Alena Fleur
I finally got some free time after attending three meetings at a stretch.
First the meeting with Mr. Drake, the second meeting with other executives to compile this month's budget, and the last and the longest one with the technical department to assess what improvements could be brought to our weapons.
I was exhausted and ready to slump on my bed and sleep for hours without any disturbance. But I wish!
My stupid boss gave me overtime for dozing off at work.
I didn't get why, though. I finished all the work, and yet, he punished me. Maybe he was a sadist who enjoyed other people's suffering. That must be it. That cruel devil!
No matter how much I curse him internally, I had to suck it up and obey his orders. I decided to complete some of my work from tomorrow in advance so that I could take it easy tomorrow.
However, after two hours, when the office building was entirely empty, I started dozing off again. I jerked my head and sat upright. What if Elian caught me again and gave me overtime for the entire month? God, no, that's a nightmare!
I stood up and went to my coffee machine, but then I had a thought. This morning, Elian offered me coffee. It was a nice gesture. It was only fair if I did the same.
I knew he was still in the office as he said he would drop me home. Oh, I also needed to tell him that I didn't need a ride home. He must have forgotten that I got my company car after the promotion, so I would be able to drive home on my own.
I prepared two cups of coffee and made my way to the floor above mine. I knocked on his door and waited till he told me to come in.
"Hello, Mr. Storm," I greeted, and Elian glanced up from his laptop.
"Hello, Ms. Fleur. How can I help you?" he asked, folding his hands on the table.
I raised up the cups and suggested, "How about a break? I'm sure you're also pretty tired from working at a stretch for hours."
"You can just leave the cup here." He motioned to his desk.
I grinned mischievously and placed both cups on the coffee table. I made myself comfortable on the couch where I had sat in the morning.
Elian stared at me, and I stared back, neither of us willing to look away first, but eventually, he gave up and sighed. He closed his laptop and walked up to me. This time, he didn't sit on the single couch, but rather beside me.
I picked up my cup and took a sip. "Do you usually work so late, Mr. Storm?" I asked out of curiosity.
"Sometimes," he answered curtly.
I nodded and said, "By the way, you don't need to drop me tonight."
He arched an eyebrow and said, "What, you don't want me to know your address?"
I chuckled and said, "If you wanted to know, you could just ask someone from HR to look it up."
"Then, do you prefer to go home alone so late at night when the streets are full of bad people?"
"Whose fault is it that I'm working so late?" I taunted, but he didn't bother replying and just sipped his coffee. I sighed and explained, "If you haven't forgotten, the company gave me my own car after my promotion, so I can just drive home on my own."
"I haven't forgotten, Ms. Fleur. I still think it's not safe. Because unfortunately, our state is very lacking in safety for women," he reasoned.
"Even if it's not safe, why do you care?" I asked, looking him straight in the eye.
He held my gaze for a few seconds before looking away and replying, "As your boss, shouldn't I?"
"Well, I don't see you dropping home every female employee in our company," I pointed out.
"They can just ask at the reception ahead of time and they can have access to the company car. We have that facility, if you weren't aware, Ms. Fleur," he retorted.
I had to concede that. "Fine, you win," I grumbled and rolled my eyes. I started to look around the nicely decorated office and commented, "You know, I really like the decoration of your office. But it doesn't seem like your taste, though. Did someone else help you decorate it?" Maybe getting to know him more would help me understand why he was the way he was.
Instead of answering my question, Elian asked, "Ms. Fleur, why are you trying to make small talk with me?"
"Huh, can't I?" I looked back at him.
"No. Why would you?"
"Because we should be friends, right? I mean, yeah, you are my boss, but we are both in charge of guiding this company. We should try to have an understanding between us so that we can—"
"Forget it. I don't care about your reasons. Just don't try to be friends with me," he sharply said and got up from the couch as he was done with his coffee.
I bit my lips hard, trying to maintain my smile. Why were his words hurting me so bad?
"Yes, sorry, Mr. Storm. I forget my limits, sometimes." I hadn't finished my coffee yet, but I still stood up and walked to the door. "Goodnight, Mr. Storm."
I made my way back to my cabin and sat back on my chair. I didn't know why his words affected me so much. I have had people tell me those words before, but his ones hurt the most.
From day one at this company, there was something about Elian that made me feel strange. I wanted to get closer to him, but he would always push me away.
Whenever we passed by each other in the corridor, I would give him a polite smile which he would never reciprocate. Plus, ever since I got promoted, I got on the same private elevator as him, whenever I tried to talk to him, he would shut me out. Why did he act like that with me?
Yes, he was mean to everyone else as well, but towards me, it felt more forceful. What did I do to earn his hatred? God knows!
I shook my head and decided not to waste my time thinking about that jerk. From now on, I would be completely professional with him. I would never ask him anything personal, let alone try to be his friend.
