Having a Past

— Lilith's POV —

*A few minutes earlier*

"All the scandal and gossip in the past five years?" the head of the PR department asked me as she eyed me from head to toe.

"Yes, Mr. Durfort needs it," I insisted.

It wasn't exactly Lexington that needed the information, it was me. All part of the ongoing investigation into what was rotting our company from within.

"Are you sure he needs this?" she asked me, doubting my intentions.

"Do you want to bring it up with him?" I raised an eyebrow at her as I placed a hand on my hip. "Are you sure you want to question Mr. Durfort?"

Her eyes went wide with panic, of course, she wouldn't dare. What Lexington Durfort wanted, Lexington got. 

"No, no," she said, shaking her head. "I'll get the information ready and have someone send it to your email."

"Thank you." Just like her, I didn't want to bother my cousin for something so trivial.

As a matter of fact, she should have never questioned the information I needed from the start. 

I was Lexington's assistant, if the boss needed something we were supposed to provide it.

"Your email?" she asked.

I hesitated for a moment. 

"LDHarris@DurfortInc.com." It was Lex's idea, his stupid idea to use Alexander's last name as my own as part of my cover.

'You better start getting used to it, cousin.' I remember him saying with a serious expression on his face as we ironed out the details with my grandfather. 'You will be Lilith Durfort-Harris soon enough.'

Luckily, Harris was a common enough family name that no one asked if I was related to that Harris family.

"Alright, you should have it within the day, good day Miss Harris," the woman said, still giving me a judgmental look. 

I couldn't help but wonder on my walk to the elevator and the subsequent ride up if any rumors were circulating about Lily Harris, the new assistant to the Vice President.

Janet had made a big enough scene that I was fairly certain that at least one person would have heard her, and if I knew anything about employees, they loved to gossip.

I was so lost in my own thoughts that when the doors opened to the CEO's level I was caught off guard when I found Anna and Alexander standing by the elevator doors.

"Wait, Alexi!" I heard Anna cry out, her hand gripping his wrist tightly. 

Alexi? Only those familiar with him called him Alexi.

Did they have a past?

I was so shocked by what I had seen that I didn't even bother to hide my reaction.

It took all my self-restraint not to slap Anna on the cheek and demand she let go of my fiancée. 

Later I would have time to confront Alexander. 

He had the right to have a past, but to bring that past to my family's offices was just disgusting.

"I don't even know you!" Alexander's loud declaration pulled me back, leaving me stunned.

Who was telling the truth and who was lying?

Before Anna could even react, Alexander pushed me into the elevator and quickly pressed the close button leaving a stunned Anna in the hallway.

I was, once again, trapped between him and the elevator wall with his forehead pressed on mine while he took deep breaths.

My heart was racing, I was certain he could feel it pounding between us. 

"I don't know her," he told me as he wrapped an arm around my waist. "Her father has a business partnership with my company, but I swear Lili, I don't know that woman."

I could hear the desperation in his voice. Did it really matter so much to him that I didn't think anything was going on between them?

"You can have a past, Alexander—"

"That's the thing, I don't have one," he said angrily, cutting me off mid-sentence. "I've never—"

He was about to say something else when we heard the elevator door ding and Alexander quickly pried himself off of me.

"I'll see you tonight, we'll talk tonight," his words sounding more like a promise.

I wasn't exactly certain if he was talking to me or to himself, but he was gone as quickly as he came and the elevator doors were closing again, taking me back up to the CEO's floor.

When the elevator doors opened I was stunned to see my cousin glaring at Anna who practically whimpered in fear. 

"Go home, Anna," Lex said, pointing at the elevator. 

Anna didn't even go back for her things, she simply ran into the elevator making me quickly step out as she pressed the close button. 

"Where'd he go?" Lex asked me, trying to be as vague as possible without letting slip who I was.

"Left," I shrugged as I walked back to my desk.

I was glad that Lex didn't push me for more answers, he simply let me be, and before I knew it half the day had passed. 

"You're headed home, right?" Cassandra asked, popping by my desk before heading to grab lunch.

"Yeah," I said with a nod.

"Smart move, the roads are closed because Mr. Harris wants to make sure his fiancée is safe." By the look on Cassandra's face, I could see she's already fallen in love with the idea of Alexander Harris.

"Overprotective if you ask me," I answered as I packed up my things and grabbed my bag. I glanced back at Anna's desk, her things were still there.

I owed that woman nothing, she touched my man and made it seem like they knew each other. I shouldn't care, but I did.

"Do you have Anna's address?" I asked.

"Yeah, you gonna bring her stuff to her?" she asked.

I simply nodded in response.

"I'll text it to you," Cassandra told me with a smile before leaving. 

I didn't understand why I was doing this, but I knew I felt bad for the woman. I was fairly certain her family had put her up to approaching Alexander.