Chapter 3

Character Profiles: document/d/1WDg0VT_CGOVcd1T7NBIp31sOZGt1m6zwwke31TiSMfU/edit

Contains: Character portraits as I've imagined them in this AU, basic character info, character summary, and affiliates/companies.

Will be updated as story progresses!

Okay first things first: I'm so sorry for the late update. I'm currently about to start college, and these last weeks have been crazy with traveling with the fam, packing, and planning. ^-^"

It's going to be hard for me to stay on schedule, but I hope you stick with me… because I do plan to finish this story! Anyway, onwards we go!

Responses to Reviews!

NoctisNight: Thank you! :D

Exca314: Knowing Gilbert, there's definitely a catch. ;) What it is...well, that would be spoilers. Not to worry, the show will go on!

GreyLady1575: Hm, maybe your theory is right… you will certainly have to wait and see! :)

XxDesertAngelxX: Thank you, and don't worry, it will continue!

Gilbert

I lay in bed wondering what I just got myself into. Why did I do this? Weren't there other ways to keep her from reporting the crash to the police? I doubt she was even going to report it, and even if she did, they probably wouldn't even believe her. I had Alejandro clean up the car. That banana car is probably already a cube of crushed metal by now.

Do I feel sorry for her? Do I actually feel responsible for her wellbeing?

I scoff.

I never feel responsible for anyone but myself (except maybe Ludwig). Everybody can take care of their own lives. I don't need someone else's dependency weighing me down.

Then why did I give her this job?

I guess she's pretty cute, but that's definitely not why I hired her. I'm a nail and bail kind of guy. And she's… different. She's not like any other girl I've been with. She's got an attitude, and she'll push back if you try her. She's not easy.

This damn woman is already doing my head in.

Not to mention, I've never even had a personal assistant before. I don't even know what one is supposed to do. And then I just made up that salary on the spot. 100K works right?

I toss and turn for another hour before I decide that there's no way I'm going back to sleep. I throw my blanket off and grab my phone. It's 4:17 AM. Way too fucking early for all this shit. I decide to make myself some breakfast. Maybe I'll watch some Netflix too to get my mind off of everything.

"What do I feel like eating?" I see a lot of stuff in the fridge that I can use to whip up a flashy breakfast, but I'm feeling lazy. "Bacon and eggs it is."

I put on some music to cheer myself up, but I keep it low. I don't need Ludwig getting on my case this early.

I'm reveling in the smell of the sizzling bacon and shaking my butt to Bruno Mars when I hear a meek voice behind me.

"Um...hey. I uh, smelled bacon."

It's Elizabeta, she's standing there looking all cute in those maroon pyjamas like she didn't just snark me out an hour ago. What am I supposed to do about this woman? I came down here to get my mind off of her, and now she's right here. I should tell her to beat it.

"Yeah... you want me to make you some?"

"What am I doing?" I'm internally screaming at myself.

"Oh! I can make it myself…"

"No, don't worry about it. Go sit or something. You like scrambled eggs and toast?"

Okay yeah, something's definitely wrong with me.

"Yeah, thank you." When she smiles at me, I really notice her eyes for the first time. They're a stunning light green - the kind that paralyzes you if you look at them for too long. Right now, they have a certain excited light to them. I guess I can understand why she's so happy though… she must have been living on cheap food for awhile.

I smile back. "No problem." I need to pull myself together; I'm being too nice. I snap out of my daze and force myself to turn away from her. "I've made breakfast for plenty of girls." There, that sounds more like me.

I hear her huff behind me.

I can sense her rolling her eyes at me too, which makes me chuckle.

"By the way… Nice dance moves." Her tone is teasing.

It's my turn to roll my eyes.

There's something about this girl that makes me change the way I act. It's like she knows how to get to me. But the most irritating thing is that she doesn't know that she knows how to get to me. ...Does that even make sense? I don't know, I've never thought about a girl this much before.

I drop the bread into the toaster and stare at it. Is this too plain? Maybe Liz would prefer french toast. Should I sprinkle some powdered sugar on it too? Add a strawberry? Sprinkle some cinnamon? Maybe I should make some whipped cream too. Girls like sweet things right?

