The Auction House Deal: Bought by A Billionaire

Chapter 161: Interrupted Rhythm: Hannah

My morning quickly found a rhythm. Interview, check in with construction, another interview. I hardly had time to think and thankfully, by the third interview, I had mastered what to say to them when they asked but wouldn’t put myself into a situation where they would be offering me their services.

The invitation that both Tara and Winifred had extended kind of haunted me. Did I need therapy? Maybe it would help with my anxiety and paranoia, but I was still of the mindset that it was just going to take time for me to calm down from the state of fear we had lived in for so long.

By the time the lunch hours were over, I had a good stack of candidates. I definitely liked Winifred and Tara for the leader positions. They had the confidence and background for it. I hadn’t the slightest clue how many other staff would be needed, so I figured I would call them at the end of the week, extend the job, and hand over my candidates for them to go through and give second interviews if needed.

My stomach was growling. I had totally missed lunch, and yet I still had more to do before I could go out and get anything.

After one more interview, I put the paperwork away and headed upstairs again to check in with Armando. As I climbed the stairs, I made a note to call for an elevator mechanic when I got back to my desk.

Walking onto the first floor of apartments, I was almost overwhelmed by the sounds of construction. I headed down the hall until I found the one Armando was in. They were ripping out the cabinets to prepare for the new ones.

"How is it going?" I called to him over the sound of the noise.

"It’s going," he smiled. "We should have half the cabinets ripped out today, the next half tomorrow, and then half the crew will work on the downstairs construction next week while the other half works on painting and ripping up the carpet up here."

"Awesome," I smiled. "How long do you think the whole project will take?"

"As long as I am able to keep my entire crew here, three weeks," he assured me.

"That’s brilliant. Thank you, Armando. I’m going to head out to lunch soon. Do you guys need anything before I go?" I asked.

"Not that I can think of," he assured me. "Thank you, Mrs. Thaddeus."

"You can call me Hannah," I replied.

Then, after a quick goodbye, I headed downstairs.

I felt better now that things were coming together. Tara and Winifred would get the counseling portion together, and Armando I was confident would keep on his schedule. It was looking like maybe, just maybe, the center would be ready to open the week of the gala.

My body hummed with excitement just at the thought. I couldn’t believe things were happening so smoothly and so fast.

I found Nick before heading outside. I was lost in my thoughts as I headed into downtown. As I tried to figure out what I wanted to eat, I got a text from Roman inviting me to lunch at his office. I let Nick know, and he dropped me off out front. I couldn’t wait to share everything from the day with Roman. All of the negativity was practically forgotten.

People greeted me on my way to the executive elevator, and I waved at them all. Getting up to his floor, I said hello to Rachel and stepped into his office.

He was sat there, with all of his work put away, and two plates of gnocchi set up with a little plate of garlic bread.

"It’s like you read my mind," I chuckled.

I know how much you enjoy Italian," He smiled.

"I think I enjoy Greek more," I winked, referencing him.

"Oh?" he purred. "Do I need to get the handcuffs out?"

"Not yet, I’m starving," I giggled.

We dug in, and I was immediately relieved to finally be eating. It was then I realized how late it was and that Roman was just eating too. "How was your morning?"

"Long," he sighed. "Just meeting after meeting. A new acquisition is going pretty rocky."

"The real estate one?" I questioned.

"No, that closed out already. Rather seamlessly. This is a tech one and," he let out a heavy breath. "There’s just a lot of red tape. I don’t really want to think about it. How about you? How did the interviews go?"

"Really well," I nodded excitedly. "I think I found my two leaders. I still have more interviews to go through, but once those are done, I think that I’m going to hand over my recommendations to them and let them do the rest."

He smiled, "Well good. I’m glad you’re having a better morning than me." He took a bite, and then eyed me. "Make sure to look up the local salaries for counselors. Offer them the highest you find. It’ll motivate them to stay and be loyal. Good leadership is the foundation of any business or organization."

"I’ll keep that in mind," I nodded. It was then I realized I hadn’t called for the elevator. "Oh. Do you think Rachel would have a name for an elevator mechanic?"

"Rachel knows everything," Roman chuckled. "Just ask her for it on the way out."

We enjoyed out meal and ate until I was completely stuffed. We talked for a while, but then I noticed the time. "Is three-thirty still going to happen?" I questioned.

He looked at the clock himself and tilted his head side to side. "Quite possibly. Can I say four to be safe?"

I nodded and walked around the desk and gave him a kiss. "That’s just fine. I’ll get out of your hair now."

"Go on, business lady," he chuckled.

I blew him a kiss as I walked out of the office.

It felt strange to always be on the move. Before, everything had been something I was able to take my time on. However, I knew it was good for me. It kept me busy and staying busy seemed to help my anxiety. Was that healthy? I made a mental note not to mention anything like that around Winifred or Tara.

I texted Nick I was ready to be picked up as I approached Rachel. After I got the number for an elevator mechanic, I headed downstairs.

I climbed into the car and made the call to the elevator mechanic, and was grateful to hear they could get out to me by the next day. I was sure that having an elevator would help Armando and his crew out.

Traffic was kind of bad at that hour, but it was expected with the festival. It didn’t bother me—my next interview wasn’t for another hour.

I took the time in the car to make another list of what to do before four. There were two more interviews, and I could call to start the process for cooks and faculty. I mentally cursed myself for not asking Roman about the manufacturers. I jotted that down on the list and made a note to email him about it, so I had a paper trail.

My mind was such a mess, I didn’t want to rely on my own memory.

We pulled into the parking lot and I got out, my nose still in my phone. As I headed for the door, something made me stop.

I had seen something out of the corner of my eye. Or had I?

Pausing, I thought things through it before turning my head. Sure enough, I had. There was a black car parked on the corner. It was the opposite corner, but it was still next to the charity.

With my heart leaping into my throat, I headed in that direction to get better look.

"Where are you going?" Nick called after me.

I didn’t bother to reply to him. I needed verification I wasn’t going crazy.

Stepping onto the sidewalk, I managed to get a look at the back of the car. My eyes widened. Sure enough, it was a black Ford Focus and the license plate started with JGK.

I wasn’t crazy. It was the same car.

Someone was following me.

My hands trembled, and my mind raced.

What was I supposed to do? Was it the Auction House people? Had the FBI not managed to get all of them? What if they were associates hunting me down to get revenge?

I was dizzied with panic and worry. I didn’t know what to do. I heard Nick approach me from behind.

"Are you okay? You look pale," he said.

I was pale and I wasn’t okay. I felt ready to pass out.

Just as I thought life was getting into a happy little rhythm, the past had to come back to haunt me. I only prayed that it could be stomped out quickly so that my charity and my new life would be in jeopardy.