CHAPTER 06

ELYSIA. 

I blinked, frozen on my spot as I stared at Zane who stared back at me coldly. I didn't know what to do or how to react. Should the ground just open up for me to fall? 

Everything, all of the memories came rushing back to me like they had been waiting for this moment. 

How he had spilled coffee on me and insulted me on the spot instead of apologizing, how Nova and I had confronted him at the club that night, the shock at the realization of him being the son of the man my mother got married to. 

What exactly does the universe have against me? 

"Miss--" Zane raised a brow, narrowing his gaze at me. 

Why was he pretending like he doesn't know me?

"Hayes." I quickly completed it. "Elysia Hayes." 

Maybe it was for the best. I didn't want to know him either. Hmph! 

He stepped forward, his hand went into his pocket. "You're welcome to Z&Co Luxury Hotel Chains." 

"Thank you-- sir." The last word felt sour coming out of my mouth. The side of his lips curled up, he was enjoying this. 

"Let me use this medium to plead to you." He stopped just a few feet from me. "Be on your best behavior while you're at work and make sure to respect your superiors, even if they spill coffee on you..." He bent slightly. "Don't curse. Any complaint about disrespect regarding you and you'll get a penalty."

Coffee huh? He was playing with me. 

I swallowed back the urge to snap at him and nodded. "Yes sir, I'll be on my best behavior." 

"Good. You can enjoy the rest of your day." He turned, leaving with his secretary scurrying behind him like a mouse. 

I just stared at his retreating back, fighting back the urge to rush you with anything and knock him out. 

*

"No way!" Nova screamed with wide eyes. 

The minute I left the office for lunch, I called Nova who rushed to the restaurant I was at within minutes. Couldn't skip a hot tea like this for anything. 

I sighed, sipping my milkshake. "Yes, way." 

"He's your boss all these while you insulted him?"

"I insulted him?" I blinked with wide eyes. "I wasn't the only one who insulted him, remember? Why are you trying to push all of it on me?"

"Well, he's not my boss." She shrugged. 

"Seriously, Nova?" Again, I shouldn't be shocked at how easily she could ditch someone. 

It's not the first time Nova's throwing me under the bus. 

"Stop staring at me like that, I'm sure if he sees me, he won't be able to recognize me. That's for a fact."

"Zane doesn't forget people easily, he holds grudges." I stated. 

"Then I'll be out of sight, simple." 

Someone, remind me next time to use Nova as an example of friends to avoid in my next life. 

"You're still around the safe comer.” She said, "You're in a department he barely reaches, you two won't even see all the time." She shrugged. 

She had a point, and Zane didn't seem like the kind of boss that walks around for leisure. I'm sure he'll rather spend his free time watching the entire city from his office floor. 

I sighed and smiled widely. "You're right Nova, it can't be that bad." 

*

"What? Me? Why?" My eyes were as wide as a saucer as I stared at, what's her name again? Oh right, Kim. 

She was a senior analyst and just when I arrived from my lunch break, she gave me a stack of files to take to Zane's office. 

"We need someone to submit the files to the CEO, you just have to go to his office floor and give it to his secretary." She said, 

I couldn't argue with her, I couldn't cause trouble on my first day. I walked toward the elevator. 

Just when I thought I'd stay out of Zane's sight, someone just had to push me to him. 

Later, I would go see a clairvoyant to check what exactly was wrong with my life, and just how horribly my stay in this company might end up. 

"Good day." I greeted, stopping in front of the secretary's desk. "I'm here with some files for the CEO."

"Mr. Z, you say." She corrected me with a glare.  

Oh! "I'm sorry, the files are here for Mr. Z." I stretched them to her. "Here."

Mr. Z? Was he the suggestor of this name? Cringe!

Instead of replying, she picked up the phone on her desk and placed it on her ear. "Sir, the files you asked for from the-- marketing team are here... Oh? Okay, sir." She dropped the phone. "Go in." She seethed. 

"Excuse me?" I couldn't even tell what her bitterness was for, she just kept giving me the stink eye. 

"Go in. He wants you to submit the files yourself." 

Unable to complain, I knocked lightly on the door and pushed it open gently. I slipped into the office, stopping just a few feet from his table. 

He looked busy and only stopped when I said. "Good day... sir." He raised his head and I added. "The files from the marketing team."

"Oh." He leaned against his chair with an annoying smile on his lips. "You can keep them over there... Elysia Hayes." 

I dropped the files like he asked and turned to leave but his voice stopped me. "I didn't say you could leave, Miss Elysia Hayes."

I exhaled, shutting my eyes and absorbing the anger that was threatening to spill. It was already embarrassing and unlucky enough that the stepbrother I loathed was the same person I'm meant to call boss in a company I've been wanting to work in. 

At this point, I didn't think it could get any worse. 

"I have a question." He said. 

I squinted my eyes in unease. "Okay?" The word morphed into a question. 

His riling smirk widened, it was the kind I wanted to smack out of his face. "How does it feel to have the table turned against you... Stepsister?”