Chapter 54

Amaris' POV

I shut my eyes thinking about all the advantages I'd have if I didn't work here anymore but my thoughts were interrupted when I heard a familiar voice and the recognizable squeak of the door as it creaked open.

"Caleb? Are you in here?" I jerked my head towards the door. I half expected Jessica to be standing by the door with some other foolish thing to say but I was stunned when I saw the woman at the door. What was she doing here and why was she looking for Caleb?

"Oh...." Her brows shut up when she realized the person sitting at the table wasn't Caleb. "...my apologies I..." She paused. She probably didn't notice we met before, well until now that is. "It's you..." Her face lit up as she pushed the door open.

"Mrs....." I was about calling her Mrs. Thorne but I immediately remembered that she was also Kian's mother so I didn't know if she liked being called Mrs. Thorne or Mrs. Beck. Then again she wasn't their real mother so...

"Oh my goodness it's actually you." A grin spread across her face as she closed the door behind her before walking towards me. Since I didn't know what to say to her I just flashed her an awkward smile.

"Good...." I paused, glancing at the clock. I wasn't sure what the time was so I needed to confirm if it was still morning. It wasn't. "...Good afternoon Mam." I was certain I looked so weird at that moment but what could I do? I didn't know what to call her and I didn't know why she was so happy to see me. "It's nice to meet you again." I got up from my seat gesturing towards the empty seat in front of my desk. "Would you like to sit down?"

"Oh come on." She waved off my offer like she would do to a fly. "I didn't come here for a meeting." She said and that was when I noticed the basket in her hand. The lid was firmly secured, keeping its content a secret from prying eyes. I could also hear the faint rustling of cellophane and the crinkling of paper as she moved. My nose twitched as a sweet aroma wafted towards me, I didn't have to look into the basket to know it was filled with freshly baked cookies.

I inhaled deeply, taking another sniff. Red velvet to be precise. They almost smelt as good as mum's. Almost. A small smile crept up my lips as the delicious scent swirled through the air. I wasn't sure yet but the scent was tantalizing enough to make my mouth water. Well I wasn't surprised though....she did remind me of mum when we first met so it was only normal if she was good at baking. "Ok then...I'm guessing you came to see your son?" I lifted a brow.

"Well I did...." She said dropping the basket on my table. "...but then I bumped into you." She let go of the handle. "Ever since that day we met at the ice cream shop I've always wanted to see you again..." Her cheery tone suddenly switched to a sad one. "...but Caleb always said no."

"Of Course he did." I muttered to myself as I rolled my eyes. "Well....." I smiled at her. "I don't understand why you wanted to see me so badly but....here I am." I spread out my arms earning a low chuckle from her.

"I baked cookies." She lifted the lid covering the basket. "Would you like some?" I looked into the basket and the vibrant crimson cookies stared back at me from their nestled position in the basket and a grin spread out on my lips when I saw that I was right. The cookies were adorned with a delicate swirl of cream cheese frosting which caused my tummy to grumble, urging me to have a taste. I could practically almost taste the crumbly, velvet soft texture of the cookies. "I promise I didn't poison them." She says her tone laced with sarcasm.

My chest rumbled with laughter. "I would love to." I smiled, grabbing a cookie from the basket as she grinned back at me. "Thank you so much Mrs....Beck." I went with the first name that dropped in my head.

"You can call me Miranda." Her eyes glinted with a warm affection as she closed the basket.

"Oh no." I said after taking a small bite of the cookie. "I certainly can't do that." I politely rejected her offer. I couldn't picture calling Caleb and Kian's mother by her actual name. That was just wrong.

"Ok then...call me mother." A somewhat mischievous glint flashed in her eyes.

"Mother?" My brows drew together.

"Yes?" She raised her brows and I couldn't help but smile.

I opened my mouth to protest but I couldn't find the exact words to say to her. "You've already called me mother...I don't see why you should stop." She lifted her shoulders in a half shrug.

"Alright then....mother." I drawled. "As you might have already heard...I'm Amaris." I placed my hand on my chest.

"Oh I have heard. Kian won't stop talking about you everytime he comes to visit." She said but then she quickly placed one of her hands on her lips like she had just said something she wasn't supposed to.

"Kian?" I batted my lashes. "He talks about me?" I cocked my head.

"Well....yeah." She hesitated before saying. "He does. At our last family dinner, he mentioned something about you lying to Caleb so you could go clubbing with your friend." She narrowed her eyes into thin slits as a small smile formed on her lips.

"You know about that too." I winced, finishing the cookie in my hand.

"I don't actually see it as a bad thing though. Everyone deserves to have fun right?" She shrugged her shoulders. Unlike Caleb, she actually got me. Just because I worked for him didn't mean I couldn't have fun but no...he didn't even want to see me smile. It was like he had a sixth sense for when I was happy because that was always when he came with his ridiculous tasks. Whether it was stupid or not, he didn't care as long as it took away my joy. Like who does that? I knew he couldn't stand seeing me happy but he could just walk away. Did he have to go out of his way to ruin it every single time.

Miranda must have noticed the change in my mood because she suddenly placed her free hand on my shoulder. "Sweetheart I know working for Caleb can be a pain sometimes..." Most times. "....and I also know he can be incredibly annoying most of the time..." I pressed my lips together forcing myself to not say anything as she spoke. Caleb? Annoying? Most of the time? I can't even think of a time I greeted him and he actually answered. "....but trust me he means well and look on the bright side. You work for one of the biggest companies in the city and you get paid handsomely." I let out a small sigh. I didn't want to argue with Miranda....Caleb might have been sweet to her but he was horrible to me. Completely horrible....but I wasn't going to say that to her. I just hope she never finds out the things her son did behind her back.