The CEO's Assistant

No, no what was he doing here?

How did he find this place?

Why did he know to use his name?

This was supposed to her safe place. No-one knew about this place not even Joan.

She stumbled at the base of the staircase. Her back found the wall her hand searching her back pocket looking for her phone only to realise she'd left it upstairs.

Suddenly the lobby started to feel small, suffocating as if the walls were closing in on her, Arianna's body started to shake, her throat became dry. She wanted to scream, to tell him to leave, to call security, but the words just wouldn't come out. She wanted to run, but he was blocking the only exit.

From inside the back-office Margret noticed something was off about the atmosphere in the lobby, walking out to notice her boss lady, who was generally confident and brave, appeared to cower in fear of this man. She knew instantly that this man was not who claimed to be.

"Excuse me sir, I am going to have to ask you to leav-" before she could finish her sentence, a tall bodyguard slit her throat from behind.

"Margret!" Arianna was finally able to speak as she helplessly watched the life disappear from the woman's eyes. Quickly rushing to the woman's aid, she found that the woman's heart had already stopped. Arianna couldn't stop the tears that fell over the woman who had helped her for almost a decade. "How could you!" She screamed up at Julien tears still ran down her face.

"Grab her." He commanded his bodyguards whilst ignoring her. The guard violently grabbed Arianna's arm and roughly started pulling towards the exit. Arianna helpless struggled against the guard, before she could start screaming her mouth was covered as she tried kicking, however her attempts were futile.

They dragged her outside towards Julien's car and no matter how much she tried, she just couldn't get herself free.

"This is why you should have just agreed to come with me in the first place." Julien's arrogant smirk. "I said you were mine."

"LET HER GO!" a strangely familiar voice came from a shaded corner of the street.

Arianna knew she recognised the voice, however she couldn't place just who owned it.

"Stay out of this thug. This is none of your concern." Julien's cold gaze tried to scare the man in the shades who appeared to be nothing more than a local thug.

"I said let her go!" as the man took a step into the light, several bodyguards stepped in Arianna's view so she couldn't get a good look at the man, before quickly being thrown into the back of the car. Despite the windows being heavily tinted and the glass being thick enough to block out most noise, she still heard most of what was happening.

"I told you old man this is nothing you need to be concerned with." Arianna tried to see what was going on however, she couldn't see around the men protecting Julien.

Suddenly from the left on of Julien's men was flung into a brick wall, the guards appeared to be fighting what looked like a French gang. They made quick work of the bodyguards as if nothing but child's play, when one of the gang members opened up the car door. Arianna started shaking, scared about what would happen next. Were they going to hurt her?

"Are you Miss Arianna Howard?"

"Y…yes?" She stuttered in shock. How did they know that name?

"I've got her boss." He called out towards a tall large man who had his back faced towards them. "Come with me Miss, I promise we won't hurt you." There seemed to be a genuine look in his rough looking eyes.

Apart of Arianna didn't want to go with him, but the rest of her knew it was better than staying here with Julien. She quickly stood up and followed the man down some narrow alley ways.

~ ~ ~

"Oh President Clair thank you for meeting us so suddenly." Lorraine and Odette approached the man sitting at his desk with a pleasant smile.

"Of course Mrs Whittingham, we will be family soon after all." William smiled back. "What can I help you with?"

"Actually I was thinking we could be more of a help to you."

"Oh and how do you propose to do that?" William asked with hint of sceptical tone.

"I have many friends in low places President Clair and I know you don't lack connections in the underworld, but his highness may have an easier time tracing back your actions than mine." Without so much as mentioning names William completely understood what Lorraine was talking about. "Of course you may have all the fun yourself, after all you're fairly notorious for how brutal you can be."

"Are you suggesting we team up to get rid of my son's mistress?"

"Well it is after all a win-win situation."

"Hmm I wonder." William couldn't help but laugh to himself. "I wonder if you will still think that once you find out who she is."

The shock and surprise were evident on Lorraine and Odette's faces "And who is she exactly?" Odette spoke for the first time, her tone was cautious and a little scared.

"Arianna Richard. The daughter of my biggest rival Joan Richard." To his and Odette's surprise Lorraine laughed.

"Oh this could not be any more perfect." She continued to laugh.

"Why?" William became suspicious.

"Because I happen to know two very high-ranking gangsters, from Australia, who want her head. And I know for a fact that happen to be here in Paris with their boss at the moment."

"And just who are they? Joan doesn't get involved with gangsters." William continued to question Lorraine, however if it was going to get rid of Arianna, especially if it can make him look innocent.

"Her biological father and brother. Their quite anger about her success and not sharing."