I collapsed on the couch breathing heavily, I kicked off my shoes letting them fall wherever
“Alicia is that you?” mom called out from her bedroom, yes I’m 23 and still living with my parents, don’t judge me.
“Yes it’s me mom” I let out a big sigh as she walked into the living room,
“Looks like you guys had plenty of fun after we left” she smirked at me,
“Well, what do you expect I mean after April left for her honeymoon and then you left… with the bride and mother of the bride gone we really had no other choice but to drink, oh!…I’m gonna feel this tomorrow” I said supporting my now throbbing head in my palms
To tell you the truth I wasn’t drinking only because I was happy that my little sister found her mate and had a mating ceremony before I did, I am happy for her believe me, but I was also drinking because I was like an old spinster at my own sister’s wedding with everyone asking me when my mating ceremony is going to be, I mean how can I have a mating ceremony without a mate? Ja, so that’s why I drank everyone under the table
“My poor baby” mom patted me on the head “I’ll make you some coffee, I nodded, and my head banged like a drum, I laid down on the couch and fished my phone out of my purse
“Aaaahh!, I got it” I jumped up screaming forgetting about my head, but it quickly brought me back down, I hissed and cradled it in my palms, mom rushed in looking nervous
“What the hell is going on?” she snapped
“I got it, here look” I said handing her my phone and laying back on the couch as she read the email out loud
“Congratulations we are pleased to inform you that you have been selected for the position of foreign correspondent for the Keng Company… what?... I didn’t know you applied for this, congrats honey” she said kneeling down next to me and kissing me on the head she slowly stroked my golden-brown hair removing the pins I had keeping it in place,
“Keng Company…where is this place, I’ve never heard of it?” her question made me tense up, because it was far away and I’m not talking about a long commute, I looked at her missing her already, I took a deep breath and answered
“Korea, South Korea” she stopped stroking my hair and her face went white
“mom, are you okay?” she shook her head furiously, stoop up and started pacing up and down making me noxious
“mom, please stop that you’re making me dizzy” she didn’t stop, she looked at me and put her hands on her hips breathing heavily,
“Are you telling me that I’m losing both of my daughters in one day?” she looked like she was having a heart attack and with my headache I couldn’t stand up to comfort her
“You’re not losing me, mom”
“How the hell did you get that job anyway, It’s not like you flew to Korea for the interview” she stopped pacing and looked back at me “wait, did you?”
“No mom, I interviewed through zoom” she scoffed at me and rushed to her room screaming
“Brandon, you need to come out here now!”
“Why?” dad groaned from the other side of the door, I could hear the exhaustion in his voice
“Why? I'll tell you why, your daughter has decided to move to another continent that’s why…”
She continued screaming at dad and I held my head in my hands rushing to my room,
“I can’t do this right now; I will talk to her in the morning when she has calmed down and had time to process everything”.
***
I got off the plane feeling exhausted I took my phone off flight mode and saw twenty missed calls from mom, I groaned and called her back, she had calmed down a bit but when the time came for me to leave she freaked out on me again, April face timed me everyday from her honeymoon, she cried each time saying I'm abandoning her.
“Hi mom, yeah I just landed, yes I will be safe, okay mom my taxi is here…call you later”
I hung up and got in the taxi, I took my phone out and researched again on the company, I was amazed President Keng built this company from the ground up, he started it when he was seventeen, he is twenty-nine now, the article said that he is youngest president of a global company ever, I kept gasping with every line I read
“This guy is incredible"
"and to top it off he is hot as hell” my wolf growled deep within me after being quiet and acting possum for the past five years
“Ha-ha jokes on you… he is married” I snarked at her, to my surprise she got angry and started barking obsessively
“enough, what the hell?” I snapped, she stopped and whimpered softly retreating, I sighed and shook my head
My eyes glanced over the picture of his wife, a tall redhead with a slim figure that looked like a model’s
“oh, she is beautiful” I sighed ignoring the ping in my heart.
