Nicholas was efficient as always. By the time the sun lit the skyline, Almond was already seated at his desk, reviewing documents with sharp focus. He was a man who tolerated no laziness not in his staff, and certainly not in himself. Discipline was the creed by which he ran both his company and his life.
Nicholas stood across from him, reading through the day's schedule official and otherwise. He was the one who handled practically everything that touched Almond's world.
Mid-report, Almond cut in, his voice cool but decisive. "Schedule a blind date with Miss Cole. Find out when she'll be comfortable meeting. Let her have the freedom to decide. This marriage business has dragged long enough it's time we put some form to it."
"Yes, sir," Nicholas replied immediately, pen poised. "Where would you prefer the date to be set?"
"Wherever she chooses," Almond said. "Don't push her into Rihanda. If she realizes it belongs to me, she'll think it's staged. She's the suspicious type, from what I hear."
"Understood, sir. I'll arrange it accordingly." Nicholas hesitated, then asked, "The board meeting is in a few hours. Any adjustments?"
Almond didn't look up from the paper he was signing. "No. Just inform them I won't see anyone before then. And make sure the secretary brings my coffee exactly right. No mistakes." His tone brooked no argument.
Dismissed, Nicholas bowed slightly and left. As he walked out, he pulled up his phone. His next task was clear: contact Miss Jayden Cole. Best to do it quickly and cleanly, before his master lost patience.
He found her number in his notes and dialed. The line rang. Once. Twice. No answer. He tried again. Still nothing. On the third attempt, she picked up, her tone clipped.
"Hello? Who's this?"
"Good morning, ma'am. This is Nicholas. I'm calling on behalf of Mr. Almond Jones, your" he caught himself, choosing his words carefully"your intended. I'm his personal assistant. Mr. Jones would like to arrange a time and place for a first meeting. A blind date, if you will."
There was a pause on the other end. Then Jayden's voice sharpened. "I think you're mistaken. Yes, my parents have arranged something, but I haven't agreed to it. Nor have I met this… candidate. And now his assistant is calling me? Tell me, Mr. Nicholas, how exactly did you get my number?"
Nicholas cleared his throat but kept his tone respectful. "Legally, ma'am. Not through you, that much is true, but entirely aboveboard. I assure you, Mr. Jones only wants you both to start on a clean slate. This meeting is simply so you can know each other, without assumptions or bad impressions clouding things."
Jayden exhaled, and her voice cooled, though the edge remained. "I see. Well, I assume you'll say what he wants you to say after all, he's your boss. I'll check my schedule and have my assistant forward the details when I decide on a place. Until then, I can't confirm anything."
Before Nicholas could add more, the line went dead.
He lowered the phone and sighed, running a hand down his face. Everything he had read about Jayden Cole was proving true…stubborn, guarded, prickly. As he slipped the phone back into his pocket, he couldn't help wondering: How on earth are she and my master supposed to get along?