Chapter 441 - Mini Me
Jeremy had been completely stunned when he walked into the elevator and saw his mentor's mini me standing inside. She stood gracefully and stared straight ahead, completely aloof. Even her attitude was just like his. It was a bit disconcerting.
The woman was beautiful but in the same way that snow was. Serene, sparkling, and cold.
Obviously he knew this had to be Aaron's daughter—who else would be so similar?—but he had been surprised that she called him out for staring. Most people weren't that direct. Yet another way she and Aaron were similar.
It would have been awkward not to make conversation since they were both stuck in the same elevator but Violet Hale was oddly guarded. Why? She knew who he was; she had to know how much her father trusted him. He wasn't a threat.
He tried to change the subject to soothe her worries. "What brings you to our humble office today?"
Violet held out a plastic container Jeremy hadn't realized she had been holding. "I'm bringing these to my dad. I'm sure you already know this but my younger brother is in culinary school. These pastries were too tempting so if they were left with me I would eat them. I have to pawn them off onto someone else for my own safety."
"What's wrong with eating pastries?"
She actually smiled and it warmed her cold countenance considerably. There was endless sunshine in that smile. Jeremy's heart thumped uncomfortably in his chest. What was this feeling?
"Nothing, in moderation. But I've already had far too many over the weekend and don't want the ballet company's dietician to come after me."
It took Jeremy a moment to recover his wits after seeing that smile. "Makes sense," he managed to get out somewhat intelligibly.
"I would ask you what brings you here but that's fairly obvious," Violet replied with a small laugh.
"Uh, yeah. I practically live here."
He stayed at work even longer than the CEO did most days because he wanted to finish his work to perfection. Aaron had given him the chance of a lifetime by training him as a successor and he didn't want to waste it.
Jeremy might be a personal assistant now but Aaron told him if he kept up the good work that he could move up to CFO within the next five years when the current one retired. That would be beyond a dream come true! He might be the CFO of a Fortune 10 company before he was even thirty! Who else could claim that honor?
Overworking didn't matter to him since it was what he loved most. It wasn't like there was anything else that particularly interested him. Some of Aaron's detractors had called him a "business bot" in the past but Jeremy didn't see how that was derogatory. He was one too.
Violet's smile was smaller and more polite this time and she returned to staring straight ahead. Ten minutes later, the elevator technician still hadn't come and she sighed.
"Time to break out the big guns," she mumbled to herself.
Jeremy was about to ask what that meant when she pulled out her cell phone. It was amazing that she even got reception in the elevator; his phone usually didn't.
"Dad, I'm stuck in your elevator," Violet said simply. "I don't want to be late to work so do you mind making the technician speed up a little bit?"
Jeremy could practically feel the ice coming out of the phone. Aaron was probably going to kill that elevator technician as soon as he was done getting them out. Sometimes he wondered how exactly his boss's four children had managed to survive living in an igloo.
The elevator released them on the top floor less than five minutes later. Aaron Hale didn't mess around.
He expected Violet to get the same kind of cold greeting Jeremy always got but couldn't have been more wrong. His ice statue of a boss broke into a grin and hugged his daughter tightly. It was like he was a completely different person!
Apparently his affection didn't extend only to being proud of his family, which surprised Jeremy. He had pegged his mentor as the silent and gruff type even if he did care about someone. But that did not appear to be the case here at all.
"Vi! What are you doing here?" Aaron asked warmly.
"I come bearing contraband," Violet replied as she held out the container. "Don't tell Nate."
He took the container of pastries eagerly and kissed the top of his daughter's head. "Once again, you're a solid contender for the World's Best Daughter Award."
That brilliant smile Jeremy saw earlier in the elevator made another appearance, doing funny things to his heart. It was the most beautiful smile he had ever seen in his life.
The smile alone wasn't even what got to him. It was the fact that it completely transformed her from someone elegant and above mere mortals into someone you wanted to get to know. Jeremy had no idea a simple smile could have such an effect.
"You flatter me," Violet said with a light laugh. "I really have to get going now though. I'll see you tonight."
"Will I though?"
She rolled her eyes. "My show is over, Dad. I'm back to a normal schedule for a little bit."
"Yeah but your favorite person is also back in town. My money is on you not coming back until late," Aaron predicted.
Violet shrugged and turned back toward the elevator. "We'll see. Love you!"
"Love you too."
She paused before the elevator door closed, remembering someone else was there. "Bye Jeremy! It was nice meeting you."
"You too," he called back softly right as the door shut.
The second his daughter disappeared, Aaron was all business again. It was as if a switch was flipped. A long-standing mystery had been solved; Jeremy finally knew why his friends called him contradictory back when he first joined the company.
Was what he had witnessed really contradictory though? It was more like a split personality! The mighty business icon Jeremy had gotten used to being around was entirely different in front of his daughter.
But from what little he saw…Violet seemed to be the same way. He couldn't get that dazzling, mysterious smile out of his head.