I took a quick shower when I got to the medium sized apartment it had a small kitchen, a sitting slash eating area, a bathroom, and a bedroom big enough to fit a twin sized bed, the closet space gave me hope that a solitary life in Korea might not be so bad after all, I dressed for work and rushed out.
“My flight getting delayed really messed me up” I groaned as I pulsed up and down waiting for the bus, Secretary Yeon has been very helpful she gave me all the information I needed, like how to get to the apartment, what the lock combination was and how to get to and from work, I would have definitely been lost without her, the only thing I have to work on now is the language, don’t get me wrong I have been learning but I’m far from being perfect.
I got to the office at noon, got my security tag at security and went to the elevator, my first meeting was with secretary Yeon, and she was on the top floor, the elevator pinged opening to a lonely desk with secretary Yeon siting behind it with big brown double doors reaching the ceiling behind her.
“Good afternoon” I said walking over to her and offering her a small bow, she bowed back and smiled up at me wearing thick glasses, her grey hair wrapped in a neat bun, she was professionally dressed in what I would call grandma cloths. She told me where everything was including which floor my office was on.
“Ping”
the elevator chimed my body froze, the doors opened, my knees got weak, my wolf jumped up wagging her tail.
“Yes I’ve finally found you!” she whispered,
Secretary Yeong’s voice faded in the background, as my body slowly turned to the direction of the intoxicating scent, my breathing stopped and my eyes shot wide open fixed on the unbelievably hot guy in front of me, his dark hair that looked like he had just rolled out of bed but somehow contained, cascading over his forehead landing just above his eyelids, his sexy sideburns defining his porcelain skin, I swallowed looking at his perfect tall frame that his black suite defined so effortlessly, I wanted to run to him and lose myself in his arms, but my feet floated on air, he looked deep into my eyes and didn’t move either,
“Ping”
the elevator doors threatened to close him inside,
“President Keng!” Secretary Yeon gasped standing from her chair, he broke eye contact bringing me back down to earth, he shook his head and stopped the doors just in time
“Good afternoon” he said with a small bow his voice sweet in my ears making me tingle all over, we bowed back
“good afternoon” avoiding eye contact as my heart raced
“President Keng, let me introduce you to Miss Alicia Thompson our new foreign correspondent” my mind became a haze when his dark caramel eyes locked with mine
“Welcome aboard Miss Thompson” he said holding his hand out to me, I took it, sparks of electricity danced up and down my body at his touch, I tried to talk but nothing worked, my body was on total lockdown
“I hope I’ll be seeing more of you” he softly caressed the back of my hand making my knees go numb, his scent intoxicating me, his gaze drawing me in, I drowned in his piercing brown eyes
“he-hem president Keng are you alright” he quickly released my hand and looked at her and them back at me, I let out the gust of air that I had been holding and I felt my cheeks flush, I looked away trying to calm myself.
“Yes, I’m fine” he said awkwardly “so what are you doing today?” we both looked at him not sure if he was talking to me or to Secretary Yeon, he caught the meaning of our confusion and rigidly turned his body away from me making my heart pain, as he faced his secretary
“will you be showing her around today?” his body robotic rigidly trying to look normal, I chuckled softly
“How cute” I said softly under my breath, a small smile formed on his lips
“Yes sir, I will make sure to show her everything” she said enthusiastically
“Don’t forget to show her my office later” my body leaped at his words
“But we’ve never done that sir, are you sure? I mean you must be busy?” his body tensed up and I could feel his anger
“Are you questioning me?” he growled
“Sorry sir, I just meant…” he didn’t let her finish
“Five pm, my office!” he barked
“Enter” his manly voice sending chills down my spine, I walked in and closed the door with secretary Yeong on the other side, I stood at the door looking at my mate as he slowly stroked his chin, his eyes fixed on me, his ring flashed telling me to keep my distance