little queasy, I nod and step around him to the cart to start prepping the pot.
It’s a quick, simple job, but the weight of his eyes on me as I do it makes it feel like I’m commissioning a new space program for NASA.
I finally finish up and turn around to find he’s somehow freshened himself up in a way I’d never be able to after spending the night on my office sofa.
His dark brown hair is perfectly styled, his suit fresh and pressed-looking, and his skin tanned and healthy and refreshed. Altogether, I would never in a million years suspect he put anything less than an hour into his appearance.
I imagine a similar sleep situation with me would result in smudged lipstick, runny eyeliner, and knotted hair, rather than the qualities of a put-together professional.
I step away, and he smiles as the coffee starts to drip into the pot and the aroma fills the air.
“Ah, thank God. I’m going to need a couple of cups to get ready for the day. Thanks for making it, Ruby.”
I shrug. “Just trying to do my job.”
He nods slowly and then turns back to his desk to rifle through it. I wait at the door because it seems like he’s looking for something for me.
He finally shifts stuff around enough to find what he’s searching for and reads through the page quickly while holding up a finger to me.
When he finishes scanning, he drops the file again and says, “There should be a fax coming in this morning. Urgent. It’s an update I need on the third-quarter numbers for HawCom.”
“HawCom…” I taste the name on my lips. “Why does that sound so familiar?”
“Probably because they’re one of the biggest media conglomerates in the world.”
“Oh.” That makes sense, then.
“And they just so happen to be my father’s company.”
“Seriously?” I question, and then put two and two together before he can answer. “Haw-kins, Haw-Com.”
He winks. “Exactly.”
Not only does Cap make a lot of money, but he also comes from a lot of money?
My urge to pry for more information about him is too strong to ignore.
“Wait…so, if HawCom is your father’s company, does that mean it’s your…”
Instantly, Cap shakes his head. “I have never had any financial stake, nor do I ever want to have any financial stake, in my father’s company, no matter how much he wishes I would. I’m simply just their pro bono legal counsel.”
He’s pro bono legal counsel for his father’s billion-dollar company?
Talk about a conundrum…
Of its own accord, my brow quirks in surprise, and Cap doesn’t miss a beat.
“I might be a so-called trust-fund baby, Ruby, but that doesn’t mean I actually want the trust fund. My net worth has nine zeros because of my hard work. Not my father’s.”
Nine zeros? As in he’s a billionaire?
Holy moly.
I don’t really know what to say to all that. I’m a bit surprised, to be honest. I mean, it’s apparent Cap is driven. Hell, he’s probably the most driven individual I’ve ever come across in my life. But, driven or not, most people would take the fucking trust fund.
He busies himself with something on his desk, and I get the point.
No time for any more chitchat.
“Okay, well,” I respond with a nod. “I’ll bring in the HawCom fax as soon as it comes through.”
He nods in dismissal, and I step out to the front desk with a renewed sense of positivity.
This morning started in a weird place, finding him asleep in his office, but it seems to be turning into the professional environment I’d hoped for. He’s business-oriented and to the point, and I feel like I might actually learn some really great things working here.
I fire up my computer and open up my emails to get started on the day’s tasks, and I do my best to drink half a bottle of water.
I never drink enough, and after years of living in a constant state of dehydration, I’ve finally decided I should probably do something about it in an effort to spare my organs.
I make my way through a long list of simple requests and proposals, forward them through to Cap’s email, and am just about to hit a milestone at the bottom of my first bottle of water when the fax machine starts to whir.
I jump up and head over to it immediately.
The printing module moves back and forth rapidly on the paper, spitting out sheet after sheet of Excel spreadsheet-style numbers. I wait patiently as they gather, then scoop them