EPISODE FOURTEEN
THEME: Signing a deal
THE MARTIN EMPIRE : Mrs Elaina Martins Office
Mrs Elaina Martins couldn’t take her eyes off the document on her desk. She leaned forward to look at the resume on it. No doubt Knox won’t object to this idea.
“I am pretty sure he will convince her to work for him or even be a model at his agency.” Mrs Elaina thought deeply.
The chairlady was stunned out of thought when she heard a sharp knock on the door. “Come in,” Mrs Elaina said and her secretary walked in.
“I am sorry to interrupt you ma’am but a young woman is here to see you.” Tracy said.
“What’s her name?” Mrs Elaina asked.
“She is here for an interview. Her name is Eretia -”
“Eretia Jones.” Mrs Elaina completed.
“Yes Ma’am.” Tracy nodded.
A smile formed on Mrs Elaina lips. “Please let her in.” She couldn’t wait to see Eretia.
“Okay Ma’am.” Tracy exited the room and soon she came back with Eretia. She stepped out for Eretia to walk in before closing the door gently behind her.
“Good Morning Ma’am.” Eretia greeted.
“Oh! Good Morning!” Mrs Elaina Martins greeted cheerfully.
“I am here for an interview.” Eretia plastered a smile on her face.
Mrs Elaina pointed to the chair facing her directly. “Please take a seat.” Eretia sat down as the chairlady stared at her for seconds. Different thoughts flooded her mind. She was extremely stunned by Eretia’s beauty.
Eretia waited for the chairlady to say something but nothing came from her. “Excuse me, I am here for the interview ma’am.” She said.
“Oh.. Yeah I know you are her for an interview.” Mrs Elaina picked the Resume on her desk. “You are twenty six years old.”
“Yes Ma’am.” Eretia nodded.
Mrs Elaina read out more information about her. “Perhaps have you worked as a care worker. before?” She asked.
“No Ma’am.” Eretia answered.
“Maid?” Mrs Elaina asked again.All content © N/.ôvel/Dr/ama.Org.
Eretia raised her brows. “No.”
Mrs Elaina dropped the file and looked at Eretia with a serious look on her face. “There is nothing much to see in your resume.”
Eretia’s heartbeat accelerated. “I.. I don’t have too much working experience.. but trust me I can do anything because I am a very hardworking woman.” She said the words that came right into her mind.
Mrs Elaina leaned back in the swivel chair and relaxed. “I don’t employ people with low or no qualification.”
“But I could work as a janitor or… an errand girl for workers. I am pretty good at cleaning stuffs until you can see your reflection on the surface.” Eretia blabbed.
Mrs Elaine laughed causing Eretia to furrowed her eyebrow. She saw it a sign that she might get hired for making the chairlady laugh this much.
Mrs Elaina laughter faded and she turned serious again. “Then let us talk business. I mean let us put the interview aside.” She closed the file.
“What do you mean ma?” Eretia heartbeat accelerated. Is this the end? Won’t she get a job? She thought.
“I will tell you what the work is all about.” Mrs Elaina said.
Eretia heaved a sigh of relief. She would get the job! “Okay.”
“I want to hire you to work for my son personally.” Mrs Elaina said in a low tone.
Eretia remembered her son is a big time celebrity and her eyes widened. “Your son?!” She gasped.
Mrs Elaina shook her head positively. “That’s a great privilege!” Eretia said with a half smile on her face. She was still nervous because of the serious look on the chairlady’s face.
“Yes it is a privilege to work for my son but most people I have hired don’t know that.” Mrs Elaina said.
“So do I have to work as his secretary?” Eretia asked.
“No.” Mrs Elaina answered.
“Driver or errand girl or delivery girl?” Eretia questioned frantically.
“None of that my dear.” Mrs Elaina responded.
Eretia shot the old lady a confused look. “Then what?”
Mrs Elaina cleared her throat. “Sixteen years ago, I accused my husband of having an affair with an employee and our argument led him to travel out of the country. My son and I awaited his return but we only heard the news of his death. I lost my dear husband in a plane crash. I felt guilty after I found out my husband was loyal and he didn’t have an affair with his secretary. And my son blamed me for his father’s death. We have been apart for years now and he doesn’t regard me as his mother.” Mrs Elaina stopped to study Eretia’s face. She paid close attention to what the old lady was saying.
