Is this destiny?

~ Chicago, K Industries HQ building ~

September 29, 10:36 AM

Jasper is in his office.

He has a break between meetings until 11 AM, and since he is ready for his next meeting, he decided to relax.

He is recollecting previous evening with a faint smile on his face.

Ellie is finally in Chicago and he is ecstatic about it!

Jasper is happy that they cleared up misunderstanding caused by Lilian. He is not sure what exactly Lilian said to Ellie, but Ellie seemed OK after their talk. As long as Ellie knows that Lilian is making things up and that he is not interested, Jasper is fine.

Ellie hugged him! Progress! That is something worth celebrating.

They didn't stay long in his apartment because of a dinner reservation which he made a week in advance even with his connections. Two of them enjoyed dinner in a luxurious French restaurant downtown Chicago. Ellie didn't want to stay after they finished the dessert, saying that she has an early start in the morning, but the time they spent together was pleasant. Jasper loves talking to Ellie, she is a lot of fun. Being near her makes him... happy.

Another progress: after dinner, she allowed him to drop her off to the villa in Forest Glenn neighborhood. So far she always insisted to take a cab, and he started suspecting that she has some secret identity.

The good night kiss was nice, but as soon as he placed his palm on her neck and his thumb touched her jaw, Ellie froze and bolted out of his car. And he really wanted to deepen that kiss.

Jasper is happy that they agreed on their plans for today before that kiss. And he is picking her up from the same place where he dropped her off previous night!

For tonight, Jasper plans a dinner AND a movie. Ha! Ellie will not escape so quickly today.

He is troubled by how insecure she is about two of them as a couple.

Jasper remembers how confidently she held herself in his office when Lilian was there, and he knows that she is a smart and successful young woman.

He can't help but wonder what caused her to be so scared of relationships. Why she finds it so scary to let go and enjoy the flow? He tried asking her directly, but she refused to answer.

Without knowing the cause of her lack of confidence, he feels like he is fighting an invisible beast who can attack anytime because he never knows what will trigger her insecurity and make her retreat into her ice fortress.

His thoughts got interrupted by a buzz from Faith followed by: "CEO Kiani, your father is here."

Jasper wanted to respond, but the door was already open, and his father entered with his signature frown being deeper than usually.

Norman Kiani, Jasper's father, is a stern looking man with a full head of gray hair. He is by more than a head shorter than Jasper and sports a beer-belly.

Jasper does not like that his father is entering like he owns the place. He knows that Norman has difficulty letting go of control, that is why he still occupies an office in the company even though his official connection to the company is reduced to shareholder only.

His father does not have any real responsibilities in the company, however many directors and shareholders still respect him. And Jasper knows that if his father wishes, he can call for a vote and reinstate himself as the CEO. Problem is that even though Jasper is the CEO, Norman owns more shares than him and that combined with blind support from some shareholders puts him in a position where in case of a conflict, he can easily have the majority vote needed to threaten Jasper's position.

Jasper is relying on his father's support, especially in his effort to shift company's focus to clean energy sources.

Jasper forced a smile. "Good morning, father. How can I help you?"

"Good morning, son." Norman sat in the chair opposite Jasper. "I hear that you fired Lily."

Norman is not a man who beats around the bush. He finds that is a waste of time.

Jasper sneered internally. "Yes."

"Do you care to elaborate on the circumstances of that unfortunate event?"

Jasper looked at his father, and he can tell that Lilian already told him her version of the event. Probably twisted beyond recognition, but still… her version. And he needs to tread carefully if he does not want to make Ellie look bad.

"She was unprofessional." Jasper responded.

"Because she interrupted a woman who came here to seduce you?"

Jasper balled his hands into fists under the table while reminding himself not to lose his composure. "Is that what she told you?"

"Yes. That is what she told me. And I came here to hear your side of the story."

Seeing how his father is in a bad mood, Jasper knows that this is not a good time to mention Ellie.

"Lilian came into my office more than once without permission. She is practically stalking me at work and off work as well. But I guess you know that."

"That does not answer why you fired her."

Jasper swiftly ran several different scenarios in his mind how to explain previous afternoon, but every one of them ended up putting Ellie in a negative light while he didn't have a proper business justification for firing Lilian.

"What do you want?", Jasper finally asked.

"Did you have a woman in your office waiting for you after our meeting with Mr. Korhonen yesterday?"

"Yes." Jasper can't deny this. His father probably checked before coming to confront him about it.

"Why was she here?", Norman scrutinized Jasper.

Jasper can tell that his father is ready to retort no matter what Jasper answers. He decided to dodge the topic.

"Since when are you micromanaging my time?"

Norman can see that Jasper is protecting that woman for some reason and is unwilling to talk about her. His conclusion is that Lilian was correct. "I am concerned about your image. If you want to spend time with women for fun, that is your business. But keep it out of office."

Again, Jasper wished that he strangled Lilian when he had a chance. "Thank you for your concern. Now if you excuse me, I need to prepare for my next meeting."

Norman didn't stand up. "I want you to hire Lilian back."

Jasper found several things wrong with this request, but the biggest issue for him would be to explain to Ellie why Lilian is still there, in case if Ellie finds out. Jasper is not willing to yield on this one. "No. Business-wise she is not necessary and personally I don't want her near me."

"She is a good young lady." Norman does not understand what Jasper has against Lilian.

"You are entitled to your own opinion."

Norman noticed Jasper's cold attitude. "You dislike her. Why?"

"For some reason, she is acting like my future wife. Making sure that no other woman can come near me."

"Is that a bad thing?" Norman does not see a problem with Lilian acting like Jasper's future wife. He is a good friend with her father, and both of them would bless the union between their children.

"I didn't care about that until I found someone I care about." Jasper responded without missing a beat.

Norman's bushy gray eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "You have a… girlfriend?"

"I am pursuing a woman, yes." Jasper gave a vague response.

"Who is she?" Norman could not hide his curiosity.

"If she responds to my feelings, you will find out. But don't try to push Lilian my way. I was not interested in her so far, and that will not change."

Norman made a face like he is thinking something, gave a small indistinct wiggle of his head and left the office.

Jasper exhaled when his father left.

He can't believe that Lilian went to tell on him. She knows very well why she got fired.

Jasper checked time. It's still not 11 AM… It's a long way to go until 5 PM when he will leave the office to pick up Ellie and take her out on a date.

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