ZALDEN “You're fired.”This is the third time I'd be repeating those words in the space of a month. Turns out Belle wasn't as bad as I thought. “S-sir… please,” She fiddled with the hem of her dress, with a pleading eye.“I'll call the security if you make me repeat myself,” I warned.She ran out of my office in tears, and I released a breath. I didn't even bother learning their names anymore. They're not worth it.Why apply for a job if you can't get it done?Just then, the door cracked open and just before I'd snap at her, Andrew walked in.“Not good enough?” He sighed.“Where do you keep digging those dummies?” I hissed.“You don't even give them a chance. How else are they supposed to prove themselves?”“By working.” I snorted. “They're either too slow or too dumb… how do they pass the interview?”“I interview all of them like I did to everyone else in the company, and trust me, they're good…” Andrew trailed off before giving me a look.“Do you want me to call her back? If we of
AUTHOR'S POV “She's quitting,” Andrew said through gritted teeth as he barged into Zalden's office.Zalden stared at him, dumbfounded for a while before finally speaking. “What are you talking about?”“Belle. She's quitting,” he snorted. “Is that what you wanted? For her to quit on her own? I didn't take you for such a person.”“She's quitting,” the words replayed in his head, and his fingers froze midway to the keypad.Zalden's stomach churned at the news. “Of course, she'd quit,” he thought to himself. For once, he hated himself for not handling the situation well… for allowing his emotions to get the best of him. He knew all along that he was being irrational, but he just couldn't control his emotions around her, and now she had quit.“Will she be okay, though?” He recalled the doctor's words, and he knew for sure that she was struggling financially. “Maybe I was too harsh.” “Are you going to say something?” Andrew furrowed his brows. His gaze was so sharp that Zalden actually f
BELLE “My goodness, Belle!” Kara rushed to my side, examining my body for any visible injury, except there wasn't. The only wound I have is the one in my chest. And it is not healing soon.“What the hell happened?” She seemed to relax a bit as she sank her weight on the bed, making me adjust.“It's nothing, really,” I tried to force out a smile, but she wasn't buying it.“Have you been crying? Your eyes are puffy and girl! You look like a mess,” She crossed her arms as she glared at me. “Spill.”“What about the kids? Where are they?” I tried to change the topic, but she seemed determined to know exactly what happened.“The kids are with my mom. I told her they'd be spending the week there, so they're fine,” she dismissed.“No, we can't leave them there. They'll only be a bother.”“My mom loves your kids. And you can't exactly take care of others right now, so how about we talk about how you ended here?” She furrowed her brows, waiting for an explanation.Her stare was so intense that
AUTHOR'S POV “Call an ambulance!” Andrew yelled to no one in particular. Everyone gathered to watch what was happening, but no one was going to help.“Don't just stand there,” Andrew hissed, but when he figured no one was going to do it, he carried Belle in his arms and took her into his car.They arrived at the hospital shortly, and Belle was taken into the ER. Andrew kept on checking his wristwatch. He had a meeting in five minutes, but he couldn't just leave, not when he didn't know if she'd be okay.“Erm, what relationship do you have with the patient?” A young doctor came out from the ward, drawing Andrew's attention.“I'm her boss.”“Do you perhaps know any family or relatives we could speak to? I don't think it's appropriate to talk about her personal life with her boss,” he said curtly.“I don't know. She joined the company recently. Is it that bad? Will she be okay?” Andrew asked worriedly.“No, she will be fine. I just need to speak to her family,” the doctor assured, and A
BELLE I don’t remember walking out of his office. All I remember was how his words clung to my skin like frostbite.“She looks like someone who'd sleep around to climb the social ladder.” My chest tightened. It felt like a part of me was being ripped apart.As if that wasn't enough, my brain kept on replaying every damn word like a loop.“You of all people should know her type doesn't belong here.”My type.That is all I'd ever be to him. Some gold-digging whore who was lucky enough to have a resume.My hands trembled as I reached the end of the hallway, the edges of my vision blurring with hot tears.I ran into the restroom, and collapsed almost immediately. Tears streamed down my cheeks as sweat drenched my skin.It felt like my whole body was set on fire, as my heart burned at every reminder.God, it hurts so much. My throat ached from holding myself back from screaming, and I wished the ground would open and bury me alive.I pressed my palm to my mouth, muffling the sob.Why do
ZALDEN And just like that, my weekend was ruined. I am probably the busiest man alive, but I can’t even focus on anything aside from her. The tension between us. It felt surreal. It wasn't supposed to be there. Shouldn't exist, but the moment she's next to me, I lose my damn mind, and all I wanted to do was claim her.“This is why she approached you. To rile you up, convince you that something might be there and then use you.” A voice said in my head, and I couldn't agree more to anything.All of this is not just a fucking a coincidence. It's a fucking trap.I inhaled a deep breath, trying to concentrate on work, but all I could see was her. It was as if she was haunting me.My mind went back to how uncomfortable she felt around Rowan and I wanted to know every single thing that needs to be known about them.I am not going to be fooled. Not by some woman I saw through her act from the beginning.But why do I even care?I went to work earlier than usual since I couldn't concentrate o