Things Money Can't Buy (Discontinued)

Chapter 14

~*~

Immediately afterwards, I told Natalie about what happened. She enjoyed hearing the story about me standing up to him. Briefly, without going into detail, I told her that my brother was in legal trouble and needed money. She was so mad that I didn't take the offer as his assistant in the end. 

Natalie gasped. "You're crazy! If you need the money, take the job. Please don't reject it for me."

"It's the principle of it, though," I explained. "He treated you like shit. He treated me like shit. He's such a jerk."

"Listen. I know we don't really know each other, but if it was my brother, I'd do it just to get the money. Seriously, forget your pride. Maybe see if he'll even let you do a trial-run like he did for me."

I groaned. Maybe she was right. Being his assistant permanently sounded like hell on earth, but if it was possible to do it just until I got the money for the bail... I wasn't sure if Jason would even agree to it, since that would mean hiring someone new after I was done. 

Maybe it was still worth a shot to ask. The fact that I was even considering this was unbelievable. Was my pride and dignity even worth it? By asking him, he would think that he 'won', which made me angry to think about. However, it would take me months to get this money for my brother otherwise. Meanwhile, he would be sitting in prison when he didn't have to.

I took a deep breath. While I didn't like doing it, it was for my brother. To do that, it was necessary to suck up my pride and take that manipulative asshole's money.

I made my way over to his office. This time, I knocked on the door before barging inside.

He was staring at me with his dark, intense eyes. "Again, Ms. Castle?" His tone was teasing. I expected him to sound annoyed after our earlier conversation, but he didn't. Maybe he realized his fuck-up from earlier. "What can I help you with?"

Deciding not to beat around the bush, I asked plainly, "Is it possible for me to just be your assistant until I get the money that I need? I like working in HR, and I don't want to leave them."

He paused for a moment, and a smirk spread across his face. "That's an interesting suggestion, considering that I'd have to hire another assistant after you go back to HR. That sounds like a lot of work on my end just to end up training someone else after you leave. What's in it for me?"

Never did I imagine myself getting this far, so I was speechless. "What would make you say yes?"

He was smiling. He knew he won, and I wanted to wipe that cunning smile from his face. "This is the business world. Make me an offer, and we'll see how I feel about it."

I had no idea what to even offer this man. It would take me about three or four months to get the money for my brother's bail, which meant that I would only be his assistant for a few months. "What if I still get you your coffee everyday even when I'm back in HR?" 

I was doing that anyway, after all. While I was still clueless as to why he preferred me to get his coffee for him, it was something that he liked and it was tolerable.

"I've been getting that anyway," he pointed out.

I grinned innocently. "But you won't have to buy me one, and I won't complain," I added.

He chuckled, and his cautious expression turned into a more relaxed one. "Alright, I'll bite. You've got yourself a deal, Ms. Castle." He stood up, extending his hand to shake on it. "I'll make sure Dan's okay with it. We'll consider this a 'project' that you're working on for the next few months."

I nodded.

~*~

I called Maddie during my break to tell her everything.

Maddie was excited. "Anna, you've got him wrapped around your little finger! No employer--and I mean no employer--would've accepted that deal. That's such a loss on their end if you'll just leave in a few months and then have to find and train someone else. He obviously did it for you."

"I don't know. He has so much money that he probably doesn't even care," I pointed out.

To be honest, I had no clue why he agreed to it. Jason Bennett was a mystery that I didn't understand at all. I didn't understand why he kept asking me to get his coffee for him when anyone else could, and why he seemed like the sweetest guy one minute and then a manipulative asshole the next.

He was confusing. I remembered when he showed me the photo of his two adopted kittens, which led me to believe that he was sweet and had a heart. Then, I remembered how he brought up my brother's bail to manipulate me into taking the job as his assistant. I didn't think that he was an evil person: he was just a persuasive businessman that was used to getting what he wanted.

"Girl, you're so oblivious," Maddie replied. "Sorry, I've got to get back to work. I'll text you."

When I got back from my lunch break, it seemed like the news about my 'project' with Jason had spread like wildfire throughout the office. Dan knew, and I told Megan and Ian. Now, it seemed like all of my team knew and their reactions were mixed from the weird stares that kept being sent my way.

When I got back to my desk, there was a new message from Jason. It read: come to my office

Confused, I looked up and saw him grinning through his glass door like a child. That made me roll my eyes and chuckle to myself.

When I got into his office, I took a seat in the chair directly across from him.  He had some papers in front of him on his desk, and there was a man in the office with us.

"I had my lawyer draw up a contract for this project," he began, gesturing to the other man in the office. The lawyer was an elderly man--intimidating, but professional.

"A contract?" I echoed.

Jason looked me straight in the eyes, which made me feel uneasy. "Yes. I was wondering if you wanted the $50,000 upfront--if so, we can sign this contract that just states that you would be working as my assistant from November 6th to February 6th."

It took a minute for his words to sink in. Signing a contract meant that I could bail my brother out of jail now, which would be amazing.

"I want to read it," I said.

"Of course."

He handed me the contract, which was pretty brief and fairly basic. It just stated that he would give me $50,000 on today, November 5th, as long as I agreed to work for him from November 6th to February 6th, as he had stated. It had some conditions about if I broke the agreement, but I wasn't going to.

"Okay. I'll sign it." He handed me a pen from his desk, and I closed my eyes for a second to contemplate what was happening. This was insane. I signed my name and the date, and then handed it back to him.

"Perfect." He took the contract and handed it to his lawyer, who signed as the witness. Jason reached into his desk and pulled out a check, handing it to me. He had a smirk on his face. "As promised."

I took the check from him. When I read it, it felt like it was a dream. It was a check addressed to me, Anna Castle, for $50,000. Unreal.

"Thanks," I said to him.

He was fiddling with the pen in his hands with the annoying smirk still on his face. "Of course. I'll see you in my office tomorrow, new assistant."

I rolled my eyes, laughing. "You got it, boss."

~*~