5. The Ensnaring Scent

The meeting dragged on like a slow torture. I stood in the corner of the room, clutching the resignation letter inside my skirt pocket, which now felt like evidence of a crime. Every so often, those sharp hawk-like eyes glanced at me, as though making sure his prey wasn't about to leap out the window.

"Focus, Fay," I whispered to myself.

But my concentration shattered the moment Aaron's deep voice took over the room. "Stop the presentation."

The room fell silent. The marketing manager, who had been speaking, froze.

"Everyone leave. Except Fay," he ordered, making my eyes widen in shock.

My coworkers exchanged confused glances but didn't dare object. One by one, the meeting participants hurried out of the room. Within moments, the large conference room was empty.

Only Aaron, me, and the horrifying truth inside my womb remained.

Aaron was still seated in his executive chair. He didn't move, only stared straight at the large window overlooking the city. The silence between us felt suffocating, far more terrifying than any confrontation I had ever faced.

"Come here, Fay."

His voice broke the silence. It wasn't loud, yet it carried a command that was impossible to ignore.

I walked toward him, every click of my shoes against the marble floor sounding like the frantic beating of my heart on the edge of death. I stopped beside his desk, keeping what I hoped was a safe distance of about a meter, though it felt like an immeasurable abyss.

"Mr. Aaron...." My voice trembled, worse than I had imagined.

"I already told you. Call me Aaron."

"Y-Yes, Aaron," I stammered.

He slowly turned his chair. His gaze settled directly on my eyes. Sharp, probing, and filled with emotions I couldn't understand.

"What did you want to tell me?" he asked flatly. His eyes flicked toward my skirt pocket, as though his hawk-like gaze could see through the fabric and read the letter inside.

This was the moment. If I didn't leave now, I might never be able to leave.

I took a deep breath, ignoring the wave of nausea that suddenly hit my stomach, then pulled out the envelope with trembling hands.

"I ... I want to give you this." I placed the letter on his desk. "I want to resign. Effective today."

Silence.

Aaron didn't immediately pick up the letter. Instead, he stared at the white envelope as though it was the most disgusting thing he had ever seen. His jaw tightened, and I could have sworn I heard a low growl escape his throat, a sound that didn't resemble anything a normal human could make.

"Resign?" Aaron repeated, his voice dropping into a dangerously low hiss.

"Y-Yes. I think ... the personal assistant position isn't right for me. I want to look for a fresh start outside the city," I lied, trying to hide the fact that I was actually running away from him.

Suddenly, Aaron stood up so quickly that I didn't even have time to blink. Before I could step back, he was already standing in front of me. He grabbed the letter, glanced at it briefly, then with one rough motion tore the envelope into two pieces, then four, until nothing remained but tiny scraps scattered across the floor.

"Aaron!" I cried in shock.

"You think you can just leave after what happened that night?" he whispered.

His face was now only inches from mine. The scent of a forest after the rain enveloped my senses, making my head spin and my heart pound.

I clenched the edge of my skirt until my knuckles turned white. "I'm just an intern. I don't think this environment is right for me either. My resignation is perfectly reasonable."

"Reasonable?" He let out a low chuckle that sounded more like mockery than laughter. "Resigning right after that night without saying a single word? To me, Fay, there's nothing reasonable about that."

He then circled around me like a predator assessing the weaknesses of its prey.

Every footstep made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, and I could feel his piercing gaze sweeping across my nape. There was something strange about the way he moved, so calm, yet concealing explosive strength. I felt as though I were trapped in a confined room with a wild beast disguised as a man.

"You're leaving because you're afraid," he continued. His voice was softer now, yet even more threatening.

"N-No, I'm not afraid," I replied, trying to deny it, even though I knew fear had wrapped itself tightly around me.

"Liar," he whispered gently right behind my neck, instantly sending a subtle jolt of electricity across my skin. "I can hear your heartbeat from here. It's fast and completely out of rhythm."

He closed the distance between us until I could smell the intoxicating scent of his body. That masculine fragrance awakened the passionate memories I desperately wanted to bury.

"Your scent hasn't changed, Fay," he whispered softly, as though speaking to himself. "Sweet, like rain during the dry season."

"What do you mean? Please let me go." My voice shook violently.

"Go? After what we went through that night?" He took a strand of my hair and inhaled it deeply. "You think it's that easy to leave something that's already been marked?"

I flinched, my heart pounding wildly at his choice of words.

Marked? What did he mean?

The sentence sounded so possessive, as though I were an object or a territory he had permanently claimed. My mind searched for a logical explanation behind his words. Maybe it was just a figure of speech from a powerful man accustomed to owning everything, but the way he said it felt much deeper, far more binding, and far more real than the empty intimidation of a powerful CEO.

His gaze lowered, settling directly on my still-flat stomach. His eyes gleamed, no longer black, but flashing with a golden light that sent chills through my entire body.

I gasped, my hands instinctively covering my stomach.

"There's something left between us, isn't there?" His face was now only a few centimeters from mine. "Something that belongs to me, something you've been trying to run away with."

My heart nearly stopped.

How could he possibly know? I had only just learned this secret, and my mother was the only other person who knew.

"I don't understand what you mean," I said, terrified beyond words.

"Don't try to fool me, Fay," he growled. His golden eyes seemed to burn into my face. "My instincts are never wrong. I can feel something pulsing in there, something that came from me."

A faint smile curved his lips. It wasn't a warm smile, but one of absolute certainty.

"You're not going anywhere, Fay. You won't be able to, with the secret you're carrying inside you."

"Why are you doing this? Please, let me go, Aaron!" I cried desperately, trapped between fear and the nausea that had returned.

I tried to push against his chest, but my hands met nothing but a hard, warm wall, as though I were trying to move solid stone.

"Because you're already bound to me, Fay," he replied. "You belong to me. And so does whatever is inside you."

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