Nicole
For a moment, I think I'm dreaming. This can't be happening. But when I dig my thumb into the soft flesh of my palm and feel the small jolt of pain, I realize it's not a dream after all.
He looks the same, yet so different. He still stands tall at 6'2, but he looks slightly bigger. He has definitely started hitting the gym more constantly. Six years ago, he was bare faced, but now he sports a dark, well carved beard. He has also lost the short ponytail I used to love so much, now he has a fuzzy undercut and his remaining thick mass of hair has been styled to taste. Somehow, his physique isn't even the most different thing about him. Something bigger has changed. His confidence. He has turned into a man whose presence commands attention and respect when he enters a room. By a mere look at him, I can tell.
Alex is finally the man I've always wanted him to be. I should be impressed by this, but after my initial shock, all I feel now is a roiling anger in the pit of my belly. I clench my fists by my sides but continue to stare forward at him, my face devoid of emotions.
"Miss Webster…..". The chairman rises from his seat and gestures towards Alex, a wide grin on his face. "....Mr. Van Lewis wanted to meet you personally. He was very impressed with the presentation".
"Oh...I see". I whisper. I want to force a smile but my face feels like parchment paper. Alex's eyes are actively assessing me and it's just like many years ago when it used to feel like he could see right through me. He finally tears his eyes off me and turns to the chairman.
"I would like to have a private word with Nicole if you don't mind". He's not asking. He's demanding for space.
"Of course, sir". My mouth nearly drops open in surprise when from the corner of my eyes, I see the chairman nod enthusiastically and scramble to leave the office. Exactly how powerful has Alex become? The door shuts behind him and I feel my body go even more rigid than it already was. I'm now alone in the room with Alex. My jaw clenches in anger as I continue to stare him down.
"Hello, Nicole". He says dryly.
It takes all I have not to punch him in the face. After everything that has happened between us, after how things ended between us, after all these years, all he's going to tell me is "Hello"? I don't reply him. His eyes rake me slowly from head to toe and when he looks up again, he still wears the same empty expression.
"You look good. When I saw you out there, I almost didn't believe it. What are the chances?".
I need to get out of here. Keeping quiet is not going to help me achieve that. "What are you doing here?". My voice comes out low and angry but he pretends not to notice. Instead, he looks around the office casually and thrusts his hands into the pockets of his suit pants. Even with the relaxed posture, he still manages to command attention.
"Doing business…..as you must have noticed". I hate that he's pretending not to understand what I'm talking about. I want to punch and cry and rave. I want to ask him why he betrayed me so horribly. What had I done to deserve it? I want to ask him why he never even bothered to reach out to me. I want to ask if he even loved me in the first place. But even as I think of it, I know I don't need any more confirmation. Alexander Van Lewis never loved me. Every action proved that. I don't need him to hear him say it again.
"Good for you". I say dryly. "Now if you don't mind, I'll take my lea….".
"I do mind". He says, leaning on the backrest of the settee.
"Well I couldn't give two fucks, Alexander". I snap angrily. Back then, I only ever called him his full name whenever we were having a fight. I hate the flood of memories and the wave of emotions that saying his name has caused me again.
He cocks his head to the side. "My name still feels sexy coming from your mouth".
At this point, I know I can't stand to be in the same room with him anymore. I don't ask for his permission before turning around to go.
"About what happened years ago…..". I don't want to hear one more word from him again. Angrily, I spin back around to face him.
"Nothing ever happened between us years ago, sir". I emphasize the mocking inflection in the title. "I don't know what you are talking about".
He straightens up from his seat. "Nicole". My name is a warning from his lips. But I don't care. If he wants to disregard our history only to bring it up so nonchalantly now, I'm not going to entertain him.
"I'll take my leave now. I'm glad you enjoyed the presentation".
"You won't walk out on me, Nicole". His voice is stern and I can tell this is the CEO voice. Good for me, I don't work for him.
I stare him down coldly. "Watch me". And with that, I turn around and storm out of the office.
•••••••••••••••••••
My team members are waiting for me in the office, all four of them. They all jump up as I walk in and I can tell that they've been anxious about the results.
