(Pov Chloe)
“No, Chairman, I know that. But what I wanna know is why some state senator is suddenly involved?” There was clear tension in Mr. Henderson's voice as he spoke.
They had a problem; Chloe didn't know as much as she would like, but she had overheard enough. For some reason, the secretary of a state senator had been asking questions. From what she had gathered, those questions had been fielded to both the county itself, to various state organizations, and, more quietly, the communities their non-corporate investors were part of. There seemed to be growing interest in exactly how the process had been sped up and what changes were going to be heard.
Chloe let out a slight breath. She wasn't really sure how Mr. Henderson had gotten the hearing pushed up, or what changes they were making. What she did know was that he had had dinner with the chairmen the day before the new paperwork was submitted. He hadn't told her anything more about it other than the fact that it went well.
The door opened as Mr. Henderson walked out of his office, his steps faster and heavier than normal. “Hey Chloe, I need to head down to the county office , or rather, the place right next to it. You know the one. I need you to come with me and set up a reservation for later today.”
Chloe nodded as she got up, walking slightly behind her boss. “Alright, I'll get right on that. The reservation will be on short notice. Should I look for other open reservations at other restaurants in the area if one isn't available?”
“Yes, that Italian place off Third works.”
It was about a 20-minute drive to the county office, during which she did her best to keep up with the various things Mr. Henderson wanted checked and arranged. He had always preferred being able to talk to her about what needed to be done and have the information he needed available quickly. So they drove the same car, or rather, he drove, and she simply did the things she was asked to. She had been somewhat concerned about it early on; it was rather odd after all. However, after having worked with the slightly balding man in his forties next to her for the last two years, her concerns had vanished.
As they walked into the stout brick building that housed the planning office, they made as straight a path as possible towards Chairman Tibbers' office. This late in the day, there weren't too many people around. The sun was still shining in through the windows, but the shadows had grown long. After a short, quiet elevator ride and an even shorter walk down a hall, they reached a surprisingly green door.
“He's busy, shouldn't be more than five minutes or so. You got here earlier than planned, Mr. Henderson,” said the gray-haired woman sitting just across from the door.
“Thanks, Darcy. We'll be over by the couches.” Mr. Henderson started walking over to the couches a little further down the hall. Chloe gave her a small smile before following him.
The couches were new, the leather still didn't show signs of wear, though they were the same kind that had been here for years. In fact, the couches were the only new thing here at all, with everything else having been here for as long as she could remember. And everyone else, for that matter.
Mr. Henderson had been going back over the arrangements for the meeting with investors next week when the sound of a door closing and voices headed in their direction interrupted them. Leaning over, she saw an aging, bold, black man, though in surprisingly good shape for someone so sedentary, and a crisply dressed, familiar-looking blond woman walking towards them. Their voices echoed off the empty hallway, though the conversation itself seemed to be mostly empty small talk.
“Ahh, Thomas, nice to see you again.” The chairman's voice was cheerful as he gave Mr. Henderson a polite smile.
“Great to see you again, Elias! And sorry for the short notice.”
The chairman waved dismissively. “Don't worry about it, I have to stay late today anyways.” Gesturing towards the woman next to him, he introduced her. “Oh, and this is Ms.Burns, she's the regional head of West Star.”
The woman offered her hand, a polite smile that seemed nearly flawless, her eyes briefly searching Mr. Henderson's face. “Jasmine Burns, it's great to meet you, Mr. Henderson. I have heard only great things.”
So that was her. Chloe had looked up pictures of her before, but for some reason hadn't connected the dots. That was the woman trying to steal Jason from her. Or is it the woman who simply got to him first? It really didn't matter which it was. She planned to marry Jason, she had been for years, and it wasn't about to change now. She really didnt want to change that plan now. Her hand tightened its grip on the small tablet she was holding.
Still, the woman in front of her gave her a nagging feeling that there might be more competition in that. At least if she thought of Jason as more than a temporary toy, though, for someone like her, that had to be the case, didn't it?
Mr. Henderson gestured towards Chloe. “And this is my assistant Chloe. A bright young woman.”
Chloe gave a polite smile. “Thank you, sir. It's lovely to meet you, Ms. Burns.”
“A pleasure.” Jasmine nodded in return. After a little more small talk between the chairman, Mr. Henderson, and Ms. Burns, Jasmine turned to the chairman. “Well, it's been a pleasure, Elias, but I shouldn't keep you any longer.” She offered him her hand to the old man before saying goodbye to both Mr. Henderson and her.
It didn't take long before Mr. Henderson and the chairman finished whatever they needed to discuss in the office, and they headed towards the Italian place on Third. SHe wasnt told exactly what they were discussing, but she knew very well that her employer's primary concern was delays. God knew they couldn't afford any significant delays.
Chloe wasn't going to the dinner itself; she was, however, headed to a nearby cafe. Mr. Henderson might drag along all over the place, but at least he always paid for her food and drink when she worked. It also gave Chloe a chance to make some arrangements and to answer some low-priority emails for Mr. Henderson.
As she took a sip of her latte, Chloe let her fingers flip across the screen of her phone, scrolling down her instantphoto for you page. It hadn't taken her long to follow up on the arrangements for the investor meeting, and it had taken her even less time to go over his emails. It was perhaps the part of her job she liked the least, the waiting whenever she needed to go somewhere like this. Chloe sighed. At least the coffee was good here.
Motion caught her eye as a shadow stopped at the edge of her vision.
“Hi, it was Chloe, right?” The voice was feminine, and it was one she knew. Her back stiffened.
“Hello, Ms.Burns. Is there something I can help you with?” Chloe put on her best smile.
“I actually wanted to ask you something, if that's ok?” Ms. Burns gave her what looked like a small, genuine smile.
