#6 An unexpected request

I went straight to my office and, once inside, I plopped on the sofa, taking my handbag with me. I searched for the small box that contained my pills and grabbed a glass filled with water.

"Miss Russell, what was all this about?" Sebastian said coolly and closed my office door behind him. His calm tone was even scarier than having him yelling at me.

"I'm sorry, sir. I had to do something important," I replied sincerely.

He looked at the pills frowning a bit. "This meeting gave me a migraine, too."

"Oh, they aren't painkillers."

He looked at me with a raised eyebrow, waiting for me to specify.

"All the information you need to know about my medical history is listed in my file," I said with a finality in my tone. I wasn't in the mood to have a chit-chat with my Boss about my medical condition.

"You are refusing to tell me, or are you hiding something, Miss Russell?"

"I don't have anything to hide. As I told you, you can read my personal file. Everything you need to know exists in there. Now, should we go back to the meeting?"

"The meeting is off; I canceled the deal. Follow me, Miss Russell," Sebastian told me.

I frowned but did as he said. Did he really cancel the deal? They have been working on this project for months, and he just called everything off! We walked into his office, and Sebastian took his usual seat behind his desk. He gestured for me to sit on the chair in front of him.

"You really did cancel the deal?" I asked once again, perplexed.

Sebastian sighed and looked at me, "I did, Miss Russell. These idiots were spending my valuable time…"

My lips formed an O shape, and I nodded since I couldn't utter any other word.

"Anyway, that's not what I wanted to talk to you about," he said, searching for something.

I bit my lower lip anxiously. Was Sebastian going to fire me?

"There's a Gala this weekend, and I want you to come with me. There will be many business associates, so I'm going to need my secretary. I hope this is okay with you," Sebastian announced.

I looked at him with wide eyes. He asked me to accompany him to a freaking Gala!? He made clear that it was only professional, but still... I was going to be Sebastian Leclair's escort to a Gala. I blinked a few times, trying to regain my composure.

"Yes, sir. Is there anything else I need to know about this Gala?"

"Here's your invitation, and I'll send you an email with the guest's list. Now, call the legal department to see how we are going to handle the damage from the contract's break," Sebastian said, dismissing me.

With trembling hands, I took the white envelope he gave me and left his office to complete the other thing he asked me.

"Well done, Miss Russell! What you did in there was remarkable," Nickolas taunted me, strolling in my office.

"Don't make fun of me. I could have gotten fired," I replied, shooting him a glare.

"Well, I thought you must have been packing your things by now. My brother keeps surprising me…"

I frowned upon hearing his words. Getting fired was the first thing that crossed my mind after rationally thinking about what happened. But instead, Sebastian didn't fire me, but he asked me to be his date at a Gala. Oh, well, not exactly his date, since this will be strictly professional…

"What are you thinking, Evelyn?" Nickolas asked, and my eyes snapped back at him.

"Well, I'm not sure, but he might have found a way to get back at me…"

"Who? Sebastian?"

"Yes, he asked me to accompany him to a Gala this weekend because he's going to need his secretary," I blurted out.

Nickolas' face was priceless; he looked at me with wide eyes and mouth agape. "No, shit. Are you kidding me?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"He just announced it to me right after the meeting was over. He even gave me this invitation," I replied, showing Nikolas the white envelope.

"This is really interesting. Sebastian hasn't brought a date to all these social gatherings after," Nickolas stopped abruptly talking, and I glanced at him curiously.

"After what?"

"He usually attends alone," he answered, although that wasn't the answer I was looking for.

I didn't mean to be intrusive, so I changed the subject, "Will you be there, too?"

"Of course, I will. Don't worry, I have your back," my Boss' younger brother replied, winking at me.

I sighed in relief, but then another question popped into my head, "We have to wear formal dresses, right?"

"Well, it'd be interesting if you came with your underwear," Nickolas chuckled. Once he noticed the frown on my face, he quickly added, "Oh, I'm sorry, I was just messing with you. We can actually go shopping together if you haven't anything to wear."

I looked at him with wide eyes. Well, indeed I had to buy a new dress, and obviously, it would cost a lot more, considering the occasion I needed it for. But then again, it'd be awkward to go shopping with Nickolas.

"Don't worry, my best friend will help me pick something," I told him with a small smile.

"Oh, come on! This will be so much fun! How about I'll pick you up when your shift is over?"

"Nick, I told you, I'll just go with Sophie."

"Okay, then, see you at five," Nickolas said and left my office grinning like a fool.

The rest of the day passed by quickly and quietly. For a moment, I thought that I might be able to leave a few minutes before five, but Nickolas showed up earlier. I rolled my eyes at him when he almost dragged me towards the elevators. He threatened to literally carry me to his car; thus, I had to stop complaining. Our behavior was childish, and I gave him the silent treatment, ignoring all his attempts to make a conversation. Nickolas had a smirk plastered on his lips, and I knew he enjoyed our little argument.

The car finally stopped outside the biggest Mall in the city. Nickolas didn't waste a moment and dragged me towards the designers' floor. I had been there before with Sophie, but I've never bought branded clothes. Once inside the store, Nickolas explained to the shop assistants what we were looking for. Thanks to his looks and charms, soon enough, almost all the employees were helping us. Some were shamelessly flirting with Nickolas, while others looked at me with envy or annoyance, and the shiest kept bringing different kinds of dresses.

I somewhat felt like Cinderella when her Fairy Godmother transformed her for the Ball. Dresses, hats, gloves, shoes, clutches danced in front of my eyes. Nickolas was quick to dismiss some of the clothes and keep some others before I even had a chance to pay a better look at them.

"Okay, ladies, I think it's time for my beautiful friend to try a dress," Nickolas said.

"Nick, maybe it's better if we left," I pleaded with him.

"Evelyn, darling, please relax and trust me. Sebastian won't be able to take his eyes off you," he said.

Before I had the chance to reply anything, he shoved me inside a large fitting room and closed the curtain.

I sighed and turned around to find a black silk gown waiting for me. I undressed and carefully put on the dress. A small gasp escaped my lips. I couldn't believe that the woman in the mirror was me. The dress hugged my body perfectly and made my curves a bit more prominent. It had an A-line skirt that reached the floor and thin straps embodied with little diamonds. I frowned a bit, looking at the deep V-neckline. My fingers danced across the thin red line that crossed my chest. I let my long blonde hair fall freely over my shoulders in a desperate attempt to hide the scar. I sighed; I couldn't possibly wear this dress.

"Come on, Evelyn, get out! I want to see you!" I heard Nickolas saying from the other side.

"It doesn't fit me. Can I try another one? Or maybe we can leave…" I answered, and before I knew it, the curtain flew open.

Nick's eyes roamed my body and then landed on the line across my chest. His hazel orbs reached my face, looking at me questionably.