Aaron grabbed my hand and pulled me away from the dancing crowd. I laughed out loud as I allowed him to lead me away. Sober me wouldn’t have gone anywhere with Aaron Smith but I was too drunk to care.
“Where are we going, Aaron?” I yelled over the music.
“What did you say?” he asked, stopping. He pulled me to himself and planted a short kiss on my lips. I giggled and pulled his head back.
“Kiss me properly, Aaron.”
Aaron didn’t waste any time, he had been trying to ask me out for over a year but I always turned him down because he was not my type. Kissing Aaron was alright, nothing special. I pulled away after realising it was not what I wanted. I just wanted to have fun.
“Aaron, let’s go back and dance.”
“No, let’s just take a walk in the woods.”
Any sensible girl would say no to an invite like that, especially if it was coming from her workmate, who she didn't want to date. The fact that that Misenium forest was said to be very dangerous meant there was only one good choice I could have made. I used to be sensible, but on that day, the drinks had taken away all the sense I had.
“Okay, let’s check this so called dangerous forest,” I said, laughing. “If it’s so dangerous, how come we’ve partied it for two hours and nothing has happened?”
“Right,” Aaron agreed.
We walked under the moonlight while talking about the party. Suddenly, I heard howling coming from a distance. I froze and grabbed Aaron’s wrist. “What’s that?”
Aaron chuckled. “You’re such a scared-y cat. It’s just a wolf.”
“Wolves kill people, don’t they?”
“I’m not sure but either way it sounds like its far.”
The howling increased, and it seemed to be coming from more than one wolf. My hearts started pounding against my chest. The howling was now coming from different directions, as if we were surrounded. My whole body started shaking. I glanced at Aaron’s handsome face. He did not seem so confident anymore.
“Aaron, we need to go back.”
Aaron nodded, and we started walking back where we had come from, following the wide path. The howling seemed to be getting closer. Pulling my hand out of Aaron’s tight grasp, I started running. We had walked so far that we couldn’t see the party venue, but we could hear the music.
Suddenly, leaves moved from behind us. I didn’t dare look back until I heard a growl. I looked back and saw a big black wolf following us at walking speed. I started to run faster. My chest was aching, and it felt like my lungs were on fire.
“Run faster,” I told Aaron who was behind me.
“MAYA!” He cried out and I turned just to see the big black wolf lunging on him. Screaming, I turned on my hell and ran out of there as fast as my legs could carry me. I did not stop until I reached the mill. My screaming made some people turn heads. Before I could get to the main crowd, a man grabbed me aside and held me tight.
“Let me go,” I screamed out but he clasped his hand over my mouth. Four other men came surrounded me. Since I couldn’t scream or say anything, I couldn’t cry. No one else seemed to be paying attention as they were lost in the music, alcohol, and drugs.
“Promise not to scream,” the man said.
I thought of all the things those five burly men could do to me. The only chance of survival had would disappear if didn’t obey them.
I nodded. He withdrew his hand. “Okay, we won’t do anything to you. We want you to tell us everything. What happened in there?”
“My friend Aaron, I think a wolf ate him.”
The men did not seem surprised by what I said.
“There are wolves in the woods, but they don’t eat people. Maybe you saw another animal. A bear, perhaps.”
I shook my head. “No, it was a wolf.”
“Listen here girl, it was dark, and you were confused. You probably confused a bear for a wolf. Your friend may be dead, and if he is, it wasn’t because of a wolf.”
“Why are you not going to check on him? He could be alive.”
“There’s a good reason why we said that anyone coming for the party should not go beyond this designated area. Which group did you come with?”
“Ahhhh,” I screamed out loud. This time people heard me because the music volume had reduced. People turned and just like that, the five men disappeared into the woods.
“They’re going to kill him,” I yelled. “Please help.”
I saw Aria Mann and Jace Killman walking towards me.
“Aria, Jace. We have to check on Aaron. An animal attacked him.”
“Where did you go?” Jace asked.
“In the woods.”
Aria Mann stepped forward and slapped me. I gasped as the pain coursed through my cheek, my hand flying over to it.
“What the hell?”
“Let’s go,” Aria said. “Lead the way.”
Still shocked at the slap, I started walking, leading them to where Aaron and I had met the wolf. When we got there, there was nothing. Not even a single drop of blood or a sign that someone had been attacked there. It was so strange.
“What? This is where it happened.”
“We have to go back,” aria said.
“But what about Aaron?”
“The police will handle the rest.”
We were about to start walking away when we heard a deep animalistic grown. Aria and I glanced at each other, fear written in our eyes.
