Chapter Seven

Gabriel has been quiet for some time now, enough to make her extremely anxious that she might have said something wrong or offended him in some way. She thinks over what she said again and again but can find no real fault in what she said.

Yet he continues to sit there and stare at her, again like he is picking her apart and trying to figure her out. Can he see that she isn't the same Athena? Have they ever met before? From Chloe's understanding, Athena only ever dealt with those in the model and celebrity sides of high society, and never really dealt with the bigger named business guys.

Especially one as handsome and wealthy as Gabriel Monroe. Even Chloe can assume that if someone like the former Athena Rose ever met and dealt with a man like Gabriel Monroe, she would have tried to pursue him, even just for fun and the fact that she can say she tempted a man like Gabriel, as untouchable as he seems to her right now.

"May I ask the reason you've asked me here, Mr. Monroe? I assumed it was to discuss a way to pay you back, at least for the hospital bills you have clearly paid for, I am more than capable of paying back that debt," Chloe says, hoping to break the awkward silence.

"Gabriel," he says simply.

"I beg pardon?"

"Call me Gabriel. Mr. Monroe makes me feel as old as everyone treats me, but I am a rather young man, as you must know."

As she must know? That feels like an unnecessary thing to say, but she doesn't question it out loud. Is there a chance he can see the difference in her? Has he really met Athena before?

If he has, she might be a little more screwed than she originally thought she might be and must be a lot more conscious of her behavior and manner of speaking. Athena was known as someone who is arrogant and full of confidence, even when faced with the most humiliating situations.

Straightening her back, she strides over to the chair in front of the desk and takes a seat, crossing her legs and facing Gabriel head on, trying her best to look him dead in the eyes without seeming overly confident or intimidating.

He raises a brow at her sudden behavior, leaning back in his chair and narrowing his eyes. Chloe gulps and thinks she has given herself away even more but tries to keep her head high and back straight, just in case there is a chance she hasn't.

"I called you here because yes, I do want to discuss the way I'd like you to repay me. I must say though, you aren't what I expected you to be."

Crap, that isn't a good sign. Keep it cool, Chloe. This is a good practice to further becoming Athena.

"What exactly were you expecting, Gabriel?" she asks, lowering her voice to a point of sounding tempting, but still sophisticated in a sense, a way of speaking she can only assume Athena spoke in during situations like this.

His face is blank of any emotion or reaction, which doesn't tell her if her plan is working, or failing. Maybe this isn't a good time to practice her persona.

"Someone a little more unwilling and demanding, but you don't seem to live up to your supposed reputation," he mutters.

Chloe can assume that even someone like him, a profound businessman, is still familiar with such things as slander and rumors, or at least isn't ignorant to the fact that someone like Athena would be surrounded by them.

"One can't always believe everything they hear and read, or watch, on the internet." She hopes this is enough, even in the slightest, to convince him that she isn't that far off from what the tabloids and papers say about her.

He seems to dismiss the conversation all together and opens a drawer next to him, taking out a small stack of papers stapled together. Tossing them on the table, he turns his steely gaze back to her, pinning her to her chair like a deer caught in head lights.

"I'll say this right now, I'm not interested in your money, Miss Rose. I'm aware of the wealth your family has, but that isn't what I want in exchange for saving you from your reckless behavior. This is a temporary 6-month work contract, where you will work as a bookkeeper in my casino part-time at the wage indicated."

Chloe gapes at him until he raises his eyebrows at her and pushes the papers further towards her. She snaps out of it and carefully reads over the contract.

It seems to be like any normal employee contract, outlining the responsibilities of the job, which is basically to overlook the money coming in and out of the casino, keeping track of how much is earned, how much is withdrawn, and making sure there are no errors in the record books and registers at the beginning and end of every day, depending on their shift, which hers indicates that she will be working in the morning, until early evening.

The wage is reasonable, but why only 6-months? She is still unaware of how much her hospital bills cost and what exactly was done to her, though she only fainted from shock, she still knows that even a visit to the hospital can put a large dent in a person's pocket, regardless of how rich they are.

"So, why 6-months, and only part-time?" she asks.

"I did the math, and at the wage part-time, you will be able to pay off your debt within 6-months exactly, as long as you don't miss a single day or hour of your shifts written on the third page. Take the contract home and think it over, when you have decided than sign where indicated and return it to me. I have included my contact information and office address on the last page, so you can get a hold of me when you've made up your mind."

"What happens if I don't accept? It doesn't seem like I have any other option."

This response catches Gabriel off guard. He expected her to get embarrassed or throw a fit at such a shameful offer, asking someone as proud as her to work a middle-class job to pay back her debt. He even expected her to get angry and throw a bunch of money at him, before storming out.

