Perhaps pregnant people were just emotional wrecks.Alanna didn't know how long had passed before a pair of leather shoes stopped before her. Even so, she didn't look up because she didn't want Hades to see her in that miserable state. Not a word came from Hades as he stood before her and watched as she fed the strays. He only spoke when the strays left after they finished eating. "Get up."His voice was gravelly and low with a hint of anger.Alanna wondered if it was because Hades had a tough time with Melanie earlier. She had regained her calm by then, so she looked up at him. "You're back."Hades' eyes narrowed at her. "Were you crying?"Alanna chuckled. "No, it was just some sand that got into my eyes."Hades didn't take her too seriously and was probably asking her that offhandedly. Since Alanna insisted that it was just sand, he nodded. "Are you done feeding the strays? If so, let's head home.""I want to stay here a little longer."Hades' eyes briefly flickered toward

"It's impressive that you're able to slack off, Ms. Jacinto," Hades stated."Apologies. You looked busy earlier," Alanna explained."Indeed. While your boss was drowning in work, you managed to have the time to drink water and enjoy the view. Do you think it's unnecessary to put in work for the salary I'm paying you?""Sorry." Alanna paused before continuing, "Mr. Florentine, may I know when Ms. Smith can start the shoot? I suggest switching her out for someone else if she's unable to recover soon. The new product launches next month. The promotional campaign will get affected if we delay this any longer."Hades finally met her eyes. "That only means you've failed to do your job. As for switching Melanie out, that's impossible. Don't bother considering that route, Ms. Jacinto. We can switch you out for someone else if you feel incapable of completing this task."Alanna's body stiffened. Hades wasn't planning on switching out the person responsible for this project planning. Inst

Little did Melanie expect Hades to chuckle and say, "Indeed. You never had a say in this matter, anyway."That pissed Melanie off so much that she snarled through gritted teeth, "Get her up here. I want to discuss the commercial shoot with her!"Hades no longer looked at her. "You may look for her on your own. Be civil when discussing things instead of throwing your temper tantrums."Melanie huffed before leaving the CEO's office.…Alanna headed for the garden outside the company after leaving the top floor. The garden was specially designed as a space for employees to relax. Once there, Alanna sat beside the pond and felt slightly better. Hades had always been demanding when it came to sex. Because of that, Alanna had a hard time coping with it. Despite always screwing her to extreme exhaustion, Hades would still sometimes feel dissatisfied. That said, he was probably also picky about who he dated. That was why he never sought out another woman, even if Alanna failed t

Melanie didn't return to Hades' office. Instead, she gave him a call before leaving the company. After leaving the company, she made another call. "Dad, find me a pharmacist."…Alanna contacted Melanie's manager again, but nobody answered. She hung up and massaged her temples. It was too obvious Melanie and the manager were deliberately making things difficult for her."What do we do now, Ms. Jacinto? How about you speak with Mr. Florentine again?" Renee suggested.A scoff came from Alanna then. She knew there was no use talking to Hades about it since he'd never put his first love in a difficult position. After a brief silence, Alanna made a phone call that quickly went through. "Mr. Walsh, sorry to disturb you, but our company has a recent collaboration project. I'd like to speak about it with one of your managers, Heidi Zain. However, I don't seem to have her number anymore. Could you ask her to contact me? Yes, okay, thank you. Let's go out for a meal someday. It'll be on

"Why would I be professional? You should already know what's about to happen since you chose to show up today, so quit acting innocent! I doubt Hades has never touched you before!" Blake's arms slithered around Alanna as he kissed her neck. The smell of alcohol on him made Alanna feel sick, and she immediately fought back. "You should just drink as told, Ms. Jacinto. Did you seriously think I didn't notice you swapping your wine for water? Who are you fooling? Huh?" While saying that, Blake picked up a glass of wine and poured it into Alanna's mouth.Alanna paled at once. She wanted to spit the wine out but accidentally swallowed a little out of reflex."You won't even drink the wine. Ms. Jacinto, this isn't the attitude one should have when asking for others' help!"Alanna coughed intensely.Blake grabbed the collar of her shirt and unbuttoned it by force. He unknowingly gulped when he saw her tempting collarbones. Yet, as he leaned down to kiss them, Alanna kicked his thi