Chapter 7: He Had No Right

Alton's eyes narrowed on her almost in warning. Scarlet looked away. She was on a break, and she was doing absolutely nothing wrong.

Darren reached for her hand, his touch gentle and reassuring. “I'm very happy you agreed to meet.”

Scarlet smiled, her finger lacing through his. “Me too.”

Scarlet felt him before she truly saw him, the same way she always did now, like her body recognized his presence faster than her mind could process.

Her fingers tightened around the ceramic cup in her hands as his shadow fell across the small table.

“Red.”

Her heart lurched.

Darren stiffened across from her, confusion flickering across his face as he turned to look up at the man who had stopped beside their table without invitation.

Alton stood there with his phone already tucked away, jacket still on.

Scarlet looked up slowly.

Alton’s eyes were on her, not Darren. They swept over her face, lingered for half a second too long on their laced fingers.

“That's cute.” He muttered but she could hear the sarcasm in his tone.

Scarlet tries to pull away but Darren's grip seems to tighten.

“Why are you here?” Darren asked, clearly irritated.

“I thought you had deliverables due,” Alton said, ignoring Darren completely.

Scarlet’s mouth went dry.

“I’m on my break,” she said, forcing the words out evenly.

Before Alton could respond, Darren leaned forward slightly in his seat.

“She is,” Darren added. “We’re just grabbing coffee.”

Alton finally looked at him. Darren offered a small smile but Alton could see right through that.

His eyes glanced at their laced fingers again. And then at Scarlet.

“Her break ended three minutes ago,” Alton said.

Scarlet’s breath hitched.

“That’s not..” she started, a frown on her face.

She glanced down at her watch, desperate to prove him wrong.

12:33 p.m.

Her break had ended at 12:30.

Her stomach dropped.

Alton watched the realization cross her face, a smirk curling in the corner of his mouth.

“I need you back at the office,” he said to her. “Now.”

Darren frowned. “She can’t just…”

“She can,” Alton interrupted smoothly. “And she will. She has a job.”

He glanced at Scarlet, “Don't we Scarlet?”

Scarlet felt heat rush to her face as she pushed her chair back, the legs scraping softly against the pavement.

“I’m sorry,” she said to Darren, already standing. “I didn’t realize the time.”

Her hands moved away from him.

Darren looked between them, irritation flashing briefly across his features. “Scarlet…”

“I’ll explain later,” she added quickly, not trusting herself to linger. “I'll call you, I promise.”

Alton had already turned away. She followed him without another word.

The walk back across the street felt longer than it was. Scarlet struggled to keep pace in her heels, her pulse racing as she tried to sort through the tangle of emotions tightening in her chest.

She glared at Alton's back view, swinging her hands at him like she wanted to hit him squarely in the head! Urgh! He's so annoying!

Why the hell did he have to meddle?! Hell, he wasn't checking if she was three minutes late yesterday! But it so happened to catch his interest when he saw her with Darren.

He turned to face, making her stop dead in her tracks. He pointed his finger in her face, brows furrowed.

He groans and continues to walk towards the office. Scarlet rolled her eyes, swinging another punch mid air at him.

They made their way into the building, walking through the lobby and towards the elevators.

He turns again, “Is this what you do during your breaks, Red?”

Scarlet stops again, maintaining a reasonable distance from him.

“I do not discuss my personal affairs at work, Mr Alton.” She replied simply.

“You spent three minutes of your work hours talking to…whoever that was,. So yes, it's my business.”

Scarlet stared straight ahead, hands clenched at her sides. “I was on my break.”

She will not give him the reaction he desperately wanted. Goodness, he wasn't even her boyfriend, why did he care so much?

“You were not,” he corrected. “You knew better.”

“I checked the time,” she said, her voice tight. “I made a mistake.”

Alton turned slightly, his gaze settling on her profile. “Mistakes have consequences.”

Her jaw tightened. “Is this about work, or…”

“Don’t,” he said, cutting her off.

Finally, they got into the elevator and the trip dragged on in silence.

When they reached their floor, Alton stepped out first. Scarlet followed, her irritation simmering just beneath the surface now, her earlier embarrassment giving way to something else.

Inside his office, he didn’t offer her a seat.

“I want you to revise the compliance summary,” he said, already moving toward his desk. “Include the additional jurisdictional risk analysis. I want it on my desk by the end of the day. ”

Her eyes widened. “That wasn’t scheduled.”

“It is now.”

She exhaled slowly through her nose. “I already have…”

“Red,” he said, turning to face her fully. “Do you want to continue this conversation?”

Her hands curled into fists.

“No.”

“Good.” His voice softened slightly. “Then get it done.”

She nodded once, stiffly, and turned to leave before he could see the rage written all over her face.

Back at her desk, Scarlet sat down harder than necessary, fingers flying across her keyboard as she pulled up the necessary files. Her thoughts, however, were anything but focused.

He had no right.

None.

And yet, a traitorous part of her replayed the way he had looked at Darren, the tension in his jaw and the way his eyes darkened when he saw her fingers laced through Darren's.

She hated herself for noticing.

The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur. She finished the revisions just before five, sent them to Alton, and leaned back in her chair, rubbing at her temples.

Her inbox chimed. She frowned, glancing at the notification.

Subject: Leave Approval

Her stomach twisted.

She opened it cautiously.

Approved: December 23rd – January 16th

Signed: Donovan Alton

Scarlet stared at the screen.

Her breath left her in a rush she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. She reread it, once, twice, as if the words might change if she blinked.

He had approved her Christmas leave.

Her chest tightened, confusion settling heavily in its place. This wasn’t like him. Alton Donovan did not grant favors lightly, and when he did, he was an absolute asshole.

She glanced toward his office.

The door was closed.

Scarlet leaned back in her chair, heart racing now for an entirely different reason.

There had to be a catch with this man.