Chapter 33
Chapter 33
Chapter 33 “Running late this morning, Miss Chelsea?” The driver chuckles, opening the door to the
SUV.
“Yes. I’m afraid I am.”
“Not to worry. I’ll get you to London as soon as possible.”
“Thank you. You’re a lifesaver.”
Not that I am excited about going to work. But I also do not want to make things obvious by being tardy.
For now, I just want everything to be normal. At least, until I have gathered all the dirty facts about the
company and maybe dug something Just under thirty minutes later, the driver pulls up to the familiar
Brown Inc. skyscraper.
“Thanks. Pick me up at five o’clock as per usual, please,” I say, jumping out of the car.
“Okay, Miss Chelsea. Have a good day.”
I race to the elevator and wait impatiently for it. When the bell rings and I enter the tiny space, I am
relieved to be alone with my thoughts again.
I wonder what Dave’s behaviour will be towards me? The last time we spoke was in a verbal brawl. But
something tells me that he might play it cool, especially at work; after all, he does not want to appear
tyrannical in front of his “oh-so-respected employees.
When the elevator doors finally open, I am greeted by another typical workday scene at Brown Inc.
Perfectly dressed employees are milling around the offices, sifting through files and talking on the
telephone. I notice Diane at the front desk She has on her usual bright red lipstick and her hair is
pinned in a perfect bun. “Hey there! Running a little late I see,” she says playfully.
“Yeah…sorry about that.” “Oh, you don’t need to apologise to me. But Mr. Brown wants to see you. He
told me to send you in as soon as you got here. My heart begins to race. I was not expecting to be
summoned to Dave’s office the moment I stepped through the door.
My biggest fear is another heated argument and that things will get out of hand between us. I
desperately want to know more about what he and Sebastian are doing in Kenya. But that conversation
can not take place here.
I pause when I reach his door. My palms become sweaty. I grip the handle tightly, turn it, and make my
way inside.
Upon entering, I hear Dave mumbling while seated at his desk. He is hunched over some documents
while he talks on the telephone.
He lifts his head, locks eyes with me, and signals for me to sit.
As I wait for him to finish the call, his beauty suckles me in. His slender fingers are scribbling something
down on a piece of paper, and his hair is waxed back neatly. I focus on his full lips as he continues to
speak. No wonder my mind is amuck.
In a matter of seconds, I go from furious to lustful for him.
I shake my head to suppress such thoughts and straighten in my seat.
“Sorry, Chelsea, that was an important business call,” he finally says, hanging up the phone. His
demeanour is cool and calm; much more relaxed considering what took place last night. “No problem,”
I say, indifference abounding. Dave rises from his chair and walks over to the door, locking it before he
heads back to his desk and sits down. The action makes me nervous. He clears his throat and studies
me. “Chelsea…” he exhales deeply. “I want to talk to you about last night…you didn’t give me a chance
to explain.” “Dave, this isn’t the time to discuss this.” “You’re right, this isn’t the time or the place, but it
can’t wait. I need you to know that it’s not what you think. Sebastian and I are respectable
businessmen, and we would never exploit anyone.”
“So I just misheard everything that you two were saying?” I can feel my anger boiling up again.
Last night, when she went to the powder room, she heard them talking about an important artefact that
was in Kenya, Sebastian, planned to use children in the many orphanages there to look for the
important artefacts and not to raise any questions from the authorities. She knew something had gone
so wrong one year ago, and she was on a mission to find out what it was.
“No, it’s just that there’s a lot more to it than that. Just know that whatever we’re doing is legitimate. We
aren’t corrupt people.” Just as I go to question him further, the phone rings and he lets out another
deep sigh. He is clearly agitated by the interruption.
“Chelsea, please. I don’t want there to be any tension between us. Just trust me; we aren’t doing
anything ruthless.” He speaks with haste as the phone continues to ring. “We can talk later, back at the
mansion. I’m sorry, I have to take this call.”
He picks up the phone and starts talking, leaving me with so much more to say.
How could he deny their actions? I remember every word they said last night, and nothing about it
sounded good. As I rise from my seat and make my way to the door, I feel Dave’s eyes on me.
A part of me wants to believe him, while another part thinks he just wants to convince me otherwise so
I can keep quiet. Oh, and then there is the third part that wants to kiss him.
I know he is afraid I might air the company’s dirty laundry. But for now, I am going to put the
conversation behind me and get my work done. The next few hours go slow. I am completing all of my
tasks, but my mind is astray, consumed with the thoughts of Dave, Sebastian, and Kenya.
I have not seen Dave since this morning, and in some ways, it has made my day easier.
I realise that despite my strong convictions about Kenya, I still have emotional feelings for Dave, and I
wish this whole situation would just end up positive so we can resume our romance. As I sit at my desk,
eating a cold turkey sandwich for lunch and watching everyone roaming the busy city streets from my
sixteenth-story window view, Diane appears out of nowhere.
“Hey, Chelsea. My printer is down, and Dave needs me to print a file for him. Can I use yours?”
“Yeah, sure,” I say, swallowing a mouthful of food. “Okay, great. I’ll email it to you in a few minutes.”
“Not a problem.”
I finish my sandwich and then go to my computer to check my email. Within minutes, I receive the
notification of Diane’s email. There are three documents attached with the title, Kenya Artefacts.
I zoom in on the screen as curiosity floods my veins. I have not opened the documents yet but will
proceed with the printing.
As they start to come out of the printer tray, I rise from my seat and pick them up.
One by one… My eyes scan through the words quickly before Diane comes to collect them.
My knuckles turn white as I clench my fists. It is all there in black and white – the company’s plans to
exploit children in a remote part of Kenya and pay the workers almost next to nothing. They are looking
for something that was stolen from an important ex-government official in the Montblanc Mountain
Range one year ago; an important document.
Among the papers is also a contract signed between Brown Inc. and the small hunter’s company in
Kenya.
My breathing becomes uneasy as I gather up the documents and storm towards Dave’s office.
Good luck explaining this to me, asshole…
“Oh, Chelsea, did you print those files for me?” I brush past Diane, almost knocking her over on my
way to Dave’s office. I grip the handle and swing the door open so violently that the force of its
vibrations vibrates against the glass walls. Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.
Four men in suits glare at me while Dave’s eyes bulge out in disbelief.
“Chelsea, what are you doing? I’m in a meeting,” he says under his breath. “I need to speak with you
now!”
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