue, while her vision was already partly blurred because of her tears. At this point, she was feeling so frantic and overly emotional, she might literally explode if anything upsetting happened again.

A tapping sound at the window's ledge where the security guard was earlier harshly dragged her back to reality. It seems that he wasn't finished with what he was saying… But that was the last straw for her.

"WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT FROM ME, HUH?! I DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING ANYMORE AND I'M JUST WAITING FOR YOU GUYS TO LET ME GET OUT OF HERE AND GO HOME!" The now angry secretary yelled at the top of her lungs while still looking at her windshield and violently hitting her wheel.

"Elena, please… stop! It's me!"

Siel froze for a second with a loud gasp as she realized who she was screaming at. She then turned her head slowly towards the open window.

Oh shit! Now he's really going to fire me…

Vince was looking at her with sincere concern in his eyes, but she was too scared of his possible reaction to even think about that.

"Elena, hi… so uh… can I come in?"

Come in? What? Oh, he wants to enter the car… But why?

V read the questions in her facial expression. Also, he was impressed at how fast she seemed to be recovering from her frustration and her recent faux pas.

"Look Elena, I just want to make things right between us. I think I wasn't that transparent enough to you a while ago, and I believe we should clarify our issues before you leave and go home."

Oh God, there it is. Clarify issues before I leave, huh? Fine, why not? Maybe it will make things easier for me to accept if I hear you say how sorry you are for me.

Silently, she nodded at him and pushed the unlock button on the driver's panel. A click resounded, and V opened the door to the passenger's seat. He then tried to make himself fit in the slightly snug space - since he does have a tall and muscular frame - then pushed a button on the door to close the window on his side.

It was a bit of an awkward moment that had Siel giggling softly by the time he was through. Instead of feeling embarrassed, Vince felt thoroughly rewarded by her hidden smile. He was also able to grin at her when he finally got to look at her eye to eye.

And then his senses hit him like a tidal wave…

Aw, shit, enclosed space! She's all I feel, see, hear and smell now… And oh God, I'm feeling so tingly… and warm… and hard…

"Excuse me for a moment, Sir…"

The lady beside him broke into his thoughts by wiping her tears and blowing her nose delicately into a bunch of tissues. She had taken these from her bag which was squeezed between their seats…

And now it was his turn to smile.

That's so cute, stated the voice in his head, now in a more calm and soothing manner.

V ignored Roth as he concentrated on the weary woman who's trying to gain some semblance of self-respect and control by making an effort to look her best. The truth is, Siel just didn't want to have the man see her going through a nervous breakdown when she's finally told that she has lost her job.

"Alright, I'm ready, Sir."

"Can you hand me the check I gave you, please?"

Siel's face fell, but she bit her lip to stop herself from bursting into tears again.

Of course, he's going to want the check back, you stupid girl! After all, I won't be retained in his company, and I did say no to it earlier on. So yeah, just do what he says, Siel. You deserve this anyway after what just happened in his office.

She took the check out of her bag and handed it to him. It took a while for him to look at her since he was also busy searching for something in his jacket pockets.

While waiting, Siel made the mistake of finally glancing at the amount that's written on the check. She felt her heart stop as she gasped out loud…

Oh my God… that's worth more than my half year's pay! Damn it Siel, you stupid, stupid fool! That could have easily given your children a very wonderful Christmas dinner with gifts, a tree, that puppy…

"Aha! Here we go. The check, please…"

Keeping her face emotionless with all her might, she then watched V as he took the check, lay it out on the dashboard, and uncapped his classy, antique Visconti Special Edition Opera Master fountain pen…

He then added another zero to the end of the figure that he originally wrote down.

Siel's eyes widened, and her mouth fell open.

V then proceeded to write the word "only" after the amount, then spelled out the said figure on the blank line below it. After waiting for a second or two, making sure that the ink was dry and everything was in order, he handed the check back to the bewildered and shocked lovely lady beside him.

"Sorry Elena, I was so distracted when I was writing that check that I forgot to complete all the details. Good thing, too, because I really think that's the right amount you deserve."

It took a while for Siel to finally find her voice, "H-how can I p-possibly deserve this? Are you serious about this, or does this have conditions? Sir, I…"

"Again, it's V. And no, that check doesn't have any strings attached. It's the amount my company owes you for all the overtime you've done, the commissions to the closed deals that you created contracts for, and all the bonuses that should have been given to you from the very first month that you've worked for us. If you don't believe me, I'll have my Executive Accountant make an official breakdown and send you a soft copy. Would you prefer that?"

Siel was now close to tears. Her emotional roller-coaster ride was taking its toll, but, as she decided before, she didn't want to expose her intimate self to this compassionate stranger… Even if he did own the company where she was working.

Speaking of which…

"Oh, you need to clear out your things from SCIT. You will no longer be working for Roderick."

And here's where the ax falls… Well, at least I have this check to tide me over until I find a new job.

"Don't worry, Sir… V… I mean…Yes, I'll move my things out as early as tomorrow morning."

"Good! Once you've done that, go straight to the 166th floor, and Myron will direct you to your desk, He will also give you a short tour of the whole floor, including my office."

"Wait… what? I don't understand…"

"By tomorrow, you'll be working for me, as my Executive Secretary."

The world stopped for a few seconds as her mind processed what she just heard, meanwhile her new boss's piercing dark blue eyes held hers captive.

And she was losing it but not in a bad way…

"Tell me you're not joking…"

"I'm not. And I'll be very honest with you, I'm not hiring you for your looks although I do find you very attractive…"

Time stopped again for Siel… He finds me… attractive?

"… I'm hiring you for skills and smarts, Elena. I've seen all your work, and I have to say, I am very impressed…"

Did he really just say he finds me attractive? But why me?

"… you have all the necessary brains and abilities for the job I'm giving you, so I do hope you'll accept it…"

There are a lot more women out there who are smarter, sexier…

"Elena? Are you ok? Hello… Elena…"

"Wh-what? Oh, sorry. I was just too… surprised at your… offer…"

"I would imagine… But you are qualified for the position, just making that clear."

"And the offer comes with no strings attached?"

"None whatsoever. My asking you out on a date has absolutely nothing to do with my job offer."

W-What the heck… he's gonna ask me out on a date?

"So, can you join me for dinner tonight? Say, seven or eight? You don't have to worry about work tomorrow since it's your first day. Please…"

I'm dreaming… I'm sure of it, none of this is real, and I'll be waking up in time to go back to work again, and yes, I will realize that this is all just an amazing, wonderful dream…