Chapter 57 Caught
Verena
Tense moments like this in the conference room were the times that made me feel pity for the hotel managers and at the same time, grateful for being just an assistant. Daxton didn't even need to speak because the cold stare, the silent nod of disapproval, and pure irritation in his eyes were enough to send everyone sitting here breaking into a full-blown sweat.
He was so strict, hard to please that the one time I messed up his schedule, it earned me an earful that made me numb for almost a week.
It was crazy how he switched from the cold boss to the sweet boyfriend mode whenever we were alone or at home.
Again, as the HR Manager's breath cracked, fumbling with the pen that dropped to the floor, I turned my head to Daxton, noticing the way he pressed a finger to his temple and he was doing that cold eyes thing again, and…
Our eyes clashed.
I averted my gaze immediately, feeling the weight of his prickling stare singe my cheeks. I could never sneak glances at him or admire him in secret, because he always seemed to know when someone had been staring at him too long.
The sound of a phone’s ringtone broke through the tension in the room—his—followed by a sigh of relief from everyone as he kicked the chair back, snagged the phone from the table, and headed to the door.
“Pause the presentation” He said, halfway outside the door while the HR Manager— Sam Kim—stumbled forward, hand bracing the edge of the table, another one on his hip.
He breathed. “I thought that I was about to pass out. I almost had a heart attack,” He opened the bottle of water, gulped so hard that the water trickled down his neck.
I smiled, twisting my head to look at Daxton and the fear in his eyes wiped the smile away from my face as he pressed the phone to his ear, opening the door while poking his head inside. “The meeting is canceled,”
The unease in his eyes, the guilt that followed? What was going on? Before everyone could shuffle to the door, I was outside the door already, following him as he rushed down the hallway.
I scurried behind him. “Daxton?”
He glanced at me over his shoulder, finally coming to a halt before he walked towards me. “Hey…”
“Is there an issue with one of the hotels again?” I searched through his eyes for an answer.
“Not the hotel. Laufey got into an accident, the injury not so much but—”
I raised a brow in confusion. “Laufey”
“My niece. She has been telling me how she wanted the same Mustang as mine. After Kian sent a new one, I gave it to her and she went car racing with her friends and crashed the car” I could feel the annoyance in his voice and the guilt that followed after. “I shouldn't have given it to her”
I stood dazed, mind reeling from the fact that he had sent the ruined car to Kian and requested a new one.
When did this even happen?
“Kian bought another car?”
Wasn't this straight-up bullying? I knew Kian could be awful but he didn't ruin the car.
“Yes, it is the payment for the car window he cracked his fist on?”
My brows knitted in confusion. “What are you talking about? When did he do that”
Daxton ran a finger under his nose. “Remember the time you thought that some kids on scooters broke my car’s window by being mischievous?"
I nodded. “Yes,”
“It wasn't any kid. It was Kian,”
My jaw almost dropped to the floor and for weird reasons, I couldn't place, a shiver skated down my spine. Could this mean that he already knew where I lived for a long time?
What the actual fuck.
I take back my words. He deserved everything.
Daxton leaned forward, gripping my cheek, caressing it with his fingertips, not minding the fact that someone could walk into us right now. “I will be leaving for Chicago and I need you here to handle things while I am gone” He pulled me closer to him, his lips grazing my forehead before kissing into my hair.
My heart pumped hard from the fear of being caught but he held me against him, leaving no room to resist.
“Your hair smells so intoxicating that I could drown in—” The buzz of his phone in his breast pocket made him pull back as he hurried into the elevator.
“I will call you when I arrive” He mouthed.
I nodded.
“Will you be fine?”
I smiled. “Sure” Still holding it until the elevator closed but just as I turned, my heart almost jumped out of my chest when I saw Emily standing at the end of the hallway, eyes wide, mouth parted in shock before her hand flew over them.
Oh, my God—I think I just got caught!
“Verena,” She almost screamed, clamping her hands back on her mouth as she pointed to the elevator and to me.
I swallowed, walking towards her. “Hi—” I smiled, like it would take away everything she saw. No, I hoped she didn't see anything and was just overreacting.
She grabbed my hand and pulled me to the side. “Did I see correctly?”
My stomach churned. “See what?” I feigned ignorance.
“The two of you…” She bit her lower lip, almost pacing. “Kissing!”
Shit.
“Oh, with the boss? I think you are mistaken, we didn't kiss—”
She cut in. “He kissed your forehead and your hair”
Fuck! She had been standing and watching us for a long time. How do I get out of this?
I forced out a laugh that even sounded grating to my ears. “That?—” I pointed back to where Daxton and I stood moments back. “He blew dirt off my face and…”
The way she looked at me showed that she was having none of my words.
“It didn't look like that. You do know that he has a woman right”
And I was the woman.
Maybe I should come clean to her and…
The elevator's door opened with a chime and Gavin, another hotel manager, popped out, looking stressed as his eyes settled on me. “Is Mr. Cooper in his office?”
I shook my head, feeling relieved that someone would save me from Emily’s soul-burning questions. “He just left right now. Is there a problem?”
“Yes, a big one at that!”
Emily tapped my shoulder, that inquisitiveness still blazing in her eyes. “We will talk later and you will have to explain things to me,”
“Sure” I forced a smile.
“What kind of problem?”
“There is the VVIP customer and her team occupying the whole eleventh floor and she is the CEO of the FLITZ RAY entertainment group. Since she arrived, she’s had one complaint after another and it is starting to look like she is on a mission to frustrate me,”
He ran a hand through his hair. “I have had her room cleaned five different times and she keeps freaking out about germs, non-existent bugs and it’s crazy. Now, she is threatening to start a live-stream about our hotel and would only stop when I bring Mr. Cooper to her,”
“And if the news of the hotel makes it to the media for all the bad reasons, Mr Cooper would come for my neck but since you are his assistant, you could stand in for him, right” His eyes beamed with hope.
“Me?” My brows knitted in confusion.
“Yes, you,”
Before I could finish my words, he had already grabbed me by the wrist, into the elevator, and soon, we arrived on the 11th floor.
I sucked in a deep breath, knocking quietly on the door at the same time glancing at Gavin who gave me a thumbs up.
“Come in,” the voice inside called.
I sighed, forcing that killer smile almost all the staff had when attending to hotel guests as I pushed the door open, stepping into the luxury suite. I let my eyes sweep around the elegant space, taking in the artworks mounted on the wall, the way the chandelier dangled from the ceiling before my eyes finally found her.
Catalyn? No. Cassandra. The woman who introduced herself as the person Daxton was supposed to go on a blind date with.