Chapter 2- Face to Face with my ruin

Time freezes.

Earth stops spinning.

And my heart sinks down to hell as those mysterious green eyes look back at me and I recognise him. Dakota.. A brooding beast in the form of a man.

Slide show of my disturbing past plays in the theater of my head and suddenly my muscles contract in panic as he narrows his eyes in vex as if he recognised me.

He had a perfect life.

They called him Alpha.

And now he is slowly standing while watching me with those toxic green eyes that burn on my flesh. Hair pricks under my clothes and I can feel my height sinking low as if my six senses sensed danger.

Cough

I look back at the secretary who is waiting for me to step in while she still holds the door. A part of me wants to flee away from his cabin, his building, his life coz the way his gaze hardens at me, I know he is not pleased to see me here or alive.

"Please. Come in." His deep voice echoes in the cabin and I shudder feeling the nostalgia. My body still remembers the spine-chilling shivers it used to get with just his voice.

I pull my lips up in a forceful smile and shove my scared ass inside. My heart shrieks as I take every step into his cabin which feels like entering a deadly animal's den. A ferocious one.

His cabin alone is bigger than my classroom. It is wide and spacious with a wall completely missing. Instead, a transpicuous glass covers the missing space from floor to the ceiling, giving the bewitched view of East-Seattle from here.

And to its corner, a mahogany table is decorated with black glassy top and behind is an executive chair of black leather that shrieks of dominance, saying whoever sits here holds the maximum power in the room.

His long legs stride towards me attentively and he actions at the couch in front of him. "Please, have a seat."

My trousers tighten slightly as I sit on his L-shaped grey sofa that feels more expensive than my kidneys.

He sits back in his chair that is higher than his head and watches me keenly. I recall the etiquettes and cross my right leg on top of my left. Wait, was it left leg on the right or...

"Are you not comfortable sitting there?" I look up to his prudent eyes as I hear his deep intimidating voice again. "Do you want to sit in a chair?"

He opens his suit's button as he stands up from his executive chair. That is the only chair in the room.

"No. No. I was just settling." I smile shyly as if he was offering his lap rather than the chair. I just have two legs and I got confused between the right and left. Imagine if I was an octopus.

Focus on the interview!

I warn my brain to stay on track while I open the notepad and look for the questions I came here to interview him with. I never knew his last name was Black.

Just like him..

I push a loose lock away from my eyes and press the play button on the small remote in my hand. Green light glows on the device and I keep it on the small glass table in front of me. Still scared to look up into those eyes that sway with dominance.

But I look up, courageously. Stare into his predatory gaze and acknowledge his imperial presence in the room.

"Mr. Black."

I nod as a cue to tell him I am ready.

Dakota presses on the telepad screen on his desk and says, "Bring a coffee for Mr. Stone."

All while keeping his eyes on me.

My heart does a sudden thump and goes absolutely silent.

I didn't even tell him my name and it surprises me that he still remembers it.

I gulp my fake confidence and read the first question from the notepad. "How come an undergrad major, IT aspirant could build a company that is overpowering the old timers in industrial science? What is your secret?"

And suddenly I want to know as well. If the magazine wanted to interview him so badly, it is obvious he didn't make his living sitting sexily behind a desk.

"There is no secret. It's intelligence having fun with creativity." He starts with Einstein's famous quote and continues, "Keeping up with the technology and discovering new innovations is the key element to stand out in any market. Having faith in the future execution of the company is terms of valuation is another important aspect." He spells every word confidently, and I nod looking for another question.

Suddenly, the door opens and I pull my eyes from his punishing gaze as the blondie with a high bun walks in with a cup of coffee. "Thank you." I thank her for other reason and take a breath of relief. I am so dead. Dead like T-rex.

It was hard to breathe being with him in the same room and now that he is sitting so close to me, my heart forgets to beat. When I crowd up the courage to look at him, he is already staring at me.

Last time I looked into his eyes this close, they were sad and I left him broken. But today, they appear fierce, and look boldly back at me with a glint of supremacy that can be only confused with arrogance.

While he talks about his work proudly, I couldn't help but notice how compelling his personality is. He is a perfect epitome of a passionate man who wants to change the world with his intelligence.

But other than his great mind, Dakota possesses a captivating figure. His black hair, as thick and lustrous as fox fur is cut short in layers with his dusky beard trimmed along to his strong jawline that gives him a manly look.

My eyes slide to his green orbs that burn brightly as he looks at me, deadpan and I realize he stopped speaking a minute ago. "Oh, yes. Um.." I turn away immediately, feeling embarrassed of being caught staring at his million dollar face.

But the awareness continues to spread over my skin, heating it so intensely that I know he is still looking at me. My fingers fidget through the pages and I read out any random question..

"Your honesty about not being involved in any illegal police case…Are your claims about your track record holds true?"

Only to realize it too late..