Chapter 11 Chapter 11
Zarlia clutched her notepad tightly as she made her way to the elevator.
The lower floor buzzed with energy the moment Zarlia stepped out of the elevator. Phones rand endlessly, printers whirred and the faint scent of coffee and paper filled the air. Unlike the solitude of the first floor, this floor actually felt alive—like the heart of the company.
“Hey! You’re the new girl, right?” someone called.
Zarlia turned to see the woman with curly brown hair leaning against a cubicle wall, grinning at her. Her name tag read Nelly.
Zarlia nodded, clutching the strap of her tablet bag. “Yeah, that’s me. I’m supposed to get last week’s folders and summaries from you”
“Oh, so you are real,” Nelly teased, rummaging through a drawer. “Luke said the boss finally got a new assistant, but I thought he was bluffing. You know how the last one what—two days?”
A few heads popped up from their desks.
“Two days and one nervous breakdown,” another woman added, spinning in her chair. “The boss doesn’t exactly have the friendliest aura”.
“He’s not that bad”, Zarlia murmured, though she wasn’t sure if she believed herself. Each time she sees him is a whole new different person; from seductive: the night they slept together, to caring: the night he took her home after passing out, to sly: when she found out he owned stets empire, to stern: when he’d boss her around.
Nelly handed her a stack of neatly bound files. “Here you go, brave soul. So… how’s the boss treating you?”
The question made her pause, every pair of eyes nearby seemed to lift in curiosity, waiting for gossip
“Professional”, she said carefully, adjusting the folders. “Just very focused”
A man a few desks away snorted. “Focused? That’s one way to describe someone who looks at people like they owe him their soul.”
Nelly laughed, “Oh come on, he’s not a monster. He’s just— “, she leaned in conspiratorially “—a little intense”.
“Try terrifying”, another worker muttered.
Zarlia laughed awkwardly, pretending to find it funny. The truth was, she didn’t disagree. Being near Stetson did something strange to her—it made her heart race, made her skin prickle. She had no idea why, and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to.
Still, it was… nice being around people who weren’t whispering orders at her or watching her every move. For a moment, she almost felt normal.
A few other employees nearby chuckled. “That’s one way to put it”, one of the women said. “He’s got alpha energy, you know?”, Nelly rolled her eyes. “Please. The man barely blinks during meetings. I’d be more afraid of being frozen solid by that stare than yelled at”.
Zarlia managed a smile, secretly agreeing. But then again, he was an alpha so…
Still, hearing them casually talk about him felt strange. Did they know what she knew—what she’d seen that night. Maybe it wasn’t much of a secret after all.
“Alpha? So, everyone knows what he is?”, Zarlia leaned in, her words a bit heavy.
Suddenly a crisp voice made everyone go silent.
“Miss Shaw”.
Zarlia stiffened instantly. Luke stood by the elevator, clipboard in his hand and expression unreadable. The casual chatter around her faded as everyone scrambled back to their workstations.
“The boss asked for his coffee”, Luke said, tone polite but firm.
Zarlia stomach dropped. “Right, yes. I’ll—um—get it now”. “Good. Best you hurry”, he turned sharply, and the quiet that followed him was heavy. Others waited until he disappeared into the elevator before exhaling.
“God, he’s worse than the boss”, Nelly muttered under her breath. “Blink twice if they’re working you to death”.
Zarlia chuckled nervously. “I’ll survive”.
She waved goodbye and hurried off, clutching the folder to her chest. The elevator took her to the ground floor, where the company café sat tucked beside the lobby. The rich smell of roasted beans filled the place.
The barista, a cheerful man with a messy bun, recognized her from yesterday. “The usual order for the big boss?”
Zarlia blinked. “You remembered his order?”
“Everyone knows his order”, the man said with a grin, expertly pouring coffee into a sleek mug. “Black. No sugar. No milk. No nonsense”
She smiled, thanked him and balanced the coffee carefully in one hand as she stepped into the elevator. Just before the doors closed, a perfectly manicured hand slipped between them, forcing them open.
A woman stepped inside, heels clicking sharply against the metal floor. She was confident, perfumed, dangerous. She had straight blonde hair that was nearly packed into a ponytail. She was tall, striking, wearing a deep red dress that hugged her curve and it was short enough to show off her beautiful legs. She had sunglasses over her eyes as she tapped away on her phone, not paying attention to Zarlia, who was clearly bewildered.
She pressed the button to the last floor and Zarlia cocked her head. She never told the woman where she was going and clients are to book an appointment before meeting Stetson personally.
So, who exactly was this woman?
His sister?
Cousin?
Lover?
The elevator ascended and Zarlia couldn’t shake the feeling that this woman was bad news. Does Stetson really have a lover? Girlfriend?
But he seemed pretty interested in her on her first day? Was he planning on two timing?
Zarlia flinched as the woman turned to her. Her black shades lifting to settle on her head. “Are you going to drink that?”, her voice was beautiful. Every thing about her was striking.
Zarlia starred dumbfounded as the woman took the mug from her hand and took a sip. The neat pile of folders almost falling to the ground but Zarlia caught them just on time.
The elevator opened with a ding. “No, the coffee is for—”
“Stetson!” the lady exclaimed, cutting Zarlia off as she walked out of the elevator to meet her boss whose eyes could kill someone’s dreams. “Stacy”, he said like it poisoned his mouth.
Her hands wrapped around him as she buried her face in his nape. Despite her height and heels, she wasn’t still able to reach Stetson’s height but how she held him made Zarlia’s eye widen.
“Girlfriend…” Zarlia gritted her teeth. She didn’t know why but she suddenly felt angry.