Chapter 13

ELION

The elevator chimed softly, but at this time, in the quiet of my company, that sound felt louder than it should have

But it wasn't loud enough to drown out the whooshing in my ears. I had long discarded my suit jacket and loosened my tie, but still, I felt very uncomfortable

I could hear her soft footsteps making their way to my office, I leaned against my desk, my arms crossed and face blank, Underneath my unaffected exterior, I was seething

I despised it when people disobeyed me, consciously or not. I always made sure to teach them a lesson and make sure they won't repeat such mistakes

Loretta would be no different. She chose to defy my rules, leave the penthouse without my permission, and invade my company with her presence

My pulse jumped when the doorknob to my office twisted, I ground my teeth, forcing my body under control

It was my anger at her that sparked that small reaction, nothing more.

Even after telling myself that, I couldn't help the sharp inhale that left me when Loretta slowly opened the doors to my office, her eyes clashing with mine from across the room

Green and Brown. The exact colour of life. The colour of the earth and nature. How have I not observed these two colors before? How have I not noticed its preternatural beauty?

My muscles loosened, my arms went slack, and for a moment, I forgot every vendetta I ever held towards her and her family

Loretta's vibrant hair was styled in a ponytail that gave focus to her high cheekbones and slender face, her lips were glossy, the kind of glossy that made me want to touch...feel...

Claim

She was still dressed for dinner, the dinner I hadn't come for. A short knee-length dress that showed off her long legs, the off-white colour complemented her pale skin

She was perfect

It meant nothing to me. Absolutely nothing

She closed the door without taking her eyes off me, I expected her to gawk at my state of the art office, the spacious minimalist room, rare antiques I had acquired from around the globe, and some paintings that dated back hundreds of years which I purchased at auction

No.

She wasn't fazed by all of that. Her ethereal eyes held mine, she didn't look away, her stare felt heavier than I allowed anyone else's to be

She stopped a few feet before me, her lips pursed into a look of defiance and determination "You didn't come home," she stated

Her eyes slid from mine to where I had my arms crossed, my sleeves rolled up to my elbows. A smug smile touched my lips and I subtly flexed them, making her inhale sharply

"I'm aware."

She stepped closer to me, her scent drifting past my nostrils into my lungs, I straightened, plastering a hard frown on my face

Which was my usual expression by the way

“What do you want?” My words sounded low, bored even though secretly, a part of me anticipated her answer

Loretta closed the space between us, leaving me a few inches. My brows dipped “You"

Her soft words wrapped around my mind like a dense fog. The crease of my brows deepened. “What?"

“I want you Elion"

My name coming out of her lips did something to me.

I pushed off the desk, drawing to my full height, so I towered over her, my hands slid into the pockets of my pants, it was more to stop my itching fingers from grabbing her and shaking her to her senses

“What did you say?”

“I want you Elion" she repeated, no traces of hesitation in her voice. “I want your cooperation if this relationship between us is going to work”

My lips thinned, my fingers in my pocket balled into a fist “You broke the rules. You dared to leave the penthouse without my permission. You show up at my office without informing me first and now you're asking for my cooperation?” Each word came out dangerously lower than the last.

She lifted her chin stubbornly. “Yes”

A tsunami of feelings washed over me. Amusement, shock, rage, unbelief

“You must be more delusional than I thought,” I responded after a long pause.

She didn't yield. Didn't flinch, just stared back at me with those unholy eyes. Making me feel more emotions than I've ever experienced in my lifetime put together

That alone pissed me the fûck off

“I’m not asking for your nonexistent affection,” she said, her voice steady despite the way her fingers trembled slightly at her sides. “You don't have a human heart, you can't give what you don't have”

The word pierced through me like a sharp blade. I gazed at the city's skyline, dragging in a breath to stifle the discomfort in my chest. My voice was suddenly gravelly “And so?”

“I’m asking for something.... reasonable. Practical.”

“Practical” I echoed, still not over the sharp sting that she caused me seconds ago

“Yes.” Her bold gaze didn’t shake. “You want control. You want the world to think that you've got your life in order. You want the business and finance sector to believe that you are a man with full control” she paused deliberately

My fingers flexed “And?”

“And I can ruin all of that for you”

Something inside of me snapped. Of course, this was her true colours. This was who she was

“You wouldn't dare”

She hid her trembling fingers behind her back, not fast enough for me not to notice “So you assume. But you need me Elion, You do. If you break this engagement now, the whole world will laugh at you, people will talk, they'll be rumours in the tabloids. Your reputation wouldn't survive a second hit”

A low, menacing hiss wrenches out of me, red dots of rage scattered across my vision “Careful now. Don't fùcking push me”

Loretta swallowed, fear evident in her face but she didn't yield to it “If you don't want that, you'll agree to some of my own terms”

My teeth ground so hard together, I could hear the sound in every corner of my office “What do you want? Money?”

Her lips parted, and I could swear she was hurt by my question, but she shook her head and that look was gone

“I don't want your money. I want a place by your side. In your company”

If she didn't have my attention before, now she does. Fully.

I stepped forward, closing the space between us to a hair's breadth “This has to be a joke"

“I’m not asking.” Her voice dropped slightly softer, “I’m your fiancée whether we like it or not and people are watching us. Your partners. Your competitors. The press. The entire state” she breathed before continuing “If I'm invisible in your affairs, no one would believe our relationship is real. I was the manager of my father's company for a long time, it doesn't make sense that I have no position in yours”

I hated that she was right

“But if people see me being present around you," her voice was now a whisper. A soft, curling whisper “It strengthens our image”

I said nothing, mulling over it. Calculating and contemplating

“Let me work with you,” Loretta pressed on. “Allow me to sit in meetings, let me be useful to you”

My jaw couldn't stop ticking “You won’t last a week.”

A challenging glint sparked up in her eyes, making them blaze beautifully “Try me”

We were so close that I could feel her bated breath, the soft rise and fall of her chest. My hand found the curve of her face before I could stop myself, stroking her cheek with more carefulness than I possessed “You’re playing a very dangerous game, Rea.”

Loretta's breath hitched, her glossy lips parted “Let me decide that" she said almost breathlessly

A slow, dangerous smile tugged at the corner of my mouth.

“Congratulations,” I smirked “You just made your life a lot harder.”

She smiled back at me, a small sweet smile that made her entire face transform into something too magnificent to be real “We'll see about that”