Chapter 21 21

Chapter 21 21


Lily’s breath caught. Her eyes snapped back to the man beside her. Her mind went blank.
Boss?
Her lips parted.
“Sir?” she repeated under her breath.
No, that couldn’t be right. The manager must be mistaken. This man? This arrogant, rooftop timing, five minutes man? Her boss? The CEO? She was sure she heard wrong.
Yet, the manger was bowing, with a nervous smile on his face, his voice carrying the kind of respect people reserved for someone far above them.  
Her stomach dropped. Every word she had just said replayed in her mind. None of them sounded safe and harmless anymore. She realized she had been casually questioning her CEO like he was some random employee. Her heart skipped.
Fuck! She should have kept her mouth shut. What if he fires her now for that? What would she do? She had only been lucky enough to find this job after three years of absence from the business world or industry. 
Her mind quickly went back to that day at the rooftop. Had she said anything wrong or rude to him that day? She hoped she had not said it aloud or maybe she was a bit considerate when writing him off.  
“Good morning, sir,” the manager greeted him for the third time.
Lily’s eyes moved from the manager to the man standing beside them in front of the CEO’s office. He didn’t even blink. He simply stood there with one hand in his pocket, calm and expressionless, like being treated with such reverence was the most natural thing in the world.
To make matters worse, he looked at Lily as though he had never seen her before in his life. There was no flicker of recognition, no hint of their meeting before the interview or the rooftop. There was no trace of the man who had told her she had only five minutes.
There was nothing but a cold distant stare. The look unsettled her more than anger would have. If he had frowned or showed irritation, she would have known where she stood. But this? This complete detachment as though she had imagined everything between them made her question her own memory. 
Had she exaggerated their interaction or was he simply the kind of man who erased people the moment they were no longer useful? 
She began to wonder if it were the same man she knew or someone else that looked like him.
Someone nudged her arm quickly, almost rudely. It was the manager, whose head was still bowed. He had been waiting for orders from the CEO with his head still bowed when he noticed his boss was staring at the woman beside him.
“Bow your head,” he hissed quietly, his eyes wide with panic. “That’s the CEO.”
Lily lowered her head quickly, embarrassment rushing through her like heat.
“Good morning, sir,” she managed to say. The CEO hummed an almost inaudible response.
When Lily looked up again, he was still staring at her. This time, his gaze moved over her from hair to toe, assessing her without any expression on his face. Lily immediately became aware of herself, of the fitted blouse Claire had selected, the well ironed skirt, the neat heels and the simple but elegant way Claire had styled her hair. For once, she silently thanked her friend for being so obsessed with clothes.
At least, she didn’t look like a disaster today. At least, she wasn’t standing in front of her CEO in shorts, a cardigan or some baggy outfit that would give him another reason to think she was unserious.
Zayne, the CEO said nothing. After a long moment, he gave a small nod to the manager. The manager straightened immediately.
“Miss Lily,” he called in a very professional tone.
Lily swallowed. Was this the part where she would get the final verdict and be asked to go home? She had read of CEO‘s who had zero tolerance for lousy employees, especially secretaries and laid them off even on their first days.
“Yes, Sir.”
He held out a three paged document. “Read this.”
She quickly took it with both hands. “Yes, sir.”
She looked down at the papers for only a second, then glanced up again, intending to say something more. Maybe apologize for earlier or pretend she had not nearly embarrassed herself.
But by the time she looked up, Zayne had already turned away. The manager followed him immediately and both men disappeared down the hall.
Lily stood there, holding the papers, feeling like the floor had shifted beneath her. What kind of man acted like that?
He knew her, she was sure of it. Yet, this morning, he looked at her as though she was nothing more than a name on a staff list.
Unless…
Her brows furrowed as she slowly moved towards her desk. What if she was mistaken? What if this man only resembled the man she had met?
No. impossible. After what happened between them, she had taken a good look at him such that she would be able to recognize him anywhere.
The face was the same. The voice was the same and the proud, composed manner was exactly the same.
Lily sat down and stared at the document in her hand. She flipped to the first page and began reading.
Rules and Regulations for working directly with the CEO.
Her brows lifted. She read further.
No unnecessary conversation during working hours. No entering the CEO’s office without prior approval. All documents must be arranged according to priority. No excuses for delay. No emotional outbursts. No personal phone calls except in emergencies. No assumptions. No lateness. No distractions. No mistakes.
By the time Lily reached the second page, her lips had pressed into a thin line.
“Jerk,” she muttered under her breath.
“Was that meant for me?”
Lily froze. Her head snapped up. Zayne was standing a few steps away, one hand still in his pocket, his gaze cold enough to make her forget how to breathe.
She stood up so quickly that her chair shifted backward. “Sir!”
His eyes narrowed. “Were you referring to me?”
“No,” Lily said at once, too quickly. “Of course not, sir.”
“Then who?”
Lily's mind raced for a believable answer, but everything sounded ridiculous in her head. She could feel his gaze on her, a very patient one. That made it worse, because it meant he had time. 

And men like him only gave time when they wanted to see how far you could go to save yourself. 

Zayne tapped the pen in his hand lightly on the table. He didn't need to say it, but the message was clearly passed. 

‘I'm waiting.’