Zaylee was still fast asleep when he headed out. He had to drop by the hospital before getting to work with less time on his hands. There was a general meeting at 9 am which he had to be around for with no excuse~ Mr Kervin had decided to visit the company for a couple of discussions.
Zaylee woke up to an empty room. " Arh... my head " She cried, it felt as if it was splitting into two.  For a moment she thought,  " Where am I?" as she took in her surroundings, clenching her head in her hands.
  There and then, memories of last night propped in. " Gosh...that d*ckhead." She cursed in a soft voice as she flung herself off the bed. " How could he have left without me?"She lamented. The feeling of dejection was written all over her face.
  Her body was arching and she felt numb all over. In soft trods, Zaylee dragged her feet down the stairs. She needed something to cure her hangover. 
Although Irish wasn't much into her, he couldn't shake the bother of knowing how much alcohol she'd consumed the previous night. She might wake up with a headache and a hangover and that bothered him.
With his homemade Whole wheat toast with almond butter, topped with sliced banana, he left along a note. 
" This will help cure your hangover, have it, and leave thereafter. I believe you can find your way out just like you came " She read.
" That scumbag... Who does he think he is? " She scoffed, tossing the paper into the trash can next to her. Her eyes scaled through her cell as she dived into her meal. " Oh...?" she mumbled in surprise. Dave had called severally, even leaving a few messages as well.
"Are you trying to get me killed" One message read. She sighed, exhausted.
" Where are you for crying out loud?~ your dad had been asking of you. I had to feign an excuse that you were meeting a friend at Cross Roads restaurant with me. Tell me where you are and I'll pick you up right away." The last message stated.
Dave Partson had been her driver for the past 7years. But their relationship was more than just a boss and subordinate one~ they had been in love with each other since the very first day they met.
 It was a love-at-first-sight situation but her father wasn't in support of it so they secretly kept their affair hidden. Maybe a time would come when he'd give in but not anymore. 
That was the actual reason why her father had accepted Mr. Standford's proposal. After Irish Brew Standford was brought into the picture, she decided to act more carefully so not to end up in the bad books of her father or displease him since he'd once threatened to disown her if she went against his orders.
Even though it was an open secret to Irish, Zaylee had no idea.
" holy sh*t..." She howled, her face washed in awe. She unintendedly pushed the food away as she shot to her feet. "... this is bad~" She cried, checking on the time once again. It was 8 am already.
Zaylee couldn't believe she'd slept in that much to not have heard her phone ringing with those calls and messages flooding in.  She had plans with her dad this morning which escaped her– as part of the meeting with U&K, she was to be introduced as the representative of her father and yet-to-be wife of Irish.
Meaning that she would join the company as a worker thereafter.
Zaylee had no more time to waste. With no change of clothes at hand, she felt unprepared. She couldn't drop by the house for one either since it would be an extra kilometer away from the company.
 As she was about to return the call, his call invaded. She answered without a second ring, her voice of welcome went across the phone line.
" Hey, where are you?" He asked but was trolled with a demand.
 " Get me clothes from my favorite shop down the lane of Cross Road. I'll be out shortly. I'll drop my location on WhatsApp " She said and dropped off the line before he could say anymore.
" The standfords apartment, Campbell Street...hurry" Her message read.
In a rush, she sped toward the bathroom. Dave was already in when she returned. " Such an odd place out of the blues..." He sounded quite jealous and Zaylee understood his point.
They'd decided she would keep a sexual distance from Irish even after marriage and since he seemed to have no interest at all in her and now this? It wasn't funny if you asked him.
It felt like she wanted to win him over. He was gonna be the third wheel in this case.
 " It's not what you're thinking, Dave...we'll address this later, can we get going?" She snapped, heading out first. Her black stripped jam suit over the white blouse gorgeously complimented her hourglass figure.
With much deliberation, he hurried after her. 
                                               ************
Phoenix had still not gained consciousness when Irish visited and this got him worried. He didn't know for how long she was going to remain in that state but had hoped for the best. 
As the meeting progressed, his mind wandered further. His eyes just remained fixed on Del who was sitting across from him over the conference table with Berla right at his side.
It was as if they were flaunting and robbing their love right to his face. 
Del looked quite fit already. Although he was assisted by a wheelchair, the doctors confirmed his wounds weren't that severe. It was just to help him so he wouldn't exert too much pressure on his wounds.
The presentation for the new project continued but all fell on dead ears on the side of Irish. He had a lot to say to Del and Berla but he had no right to intrude in his employee's private life. Phoenix was just his worker nothing more, he thought.
Their eyes finally met, and the two instinctively looked away. It shot daggers and they felt it. His looks judged their infidelity with so much passion that they felt like diminishing from the surface.
It was only when Zaylee entered that his glare left them. Her eloquence announced her presence without notice. All eyes followed as she managed her way through to the empty seat beside his father.
Irish was the only one who wasn't enticed by her looks. " You're late..." He heard their whispers and Zaylee glared at him, covering up with a soft smile as she turned to her father.
" Sorry, I think I slept on the roses of bad luck last night" She snapped with a sneer to her voice. Irish sniggered at her choice of words.
" roses of bad luck...?" He scoffed. "...coming from the mouth of misfortune." He mumbled under his breath but Zaylee heard him clearly. 
She grimaced, dropping off her attack in the instance.