Reyansh POV
"I am well aware of who you are, what you are capable of, and what your relationship with Mr. Miller was. And I don't think you can command my respect solely because of your business relationships. Because you must earn my respect; I do not respect based on a person's position or status, and I am not terrified of death, which you might use as a threat to demand respect from me." Her words struck me like a bolt of lightning.
I stood there, feeling a mixture of shock and anger. No one and when I say no one has ever talked to me like that. Her words indicated that she had a clear understanding of who I am and what was my purpose in coming to this company.
But now she has captured my attention because not even my men speak in such a bold and mannerless way to me.
"Do you know what you have just done, Ms Miller? You have ignited a fire that no one was ever dared to ignite before, no one has ever dared to ignite a fire to claim someone, no one has ever ignited a fire to badly teach someone a lesson to never disrespect me. Either you are going to be mine or you are going to regret ever crossing me. Because you know a man with his pride and ego hurt is the most dangerous person walking on this earth " As I spoke, I took a step closer to her, my voice low and threatening, trying to avert my dominance over her. However, instead of being intimidated, she simply raised an eyebrow and met my gaze without flinching. Her confidence and fearlessness only fuelled my desire to possess her.
I couldn't deny it, there was something about her that drew me in.
"Do you know about ALPHA FEMALES, Mr. Rout?" My heart skipped a beat as I heard her question.
I heard of them, of course. But I have never encountered one in person. "I have heard about them but in our society, they are not available in abundance I must say."
I tried to keep my voice calm, not wanting to reveal that her words had rattled me more than I cared to admit.
She let out a small chuckle, "Well, Mr. Rout, you're looking at one right now."
I was surprised as she made the claim openly and confidently.
"But do you know an interesting fact about them," she closed the space between us and whisper in my ears, "They don't run in packs, they dominate the pack. And they don't submit to anyone, especially men who try to dominate them." As she pulled back, I noticed a glint of challenge in her eyes.
Her words affected me in a way that is unfamiliar to me. I found myself drawn to her strength and resilience, something that I have never seen in a woman before.
Now I took a step still holding her eye contact, "Real alpha wolf likes to hunt and I love the process as much as I love the prize. And do you know an interesting fact also about alpha males" I said in a low voice, my alpha instincts awakening within me. I lowered my gaze to assess her further till her heels, and then I go back to meet her eyes. "They love to claim their mark on their mates, irrespective if she is alpha, beta or an ordinary wolf, do you know why." I maintained eye contact with her and moved closer to her ears and whispered in her ears, "Because they like to dominate."
Before retreating back I intentionally slightly touched my lips to her ears.
When I noticed a little shudder run through her, I immediately smirked, but she recovered so quickly that I would have missed it if I hadn't given her my whole attention.
And I was impressed to find that she was not imitated by my dominance.
At that moment, I knew that she was not just any woman, but a true alpha female who could stand her ground against anyone and anything. And at the same time I had marked her as my prey, someone who would challenge and excite me like no other.
I bend down to her neck and give her a peck, whispering, "You may be an Alpha female, but I am also an alpha male. Challenge accepted, Phoenix."
I left there with a smile on my face, already anticipating the thrill of pursuing and conquering such a formidable opponent.
I just adore the rush of adrenaline coursing through my entire body as I accepted her challenge. Let's see where we go with this challenge.
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I got back to my company, my thoughts consumed by her. This is the first time I am feeling this strong obsession with anyone. However, I also knew that my obsession was not just about her alpha female status but the challenge she posed to me.
As a successful businessman, I had always been driven towards challenge and she is the ultimate challenge for me.
Her strength and resilience are what sets her apart from any woman I have met so far in my life.
But I have to find either she was this strong before her life in prison or she was what she is by the effects of her life experiences in prison. It is important to understand what made her this fierce and dominant.
I picked up my intercom and instructed my secretary to send me all the contacts of all the investigators of the company.
In the underworld, where a significant portion of my business is located, I called my right-hand man, Hridhan.
"Clear your schedule and meet at our secret camp asap." I hung up before he could respond.
I'm not in the mood right now to waste time listening to his pointless rambling. Although he is a close friend from my youth and is no less than a brother to me, he occasionally annoys me with his verbosity.
I wouldn't be here if he hadn't been there at the moment of that horrific occurrence. Because I know I would never be able to get through that period of my life on my own.
He was there with me in that phase to help me overcome it, even though he was more hurt than I was because she is as important to her as she is to me.
We both changed, and her death took a piece of us away.
We both handled that time differently. I suppressed my emotions and became more of a cold guy, where he hides his pain behind a false grin. He rambles to distract me from his misery, but I know he is in the same boat as me.
I exited my office and approached my secretary, "Send all the information regarding investigators in my mail and cancel all my appointments for the rest of the day."
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When I arrived at our covert camp, Hridhan was waiting for me.
He is always there for me when I need him, which is just one of the many reasons he is right-handed.
"You didn't let me say hello, so there must be a pressing issue, what's going on?" he asked.
" We need to talk," I said while giving him a serious look.
Hridhan nodded before escorting me to my office in the camp.
I quickly locked the door after we were inside before facing him.
I calmed myself by taking a deep breath. Forcing myself to bring up the subject because it takes a lot of willpower.
Since that incident, even though many years have passed, I have never brought up the subject because it is a sensitive subject for both of us. Hridhan initially tried to force me to discuss the subject, but he soon realized I didn't want to talk about the incident or that night. But he had the right to know about that night and what happened then, but I never got the courage to initiate the topic. Despite my discomfort, I knew it was important for Hridhan to know what happened to her.
" I need to discuss that night of the incident," I said with a serious tone.