"How did it go?". Aurora asks as I close the door behind me. I shrug.
"Just okay. The company's CEO liked the presentation and just wanted to have a word with me". I walk to my desk, my mind already whirring as I reflect on the events of the last hour of my life. It takes a moment for me to realize that my team members still haven't said anything. I turn back to them questioningly. They are all staring at me blankly.
"What?". I ask.
"There's more to this…. right?". Dave, our brainbox asks.
I wave a dismissive hand and try to chuckle in the hopes of easing away the tension in the room. "What are you talking about? Of course not". They continue to stare at me suspiciously. "I'm serious guys!!!!!".
"You are sure he liked it? You are being weird". Aurora asks, her voice laden with skepticism.
I drop the pile of documents I had carried absentmindedly from my desk. "Why don't you believe me? He really liked it".
"Fine fine fine". Aurora says. "There better not be more to this, Nicole. I'll squeeze the life out of you if there is".
I laugh lightly and turn back to my desk as Dave, Asia and Vanessa file out to the adjoining office they all share.
"I'll be inside, Nic". Aurora calls as her door shuts behind her. I mumble an alright and it's only when I'm the only one left in my office that I drop the documents I had been pretending to arrange. I sigh heavily and rub my eyes as a headache sets in. This is not how I imagined my week starting at all.
Nicole;The ringing doorbell is what wakes me up. I glance at my alarm and see that I've overslept by nearly thirty minutes. Shit. This week just couldn't get any worse. I push up to my feet and pad my way downstairs to the door, yanking it open, my eyes squinted against the harsh morning sunshine. But there is no one. I glance around but there's still nobody. Disgruntled and highly annoyed, I wonder what kind of sicko would be thinking of pranks this early in the morning. I'm just about to close the door when I spot the parcel at my doorstep. I step back in surprise. What the hell? It's a bouquet of red roses and I pick it up, peering into the flowers suspiciously. There's a note attached to it and I shut the door behind me before I open. In shimmery blue ink, a scrawly handwriting reads;I'm sorry, Nicole. Give me a second chance, please. Love, Gregory.I scoff to myself and read the note again. A few weeks ago, I had decided to revitalize my dating life and against my principles,
Nicole"Excuse me?". I couldn't have heard that right. The chairman chuckles like it's such a delight to see me surprised and leans forward. "You'll be transferring to Mr. Van Lewis' company, Miss Webster. As a project supervisor and brand…."."Yeah yeah I got that". If he repeats himself one more time, I might just put my hands over my ears in annoyance. My teammates' eyes are all fixed on me. I can just imagine what's going through their heads. If it was me, I'd be thinking the same thing. How did she get such an opportunity?We might be teammates but in the end, we are only humans. We've all got that competitive streak in us. Regardless, I hate that they are probably giving me the side eye now and all because of a stupid "opportunity" I never asked for. A furious blush rises up my cheeks and I look back up at the chairman, squaring my jaw defiantly. "I'm afraid I won't be taking the offer, sir". Just like mine earlier, I see the smile fall off his face. My teammates glance at ea
Nicole;I pull into the parking lot of Van Lewis Galaxy and once the engine dies down, I take a moment to look up at the looming structure. I thought I had gotten to a stage in my life where I wasn't so wowed by money any longer but damn, this is proving me wrong. I am and can still be easily wowed. With a shake of my head, I remember where I am and why I'm here. I mustn't get distracted. I reach for the door but then pause midway. Against all logic, I pull down my sun visor and glance at the mirror. My cheeks are gorgeously flushed from all the heat coursing through me. My lips look a little dry and I'm just about to reach for my lipgloss when I halt myself halfway. What the hell do I think I'm doing? Really dressing up in anticipation of meeting Alex? Angrily, I pull the visor back up and yank the door open, stalking my way in aggressively. I don't even give myself a chance to admire my surroundings as I walk towards the receptionist's desk. She's a pretty, young woman with the slee
