Chapter 2

“I’ll just resign so I won’t have to respect you anymore. What do you think?” I stopped walking and looked at him with a mix of arrogance and challenge. “Will you accept my resignation letter?”

We were already outside the meeting room, so plenty of eyes were now on us. Yet not a single person tried to intervene in what could turn into an argument. This was a battle between a branch manager and a finance manager. 

No one would dare step in.

When I was still new at Hornbrown Investments, I had already submitted a resignation letter to him because I truly couldn’t stand working with him. It was incredibly hard seeing him frequently making out with someone in his office whenever I went there to report!

I wasn’t uncomfortable because I liked him. I was uncomfortable because I was disgusted. He had no ethical manners!

Good thing he doesn’t do that anymore, or should I say, I just don’t catch him doing it now?

Anyway, he didn’t accept my resignation letter back then. He simply tore it apart while staring at me seriously. His expression at the time was so dark, as if he were extremely irritated by what I did, yet there was nothing he could do except glare at me.

I wanted to strangle him back then, but thankfully Shainara, my best friend who also works here at Hornbrown Investments as a finance manager, quickly dragged me out of Kleinder’s office.

“Hmmm… do you have the guts to resign, Sandara Vernace?” he asked back, as if challenging whether I really could resign. “Expenses are expensive these days…”

“Fuck you,” I said sharply as I raised an eyebrow at him, an action I knew darkened his expression.

He doesn’t like people cussing at him, and he especially doesn’t like people who fight back. Too bad. I don’t like that kind of person either.

And I know I shouldn’t have cursed at him since he outranks me and we were inside the company, but the words just came out.

But what he did next was far worse.

My eyes widened when he suddenly pinned me against the wall and kissed me on the lips. A second later, I felt his tongue brush against my lower lip, as if telling me to welcome him by opening my mouth.

Everything happened so fast that I couldn’t speak right away. I didn’t even manage to push him away when he kissed me. I was furious with myself. 

I wanted to slam my head against the wall for allowing him to disrespect me like this!

“One kiss for one curse, Sandara,” he whispered hoarsely into my ear after pulling his lips away. I gasped when I felt his tongue lightly trace my ear. I wanted to push him away, but I felt frozen in place. “Do you want to insult me some more?”

I wanted to curse him again, but I was afraid to open my mouth. He might kiss me again if I spoke. His grin widened when he noticed my hesitation.

“If you really want to, then go on,” he even urged, his gaze darkening as if he were trying to manipulate me into falling into his trap. “My lips are waiting for every insult.”

*****

“Calm down, girl. Your heart might give out from all that anger. It’d be a waste of our beautiful genes!” Shainara said as she tried to calm me down, stepping closer and rubbing my back as if I had the biggest problem in the world and needed comforting.

We were already inside my office. Apparently, she’d been waiting for me there while I was still in the meeting room.

“That baby-faced bastard is infuriating!” I said angrily, making Shainara laugh when she saw how scowling my face was. “He kissed me, girl! Damn it! I hadn’t even had my first kiss yet, and he just took it like that!”

I glared at the coffee I bought from Starbucks. Because of how angry I was at Kleinder earlier, I hadn’t been able to drink it until it completely went cold. Aside from being mad that my first kiss was taken, I was also annoyed because the coffee was wasted!

I don’t like drinking coffee once it’s cold. I might as well give it to Shainara. This witch isn’t picky anyway.

“What are you, a kid?” she said, laughing as she sat down on the swivel chair beside me. “It was just a kiss, girl. Do you feel like a teenager guarding your lips, believing only the person you’ll love, marry, and spend the afterlife with can kiss you? Wake up. We’re in the modern era now. That kind of thinking doesn’t fit this world anymore.”

“So what do you want me to do?” I asked, raising an eyebrow as I crossed my arms over my chest and crossed my legs. “Just let anyone kiss me, even people I don’t know or barely talk to?”

“No.” She shook her head before looking at me. “What I’m saying is, don’t make such a big deal out of that kiss. You’re twenty-five, girl! We’re not teenagers anymore, and in a few years we’ll practically be forgotten by the calendar. You’re lucky he kissed you.”

I nearly felt like throwing up when I saw the sparkle in her eyes as she said that, as if she were genuinely jealous that I’d been kissed by that baby-faced guy. If she really wanted to kiss someone, I’d gladly shove Kleinder’s lips onto hers.

What is it about that man that makes them all crazy?

Meanwhile, he drives me insane… with anger!

“If you want to kiss him, go ahead,” I said irritably. “Instead of comforting me, you’re acting jealous just because Kleinder Maze Velasco kissed me. Just know that I will never be happy about him kissing me. Never in my wildest dreams. I’m disgusted, damn it,” I added as I massaged my temples.

If a celebrity had kissed me, maybe I’d be jumping for joy. But who is he for me to be happy about it?

“Your ‘never in my wildest dreams’ face… Stop it, you’re such a liar.”

She laughed again, then played with her upper lip using her left hand. She looked hot doing that, probably because of her beautiful face.

One thing I noticed was how sharply defined her jawline was.

Mine is defined too, but hers is better. Her hair is long, reaching down to her waist, jet black in color. Honestly, she doesn’t even look like a manager here, she looks more like a company owner because of how well put-together she is.

I also have long black hair. Even if it isn’t as beautiful as Shainara’s, I’m fine with that. What matters is… I have hair.

I wouldn’t be surprised if one day Kleinder starts flirting with Shainara too, but I hope she doesn’t turn weak! Kleinder is well-known in the company as a womanizer who never sticks to just one woman.

Besides, he was a member of No Mercy, and for now, I’m the only one who knows that.

No Mercy is one of the most notorious gangs in New York, and since I haven’t had time to research much about them yet, that’s all I know for now.

“But seriously, girl, that kiss isn’t a big deal anymore,” she repeated before standing up and placing both hands on my desk as she looked at me. “I can kiss anyone I want. Do you want me to kiss you too?”

“Hard pass. Don’t make my skin crawl,” I laughed, making her laugh too. “We’re even.”

I knew she was just joking. She really liked Kleinder anyway. Shainara is bisexual, which I don’t have a problem with at all. But I already told her not to like me, because even at twenty-five, I have no plans of getting married or having a boyfriend.

Not now, when I’m under observation to become the branch manager of the New Jersey Branch.

Not now, when my career is finally starting to flourish.

“That was just a joke, idiot!” And the crazy woman even cursed at me. Damn her. “I’ll take this, okay? Bye!”

Even before I could agree to give her my coffee, she grabbed it, took a sip through the straw, and walked out of my office. She must really be a mind reader, knowing I’d end up giving it to her anyway.

Am I really just left behind by time… that I can’t keep up with what’s considered normal these days?