After deciding that, I gave my full attention to work, otherwise, he would find another excuse to punish his most hated employee.
I was so engrossed in compiling the weekly financial report, I hadn't realized the time until I got a call from my best friend, Abigail Patrick.
"What the hell are you still doing at the office? Go home, Al!" she scolded me over the phone.
Abigail lived in Georgia—my hometown where I was born and raised until high school and also the place where my parents still lived. I moved to California for university six years ago and continued to live here for my dream job. My mom would occasionally indirectly suggest that I should get a job back home, but I would always turn it down. This was my home now and I loved everything here—maybe my boss not so much, but everything else? It was perfect.
"Yes, yes, I'm packing my things now," I replied, hurriedly cleaning up my desk.
"I can't believe it's almost twelve and you are still working. This is against labor laws! I'm going to report your boss. Is he a monster or what?" Abigail exclaimed in fury.
I chuckled and said, "He probably is, but no. This is not his fault. I was supposed to leave an hour ago. I just lost track of time."
"Is your work that interesting or something else on your mind, huh?" she inquired.
I sighed and let out, "My boss hates me."
"Doesn't everyone's boss hate them?"
I laughed and said, "Maybe." My voice saddened as I added, "But his hatred just feels more personal. I wonder why. I don't think I ever did anything to step on his toes."
"You were probably his ex-wife in the previous life," she joked.
"Yeah, right. As if that's possible." I shook my head at her ridiculous suggestion.
"You should watch more supernatural shows to know what can or can't be possible."
"But they are still shows, not reality. So, you enjoy them by yourself, and please keep me out of it. I'm already too busy, thanks to my annoying nit-picky boss," I sulked, and she only laughed at my misery. "You're annoying."
"I know," she playfully said, and I could just picture her clicking her tongue at me, so I frowned.
"Anyway, I have packed my things. I'm leaving right now."
"Okay, drive safely and text me when you get home," Abigail instructed.
"Thanks, bye." With that, I hung up the call and locked my cabin before taking the elevator to the basement-2.
Basement-2 was the parking lot for the executives only, so there were barely any cars there since everyone else had left.
However, I could see Elian's car was still there. When I got closer to it, I saw something I wish I hadn't.
Elian was standing in front of his car, and there were a few men in black standing around him. And… Elian had a gun in his hand, and so did the other men.
A man was being forcefully pressed on the car hood by two of the other men. Elian had his gun's muzzle placed on the captive's forehead as he asked in a deadly resonating voice, "I won't ask you again. Who the fuck sent you here?"
Whatever the man whispered, it made Elian angry. The very next second, he didn't even flinch as he pressed the trigger.
Meanwhile, I stood there frozen as my boss killed a man in front of my eyes.
Chapter 3: A ThreatAlena FleurI couldn't believe what I was seeing.For a moment, I wondered if I was hallucinating due to a lack of sleep. But the next moment, when many pairs of eyes snapped in my direction, I realized with dawning horror that it was very, very real.I did the first thing my mind suggested—and that was run for my life!I turned around and started to run with all my strength. But no sooner had I taken five steps than I was pulled back by many arms and was forced to kneel down by the men who caught me.I winced as my bare knee scraped against the concrete and my hands were locked behind my back.God, this was it. I was going to die now. I never thought I was going to die like this. Not to mention, I was still so young and all. All because I saw my boss murder someone.I didn't know I had started crying until I tasted the saltiness on the corner of my lips. But nothing compared to the fear I felt when a cold muzzle rested against the side of my forehead.I closed my
Chapter 4: Goodbye, Ms. FleurAlena FleurI stayed up the whole night like an owl, over and over again replaying the scene of Elian shooting through that man's skull.I doubt I could ever forget that traumatizing scenario. Elian's threat afterward was no balm to that, either. If I spilled a word about it to anyone, I was dead.While I wasn't good at lying to my close people, I could keep a secret. But who knew how long I could keep when it was eating me alive?I should have listened to Mom and gone back to Georgia. In that way, I wouldn't have had to see what I did last night. Maybe it wasn't too late to just leave the town and ghost Elian. But he was most likely to find me.The sun was already shining outside my window while I was busy thinking about the possible ways Elian could kill me if I slipped up.Shit, now I had to get ready and go to the office and see Elian's face again. How was I going to face him after last night? How was I going to not freak out while sitting next to him
