The Second Wife by Melinda Mulera (book club reads .txt) 📗

"L-Lesbian!?" I gasped in shock as he smirked, staring at me. "I... I didn't know!"

"She obviously knew you weren't. But you led her on and she likes you." He chuckled as I stared at him in terror. "She even mentioned a date."

"I thought it was with a man she'd find for me. Like her brother." I shrugged and pouted my lips as I glanced at the ring.

"You were that desperate to go on a blind date?" He asked with a bit of a displeased gaze which I rolled my eyes to.

"My mother want me to get married and have children." I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. "I'm bad at finding men. You have some friends right?"

"Don't be that desperate." He rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue, looking completely annoyed.

Like hell I would want any of his friends.

If he's that ignorant his friends would be worse.

"I'm not desperate." I sighed and frowned at him. "I don't really want your friends either."

"I don't have friends."

"Whatever," I sighed out. "But don't judge my personal life." I said and he smirked at me.

"Your mother wants a grand child?" He asked and I nodded slowly as I glanced at the other paperwork. "Let me help you."

"No."

"Why not?"

"I don't want you." I hissed as I glared at him. "You look like the kind who would go out and hoe around with other women while your wife is waiting for you at the front porch to give you a happy anniversary gift."

"I didn't say we would get married." He rolled his eyes with a short chuckle as I cursed at him under my breath. "I would just offer support."

"No." I shook my head in denial. "I want nothing to do with you." I sighed and stacked the papers together before shoving them into the folder. "What do you want to do today, Mr Bronze?"

"Skip the formalities." He chuckled lowly.

"No."

"Are you going to deny everything?"

"No."

"Call me Avery, I think we're far more than a boss and a worker. At least friends right?" He asked and I chuckled.

"Don't you have friends?" I asked and he shook his head in denial.

"Friends aren't real." He said as he sighed out. "At least the ones I had weren't. They only liked money. Which forced me to go bankrupted. Like you saw in the chart. I was paying people to have befriend me, then I lost a lot of money and they left. When I came back up, I had to erase them and I remained friendless." He chuckled to himself when all I could see was nothing but pity.

He was really a sad man.

"Fine, I'll be your friend." I said as I smiled slightly. "Because I pity you. I won't need payment. And you have to know that friends tell each other the truth. So if you get mad at me for saying something bad, don't let it concern my job." I said and he chuckled as he nodded slowly.

"You know, the moment I saw you, I knew we would get along." He said as he smirked. "I like people who are resilient."

"Why?"

"They aren't afraid to be real." He said a bit quietly. "At least I know you aren't faking anything, like the other employees. They'd smile when talking to me and be nice the entire day only to curse at me once their day is done. That's why I had you become my assistant hostess, you wouldn't put up an act."

"Does everyone put on plastic faces to you always?" I asked and he bit onto his lower lip as he gazed towards the ground and sighed out.

"A lot." He chuckled. "Makes me wonder what kind of person I am to them."

"A rude one, probably." I said bluntly and he chuckled lowly.

"Well that makes two of us." He shrugged his shoulders and stood up. "So, since you're my assistant, we have a lot to do today. First off, I need to drop these files." He said as he reached over to the folder.

I stood up and nodded as he led the way out of the room, looking rather casual than decent to be leaving some documents.

"Aren't you supposed to be in professional clothing?" I asked as we stepped out of the room. "Aren't those business documents?"

"The person I'm giving this to doesn't need a business suit." He chuckled as we walked towards the elevator, his own face attracting the attention of many hostesses already that were moving up and down the corridor, cleaning the rooms since it was morning.

"Was that your girlfriend earlier?" I asked, just out of curiosity when it was pretty obvious she was just a come and go type of woman.

"Let's not talk about her." He said coldly as he gazed ahead while we waited for the elevator to open.

"Oh. Sorry if I invaded your personal space." I cleared my throat as the doors finally opened. We watched as another man stepped out and glanced at me. His eyes widened and I frowned at him when I knew what was going on in his mind.

He was probably saying 'I'll see you later'.

I glare at the man but he smirked instead and turned from me, walking ahead with his hotel houseman. I stepped into the elevator and stood beside Mr Bronze as the doors closed.

The silence between us was a little awkward from the fact that he seemed to be annoyed that I had asked about the woman earlier. To be honest, I wasn't supposed to, but taking that fact that I was his friend now, he needed to tell me right?

"Avery, as your friend, you'll have to tell me-"

"We're not friends on working hours. Mind you, this is profession. Until you fill out all your working hours and only then can you consider me a friend." He deadpanned and I blinked blankly at him. A bit surprised he found that really annoying to that extent.

"My apologies, Mr Bronze." I bowed slightly and bit onto my lower lip.

So this was the Mr Bronze people feared.

But he wasn't scary enough.