Chapter 1002
He had never dated a woman with a child before. At least, none that he was aware of, but he never actually tried to get to know most of the women he went out with in the past.
He would not characterize himself as a Casanova. He was not like his friend, Ryan, who changed his woman like he changed his clothes. But honestly, he never found the girl that made him interested enough to take the next step.
“Good morning, Zach.” The security at the front of the building immediately greeted him as he strode into the front step. Somehow, he had managed to bond with the ordinary employees of this company, even the low-ranking ones using this temporary persona.
He would never have even looked them in the eye or bothered to learn their names if he had continued to work in this establishment as the son of the almighty Senator.
“Good morning, Jeremy. How is your girl?” He greeted the man with a bit of concern. He learned that his daughter was sick and wondered if she was feeling better today.
He stopped to talk to him for a few more minutes since it was still early. He still had a little more time to spare for a small chat. He found it refreshing to live his life differently from what he had done since he existed in this world.
.....
“She is a lot better. Hopefully, it is just the flu.” The man answered him with a relieved smile.
A year ago, or maybe even a month ago, he might not even care about his daughter or this man. Yes! He had dealt with people beneath them, but only because it was required.
That was the difference from then to today since he had a genuine interest in learning more about the man and his child. Maybe he was changing, but it did not mean he was ready for a child.
“I am glad to hear that.” He finally said goodbye, told the man to tell him if he needed any help, and then he was on his way to his post.
Suddenly, his thoughts returned to that night, remembering seeing her child. Truthfully, he had never felt this attraction to a woman like the way he felt for her. But he would never want to mess with a single mother.
He had always sensed that she might feel the same way as him. But compared to him, she had more restraint, except that night, she had too much to drink.
Then, all her inhibitions went out the window, exposing her true feelings for him. However, should he act on his discovery and take advantage of her?
“Damnit!” Zach swore inside the elevator but quickly excused himself, realizing that he had spoken loudly in a crowd of people.
Yes! He silently answered a question in his mind. He liked her but was he ready to take a chance with her, knowing that he was not only playing with her life but also her child?
He tried to analyze his situation last night when he could not sleep. He knew he had to face her today and had to go on a trip with her. The last thing he needed was for them to work together with this barrier between them.
He knew he had to fix it, meaning he had to decide what to do with her. Should he continue with this path? He doubted, thinking of the consequences of trying to date a mother with a child.
He knew he was not ready for such a commitment. The last thing he needed was baggage that would pull him down and weigh on his shoulders when his relationship with this woman was over.
“Hey, Sir Alex is looking for you.” Alona snapped him out of his reverie as he stepped into his tiny temporary office. “Better fix that face because he had no time for your nonsense.”
Alona warned him, probably seeing the conflict on his face at such an early hour. He guessed he had to stop thinking about her and concentrate on his work.
Besides, he believed he had already made a decision. He would not let his silly attraction make the best of him. He supposed that if he ignored his feelings, they would eventually go away, just like how he had easily forgotten the girls in his past.
“Ok. I am on my way.” He told her as he walked past her and into the lion’s den. To him, his boss was the King of this jungle.
He had learned to genuinely respect him through the time that he had worked for him. He believed that compared to his father, he was a better man because of his achievement and what he continued to do with his life.
If he wanted to be a better man than he was now, he wished to be like him. But he believed he was still a long way from doing that. He still had a lot to change about himself and tons to learn.
“Sir Alex, Alona told me you were looking for me.” Zach walked through his door and waited till he gestured for him to proceed.
It was a big difference from the first time he had barged in into this office. Now, he knew that respect should be earned, not handed down. Here sat before him was a prince, almost a king, but he had never asked anyone to bow down to him.
He treated everyone like they were his equals, giving everybody a chance to prove their worth, even him. Now, he was giving him another chance to prove himself. He knew he could not let him down.
“Sit down. I want to discuss with you the plan for the closing negotiation. But let us wait for Ria since she will work closely with you on this project.” Alex informed him.
He had expected that since Alona had already informed him about it. Of course, he could not deny Ria her opportunity to prove herself in this situation. After all, she also worked hard, maybe more than him.
He could set aside whatever happened between them and act like it never happened. He was sure that Ria would agree that they could act civilly and professionally, all in the name of success.