"Blanchard?? Are you French?"
"No" came his baritone response.
"Really?? Where are you from then?" Lexi asked with a little bit of interest, as she leaned back on her seat, while considering him keenly.
"Everything you need to know about me is on my resume, I believe" he responded with a monotone voice and a detached air.
Matt gasped in flummoxment, that attitude! He thought.
Lexi corked a brow at him, "really now?" she asked rhetorically with a strange interest. There was something really off about him, his air of bravado, his looks which she couldn't help but admit, on an ordinary day she would have been smitten, but not today; not ever.
Then there was his stare, they were really cold and intimidating, but Lexi couldn't see why, 'so much for a bodyguard' she thought. All in all, he just didn't look like a bodyguard.
"You don't seem very keen on the job, are you? I mean, I can always reach out to your agency and request for you to be changed, you know?" Lexi said with a wry smile.
Matt snickered, he was obviously enjoying the growing tension and drama.
"I'm sure you can.. ma'am" Ethan said adding the 'ma'am' like it was quite heavy on the tongue.
Matt again gasped, 'who is this fella??!' he queried in his head.
"Sure I can. Here, the keys to the car, you're gonna double as both a bodyguard and a chauffeur, if you don't mind. This is only temporary, when things get back to normal, you wouldn't have to drive me anymore, and of course the babysitting too" Lexi assured.
"I'm driving you?? This isn't part of my job description, I'm sure my agency doesn't know about this" Ethan countered with a scowl.
'Gosh! I can smell his ego from here!' Matt fumed in his head.
"Well surprise surprise! Now you know, don't worry about your agency, I will take care of them. Now go warm the car, we'll be out in 5" Lexi said with a note of finality.
Ethan hesitated for a moment, but finally exited the room.
Gabriel who had been observing the entire drama from a corner was the first to speak, "I can always have him changed if you're uncomfortable with him."
"Nah, on the contrary, no one can break my cool, I would really want to see where his ego leads him" Lexi waved it off.
"Ah ha! I was going to say that! He's quite the pompous fellow. Let's break his ego together ma'am" Matt said mischievously.
Lexi shot him a questioning side glance and he recoiled. "I will be outside ma'am" he said and hurried away.
"I'll be in the car" Gabriel added, "and I will just be behind you then" Lexi responded as she followed suit.
Regardless of the previous day's occurrence, Lexi showed up for work today.
She didn't get to see many staffs yesterday, because she used the private entrance, but today's different cos she did use the general entrance, this resulted to unending greetings and pleasantries.
There were equally whispers of admiration, she was going to wave it off but something about the way the females giggled and blushed made her pay a more keen attention.
"Oh gosh! She's so beautiful, as well as him too!" a girl whispered to her friend.
"She's lucky to get a man like that! Why do rich people get all the good stuffs?? What then are we left with??"
OMG! He just looked my way! Look at his custom-made suit, I bet it must have cost a fortune!"
"Wow, they make an amazing couple!"
Such were some of the compliments they got as they strut along the hallway leading to the elevator.
Lexi grimaced in appalment, "not in his wildest dreams! Not even in a thousand years!" she spat, Ethan scoffed, "that makes the two of us!" he murmured under his breath.
"Did you say something??" Lexi asked as she turned to him, she only heard him scoff, but she could swore he said something, just couldn't make out what he said.
"No" came his short and abrupt reply.
While still staring daggers at him, she realized one thing, she sees where the problem lies. They would need to do something about his dressing.
Now inside the private elevator, Lexi suddenly spoke again, "Matt what do you say about getting Mr Blanchard a uniform??"
"A what??" Ethan spat with disgust.
"I would say it's a brilliant idea! It would make him look his profession a little. Excellent!" Matt said gingerly.
'Uhh! Ice woman!' hailed Matt... in his head.
Ethan fumed, this little girl was getting under his skin as the seconds rolled by, it hasn't even been 24 hours yet, there was just so much he could take, he thought.
Now they were out of the elevator, Gabriel had parted with them to go attend to some matters in his office, while Lexi, Matt and Ethan headed for her office, and just as they were about to enter her office, he was asked to stand outside and keep watch.
Now seated in her office, Lexi said to Matt, "may I have a look at the draft of my appointments and schedules for today?"
"Alright ma'am, just a second" he replied as he quickly tapped away in his ipad.
"Right here ma'am" he announced, once he found what he was looking for.
"Thanks Matt" Lexi replied as she received the iPad from him.
She spent quite a while perusing over the one page draft which suggested she wasn't actually studying the draft anymore, her mind had drifted. She was actually thinking about the little drama that played out a while ago.
"How could they even conceive something like that??" she thought out loud and then scoffed.
Maybe, just maybe she would really enjoy humbling Ethan, afterall, it's been quite boring of late. She was lost in her train of thoughts that she didn't notice someone enter; storm in rather.
"Can I get an explanation on what you're up to??"
"Mum?? How did get in??"