Mr. Pierce

Chapter 4

Penelope

I looked like an idiot as I waved and blew kisses towards my father's face which was displayed on my phone screen. I couldn't care less as this was the longest I've gone without seeing him. I felt grateful that I got to see his familiar face this early in the morning despite the time zone difference.

He had landed in Rome just a few hours after I had arrived at the estate, however he was too busy to be able to talk. He went straight into an important meeting, only being able to send a few texts throughout the evening. Despite him not being the most tech savvy person, he demanded I FaceTimed him as soon as I woke up the next morning.

I wasn't able to sleep in as much as I would've liked to, but I had to have enough time to get ready if I wanted to make it to class on time.

As promised, Mr. Pierce had discussed the driving arrangements for school the evening prior during dinner. He had volunteered to give me a ride to school given that he would take advantage of the trip to take care of a few work related issues near the Hampton area. He gave me a strict time that I was expected to be ready by. Mr. Pierce's house was farther away from Monte Carlo and it would be a good amount of driving before we got there, especially with Monday morning traffic.

After bidding my father goodbye, I tucked my phone in the pouch compartment of my book bag. I took one quick final look in the full length mirror to make sure I looked presentable for the day. It was no surprise that Monte Carlo's uniforms weren't the most flattering clothes in my wardrobe, but Emily made sure to teach me a few tricks on how to make them look more fashionable.

I remember the time when I was desperately trying to fix the awkwardly fitted skirt in one of the bathroom mirrors. It was my very first week of junior year at Monte Carlo and unlike all of the other girls in my grade, I wasn't in the loop on what the unspoken secret was that made everyone else's outfit look perfect. That's when the petite Asian spotted me and decided to help.

She made sure to show me how the bootleg alterations were done. She pulled my shirt tighter to my body and safety pinned my skirt a couple notches, making it hike up a few inches past what was probably deemed acceptable. Nevertheless, it helped accentuate my figure and looked better than what it had did originally.

She even showed me how to accessorize the uniform to make it look more interesting that the other wise beige color pallet. She gave me one of her Tiffany necklaces which had a small blue heart pendant that added a pop of color to the outfit. She graciously let me keep the piece of jewelry after she noticed how much I loved it. The dainty necklace that hung delicately around my neck was a symbol of Emily & I's blossoming friendship.

I smiled at the fond memory as I carefully smoothed out the fabric of the altered skirt. As I got done with some last minute touches, I heard a soft knock on one of the double doors of the room. I blushed as it didn't take me too long to guess who that could be. 6:15 AM on the dot was the time Mr. Pierce had told me to be ready by. Punctuality was something that he apparently took very seriously.

As expected, Mr. Pierce was leaning next to the doorframe when I opened the huge double doors to my room. I felt my cheeks turn a slight shade of pink as his gaze instantly tore away from his Rolex watch and shifted towards my bare legs. His eyes lingered there for a few seconds, probably criticizing the amount of skin I was showing off to school of all places. He quickly moved to meet my gaze before clearing his throat.

"Good morning, Penelope. Ready to go?" He asked. He looked just as handsome as he did yesterday with his perfectly tailored navy blue pants suit and crisp white dress shirt that hugged his muscular body perfectly. I suddenly felt self-conscious, feeling like my uniform looked childish compared to his business casual attire. I gave him a shy nod before he took my book bag out of my hands, insisting he carried it down for me.