Chapter 6

What Sara said only made me even more nervous. That’s why I became more determined not to run into my boss.

Because I was pretending to feel weak, I didn’t join Sara when she invited me to have lunch outside. I told her I’d eat in the pantry instead, just so I wouldn’t go far. I needed to keep up the act—so if there was anything I had to bring to my boss that afternoon, I could leave it to her.

I ended up eating alone, feeling a little down, since almost all of my colleagues went out for lunch. A new restaurant had just opened across the company, so they decided to check it out.

I was sipping my coffee while heading back to my table when I noticed a woman walking toward me. She was dressed in an expensive suit. I knew because my mom had similar ones and had told me how much they cost.

“Excuse me, Miss. Where’s the office of Engr. Ferrer?” she asked as she scanned the area.

I paused for a moment before answering. “Ma’am, I think you’re in the wrong place. There’s no Engr. Ferrer here.” I gave her a polite smile.

She frowned. “Are you sure? I was told he transferred his office here.”

“There really isn’t, ma’am,” I said, trying to reassure her.

“Seriously? Engr. Alaric Ferrer? CEO of Helexion Pharma?” She raised a brow, obviously not believing me.

My lips parted when she mentioned a name that sent a chill through me. Was she talking about Satan? Did she mean Alaric—the Alaric I know? And wait, she called him an engineer? Not just an engineer, but a CEO? Of Helexion Pharma? The leading pharma company in this country?

Is this a joke?

I couldn’t answer. Because it was impossible that she meant Alaric Satanas. If it was really him, then why was he my boss? It’s not that I believe he’s a CEO, but let’s say he is—why would he be my boss when my project isn’t even related to drugs or anything about pharma? And if he really is a CEO, why is he here in our department? I’m not complaining about our workplace, but there’s nothing fancy here. Just simple desks and chairs for employees like me, and simple rooms for bosses.

There are plenty of Alarics in the world. But I went still when I realized—I never even bothered to find out my boss’s last name. The nameplate on his desk belonged to my previous supervisor, so I had no idea what his full name was. What if he really was Satan himself?

“Hello! Are you listening?” the woman suddenly snapped me out of my thoughts.

I blinked and shook my head. There was no way that man could be a CEO. He had no manners. Not qualified to be a CEO!

It was a good thing our supervisor was heading our way. I wanted to hide because I wouldn’t know what to say if he asked about the project, but he had already noticed me—standing with the woman looking for the CEO.

“Umm… excuse me, where’s Engr. Ferrer’s office? I was told he transferred here,” the woman asked him. She didn’t even wait for him to come closer.

My supervisor smiled at her. “Yes, ma’am, his office is here.” He gestured toward Alaric’s office.

There’s no way!

“Why on this floor? Why not the upper floor?” the woman asked in a snobbish tone. She glanced around, one eyebrow slightly raised.

“I don’t know, ma’am. He chose to stay on this floor,” my previous supervisor replied politely. “I also can’t quite understand why the CEO of Helexion Pharma would choose to have his office here.”

I blinked repeatedly at what I was hearing.

“He gave up his huge office just to stay here?” I heard the woman say as my supervisor escorted her toward Alaric’s office.

My feet nearly gave out. I stared blankly at them as they walked toward Alaric’s office. I couldn’t believe it. There was no way!

I couldn’t take in what I had just learned. I had only been pretending to feel weak earlier, but now it felt like I was really about to come down with a fever. I asked for permission to leave again. HR agreed, probably because they could see I wasn’t in my right state of mind.

I was in the elevator on my way down to the ground floor when the doors suddenly opened. My heart slammed against my chest when I saw who was stepping in. It was Alaric. There was no one else inside. Just us. I couldn’t suddenly get out because what reason would I even give?

He stared at me intensely as he walked toward me. I didn’t know what to do. When he stood beside me, I couldn’t even move.

I heard him chuckle.

“Seraphina,” he called in his raspy voice.

My heart skipped a beat. I didn’t look at him or speak.

He stepped in front of me and faced me. I managed to step back, my back hitting the elevator wall.

“Look at me,” I heard him say, mockery laced in his tone.

“You didn’t go to work yesterday because of the kiss?” he asked arrogantly. “And why didn’t you bring those files yourself, huh? Were you embarrassed?”

I didn’t speak. Not when I knew he had the power to actually fire me. Not after learning that he was indeed Engr. Alaric Frost Ferrer—the CEO of Helexion Pharma. I was sure now; I had searched it on the internet.

Because of my complete silence, I felt his fingers grip my chin, and then he crushed his lips against mine.

My eyes widened. I tried to push him away, but I couldn’t. I was even more terrified when I noticed the CCTV inside the elevator.

A wide grin spread across his face when he pulled away from the kiss. He even wiped my lower lip, as if checking whether some lipstick had smudged.

“I approve your proposal. You can now start the project,” he said as the elevator doors opened.

…