Read with BonusRead with Bonus

FOUR

At exactly 1:55 p.m., Yalda elegantly rose to her feet, holding a tablet and a folder. Her gaze flickered to the door of Alexander's office just as it opened smoothly, revealing him standing there, looking perfectly ready for the meeting he had in five minutes.

She waited for him to walk up to her desk before handing him the folder containing the papers he would need. She didn't hold his gaze as he took the folder from her; she was in no mood to look into his eyes and find that demeaning look that was never far off.

"You look sleepy, Yalda," he said to her as he began making his way to the conference room.

She followed closely, and as she did, she realized that she was struggling to keep up with his strides; she was exhausted.

"I'm not," she raised her voice to sound energetic.

"No?"

She nodded though he wasn't looking at her.

"No," she confirmed.

Nothing more was said as they stepped into the elevator. They waited for the door to slide shut with the too-familiar ping. She hadn't expected him to say anything, and she hadn't expected him to suddenly back her against a wall.

He placed his hand on the wall just beside her head, completely sandwiching her and taking away what sense of freedom she had.

Her breath faltered as she stood staring up at him, her heart hammering against her chest. The intoxicating fragrance of his cologne snaked its way into her nostrils, and she subconsciously dragged in a deep and shuddering breath.

"You don't listen, do you?" he asked her. He spoke in a low and almost predatory voice that made her body shudder sweetly.

"Sir...?" she stuttered. She wasn't quite sure what this was about.

"I told you to rest before coming to the office today," he reminded her. "Was that so difficult to understand?"

She swallowed a small lump that had suddenly formed in her throat as she lowered her gaze from his.

"I did," she told him.

He shook his head. "Did you?" he asked her.

Her gaze darted around uncertainly, but she forced herself to nod.

He chuckled, a humorless sound that sent a chill down her spine.

"So you want your limits pushed farther?" he said. "Noted."

Her eyes widened alarmingly, and she began shaking her head quickly.

She wanted to plead her case, but she knew he would hear nothing of it. Not when they were in an elevator that would stop anytime soon.

"Once the meeting is concluded, I want you to return to the penthouse and get as much sleep as you need," he said. "Do you understand?"

She nodded immediately.

He shook his head. "Do you understand, Yalda?" he asked again.

There were a lot of things he disliked; nonverbal responses happened to be top of the list.

She cleared her throat quietly before replying, "I understand."

"Good."

He backed away from her, and it was as though he had never been there. She pushed herself off the wall and smoothed out the nonexistent creases on her blouse just as the elevator came to a halt and the doors slid open smoothly.

She tried her best not to appear as flustered as she was; everyone would be watching once she stepped out of the elevator.

She followed Alexander as he stepped out and determinedly headed toward the conference room, and she realized she was struggling to keep up with him anymore; she was either too pumped with adrenaline, or he had lessened the pace of his strides.


Taking her seat beside Alexander, Yalda couldn't help how her jaw clenched in irritation upon sighting Maya Blackwood, one of the company's many business associates. She was a tall and slender woman with perfect curves, nothing less than 5'7". Her perfect hair seemed to be the most captivating feature she had: dark, rich brown, falling in loose waves down her back, with subtle highlights that caught the light.

Or perhaps it was her deep green eyes, or her smooth, creamy skin. Or perhaps it was simply all of her.

She was a poised woman with impeccable intellect, but Yalda had no love or respect for her. Not when she had been fucked on Alexander's bed countless times; the exact same bed she had become accustomed to.

Just looking at her had bile rising to her throat.

She knew she was probably being jealous or even petty. She knew her annoyance was supposed to be directed at Alexander, but there was truly nothing she could do; it was no business of hers if he fucked his associate from time to time, an associate who happened to be the widow of one of the richest and oldest men in the country.

It was obvious that she was a greedy and cunning woman who wanted to be with Alexander only for his fortune. It was also no business of hers since Alexander was no fool; he knew Maya better than she did in every aspect.

Maya's gaze met hers briefly, and she offered her a saccharine sweet smile as she settled down completely.

The meeting they were about to have was to finalize a deal, and that meant they would be seeing much of Maya Blackwood around. She wasn't supposed to care much; after all, every now and then she needed a break from being Alexander's toy, but yet she found herself seared with jealousy until her throat constricted almost painfully.

She couldn't wait for the meeting to be concluded so she could leave.

She cleared her throat quietly as she focused her gaze on the tablet she was holding. If she kept on thinking about Maya, she would end up being distracted from her task, and she very well couldn't risk that.

She had somehow managed to upset Alexander already, fucking up her notes would only make things worst. Yes, he didn't care much about her being his secretary; he could always replace her when he wanted, but that didn't mean he would be chill with her mistakes. Plus, she valued her job deeply.

As it was the only decent and dignified  connection between her and Alexander.
Previous Chapter
Next Chapter