CHAPTER 18: Duties

Elias

I stood at the bottom of the grand staircase and waited. The house was entirely quiet. It was the way I preferred it. Order, structure, and absolute predictability. Unless something or someone is missing.

And then the heavy front doors opened.

The sound of laughter drifted into the quiet foyer. It was a light, carefree sound. It echoed off the marble walls, bright and completely unchecked.

I had never heard her laugh before.

She walked into the house with Emrys. They were standing close together. He was carrying several large shopping bags, and she was smiling up at him.

A sharp spike of annoyance hit my chest the exact second I saw them. My jaw clamped down. I told myself it was purely a matter of protocol.

She was a highly valuable asset. She was the key to the contract we had just initiated last night. The entire future of my legacy depended on her remaining safe and secure.

My tightly controlled environment had a crack in it, and I did not like it. I hated when things did not go exactly according to my schedule.

Their laughter died instantly when they saw me standing there.

Sybil stopped walking. Her smile vanished. The sudden nervousness in her dark eyes was obvious. Emrys stopped beside her. He just sighed, clearly annoyed that I was disrupting his good mood.

"Where exactly have you been?" I asked.

"I took her shopping," Emrys said easily. He walked forward and set the shopping bags down on a side table.

"You took her off the premises," I said. "During business hours. Without prior authorization."

"She works for the executive floor, Elias," he bit out. "She is not a prisoner."

"She manages the schedule for the top floor," I corrected him. "She does not leave her desk unless she is instructed to leave."

Emrys crossed his arms over his chest. He did not back down. "You work her to the bone. I walked past her desk and she looked like she was ready to pass out. Someone needed to make sure she actually saw the sun today. You forget that people need breaks."

"Her schedule is not your concern."

"It is my concern when an employee looks miserable," he retorted. "I authorized a break and we went into the city."

I looked at the expensive shopping bags sitting on the table. He took her out and spent his money on her.

"I already provided her with a wardrobe," I stated.

"You provided her with corporate uniforms," he chuckled. "Gray skirts and white shirts. She represents this family now. I made sure she actually has something decent to wear to the charity events next month. She cannot greet international clients looking like she just walked out of a temp agency."

I looked at Sybil. She was standing quietly behind Emrys, clutching her purse with both hands. She looked completely out of her depth, caught between two opposing forces.

"Mr Stavros," Sybil started. Her voice was quiet, but she forced herself to speak up. "I finished the European logistics brief before I left. I forwarded the emails to your secure inbox. I made sure the desk was covered."

"I did not ask for a status report on your inbox," I said.

"I am just trying to explain that I did not abandon my job," she said. "Emrys insisted I take a break. I thought it was okay."

"You left the building without telling me."

"I ordered her to go," Emrys cut in, his tone finally losing its playful edge. "Do not blame her for following my directions. She was doing what she was told."

I looked at Emrys. I knew exactly what he was doing. He was testing boundaries. He was trying to figure out why I moved a new assistant into the estate.

He did not know about the contract, and he did not know what happened in my office yesterday. He just saw a beautiful woman and decided to play a game.

I was going to shut his game down immediately.

"We are done discussing this," I said to him. I turned my attention back to Sybil. "Leave the bags there. Follow me to my study. We have an immediate schedule review."

Sybil nodded quickly. "Yes, sir."

I turned around and walked down the corridor. I heard her small heels clicking against the floorboards right behind me as I walked into my private study. It was a large room with walls lined with books, a desk, and thick curtains drawn over the windows.

She stepped into the room after me.

I pushed the doors shut and she flinched slightly at the sound.

I turned around to face her. The professional distance I maintained in the foyer slipped just a fraction. I was no longer playing the role of the strict boss reprimanding an employee in front of an audience. I needed to reestablish my control over the situation.

I walked slowly toward her.

Sybil took a step backward. She gripped the strap of her purse with both hands. "I am sorry for leaving without telling you. I really did think it was okay since he insisted. I will not let it happen again."

I did not care about the emails or the schedule.

I took another step. She took another step back. Her shoulders hit the solid wood of the locked door. She had nowhere else to go.

I stepped directly into her personal space. I placed my hands flat against the door, one on either side of her head, caging her in completely.

I looked down at her face. Her cheeks were flushed. Her dark eyes were wide and filled with nervous energy.

I remembered the sound of her laughing in the foyer. I convinced myself I was merely curious. Emrys was unpredictable. I needed to know exactly what he was plotting and what he had said to her.

"What were you laughing about?" I asked quietly.

She blinked in confusion. "What?"

"When you walked through the front doors," I said. "You were laughing with him. What did he say to you?"

"He just told a joke," she stammered.

"A joke."

"Yes. A joke."

I leaned in closer. My chest brushed against hers and she sucked in a sharp breath, pressing herself flat against the wood.

The physical pull between us flared instantly. I could smell the faint scent of the boutique on her clothes, layered over her own natural vanilla scent.

"Did he touch you?" I asked.

Her eyes widened even further. "No. I mean, he just guided me through a door. That is all."

"He guided you."

"Yes."

I stared into her eyes. My jaw ticked. Emrys only played with things until he got bored. I needed to make sure she understood exactly where she belonged and who was in charge of her time.

My voice dropped to a dangerous whisper.

"Tell me the truth, Sybil," I asked. "Do you prefer my brother's company to your actual duties?"

She stared up at me, entirely breathless and unable to form a single word in response.