CHAPTER 6

Charisse

I need to pull away. Can’t have another man kissing me. I’m Val’s woman. I belong to him—. 

But these firm lips, the sweet taste of hot mint and his rhythmic breathing were helping me breathe, and I clutched onto him like he was my oxygen tank. 

He hugged me tightly, those strong arms wrapping and squeezing, and I felt secured, safe. 

Protected. 

I need to get closer—.

But those same lips tore away. Then, bright blue eyes shone worriedly at me. 

“Charisse, are you alright?” 

His deep voice returned, clear again. 

Fresh air was gushing in too fast. But it was better than being choked. Seeing how worried he looked, I quickly nodded to reassure him. 

He helped me to the couch then brought me a cup of warm chamomile tea. 

“Are you sure you're good?” His brows were knitted so tightly that I felt bad. 

So I quickly nodded. “I'm sorry.” 

His face jerked away to hide his frustration, but I still caught his clenched jaw and found myself disliking it. 

I don’t want him to be angry with me.  

“The next time you apologise to me, be sure to know exactly what you're apologising for, Charisse. Because I don't need charity.”

“I don't mean that, Dorian!” 

He scolded the ground. “Then remember, unless you know exactly what you're sorry for, it will be a donation to the person receiving it.”

“But I don't get it! I don’t get what I did wrong!” 

I sniffed back the tears because this wasn't something worth crying for. 

Finally, he looked me in the eye. “Why?” He shut his eyes to inhale his exasperation then opened again, his gaze still stern. “Why would you keep thinking that you did something wrong?”

“Because you wouldn't look at me!” I sobbed. “And you keep telling me to go away!” 

God, I'm such a crybaby. 

Why is it that when I'm with him, I'm like this?! 

He stared in surprise. Then, a chuckle slipped through.

“It's not funny, Dorian. You can't just hire someone and then ignore them.” 

He brushed my fallen strands away from my face and apologised. 

“I was….” His voice trailed off as those azure orbs studied my face like he’d never seen anything like it before, and my cheekbones were starting to heat up. 

“D–Dorian?” 

He blinked and glanced at his desk. “I was stressed out. That's all.” 

I felt bad for him. 

The stress must’ve been so great that even his cheekbones got burnt. 

I need to get this job right soon so he’d be less stressed out. 

“I’m fine now. I'll read them all by the meeting!” I pointed at the files.

“That's in twenty minutes, are you sure—?” His frown relaxed to a smile, and he got up to move back to his desk. “Alright. Get ready in twenty minutes.”

“Yes, Mr. Vellum!” I rushed over to grab the files, then returned to the couch to peruse them. 

*****

BANG!

The conference table banged in rage, and Frank Monstein—Dorian’s stepuncle and number one enemy—shot an angry finger at Dorian in the chairman’s seat. 

“That’s my proposal, you son of a bitch! You think you can change a couple of numbers and call it yours?!” 

Dorian said nothing until the screen behind him switched to the two proposals that I typed out earlier.

“Yes, Frank. Your proposal’s on the right. Mine, the left.” 

As Frank glowed over Dorian's admission to stealing his idea, I was stunned speechless. 

I thought both were originally Dorian’s: the sloppy one was his first draft, and the well-researched and crafted one his final. 

Maybe I was wrong about Dorian too! He is an Alpha afterall, and they are the kind that would do anything to stay at the top. 

Could he have threatened Val too?! Maybe that's why Val had no choice but to let me work here! 

I stared wide-eyed at my new boss as fearful thoughts consumed my mind when he addressed the board. 

“Gentlemen,” that deep voice spoke calmly, “let it be on the record that Frank came up with the idea.” 

Then, he turned to the older guy and smirked. “But I made it possible. So, I’m sorry, Frank, the New Moon project can’t be yours.”

Frank’s smug grin sagged in bright red embarrassment. 

******

Two hours later, the meeting with the board ended. 

On our way back to the CEO’s office, Dorian explained about the post-meeting work that I need to follow up after every meeting, and I listened intently. 

Crimson Crest tends to move on its own so things change frequently and drastically, and he needs to keep abreast of every up and down. 

He shortened his stride to let me catch up but I stayed three steps behind him. 

When we reached his office, I went straight for my desk, but he caught my wrist. 

“What’s wrong?” he asked with the same concerned knit in his brows. “Are you unwell?” 

This was the Dorian Vellum I know. 

“I think you’re fully capable of coming up with a new idea for the proposal,” I blurted. 

He did say that he wanted someone to be honest with him. So here is my utter honesty.

He let go of me and leaned against his desk. 

“So you think I’ve stolen Frank’s idea and you don’t like it.”

“I also don’t like the smile on your face right now,” I snapped. 

He wasn’t smiling anymore. “What smile am I having?” 

“The kind that’s deceitful and unscrupulous.” 

“So you think I'm corrupt.” He smirked. 

It was the same smirk I saw him throw at Frank earlier, and that pissed me off even more. 

“I think there’s no use in acting nice when you don’t really care,” I murmured. 

His gaze darkened with fury. He was angry and disappointed. 

“Acting? Is that what this looks like to you?” 

Suddenly, Val’s voice echoed like warning sirens: “Be careful, Charisse. Alphas like Dorian Vellum eat naive and gullible Omega sluts like you for breakfast.” 

Instantly, I backed away. “I’m sorry—!” 

“And what the fuck are you sorry for now,” he sighed through gritted teeth. 

“For overstepping! You’re the boss, and I’m just a secretary. I’m in no position to comment.” 

For some reason, that made him more furious.

“I told you, I didn’t hire you to say the things that I want to hear, Charisse.”  

My hip bumped against my desk and, to my huge relief, I realised that I had left something in the conference. 

Before he said the next word, I bolted out of there. 

Stupid, stupid Charisse! 

How could you leave the conference room without that iPad? You were taking the meeting minutes with that thing!

And you dare reprimand the CEO when you can't even get your act together!

I entered the conference room and went straight to my seat. 

But the device was not there. 

Then, the door shut and locked. 

I turned around and Frank Monstein was grinning at me.

In his hand, the iPad that Dorian got for me. 

“Looking for this?”  

That smug grin was worse than Dorian’s. It drove a cold chill down my spine. 

I clutched my phone tighter, my mind working fiercely for means of escape as my mouth moved to greet him cordially.

“Thank you, Mr. Monstein, I’ll take that and be on my way—.” 

He moved the iPad out of my hand’s reach. 

“My nephew does find the prettiest vase for his office.” 

And then, that fear flipped to anger. 

Oh, he did not just call me a ‘pretty vase’.