OLD FRIEND

CHAPTER FIVE

DIANA

I took a deep breath as I stared at the man in front of me. His eyes were focused on some files and I wondered if he noticed mt presence. He was trying to get under my skin, Chris hated me, and I knew it.

However, I was no longer a weak woman. Chris was not going to break me,it wouldn't be as easy as he thought.

"I don't think it's a good idea for me to go with you to some banquet, sir," I said to him, gritting my teeth.

The past few days I had tried to be as professional as possible, but with every little thing, he seemed to be pushing me bit my bit so I would break sooner or later.

Chris dropped the pen in his hand and looked up at me, and my heart skipped a beat.

Those eyes....those eyes that used to look at me with intense look now looked at me with nothing more than pure hatred, and a crippling indifference, and it was all of my fault.

I couldn't even complain .

"Then what do you think is a good idea, Diana? I don't have the time for this, go prepare for the banquet, a business partner important to the company is holding it, and so you had better be sure not to make any mistakes," he warned me.

I bit my lips, I really didn't want to have to work overtime here.

"Sir, I think since you have a close relationship with the host of the banquet, you shouldn't be taking a secretary. Maybe you can bring your girlfriend," my voice was so low when I said the last part that I almost couldn't hear myself.

"I don't have a girlfriend," Chris replied clearly, like he was trying to clarify something.

He was back to working, and his face was focused on the file, and so I could not tell what he was thinking.

I bit my lips, feeling lost. "But I still think...."

"You can either come with me or you are getting lost, Diana. Remember that you get three warnings and then you're fired. Mess this banquet up, and you won't meet to get to the last warning," Chris snapped at me, annoyance in his voice.

This was all of the warning I needed. I bowed my head and walked out of the office as fast as I could.

As I was at the door, I thought of something. I turned to face Chris who was still working seriously, and I wondered what the heck he was so busy with.

He has already asked me to cancel everything else for the day .

"What is the dress code, sir?" He asked me.

Chris stopped working for a few seconds and he looked up at me.

For the first time, I couldn't see any hate or indifference when he looked at me. Just a genuine curiousity.

"Did you never go out with your husband when he was still alive, Mrs.Rodd?" Chris asked me, a hint of bitterness escaping from his lips.

I froze, and bit my lips. All of the bad feelings I had manager to keep at bay were threatening to come out now, and I struggled with what to say to Chris.

He pushed a card at me, "this is the company's card, since it's a company event, get a dress," he said .

Those were the only ones I got from him that afternoon.

......

Amanda offered to come with me to get a dress during lunch break, and even though she said she was helping me, I had a feeling that she was enjoying this a bit too much than I was.

"He really said he's taking you to this banquet? Are you sure?" Amanda asked, suspicion on her face .

I nodded my head, "yes, do you think I'd want to go anywhere with him willingly?" I asked drily.

"It's just that he's never taken anyone else on banquets like this. None of his other secretaries has gone with him. If he really needs someone, he'd take Cynthia, but he's never taken a secretary. Do you still dare to say he has no interest in you, Diana?" Amanda raised an eyebrow and winked at me as she said this.

I let go of the gown I had been looking at and turned to Amanda, a serious look on my face.

"Amanda, I can assure you that he really doesn't want anything to do with me, he hates me more than anything, that's a fact," I stated.

"Hate you? Don't you think it's a bit too far? I mean, maybe he resents the breakup, but people breakup all the time right? Besides the boss is not a petty man," Amanda said as she continued to go through the gowns on the rack.

I sighed, the past I had with Chris was not something I wanted to talk about at first but it seemed I would have to come clean with it so this woman would let me be.

"Chris hates me because I broke up with him to marry James," I finally dropped the bombshell.

Amanda was finally shocked. She turned to me, her eyes as wide as saucers.

"Seriously? I never thought that you'd do something like this! Diana, you never seemed like that kind of person to me! Tell me, did you leave him because he was poor back then and your husband was rich?" She slapped my hand playfully as she said this.

She wasn't even taking this seriously, and she looked like she was just looking for some gossip.

I smiled wryly, "that would be the only reason I left, right?" I asked.

A rich girl leaving her poor boyfriend to marry another rich man, no one would believe they were other reasons to it.

Amanda shook her head, "you seriously are..... "

"Diana? Is that you?" Amanda was still saying something when I heard someone call my name.

I turned sharply and then was when I saw someone I hadn't seen in a few years.

"Diego?"