Mrs Elaina continued. “My son stopped believing in love after his father’s death. He felt like if I could accuse the one I love till death and also accuse his father unjustly then love never existed between us. He said I never loved my husband dearly.”
“So what do you want me to do for you?” Eretia asked.
“I need your help. My som has withdrew himself from the world completely, and aside the fact that he is a celebrity he still doesn’t act one. I need someone who can change my son’s outlook and make him believe in love again.” Mrs Elaina explained what she wanted Eretia to do.
Eretia scrunched up her face. “No I don’t think I can help you.” She felt the old lady was asking her to make her son fall in love with her.
“No.. listen to me, from where I am sitting, I am looking at someone with a brain and beauty. A woman who knows how to get whatever she needs. A woman who is definitely my son’s type, I am pretty sure he will like a tall, leggy and beautiful woman. And I know you have got the extra something that can make the difference.” Mrs Elaina Martins studied her expression.
She took in Eretia’s features. She was beautiful. Her hair straight and long in a single braid that ended down her back. She wore no make up and her very sharp chin was cute. Eretia happened to wear what she had, simple gray woolen dress, long sleeved and tight around her hips with sandals.
And without warning Isobel was out of her chair. “Look you are what is going to make this happen.” Her hands rested on Eretia’s shoulder. “I have hired so many women to work for him. Everyone tried everything but gotten nowhere. Knox is like a cemented wall and he is tough. And I got to thinking that my son has to have a weakness. Something that will get him and make him change his mind. And from everything I think his weakness must be an extremely beautiful woman like you with a good heart.” She tried to persuade her.
“I am not sure about that. And I don’t think I am the right person for the job.” Eretia declined.
“You also know that I am right.” Mrs Elaina Martins said right from behind her. .
Eretia has never really considered herself beautiful. Since she found herself in the human world everything about her has changed. No more sharp hair but straight and long brown hair. She had a sharp chin, flat stomach, long legs, breast that were big enough to make any man look twice, eyes with long thick lashes and full lips. But one thing didn’t change which is her vibrant aquamarine eyes!
Over the past months she has spent in the human world, she has seen beautiful humans. Women that are pretty! So No! She can’t be a celebrity type of woman no matter Elaina’s words. She thought deeply.
Eretia stood up from the chair. “I am not the right person for your son.” She said meeting the old lady’s gaze with a frown.
“No make up, no implants, no false lashes. I am too thin, too tall I guess and too pale and I have got strange eyes too.” Eretia pointed at her eyes.
Mrs Elaina frowned at her. “You have to stop scowling like that and put on a bit of make up with maybe your hair loose with those beautiful eyes. Even without makeup you would stop traffic!”
Eretia nodded impatiently. “No, I can’t do it.”
Mrs Elaina held Eretia’s hand. “Please help me. I can tell that my son is hurting deep inside but he can’t tell anyone. Work for me and help my son crawl out of that lonely shell.” She squeezed Eretia’s hands gently.
“Please.” She pleaded.
Then the thought of her mother flooded her mind. Images of when Alana was begging her to stay flashed through her mind. The case was different but she saw the same pain in Mrs Elaina’s eyes.
“What do I have to do?” Eretia asked in a low tone.
A small smile displayed on her face. “You’ll be like his personal assistant but you have to move into his house.”
“What?! Why.. why do I have to live with him?!” Eretia gasped.
“By so doing you will be able to get close to him and talk to him.” Mrs Elaina replied.
“Then it’s like I am going to work as his maid too.” Eretia said.
“Not really -” Mrs Elaina paused. “Yes. My son lives alone by the beach and it worries me that he is far away from home. I just want to know if he is doing fine.”
“How old is he?” Eretia asked.
“Twenty six years old.” Mrs Elaina replied.
“He is not a kid anymore.” Eretia mumbled.
“I know Eretia but I care so much about him. Please just accept the job and help me renew the bond between me and my son.” Mrs Elaina’s eyes pleaded with her.
“I am sorry.. I can’t do it.” Eretia knew Oliver wouldn’t like the idea of moving into her boss house.
“Why?” Mrs Elaina asked.
“Nothing.” Eretia replied with a shrug and she let go of the old lady’s hand. She motioned towards the door to leave.