I open the fridge and start reaching for the whipping cream. Then I freeze.

"What the hell? What am I doing?" I told myself I was too lazy to make anything big, and now I want to become Gordon Ramsay because a girl I barely know decided to wreck my alone time? "I'm an absolute mess. Screw me." I sigh, lost in my thoughts.

"Hey, you alright?" Elizabeta says behind me.

"Huh?" I turn to look at her and she has this funny look on her face. "What?"

"You've been standing there for awhile you know. The fridge alarm is going off."

"Crap." I close the refrigerator door.

There's an awkward silence.

"I'm going to help you."

"Wha-"

"You can't say no!" She shuts me up by putting her finger on my lips.

I stood there in shock for awhile. I felt something when she touched my lips; it was a weird churning sensation in my gut. It's almost like the feeling you get when you just got off of one of those teacup rides at Disneyland… nausea? No, this feeling was too nice. "Okay yeah, I'm definitely sick."

Liz snaps me out of my daze, "Hey Gilbert, did you want to toast these or not?"

"Uh, I…" I sigh. "No, I'll make french toast instead."

Her eyes light up. "That's my favo-" She cuts herself off and clears her throat. "I mean… That sounds great." She smiles awkwardly at me.

I had to admit, her excitement made me feel… kinda warm inside. "Ew. Pull yourself together Gil." I rolled my eyes at myself, but Elizabeta must've thought I was rolling them at her because she immediately turned away.

"I-I'll help you make the french toast!" she said quickly, cracking an egg into a bowl.

I silently slap my forehead. "I'm sorry Liz. That wasn't for you." I decide that I have to diffuse her awkwardness somehow. Maybe I can trigger her sass. I notice the cinnamon on the shelf right above her and I smirk. I walk up behind her and place my hands on the counter, completely surrounding her.

I can feel her tense.

"Relax sugar, I'm just reaching for the cinnamon." I make sure my face is close to her ear.

"Don't call me sugar."

"You're sweet for helping me out here, so I'm going to call you sugar."

"Well that was the cheesiest thing I've ever heard, and it's also gross because it's coming from you. So I'm going to call you cheeto," she said defiantly. [A/N: *Sorry people who like cheetos. :(*]

I couldn't help but burst into laughter. This girl is really something else.

"I'm sorry, I didn't-" she starts.

"Hey, look at me." I step back to give her the space to turn around, her face looks tense, like she's ready for me to yell at her. "I may be your new boss, and eventually I'll just be your boss. But! I also want to be your friend. I like to think of all of my employees as friends. "Employee" sounds like someone who's replaceable y'know? Everyone is and deserves to feel important... Plus, it makes the company stronger. It's... a policy I have."

Her expression changes. "Wow that's actually… really cool of you."

"I'm glad you think so," I flash a smile. "Don't be afraid to be yourself. Besides, your attitude keeps me on my toes. Nobody has ever been brave enough to sass me before their first day of work." I wink and I swear I see her blush. "Now… can we actually have some breakfast?"

Elizabeta

After that early Saturday morning, I started to think that maybe Gilbert isn't as bad as I thought he was… Maybe I could actually like him. But of course, I still barely know him.

Then again, he did take me shopping yesterday. "I'm not that shallow, nobody can win my trust just by letting me use their credit card!" I sigh. "But it is a huge form of trust right?" Not to mention, he also offered me a room here at his house until I had enough to get my own place.

I glance at the clock, it's 6:30 AM. I should get ready for my first day of work.

I'm relieved to find that neither of the boys are up yet. I take a shower and throw on a towel. I put on some make-up and I look at my hair. "I wonder if I should do something special with it."

I hate putting my hair up, but I decide to try it just for this new job. It is the best one I've ever had after all, I should put effort into it (even if Gilbert is my boss). I put it into a stylish bun. "I look cute."

I step out into the hallway and begin making my way back to my room when I see Gilbert emerge from his room, yawning.

I turn quickly, praying I can make it back to the bathroom before he sees me.

"Liz?"

Crap.