Chloe's stomach twisted. “Yeah… of course, please have a seat.” She gestured to the chair opposite her.
“Thank you. Is the latte any good?” Jasmine looked at her coffee cup with a slightly raised eyebrow as she sat down.
She blinked. “Ehh… Yeah, it's great actually. They also have great scones if you were looking for something to buy.” She felt the tension in her shoulders relax slightly against her will.
“I might actually. I was just about to start the drive home, and a snack wouldn't hurt.”
“Well, they're great,” Chloe's eyebrow rose slightly.
Jasmine snapped her finger, thought the noise was somewhat muted, and pointed at her. “Right, the question, sorry it's late, and I can get a bit ditzy.” Her eyes seemed to get a far sharper gleam to them. “What's Mr. Henderson like?”
The gall of this woman, was she going to cheat on him this early into the relationship? Sure, it still seemed early, thank god, but even so, Jason would be devastated. Thinking about what he had admitted only a few weeks ago, she felt a small knot of tension start to ache slightly in her shoulder.
Maybe I can use this. No, that was definitely not an option; God only knew how much damage that would do. And even then, did she want to see the fallout? No, I definitely don't.
Chloe took a steadying and hopefully imperceptible breath. “He's competent if that's what you're asking?” She raised an eyebrow.
It took a second before a look of realization flashed across her face. “Yes, that's what I meant. And no, I didn't mean it, like you know, romantically or anything. I kinda already have someone, and while Mr. Henderson looks great for his age, he REALLY isn't my style.” She hesitated for a bit. “But please do expand a little on competent. Does he treat you well?”
Chloe had to put some mental effort into unclenching her jaw. “Yes, he treats me well, really well, actually. I have worked for him for a few years now, and he's great.”
(POV Jasmine)
Jasmine smiled at that. “Well, it's great to hear he's good to you. You can never know with that kind of age gap.” It was strange that the girl seemed to be telling the truth, but something was really bothering her. It seemed to show up when she mentioned Jason.
The girl muttered something nearly inaudible under her breath. Though she could only catch a few words of it. “You…know”
She looked at the assistant sitting in front of her and raised an eyebrow. “I am sorry, Chloe, I didn't quite catch your name, your full name, I mean.”
There was a slight twitch in the corner of the girl's eye. “Chloe Maison.”
Jasmine frowned slightly; that name was familiar. “You wouldn't happen to be from Farivern, would you?”
Chloe nodded.
Jasmine couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. “Ahhh, right. I thought it sounded familiar. Yeah, Jason mentioned you a few times. It's great to finally meet you.”
Chloe blinked a few times before her eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly. “He has?”
“Yeah, he talked about one of his best and closest friends being an ambitious young woman. One, he said, had far better career prospects than he does. His words, not mine, I do wish he'd self-deprecate less, but alas.”
There it was, those dark clouds that seemed to darken her expression, SO that's what it was.
Before Jasmine could say anything more, Chloe started speaking. “Why… are you getting involved with Jason?” Venom soaked through her tone as she continued.”Is he just some toy?” She held Jasmine's gaze, though beneath that steel there seemed to be… hesitation?
Jasmine's hand tightened into a fist and she took a deep breath. “No, he most certainly isn't a toy.” the last word uttered in a tone that was as cold as ice. ”As for why. I like him, I really like him. I like him, and unlike someone,” She gave Chloe a judgmental once over. “I am capable of acting on and expressing that fact.”
Chloe's Jaw visibly clenched. “Really, because new rich girl moving to town starts dating a significantly younger, way poorer boy doesn't really sound that innocent to me.”
Jasmine laughed at that. “Oh, there are many things about my thoughts for him that I would say are anything but innocent. And amongst my many plans for him are fucking his brains out until he can't walk for a day. But that's a bit off for now.” She could see the slight tinge of red on Chloe's cheeks as her mouth hung open. See expressing your desires can be ohh so useful. While she intelctually udnerstood why some peole couldn't just say it. But at some point just a hint of directness might make everyone lives better.
Jasmine drew a deep breath. She was fairly certain none of this was truly concerned as such, ohh, there was an element of it, no doubt. How would Rhea have reacted if she were in Chloe's position? Gods know she would have tried to murder me already, she might have succeded too. It was also the case that no matter how much the girl might annoy her right now, she still had a bright future from all she could glean. She was close to Mr. Henderson. There was also the fact that while she liked Jason and could talk to him just fine, she didn't KNOW him. An ally that did would help, if it developed that far.
Jasmine let out her breath. “I am sorry that was rude of me. Look, I like Jason. I really like him. But it's not like I am planning on monopolizing him either. If you want to date him, go right ahead, but we need to get along for that to work.”
The girl's jaw had dropped lower. “Are you seriously proposing polygamy. That's illegal and so immoral. And even then, why would you want that? Why would I want that?”
“Pfft. It won't be illegal by next year, and who cares? I simply don't feel the need to monopolize him. It would also be a good financial decision. For your part, well, you get him and…” Chloe's phone started ringing.
Chloe picked up the phone in a flash. “Hello… Yes sir… of course… I am on my way.” She hung up the phone before drawing a deep breath.
“Well, I have to go. I won't say it's been pleasant, but please have a nice evening, Ms. Burns." The girl got up and started walking off.
“Well, it was nice to meet you too.” Jasmine said after her, though she suspected she wasn't heard. She meant it to, for all that the girl had been... confrontational she seemed like she was a nice enough girl under other cicrumstances.
Jasmine got up and walked towards the counter. That latte had smelled delicious, and Chloe had seemed to like it. As she took a sip of her drink, she had a sinking feeling that the girl could become a problem, or at the very least an annoyance. “Well, nothing I can do about that now.” she muttered under her breath as she started walking towards her car.