“Ten thousand dollars if you last a week in his house!” Mrs Elaina blurted out.
Eretia stopped at the door.
“And I know you can do this Eretia.” Mrs Elaina offered.
Eretia twisted around to face the old lady. “Eretia…. accept it as a challenge.” Mrs Elaina was determined to convince Eretia to take on the job.
Familiar tingle of excitement started to grow in her at the challenge of getting Knox to talk when no one else could and even let him know about love. She was yet to know about love too but she wanted to try.
“I am not doing this for the money.” Eretia cleared her throat.
She had seen the pain in the old lady’s eyes and desperate to reunite with her son. Mrs Elaina was also ready to do anything to have her old son back. And Eretia felt Knox needs to forgive his mother and learn to love.
So she went back to the old lady. “What assurance do you have for me to know that I will get the money?”
“We can sign a contract.” Mrs Elaina went round her desk.
Oh! She was serious about the money! Eretia said to herself.
Mrs Elaina reached for a folder and held it out to her. “This is the contract.”
Eretia took it from her. It was a thick Manila folder with the Martin Empire in bold type on the right edge. She opened the cover and shuffle through the document. “This won’t be easy.” Ereria muttered.
“Sorry if it were that easy someone would have done the job for me.” Mrs Elaina said.
Eretia nodded in agreement. There was nothing much in the contract.
“But there has to be a way to make him stick his head out of the bunker. Getting him to talk and making him see that his father’s death wasn’t my fault and intention is your main job.” Mrs Elaina explained.
The pay in the contract was huge. “Okay.” Eretia mumbled.
“And you can as well use what you have to get what you want.” The old lady added.
Eretia raised her brow. She couldn’t make sense of the old lady’s last statement.
“There is a bonus attached to the job.” She said.
“Bonus?”
“I will pay you the ten thousand dollars if you survive one week with him. And I will pay double of it after two weeks. And you also get the chance to shop at Gold mall without paying for the items.” Mrs Elaina listed.
“I get all of that?!” Eretia gasped out in surprise.
“Yes but under one condition.” Mrs Elaina said.
“What condition?” Eretia demanded.
“You will get all these bonuses if I see some changes in my son. All I want is to be a mother to my son and see him smile again.” Mrs Elaina explained.
Eretia nodded in understanding. The old lady was offering too much. She thought. Eretia didn’t want to do the job but at the same time she remembered that she was indebted to the Scott. She could use the money to repay Oliver for saving her life and taking her in. That was the main reason she wanted to work.
“And you also get paid at the end of the month. Eretia, I will reward you greatly if things changes.” Mrs Elaina reassured her.
Then Eretia thought of what she would do with all the money. Ryan’s tuition, bills and probably go on a vacation with her family if she works for a month or two.
“Do you have family?” Mrs Elaina asked.
“Yes. Perhaps can I go and see my family in the process of working with your son?” Eretia asked too.
“Yes after I see changes. And you don’t have to give in now. I can give you sometime to think about it.” Mrs Elaina said.
“What do I have to do?” Eretia cleared her throat.
“Are you accepting the offer now?” Mrs Elaina demanded.
“Yes but you have to give me a day or two to talk to my family.. and spend more time with them.” Eretia answered.
“Okay.” Mrs Elaina nodded.
“So when should I start work?” Eretia questioned.
“You have to move in with him to start work.” Mrs Elaina responded with a bright smile on her face.
“Will he let me in?” Eretia asked.
“That’s part of your job. Get him.. convince him to let you move in.” Mrs Elaina replied.
Eretia shook her head. “Okay.. I’ll try my best.” She collected the pen from the old lady and signed the document. And Mrs Elaina did the same too.
“Is that all?”
“For now that’s all.” The old lady stood up from the swivel chair.
Eretia stood up. “I’ll take my leave now.”
“Thank you.” Mrs Elaina shook hands with Eretia. “It is nice meeting you, Eretia.”
“Likewise.” Eretia replied.
Mrs Elaina gave her a card. “Give me a call whenever you are ready.”
“Okay.” Eretia shook her head before walking out of the office.
“It is going to work this time. And I can’t wait to have my son back.” Mrs Elaina heaved a sigh. She silently prayed over and over again that Eretia would be able to move Knox’s heart.