"Good morning…" I murmur, avoiding his gaze.

"You don't have to run from me you know," he says.

I look up at him and he's got a look of amusement plastered on his face. "I don't usually bite." He eyes the towel wrapped around my body. "But I would if you wanted me to." He winks.

I feel a weird mix of emotions when I hear him say that. I want to think he's a perv, but at the same time, I want him to say it again. "I will punch you," I manage to reply.

He laughs. "Alright, no biting today."

"I'm leaving." I turn. Ugh, I just really want to get away from him.

"Hey! Isn't your room this way Sugar?"

I turn again and stomp past him, refusing to look at his face. "Yeah, whatever Cheeto. I was taking the long way."

I swear I can feel his eyes on me as I power walk to my room. I flip the bird over my shoulder and I hear Gilbert chuckle. "Aha! He was watching me. Perv." I slam the door for good measure.

"I'm so not ready for this job." I let out a sigh. There's something about that man that throws me off my game. How am I supposed to be professional? I face the mirror and stare hard at myself."He is your boss Elizabeta! You will see him all day, everyday; and you will be okay with it." I need to pull myself together. I need this job. I put on a matching black blazer and skirt. I pin my name tag on and fix the black BL Schmidt beret onto my head. "Not bad."

I straighten my blazer and make my way downstairs.

Both boys are already downstairs in the kitchen.

I grab myself a chocolate muffin from the tray in the middle of the table. I take a big bite. "This is the best breakfast I've had in ages."

"Here." Ludwig hands me a cup of coffee. "It's a new brew of mine, I want your opinion on it."

I don't really like coffee, but I take a sip, and it feels heavenly on my tongue. "This is the best damn bean juice I've ever had." I have to think of a more elegant way to put it.

"What do you think?" he asks.

"This is the best damn bean juice I've ever had." I blurt. Oops.

Ludwig smiles. "I'm glad you like the damn bean juice."

I laugh and catch Gilbert looking at us over Ludwig's shoulder. He has a weird expression on his face, but he turns away when he notices me looking at him.

"Hey Ludwig," I whisper. "Do you have any tips on how to deal with Gilbert?"

He leans closer. "He's got two modes: business and flirty. When he's in business mode, never step out of line. When he's in flirty mode, good luck. Even I don't know how to handle that."

"What are you two ladies gossiping about?" Gilbert leans against the kitchen island, sipping his coffee.

"Who're you calling a lady, lady?" Ludwig grabs the car keys, and Gilbert sticks his tongue out. "I've got to stop by the warehouse. You'll have to ride with Gil, is that alright?"

"I'll survive," I reply.

After a long car ride full of me and Gilbert competing to see who can annoy the other more, we finally arrive.

I've passed by the BL Schmidt office building so many times, but I never thought I would ever set foot in it.

We stride into the lobby and I'm so starstruck by everything that I bump into someone.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry." I stumble backwards. A strong hand catches my arm and helps me stay on my feet.

"Hey, don't worry abou it pretty lady."

I look up and I'm met with a totally gorgeous man. He's tall, he's got a blue suit, carefully groomed blonde hair, warm blue eyes, and a dazzling smile. He looks like somebody you'd cast for an American teen chick flick - the definition of a modern American hottie. "Honestly, what the hell is going on with all these hot guys suddenly showing up in my life? … Not that I'm complaining."

"Liz, seriously? It's only your first day and you-" Gilbert approaches, about to spit out some insult when he stops short. His eyes flick to the man in front of me. "Well, well, well. If it isn't Alfred F. Jones. Here for the car show later tonight?" I sense a touch of passive aggression in his voice.

"Wait a minute - Alfred F. Jones? This must be the CEO of A.F Jones… BL Schmidt's biggest competitor. No wonder Gil's on edge."

"Gilbert Beilschmidt. Why yes, I am. Just thought I'd drop in and see your new lobby." Alfred gave him a curt nod before turning to me again with a gentle smile. "Well Liz, it's your first day on the job huh? I guess I shouldn't keep you any longer. But here's some advice from a veteran: don't lose your patience." His eyes shift to Gilbert. "I know some people can be hard to handle."