Chapter 5: I PromiseAlena FleurSeriously, what was with people threatening me with guns?Was it a new trend for handsome men to turn up and scare cute innocent girls like me? God, please get these dangerous men away from me and I will do more charity than I already do.I could understand one of Elian's men putting me under gunpoint, even Elian himself, but who was this tall man with pretty green eyes and black hair? What had I ever done to him? Was this one of Elian's enemies who wanted me dead for whatever reason?“Um, I think you have the wrong person here. I swear I have not seen you kill anyone, so you can let me off the hook—” I tried to reason, only to get cut off by the man.“You are Ms. Fleur, am I right?" he asked."Yes, I am. But I'm not on sale for people to kill—""I don’t have the wrong person here, Ms. Fleur. You’re a risk to a person I really care about, so I’m afraid I have to kill you. It’s nothing personal, I promise. So could you just make this easier on both of u
Chapter 6: Avoiding Or Not?Alena FleurThe next day, I mustered my courage and decided to go to the office.Elian was right; I couldn't avoid him forever. So I got dressed up in a white blouse, light pink suit, and black formal pants and marched out of my apartment with a smile plastered to my face. I wanted to be completely professional.I took the public elevator, instead of the private one. I would take no risk of bumping into Elian today. After all, I had a meeting with him two days later. Until then nothing would require me to see him. Therefore, it was going to be an Elian-free day!I entered my cabin to find Anya arranging my desk."Good morning, Ms. Fleur," she greeted with a bright smile.I smiled back. "Good morning, Anya.""I missed you so much yesterday," she whined and came to give me a hug.I chuckled and returned her hug. "Did anyone give you any trouble in my absence?" I inquired, pulling away from the hug and putting my bag on the desk.Anya was thinking hard, and ju
Chapter 7: Shooting PracticeAlena Fleur"But why?" I couldn't help but ask Elian."Because you said you need something for protection," he simply said."But didn't you say afterward that you were going to keep me safe?" I asked."Let's be realistic here, Ms. Fleur. Even if I try my best and stick with you 24/7, which I know you won't like at all, I can't always protect you. Sometimes, you need to be your own savior. And for that, you need a weapon, no matter how good you are at self-defense," he explained."Wait, how do you know I'm good at self-defense?" I questioned."That's all you got from my speech?" he let out dryly."No, I understood what you meant. But how do you know—""I don't know. I was just saying hypothetically," he clarified.It was still strange, but I nodded my head in understanding nonetheless."So now, can we go? We have to be back soon," Elian urged, walking towards the door, but I remained intact in my place. "What's wrong?""How do I know you are not taking me s
Chapter 8: WeirdAlena Fleur"How can someone be so careless? You were doing so well, and you could have kept that up. But no! You had to go knock yourself in the face. This is why I'm always telling everyone at the office to never get overconfident, but look at you now!"I was holding a bag of ice to my chin as Elian scolded me mercilessly. With how much he was rebuking me, I almost wanted to yell back that it was his fault—his stupid damn charming smile!"It's not my fault, okay? It's the gun's fault," I mumbled with a pout."Of course, it's never your fault. You're the most innocent person in the world," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.I continued pouting."C'mon, let's get you to the doctor," Elian urged."No, it's just a small thing. Look, the bleeding stopped as well." I pointed to the tissue in my nose. "Plus, it's not even broken. Why bother going to a doctor?""How about we let a professional decide if your nose is broken or not?" he let out."No. I'm not going to a
Chapter 9: Déjá VuAlena FleurIt was finally the day before the weekend. I couldn't wait for the day to end so that I could hit the bed and sleep for two days straight.After all that I went through this week, I wanted nothing more than to sleep it off and start afresh.Things were going okay with Elian as well. I tried to forget whatever happened that night, and now, I was successfully pretending it never happened. He was my boss, and nothing else.Right now, the two of us were at the manufacturing facility of Storm Dynamics. It was always me who came to check up on the finished products, but this time, God knows what Elian was thinking, he tagged along.It was an important project. We were sending firearms to the military, so a little mishap could mean our company could be shut down for eternity.I was doing rounds when I noticed a worker taking a box full of rifles in the wrong direction."Hey, aren't they all supposed to load the boxes in the truck?" I asked Mr. Jeremy, who was i
Chapter 10: BrowniesAlena Fleur Elian brought me home after the incident. He also bought the brownies that he promised."Are you going to watch as I take out my spare key, you stalker?" I asked."Why do you keep forgetting I'm your boss and you're supposed to show me respect?" he grumbled and turned around."Well, you don't like it when I call you 'Sir', so deal with it," I said and kneeled down to take out my spare key from under my neighbor's flower pot. I didn't keep it under my flower pot because of the high chances of getting robbed as a single lady."There are other ways to show respect, you know?" Elian said."I will show you respect when it's needed. Right now, I see no need," I replied."I think I deserve respect more than ever now. How many bosses do you think will bring their employees back home and buy them brownies?" he pointed out."Nice bosses would," I retorted and opened my apartment door."So you're indirectly saying I'm nice now?""Once in a while, you are," I sai