“Here’s here,” Sherry whispered. I stood up straight and pretended to be writing something on the book at her table. It was a big risk, but I was willing to take it in order to catch a glimpse at our new CEO. He had started working on the previous day, but try as I had, I had failed to see him. I just wanted to know if the pictures did justice to him or not.“He’s entering,” Sherry said.I tried to see him using my side eye but couldn’t get a good look. Sherry gasped. I turned to her and saw her looking horrified. She pulled the visitors book from me and I tried to pull it back.“He’s looking at us, you idiot.” She said, and I instinctively turned. Our eyes met and I immediately turned back to face Sherry who was trying hard to look busy. I started to sweat. Don’t run, I told myself.After a few seconds, Sherry took a deep breath. “He’s gone.”I realised a breath I had not realised I was holding. I turned just in time to see the executive elevator closing. “Did you see that?” Sherry
Making a terrible first impression had never been part of the plan. After graduating from college, Milner’s was my first work place. For over two years, I had worked there and made the best impressions on my seniors. It was how I had managed to rise to the position of Junior Actuarial Manager and made it as a junior executive. Now, a new era was about to start at Milner insurance and it seemed like I was destroying everything I had built? There was a possibility that Mr. Carrington would want to change some of the staff. After pretending to be at the reception for a work issue and this, I was sure I was close to number one in Mr. Carrington’s staff-to-fire list. That was if I wasn’t number one. Mr. Carrington was a very eloquent man and everyone listened to his words attentively. I looked around and saw that everyone was looking at the man and no one was murmuring. Harry who was fond of making jokes with the former CEO’s son during staff meetings was now silent as a grave. The mee
“Why did I have to get the worst assistant in the world?” I took a sip of my coffee and installed the mug back on the table. “It hasn't even been a full week but I'm already thinking I should've never hired her.” From the start, Kim had given off a bad vibe and I knew I should be wary of her. At first, she was too nice to me in a way that came of as fake. If she thought her acting was good, she was terribly wrong. “You're the one who wanted an assistant,” Anna, my best friend shrugged and drunk her tea. “So stop complaining.” “I didn't want an assistant who'd ruin my life,” I continued, shaking my head. I stared at people moving in different directions in the busy street below, noting how they looked like safari ants whose lines has been tampered with. “Almost everyone at work acts like I'm invisible now. They're all over Kim and it's annoying. What annoys me most is the fact that she pretends to like me. I'm sure she doesn't, for some twisted reason but is faking it. I feel like sh
When I woke up the next morning, fear was the first thing I felt. As soon as I was conscious, I remembered that I had to meet the CEO at 10 am. I quickly jumped out of bed and made my way to the shower. I needed to be extra early so that I could mentally prepare myself for what was to come. I retouched my lipstick, took a deep breath and walked through the company entrance. A few heads turned my way with admiration but I look straight ahead, ignoring some of them. All they wanted was a feast for their eyes, not caring how it affected others. I opened the door to my office. Kim was putting some books in order. She looked amazing in a blue blouse and a black pencil skirt hugging her slight curves. Her black heels were amazing but were no match for mine, or so I thought. “Good morning, Maya.” She said, smiling. I knew she was faking it but I had no option but to play along. For now. I forced a smile. “Morning Kim. How are you today?” “Better than ever,” Kim said. “This company is per
“Come in.” That voice sent chills down my spine. I reached out for the door handle and twisted it. The desk where the CEO’s assistant sat was empty so I proceeded to the main which was on the other side of the white screen. I stood outside the white glass door and waited for more instructions, wondering if Zane could see my outline.“What are you waiting for?” He asked.I pushed the door and stepped inside. My body was shaking and I could feel sweat pooling all over my body.Zane looked up and observed me with his sharp green eyes. I looked down because I couldn’t maintain the stare. “I’m very sorry for what I did yesterday,” I said.“What did you do?” he asked.“I did not respond to your greeting,” I said. “My mind was elsewhere.”“How nice of your mind, to turn off when you’re meeting the new CEO of the company,” his tone was cold, like ice. “I’m truly sorry.”“You do not look like an insolent person, but then again people are not always as they seem. You’re teaching me that. Is
Kim“His name is Johnny,” I said, using my free hand to get my favorite black heels off the rack on to the floor. “Make sure you don't kill him. Just rough him up a little so he won't be able to work for about two weeks. That's all the time I need to turn my life around.”“Okay,” Mane said and I hang up. I placed my phone inside my hand bag, picked up the bag from the bed then stepped out. Before closing the door, I took one look at my tiny single roomed apartment. Soon, I wouldn’t be living in these horrible conditions anymore. When I finally had Maya's job, things would change. I'd finally be able to afford a decent apartment. I was tired of living like a peasant. Although the salary I started getting from Milner Insurance was making my life easier than it had been before, it was nowhere near enough to give me the life I wanted. On the other hand, Maya’s salary was huge and I needed that. If I started earning that much, my life would be super amazing and I would be able to get all
Zane.Kim Dalton a pain in the a** but she was necessary in the grand scheme of things. She was what I would call a necessary evil. Using Kim, I would get what I wanted. And to think I had not thought about it before my assistant got involved in an accident. She presented herself like the whore she was. I could see it in her eyes, and overall look. I had seen a lot of them, they type of women who were willing to do anything to get to the top including selling themselves to the highest bidder. I had been running companies for my pack for a very long time and could spot those from a mile away. I was not a fan of those kinds of women but I indulged with them when it could benefit me. Kim looked like someone who’d scratch my back even if I didn’t scratch hers. I just had to pretend that I was going to. She was vain, and therefore full of herself. Of course she could doubt that I would fall for her. She would therefore believe me if I lied that I liked her.Before Johnny returned, Kim wor
Maya“Why wouldn't I be arrogant?” Harry asked. He and I were in his office. I was standing in front of his desk, looking at the document I brought to him five minutes back. “I'm the most handsome and intelligent man in this company. Let's see, Maya. If you were asked to date any man here, who would it be?”“Anyone but you, Harry Smith. Being arrogant isn't attractive, you know. Try that on Kim.”“Are you sure? Would you be okay with me being with someone you hate?”“You can be with whoever you want,” I stated. “I don't care. Just sign the document because I have quite a lot to do now that Kim's working with you-know-who. I wonder why he needs two assistants anyway. His old one returned but he won’t let go of mine. Clearly, this man is here to ruin my life.”“Why are you in such a hurry?” He asked.I closed my eyes and inhaled. “Why do you always make an effort to delay me whenever I come here?”“Because I’m falling for you,” his eyes bore into mine. “What do you have to say to that?”