Chapter 14

LORETTA

We left by eight am on the dot

Not a second late. The drive to Fitzpatrick Holdings took about fifteen minutes. That was fifteen minutes of quiet tension and silence

Aside from a handful of questions to which he replied with grunts and unamused stares, we haven't communicated since last night

I don't know if what we had this morning could be called communication though. I arrived at the table for breakfast, greeted Elion to whom he replied with a curt nod, I tried asking about some details of the company. His schedule, staff, and office protocols, but he gave me a deep scowl and that was it

Our conversation ended before it began

Even now, as I sat across from him and watched his skilled hands maneuver the steering wheel, I couldn't help but acknowledge that this attitude affected me more than I wanted it to

I lived most of my life feeling irrelevant, I thought nothing could and would faze me again, but every time Elion frowns at me, every time he shows his displeasure towards me, a part of my stomach caves in on itself

I tell myself that it doesn't matter. I'm not here to please or impress Elion, my mission isn't to get him to soften towards me and show me a little sympathy. No, it was to find out his Grand plans and beat him at his game

Soon, Elion Fitzpatrick would have nothing to hold me back with. I will take his secrets and Sterling's Enterprise would be more powerful than The Fitzpatrick's Holdings

My stomach twisted so violently that I winced

From the overhead mirror, I caught the moment Elion's eyes slid off the road and landed on my face. His brows creased, like I was a maths problem he didn't know whether to solve or disregard

I sat upright, my tongue drying up. Elion's coal-black gaze slid from my face to my body. He was really looking at me for the first time since this morning

Today being my first day at Fitzpatrick Holdings, I was dressed to impress. My black dress fitted my body perfectly, the sweetheart neckline showing off just a tiny winy part of my cleavage. Nothing indecent, but the way his eyes lingered made me feel otherwise

Sweat broke on my skin, the intensity of his look making me several degrees hotter. Unconsciously, I shifted on the seat, involuntarily making my dress hitch higher up my thighs

Elion dragged in a short, sharp breath. His Adams appled bobbed with a swallow. The tension in the car hit the roof, nearly choking me

“Don't do anything that would embarrass me” Elion said out of nowhere, tearing his eyes back to the road.

My nostrils flared at the comment. It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him I was no fool, that I knew my onions when it came to the business and finance but he beat me to it

“I have a meeting with the Elite Group today. And you're going to be seated not just as my fiancée, but as the representative of Sterling's Enterprise on the broad”

My immediate anger was quickly diffused by a strong current of surprise and pride. “Really?” My words came out a little too breezy “You are making me the representative of Sterling's Enterprise on your board?”

Elion scoffed, but it didn't have it's usually ring of mockery “Do I need to say it twice for you to understand?”

I looked out the window for a moment, watching the bustle of early morning Seattle before responding “Is my father aware? Did he approve?”

I held my breath, waiting for his reply. Father would never give me such a big position as to sit on the Elite Group board, representing his’ company

Elion threw an incredulous look my way, the kind one would get when asking dumb questions

“I don't need George's permission to do anything I want to do” he stated matter-of-factly

I nodded twice, fighting a smile from breaking over my lips. I didn't want Elion to see how happy I was to be given a useful, prominent position in his company. I wasn't going to be just dead weight hanging around doing nothing, my presence today mattered, really did

I bit my lips before I allowed my self burst into thanks. We don't do that, thank each other I mean. Neither of us cared about the other person, we were only fulfilling an agenda, right?

Elion pulled into the garage and he stopped the engine, he turned to look at me, gripping a steel lighter in his hands. “Don't make me regret this.”

"I already told you," I chimed, opening the door for myself. “We'll see.”

Fitzpatrick Holdings was a massive skyscraper building with so many floors of a glass tower. My eyes slid from the powerful building to the more powerful man who owned it

My father had been quite rich, he had a few millions and I got to experience an empty life of luxury, but Elion was... different

Elion was a friggin Billionaire. He owned so many properties and assets than should be legal. He no doubt could afford anything he wanted in the world

My knees wobbled slightly.

He led me through his personal elevator in silence, keying in the code to grant him access. I walked beside him, my shoulders squared and my chin high, my heels clicking on the marble floor

The elevator doors took us through the back doors to his office. I observed that everything was built to ensure his privacy and discretion

“You love to avoid your staffs don't you” I half-teased, half-observed “Most CEOs would take the general entrance so their employees get conversant with them, but not you. You chose to have a secret pathway built for yourself” A coy smile danced on my lips “Batman level Sneaky. I like it”

The next thing that happened surprised me to my bones. Elion laughed

He didn't scoff or huff or let out a mocking chuckle

Elion actually laughed, something I could have sworn he was incapable of

The sound was rich, warm, and vibrant. My lips parted, awestruck, and how normal he looked when his features relaxed with hearty laughter

He didn't look like a man who wore exclusively made designer suits, he didn't seem like the untouchable CEO with billions in his possession, he didn't even seem like a man who had fought and defeated the struggles of prison

He just looked like...a man. An unbelievably, handsome young man.

And then, his gaze slid onto mine, the brief warmth that was there instantly disappeared

“Careful, Loretta,” he murmured, voice low and dark. “You’re starting to sound too comfortable around me”