NicoleI spend a good amount of time in bed contemplating whether to stand up or not. After leaving the Galaxy yesterday, I called to the chairman's office and requested to have the documents sent to my home. I spent the rest of the day with my mind in disarray, wondering what the future now holds for me. I stare up at the ceiling of my bedroom now, wondering if I've made the right decision. It doesn't matter now. The documents have been signed and I'm expected at work this morning. It's too late.I push up from the bed, glancing at the alarm clock. It's just almost 6:30. All night, I'd tossed and turned and the evidence of my sleep struggle lies proud and dark under my eyes. It's going to take a ton of effort to cover those eyebags. I take my time in the shower and when I come out, I take as much time blow drying and styling my hair. When I'm done putting on my makeup, I'm quite impressed by the good coverage the concealer gave my under eyes. I walk into my closet and glance around i
Nicole;It doesn't matter that I argue all the way to the car and even all the way to the store. Just when I thought I couldn't get more frustrated, Alex gets on the phone, forcing me to quiet down beside him. My lips tighten in distaste as I turn to the window. I've not had many jobs, but I doubt this beats anyone's worst first day at work. Within a minute or two, the car slows down and Alex immediately alights, compelling me to follow. I see that that we are standing in front of a Galaxy Couture shop, not so faraway from the headquarters where we had come from. We make our way in and every single staff we come across drops a quick bow to Alex while he barely acknowledges them with more than a glance. I have so many questions for the man he has become. I wonder if I'm ever going to get answers. We go inside the first female couture store downstairs and the attendants quickly rush forward, polite smiles on their faces."Good morning sir"."Good morning". Alex replies off handedly, hi
Nicole;The driver is waiting for me outside which makes me wonder which means Alex used to get to his meeting. But then again….this is Alex. He has his ways. We make our way back to the office quietly and when I get down, the driver informs me that the rest of the clothes will be sent to my address. I grudgingly tell him a thank you and make my way into the office building. The receptionist smiles at me widely as I make my way past her and I can't help wondering if she ever gets tired of looking welcoming and homely. I bet I would. I release a sigh of exhaustion as the elevator begins it's journey upstairs, taking in my appearance in it's reflective walls. The crisscross on the pants are located at the hips and give the look an overall, soft, womanly abandon. The silk shirt somehow manages to caress my skin ever so gently, amplifying the elegance of the look. I must admit, I look like a million bucks.With a small smile, I make my way out as the elevator dings. The second door on the
Nicole;I freeze in my position, my eyes transfixed on him standing at the door. He was probably making a call because he still has his phone in hand but his eyes are glued to me too, pure rage in them. Now that is peculiar. It's just an office. Why does he look so mad?"Welcome back, sir". Carina quickly says. Talk about being an ass kissing bitch."What's going on here?". His voice is low and menacing and for a slight moment, I actually do feel like a kid caught with my fingers down the cookie jar. "I only came in because I wanted to….."."She used the bell on me, sir and I came in here thinking you were the one. Was quite of a shocker when I saw her standing there instead of you". And now she's making it sound twice as bad as it actually is. I tear my eyes off the lecherous bitch and face Alex. His eyes are burning with actual rage, the heat of his anger seeming to fill up the space between us. In this moment, I see why he's very feared among his workers."It's not as bad as…..".
Nicole;The knock persists and I back against the back of the sofa, bringing my knees up to my chest and burying my head between them. I bring my hands up to cover my ears and close my eyes. No, this can't be happening to me now. The knock seems to be getting louder in my head and I whimper loudly and shut my eyes tighter. From the depth of my auditory canals, I hear the door scrape open and the tremors in my body increases till I can barely sit still anymore. "Please…..". I whisper, the tears threatening to spill frollm behind my closed eyes. "Please…..". I'm taken back to my childhood again. Perhaps if I close my eyes tight enough, I'll really be able to shut him out. Perhaps, if I can't see him, he won't see me. My breath comes out in huge gasps as I bury my head deeper against my legs. But my prayer doesn't get answered again, just like every other time. Because I feel his hand come to rest on my shoulder. I can't help it, I jump back and scream, my eyes still shut tightly. A sec