Chapter 57
Caleb's POV
Nothing infuriated me more than when my plans were disrupted and Amaris.....she was the number one reason nothing went my way anymore. Ever since I let her work for me, things had never gone the way I wanted. And most importantly ever since I lashed out on her in the elevator...she seemed a bit different which was beginning to become very annoying. She keeps doing everything I ask without complaining no matter how stupid or ridiculous it may sound. Well....there was no need to worry about her now. I'll definitely get her to lose her temper sooner or later. Now I just needed to focus on....her.
"....and to think I told her that you were a nice person." Miranda stared at me with a disappointed look on her face.
"Mother you know the only person I've ever been nice to in this world is you and only you." I let out an exasperated sigh. "Now sit down..." I gestured towards the empty seat on the other side of my desk. "You're going to wear yourself out if you keep standing."
"I don't want to sit." She huffed.
I let out a small laugh. "What do you mean you don't want to sit?"
"I'm mad at you." She dropped the basket she was holding on my desk. A part of me secretly hoped that Amaris had simply caught a whiff of the cookies' fragrance, rather than actually setting her eyes upon them. The mere thought of Miranda offering her the same cookies she was going to give to me made my skin crawl.
A small smile crept up my lips as I leaned back in my seat. "Okay. Why are you mad at me then?"
"Why can't you just be nice to her...." My smile froze before contorting into a frown. I should have known that this would be about Amaris. "...I know she's your secretary and it wouldn't be fair if you're only nice to her but..."
"Mother. Can we please not talk about Miss Carter. I mean like come on. You went out of your way to bake cookies when you should have been resting and on top of that you came all the way here by yourself to give them to me and instead of us talking about something more interesting and fun, you're telling me to be nice to her?" My brows drew together, a physical manifestation of my frustration.
Her chest moved as she let out a pent up sigh before sitting on the chair I had offered earlier. "Here..." She pushed the basket towards me. "I made you cookies." She said with an unreadable expression.
Great. Now my mother was mad at me all because of some stupid woman. I should've just said no that night she asked if she could go out for a walk, then maybe none of this would've happened. The main reason I didn't want Miranda and Amaris to meet again is because I knew Miranda and she was too trusting. Now she sees Amaris as an angel and now she won't stop talking about her. Even though she hasn't said anything yet I was keenly aware that she hoped for a deeper connection between Amaris and I, but her wishes were destined to remain unfulfilled, as I was determined to keep my distance from Amaris.
"So now you're mad at me." I grabbed a cookie from the basket.
"I was already mad at you." She leaned back with a scowl. With a bored expression I took a bite of the cookie, the rich sweetness bursting across my taste buds. I always knew Miranda was talented in cooking and baking but she never ceases to amaze me every single time.
"They're delicious." I flashed her a smile but she averted my gaze staring at any other thing apart from my face. Normally she'd smile back at me or act modest but now she just ignored me which meant she was really mad at me. My smile faltered as I took another bite of the buttery velvety cookie. As I chewed the cookie's taste lost its luster as though my annoyance had leached the sweetness away.
And in case you've forgotten your mother is waiting in your office with a basket of cookies....so if I were you I'd hurry back to her so they don't get cold.
She offered to help. You know....I don't get why you dislike her so much. She's such a sweetheart.
Please permit me to leave. I have a lot of things to do.
My jaw twitched as I replayed the whole scene in my head. I hated her so much that even hearing people talk about her got me pissed off. It was like she was acting this way on purpose just to get back at me for pushing her against the wall in the elevator a few days ago. I picked up another cookie from the basket. Yes they didn't taste as good as they did earlier but that didn't mean I was going to stop eating them. Also I rarely had the opportunity to indulge in snacks at work so I decided to make the most of this brief interlude by helping myself to Miranda's scrumptious cookies while I contemplated my next move.
I was supposed to be in South Korea by next week and I wasn't sure if I could leave Amaris in charge of everything especially when she was acting......different. And I definitely couldn't take her all the way to South Korea. Then I'll have to see her everyday which will be exceedingly annoying. But if I....
"So you're not going to even apologize to me?" Miranda's words pulled me out of my thoughts and that was when I realized that she was still here. My vision cleared and then I could see a pair of brown eyes staring back at me like I had just stolen from her. She wanted me to apologize to her? Because I didn't want to be nice to Amaris? I blinked trying to process my situation.
"I thought you didn't want to talk to me?" A small smile crept up my lips as I dusted the crumbs off my fingers. I then leaned closer, resting my hands on my desk. Her frown deepened as she dragged her basket away from the table dropping them on her thighs. I loved Miranda but I loved her even more when she acted like a child instead of an elderly lady.
"That doesn't mean you're not going to apologize." Her brows drew nearer.
"Okay. I'm sorry." I apologized. To her I was apologizing because I refused to do what she said to me I was apologizing because I made my mother mad and as for being nicer to Amaris. That was never going to happen.