Instead, she is sitting there calmly, giving him a leveled look and waiting patiently for his response, seeming genuinely curious as to why he seems to be giving her an option, though there doesn't seem to be any others.

This girl is really, rather interesting.

"I'm not going to force someone into working. If this offer isn't to your liking after giving it some thought, then we can possibly discuss another option. I'm just not interested in money, and I don't feel well taking it from someone so easily, regardless of if it's a minor debt or not."

That much tells Chloe that despite what she thought, her bills weren't that much to be considered a minor debt, even to someone as wealthy as Gabriel.

"I'll think it over, and I promise to get back to you as soon as possible. If there isn't anything else you wish to talk about, I'll take my leave," she says, packing up the contract into her purse and standing up.

"Why did you come here, Miss Rose?"

"Is that a trick question?"

How can she even respond to that? Even if he has such low thoughts and opinion of Athena already, he can't possibly expect her to be so shameful, that she wouldn't come to see the person who saved her life?

"Like I said, you aren't acting the way I expected or assumed you would. I have just offered you a rather embarrassing offer, that someone of your status is known to turn down, let alone even give someone else their time of day for something as petty as this. Yet here you are, taking the contract and willing thinking about the offer, just because I caught you before you fell."

For some reason, she feels slightly angered at this. She understands that the former Athena didn't make a good name or image for herself, but she wasn't someone you could label as deliberately disrespectful and heartless, almost feeling offended by the way she is being treated by him.

"If that is your view of me, Mr. Monroe, then why ask me here in the first place? If you called me here to humiliate and belittle me, I'll gladly tear this contract up right here and we shall never see each other again. If this is a serious offer, then the only thing you should be expecting is my response."

She can feel her hands start to tremble as the anger and shame builds inside her chest. She wants nothing more than to run from the room and cover her face, never coming back here again or setting foot on any property owned by the Monroe family.

Did Athena have to face this kind of treatment before? Is that why she was the way she was, as heartless and cold as she acted before? To shield herself from the shame and disrespect she had to go through, to live the life she wanted.

There are many reasons a person like her could have taken her life, and Chloe wished she included in her journal, the exact reason why the former Athena took herself away from such a life of luxury, but it seems she is slowly starting to figure that out.

Gabriel has gone quiet, once again his face void of any emotion to tell her what he is thinking, leaning back in his chair and covering his mouth with his hand.

"I apologize if I have offended you, it was never my intention. Please, look over the contract and consider it carefully, I assure you this is a serious offer and one I think you might benefit from."

It's her turn to raise a brow at him. "How do you figure that?"

"I know a lot more about you than you think. I'm aware of your current family situation, and I offer my condolences on the loss of your mother, it isn't something I can imagine is easy to go through yet continue to carry one the family name. Your father has made quite a mess of the business, and if I am at least right to assume this; you are looking to take over when you turn 21."

He pauses, waiting for her to confirm his assumptions this time, instead of continuing on and possibly offending her again.

"Yes, you are correct. My father has made a mess, and I hope to clean it up when I have the legal right and power to do so. What does that have to do with this?" she asks, refraining herself from slapping a heart over her rapidly beating heart.

How does he know all of this? Finding out what kind of person she might be is easy for someone as famous as Athena, but knowing her personal family matters? It isn't a secret the current state of her family business, that being something that is also widely broadcasted around the city, but the inner dealings of her family haven't been reported on, other than her father's affair and mistress.

How does Gabriel know she is looking to take over the instant she turns of age? She hasn't shown any ambition to the outside world, and thought she was keeping a rather good low profile for the past week.

"I can help you learn the ways of managing a business, if you can spare some extra time on the weekend, either Saturday or Sunday, whichever day works best for you. I'm willing to help tutor and train you, using my casino as an example and practice for you. Does that sound like something that would interest you?"

She has to think over what he says, taking a second to register his words. He wants to help her learn how to run a company, something she isn't really learning even in her classes at the university, finding it hard to even focus knowing Lucia might be lurking somewhere nearby.

But that also means more time with Gabriel Monroe, who from the moment she stepped into the room, has been sucking out the air with his intimidating and overbearing presence. Can she stand spending a day every weekend with him, on top of however close they might work together, with her working as bookkeeper, a rather important position?

"If you are willing to include those terms in the contract, I will think that offer over as well, and make sure I will have the necessary available time each weekend, without interfering with my other work. I have just recently recovered from a rather traumatic experience and are taking my work life slow at the moment. I'll make sure to get back to you in a timely manner, Mr. Monroe."

"I told you to call me Gabriel," he mutters, sounding slightly irritated and disappointed.

She waves it off as overthinking his tone and smiles at him. "I know."

Picking up her bag, she turns towards the door and stops just before it.

"This was a pleasure, Mr. Monroe. I'll see myself out."