Chapter 003

Chapter 003

Celeste's POV

I arrived at the highest floor and immediately went to the secretary table.

"You need to submit these yourself." As soon as she said this, I braced myself and planted a gentle knock.

"Come in." I heard his voice and I slowly entered, I locked the door softly so I wouldn't call attention since he never looked up.

I dropped the files gently on his desk and my eyes landed on his name stand, "Courtney Troy Anderson."

It made sense, the only son of wealthy business moguls in an inherited company from his grandparents being the favourite grandson, what could he possibly know about suffering?

"What team is working on these?" He asked with his gaze fixed on the contents of the documents and I liked it, the fact that he didn't look up at me.

"Team 5, we're handling this Year's World surveys." As soon as I spoke, he looked up... Like he recognized my voice and the moment he saw me, his face looked... Curious.

"Celeste Jackson?" He asked and I pinched the skin on my palm, he even remembered my name.

"Yes sir." I hoped he wouldn't bring last night up but he slowly stood up and stared at me closely.

"Are you okay?" He suddenly asked, trying to see my eyes through the dark glasses and the scarf that barely covered my face.

"Yes sir... I'm absolutely..."

"You have a bruise." He asked and my heart raced faster each second his face moved closer to mine.

"No sir, it's nothing I..."

He pulled the scarf and before I could react, the glasses went away too.

The tears I had held in rolled down slowly and I quickly wiped my face and immediately picked up the scarf.

He was dumbfounded, I could tell since he fell silent for a while like he was searching for words.

"Did someone hit you?" He asked and I shook my head slowly knowing it would be hard to explain the tears falling against my command.

"No sir, I slipped and I fell and..."

"Did your husband do this?" His voice was colder and his face? I could tell he was angry.

Anyone would feel enraged, but the truth? It would only ruin me more, I felt embarrassed

"No he didn't, it has nothing to do with you so please just sign the files so I can leave."

I wiped my face and stared down at the files avoiding his gaze.

"But you're hurt..."

"Please just... Let me go." I thought begging him would help but he reached for his office telephone and typed in numbers, I knew what he was about to do. I knew he was trying to query Alan and that shouldn't happen, it would ruin me.

"Please don't! Just please... Pretend you never saw this." I held his hand to stop him and his eyes fell on my wrist, there was a slight cut on it.

"Is that what you really want?" He asked and it took a while but I eventually nodded.

"You still want to protect that monster?" He finally dropped the phone and sat down.

"You don't understand, he's my husband."

He never looked at me again, maybe he couldn't, maybe he just choose not to.

He signed them hurriedly and didn't say a word till I left.

I was a bit relieved but I was scared, if Alan knew about it, he would kill me.

When I got to my desk, there was a small pastry order.

It was a big slice of cake with a note on top, "enjoy."

I thought it was from Alan, maybe he felt guilty and decided to apologize.

I ate it and it was a relief since i never had breakfast.

I finished up at work and when I got to the garage, Alan was standing with Stephanie.

"Stephanie's car broke down, I'll drop her home first. You should use a taxi." He said to me coldly and drove off without glancing at me.

I waited by the roadside waiting for a taxi when a car pulled over by my side, I didn't know who it was until he slid down the window.

The CEO, again.

It felt like fate was determined on ruining my life by making me get involved with someone like him.

"I'll drive you home." He said and I shook my head.

"No thanks, I'm waiting for a taxi."

"It's going to rain very soon, are you sure you don't want to get in?"

I had no other choice since it started to drizzle.

He immediately turned off the AC after taking just one look at me, it was surprising. How he noticed quickly something Alan had never noticed for 4 years, how I never had to fight my demons to tell him I was cold.

"Thank you." I murmured softly and he just smirked.

"You're welcome."

The drive was quiet and slow and he put on some slow song.

"What type of songs do you like?" He asked, attempting to change it.

"I think this is fine." I said and he smiled at me before looking back at the road, I realized I had smiled back too late, it was surprising knowing I haven't smiled so genuinely in a long time.

My phone beeped and a message popped up.

"I won't be home tonight, don't stay up." It was a text from Alan, he must've stayed with Stephanie.

It was supposed to hurt knowing why he went with her but i breathed a sigh of relief and he seemed to notice.

"Have you had dinner yet?" He asked and I didn't refuse when he offered.

I expected a decent restaurant but he took me to an expensive bakery and that surprised me since he seemed to have mistaken my love for such things.

"You like cakes, don't you?" He asked and I wondered if he meant it in a good way or it was simply insulting.

"Not really, I just like sweet things since I'm usually not allowed to have them at home." I didn't realize I shouldn't have said that but he seemed to be chill about it.

"Why is that?" He asked another question that felt hard to answer so I just tried to sugarcoat it.

"I need to lose weight since my body type is not commonly accepted and it's embarrassing to..." I stopped there and immediately ate some of the cake I was served.

"Who told you that?" His eyes suddenly lit up, like he was angry and I'd never met a man who looked angry on my behalf.

"Isn't it a fact? Everyone thinks that."

"I don't know who convinced you about that but There's absolutely nothing wrong with your body..." He paused, his eyes blinking hard like he said something he shouldn't have.

"You look perfectly healthy to me." He said and I smiled softly.

He bought me another doughnut and made them pack it for me to take home.

The ride home was fun, it wasn't loud but it was quiet, because I knew someone thought I was human and for the first time in my life, I believed it.

He dropped me off at the gate and extended his phone to me.

"Give me your personal number." I was shocked and at a loss for word.

"What?"

"Don't take it the wrong way, I just want to have it as an employee and boss relationship."

I typed it in anyways and went into the mansion but the moment I stepped in, my entire body froze.

Alan's car was parked in the garage and the lights were on.

I immediately checked my phone and saw bunch of missed calls from him and also text messages.

"Plans canceled, I'll be home in ten."

"Why aren't you home?"

"Did you go somewhere?"

"Celeste! If you don't come in five, you're dead."

The messages were tons and I knew I was fucked.

When I stepped into the living room, the box fell from my hand and the donut rolled out.

Alan was sitting on the couch, waiting for me with his belt in hand.

He grinned as soon as he saw me.

"Come over here, I'll make it quick."