Like a girl

Valerie stood outside the door of the cabin, looking dazed. She ran out of the cabin after slapping the man inside. Her right palm was still stinging from the slap. The front of her shirt, which he grabbed, still felt heavy. She could still feel his unique perfume lingering in her nose. Her breathing was still not steady.

'What did I just do? I slapped a man whom I met when he was trying to kill someone? If this is not asking for death, I don't know what is' she thought as the realization of what she did washed over her.

"Val? Did my brother come from his meeting? Did you tell him about the guy who bullied you?" Jason arrived while pocketing his mobile, looking very happy. Maybe because of whatever he spoke with Mia. They might have made up; it's possible. But shockingly, that's not what she is worried about.

Whenever Jason was around, he was all she could think about. For the first time, her mind was preoccupied with someone else.

"Val? Did you not speak with my brother?" Jason waved his hand in front of her face when she didn't immediately reply.

"I..." She was yet to process what he was asking over the fear riding inside her head.

"Fine, I will take you inside. My brother can be intimidating as hell." Jason grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back inside the cabin.

"No, Jase..." Her protest died in her throat when her eyes landed on the man who was now looking deadly. If his looks could kill, she would already be ten feet under.

"Brother, she is my friend Valerie. Yesterday, someone from our company bullied her. Please, you have to help her," Jason was saying. But Valerie stopped listening after the word 'Brother'. Her widened impossibly bigger and her mouth hung open in shock.

'Wait, he is Jason's brother?' The realization slammed inside her head like a ton of lead, making her knees go weak. Her heart started to pound so loudly that she couldn't hear anything over it. In slow motion, she saw Jason's brother, whom she now knew as REID OSWALD, rise from his chair and approach her like a predator stalking his prey. Jason let go of her hand and stepped back. She didn't notice Jason walking out to take yet another call from Mia. As Reid Oswald started to erase the distance between them, she started to back away. For every step he took, she took one back until she had nowhere to go. Reid Oswald caged her between his body and the door behind him. This close, her 5 feet 4 inches really felt tiny in front of his 6 feet 2 frame. He was toned, and his intimidating presence felt like it was all around her.

"Valerie, do you know that no one has ever dared to raise their hands at me? Not even my parents. But you did. What should the punishment be?" he asked slowly. He was not shouting or cursing her. He was so calm that it scared the hell out of her.

"M... Mr. Oswald, I am s...sorry. Please forgive me," she begged for his forgiveness. Because she literally saw him when he was trying to strangle someone. She is nothing but a fly in front of him. Even if he killed her, he could make her body disappear without lifting a finger.

He narrowed his gaze and leaned down, almost invading her personal space. He was so close that the front of his suit was brushing the front of her shirt. He pinched her chin, which was small and delicate despite her tomboy style of dressing.

"Why should I?" he demanded.

She knew she didn't have anything he couldn't buy. She is a poor student who is planning for an internship for 2000$ from next month. But he earns millions in a minute. She couldn't come up with anything that could make him forgive her. She looked at him with her lips trembling.

She was always treated like another guy by her friends for as long as she could remember. But in front of him, she felt so weak, and her eyes welled up with unshed tears.

"You cry like a girl. Funny, with this kind of dressing, and those fat tears, it's a buzzkill to negotiate terms with you. Do one thing, come meet me tomorrow in my office, but make sure to dress like a girl. Now you can leave; I have a meeting." With that said, he walked back to his chair as if nothing happened.

But Valerie stood there, still trembling.

"Val? Are you done?" Jason pushed the door open, and she almost lost her footing before she caught herself.

"Y..yeah, done," she lied. She couldn't tell Jason that she actually slapped his brother, and her brother is actually the guy whom she called a bully, either.

'I need to solve this on my own. I cannot get on the bad side of Jason's brother' she decided.

"Great, let's go then. Tomorrow we are going to the Bahamas to celebrate our graduation before we start our careers. You know what's even more exciting, Mia clarified. Turned out it was all just a misunderstanding. She will come with us tomorrow to the Bahamas." Jason kept talking about their trip and Mia. But Valerie was only paying half a mind. Her mind was filled with Reid Oswald and his imposing presence.

'No matter what, even if I have to beg him on my knees, I need to get my wallet back. My IDs and cards are all in that wallet. I can get the cards back, but that wallet is my dad's gift. Moreover, I was wrong to slap him. I should apologize' she decided.