Chapter 130 Don't leave me
~Hermes~
I groan into my palm, rubbing my temple as a dull ache spreads across my skull. Last night is a complete blur—every memory gone. I can only recall the faint taste of the drink Natalya poured for me and… nothing else. Blackout. Total, absolute blackout.
A flicker of suspicion crosses my mind. Did she drug me? I shake my head. No. She wouldn’t—well, not exactly wouldn’t, but still… I’d have noticed, right? I could ask her, but she’s nowhere to be found since I woke up. And I haven’t even checked the company, not really. Not since morning. Honestly, I didn’t want to risk bumping into June.
I could call her—but I don’t even have her number. God, curiosity is eating me alive. My stomach twists as I imagine all the possibilities.
Part of me is grateful, though. I woke up fully clothed. Natalya has this… uncanny way of getting her way with me when I’m unconscious, and it’s simultaneously terrifying and infuriating.
My thoughts are cut short as the door shifts, and I lift my gaze.
There she is. Natalya. Standing at the doorway with that broad, infuriatingly confident smile of hers.
I rub my forehead again, letting out a long, frustrated sigh. "What happened last night?" I ask, my voice low but sharp, the tension in my chest coiling tighter with each passing second.
Natalya steps fully into the office, her expression all sweetness with an edge of warning. "Honey, we had a good time last night, remember?" Her voice carries that sly, almost teasing warning, and I flinch slightly.
Then I see her shift backward—and my stomach drops. June. Standing behind her, paper and pen in hand, staring straight ahead with an unreadable neutral expression. My mind screams silently. Oh no. What's doing here?
Natalya’s tone shifts, casual now, almost surgical. "Oh, I forgot to tell you. The intern just got promoted to be my secretary."
I open my mouth to argue—to protest, to kill the very thought—but she cuts me off smoothly. "It’s a temporary position though, till I get a new one."
I glance at June, hoping she’ll save herself, give me a reason to save her, but she spares me no glance. She’s just… there. Silent, focused on her paper, but not really looking at it. Her mind seems to be elsewhere else.
"We were discussing the gala and the theme," Natalya continues, her tone clipped and commanding now, "so if you have any other things to add, you can tell her—or just tell your secretary to tell her. It’s easy, isn’t it, June?"
Silence.
I wait, tense, for June to respond, for her to acknowledge the absurdity of this arrangement, but nothing comes. My eyes flick to Natalya, and I can feel the edge in her rising— she's ready to throw a fit, and I don't want her scolding June.
I clamp my jaw and call firmly, my voice cutting through the tension: "Miss Alexander."
June snaps back slightly, her attention lifting, finally.
June snaps back slightly, her attention lifting finally.
"I’m sorry. I was, uhm—" she starts, but Natalya cuts her off, arms crossing over her chest.
"Intern, if you want to be—"
"Nat, don’t we have something to discuss now?" I interrupt sharply. Natalya’s gaze snaps to me, and I notice the softness in her eyes for a brief moment.
"Miss Alexander," I shift my attention to June, "you can go."
June gives a tight, controlled smile, but I can see the sharp daggers in her glare. I’m sorry, June.
"Thank you," she mutters, turning and leaving the office.
Natalya perches at the edge of my desk, glancing toward the door. "Didn’t it seem like she ignored me back there?" she asks, voice curious.
I rub my temple, frustration simmering beneath the surface. "What happened last night?" I demand, cutting to the chase. "I went off after drinking that drink?" My tone is sharp, accusatory. Now that I see her face, the expression she wears, I can’t shake the suspicion—she has to have something to do with my blackout.
Natalya suddenly bursts into soft laughter, startling me in the process.
"Why are you laughing? Answer my question," I press, irritation creeping into my tone.
After her laughter dies down, she crosses her arms and looks at me, amused. "Do you actually believe I had something to do with your blackout?" she asks, smirking. "Remember, I also drank from that bottle."
My lips stutter. I don’t have a single word.
She rises from the edge of my desk and walks to the couch, sinking into it with ease. "You shouldn’t blame me for your inability to hold your liquor," she teases. "I thought you could handle it like back in college… but it seems you’re getting old."
She rambles on about how she wanted to discuss things with me, but I had to go and startle her by falling asleep. My mind, however, isn’t listening. I’m stuck on one thought—did I really fall asleep after just one drink? Is my body… changing?
Just then, she snaps her fingers in front of me. "It’s time. Let’s go."
I blink. "Where are we going?"
She groans, starting to explain when there’s a knock at the door.
"Come in," Natalya calls.
Vanessa enters, face apologetic. "I’m sorry for interrupting. I just want to ask the CEO what he wants for lunch."
I open my mouth to tell her not to bother, but Natalya beats me to it.
"Don’t worry. I and the CEO will eat at the cafeteria today."
His gaze snaps to her, confusion written all over his face.
"Okay. I’ll let the caterers know," Vanessa says, but Natalya waves her off. "No need for that. We’ll eat whenever the employees are eating."
My mind races, disoriented. "You can go, Vanessa," I snap, relief washing over me as she leaves.
The moment the door shuts, I pin Natalya with a stern gaze. "What the hell are you doing?"
She groans, rubbing her neck like it’s all too much. "Are you forgetting things now, Hermes? I informed you yesterday."
I grit my teeth, sighing in frustration. I can’t remember a damn thing.
"Remind me," I demand, schooling my face. I won’t let her see my cracks.
Natalya rolls her eyes. "Let’s go. I’ll tell you on the way."
"So we’re doing this for the press? To show the humility of the current CEO?" I ask, sarcasm lacing my tone as we walk toward an empty table.
She nods, eyes roaming around. "Yeah. And I told you yesterday to prepare."
"Hermes, let’s sit there," she says, gesturing to the table where June and Tobias are seated.
I shake my head, redirecting her. "There’s an empty seat. Let’s go there instead."
"What will the public say about a CEO who doesn’t eat at the same table as his employees?" she counters, stepping forward.
I groan, biting my lip, hating the idea of sitting next to the one person I’m trying to avoid. As I take a step, a memory flashes through my mind.
~Don't leave me~
~ Please don't leave me~
I stop dead in my tracks, my heart stalling. I remember saying it in my sleep.
And now, I watch Natalya fake a smile, telling them she wants us to sit with them.
Did she hear me say that? Did I mention June's name?