There's a hard silence for a second.

"Don't call her Liz."

"Why the heck would he choose to say that as a comeback?" I give him a weird face, but he's not looking at me.

Gilbert stares at Alfred with a stony gaze before nodding his head at me. "Come on."

"Have a good day you two." Alfred smiles.

I give him a smile, but Gilbert doesn't look back.

We're silent the whole way up in the elevator. I can feel the tension rolling off of him, and it's almost stifling.

Once the elevator opens, he leads me down a corridor with pictures of beautiful cars and newspaper clippings hanging in frames on the walls. I was so distracted, I almost bumped into Gilbert when he suddenly stopped.

"Ugh I really need to pay more attention to where I'm going."

"Good morning Gilbert!" The lady behind the desk chirped, pushing a clipboard towards him. Her eyes shifted to me and her expression very subtly soured. "Who is she?"

I gave her a good ol' manhattan once over. She had dark hair with blond ombre, deep brown eyes, and a Chanel blazer. I assumed she was wearing a skirt and heels. She looked hostile… at least towards me.

"This is Elizabeta, she's my personal assistant," Gilbert replied. "Liz, this is Olive - my call manager."

We shake hands, and I feel the tension in her fingers.

"Well, this is a surprise. You said you would never get a personal assistant." She smiled stiffly.

Then, it suddenly dawned on me. "Ah I know what's going on now. She totally has a crush on him."

"I changed my mind." Gilbert shrugged, beginning to walk away. "Get on those customer calls. Start with the blue list."

"Poor girl, she doesn't stand a chance."

"O-okay! I will."

I gave Olive a little head nod as I followed Gilbert. She looked like she wanted to kill me.

We walked all the way to the end of the hall and went into the room on the left. He held the door for me and then closed it behind us.

I made my way to the window and took in the incredible view. "Wow, you can see everything from here."

"Elizabeta."

I turned to face him. His gaze was sharp, making me slightly uneasy. Especially since we were the only ones in this room.

"Alfred is not a good man. You will stay away from him."

"What? He seemed fine to me," I replied.

"He's got a silver tongue and a black heart."

"You can't just tell me who I can and can't talk to."

"Yes I can. I'm your boss."

"Sorry, but I need a real reason boss." I don't know why I'm giving him a hard time on this, but I feel defiant. "Does his hotness make your ego feel threatened?"

He moves towards me slowly, until I'm backed up into the window and I can feel the heat coming off of his body. "You will stay away from Alfred F. Jones. If you don't, you will get hurt and I won't be there to save you."

My heartrate jumps as I feel almost suffocated by the weight in his low voice. "I- uh - um…" I force myself to shut up before I continue my incoherent mumbling.

"Do I make you nervous?" I see the edge of his mouth curve into a small smirk.

"Oh heck no, I'm not letting him win."

"W-why'd you tell Alfred not to call me Liz?" I blurt. "Wow real smooth."

He pauses, then gives me a devious smile. "Because that's my nickname for you." He turns away, leaving me staring at him dumbfoundedly.

He drops his briefcase in his office chair and picks up the phone, quickly punching in a number. "Hey Luke, I want the room beside my office completely cleared in the next four hours. Think you can do that?" He pauses. "Awesome! Thanks man." He turns to me. "Alright, we gotta go and get some furniture for your new office. Come on loser, we're going shopping."

His comment destroys all the tension in the room, and I can't help but laugh. "First of all, it's "get in loser", and second of all, I can't believe you watched Mean Girls."

He rolls his eyes. "I know what the line is stupid. I just thought it didn't make sense in the context of us standing in this office."

"Okay whatever you say boss," I say sarcastically. As we walk into the hallway, I ask him an important question. "So, do we wear pink on Wednesdays?"

His only reply is a huge eyeroll.

A/N: Well, well, well. Looks like we've finally met Mr. Alfred F. Jones. What do you think started the beef between Gil and Alfie? Please leave a review and tell me what you thought! :) Feel free to tell me what you liked and what you didn't like, I am always open for improvement.

Next chapter release date - Estimated: The week of September 25th