The office felt smaller somehow, tighter, as if the walls themselves were holding their breath. My heart thudded so loudly she was certain Aec could hear it. I tried to steady herself, pushing her coffee cup away, but the warmth of the liquid no longer comforted her.
My mind was a chaotic storm, replaying that night i couldn't forget, the one that made my pulse race even now, the one that had left me with an ache I couldn't name. And before i knew it, my mouth betrayed her.
"So… I'll come over to your house?" I asked, barely above a whisper, thinking it was just a thought, just my brain stumbling in private.
The room froze. Every eye in the office, including Diana's sharp gaze and Joel's stunned look, snapped toward me. Maxie's hand flew to her mouth, eyes wide in shock. My own ears burned, and my brain slammed into panic.
Aec's dark head turned slowly, sharp and deliberate. His eyes landed on me like a blade cutting through the fog of her embarrassment. A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, slow and deliberate, as if savoring the moment.
"Well," he said, voice dripping with sarcasm, low and cold, "that's one way to ask for permission, isn't it? I must say, I didn't expect such… initiative."
I froze, heat surging through her veins. The audacity in his tone made my knees weak, but i clenched her jaw, refusing to show more than a flicker of unease.
Diana blinked, flustered. Joel's shoulders stiffened. Maxie's eyes darted from Sharon to Aec, silently asking how the hell her best friend had just done that.
"I..." I started, but Aec's gaze held me in place, and words failed me.
"Meeting's over," he said finally, his voice dropping an octave, cutting through the room like a whip. "Everyone back to your work."
The office exhaled, the tension snapping like a taut string. People filed out quickly, leaving I, Maxie, and Joel standing in awkward silence.
"Uh… Sharon?" Maxie finally whispered, her voice trembling with disbelief. "What just happened?"
I pinched the bridge of my nose, groaning inwardly. "I… I don't know. I just… I was thinking about something, and it slipped out."
Joel snorted, shaking his head. "You literally just asked your boss if you could go to his house… in front of everyone."
"Yeah," I muttered, cheeks hot. "In hindsight… not my smartest move."
Maxie frowned, stepping closer. "He didn't… you know, he didn't take it as a joke?"
I swallowed hard. "He took it as exactly what it was, Maxie. And then some."
Joel's eyebrows lifted. "Sounds like you two are… complicated."
I rolled my eyes, trying to calm the storm inside me. "You have no idea."
---
By the time the office emptied completely, My phone buzzed. A text from Zion: "Still on for pick up. I'll be outside in twenty. Don't disappear on me 😏."
I smiled, a little fluttering stirring in my chest. Zion's words were always warm, always familiar. I typed a quick reply: "I won't. Just… busy day."
I barely had time to put my phone away when a shadow fell across the office door. Aec. His presence filled the room immediately, sharp and commanding. His was with Diana and Kade as always but stopped abruptly at our office
"Sharon," he said smoothly, voice low enough that only i could hear. "See me out. I'll be close to you during the deal. The others can return". His audacity was too much for me to take in...
My pulse kicked up. "Close to me?" I repeated, keeping my voice steady but testing the edge.
"Yes," he said flatly, his gaze chilling. "Do not test my patience."
---
By the time we reached the parking lot, my stomach churned. The late afternoon sun glared off the sleek black car he was leaning against. Aec's presence was suffocating, magnetic, leaving my heart thumping.
"So," he began, voice measured, almost casual. "You've failed to comply with the contract you signed."
I blinked. "I… I don't understand. What contract?" i said, trying to keep my voice calm. My mind raced, every nerve on fire.
He stepped closer, and I instinctively took a half-step back, trying to put some space between us. "The one I sent you a message about. The agreement. You were supposed to comply, Sharon."
I blinked again, heart stalling for a fraction of a second. "Wait… you… you sent that message?" I whispered, voice uneven. My mind whirled. I had no memory none of any message from him, any agreement, any… contract.
"Yes," he said, almost calmly, but the cold in his tone made my skin prickle. "It was sent to you. I expected compliance. Yet here we are."
I laughed. Nervously, first, then louder, after I remembered the so called contract he kept insisting on, the sound of my laughter sharp and a little wild. "You're… insane," I said, shaking my head. My laugh cut through the tension, but there was an edge of disbelief in it, too. "You… actually think I'd… I mean, come on. You're sick."
He didn't flinch. His smirk was slow, deliberate, like he was savoring my reaction. "Sick? Perhaps. But this… this is business, Sharon. I do not mistake games for negotiation."
I crossed my arms, trying to steady my racing thoughts, trying to mask the mix of panic and irritation bubbling inside me. "Business? You call sending some random text while I'm… incapable… business?" I gestured vaguely, my cheeks flushing even as I tried to sound composed. "Really? That's… that's your idea of… responsibility?"
Aec's gaze pinned me where I stood. "You were aware of the terms when you agreed. You are accountable."
"I… I wasn't aware!" I exclaimed, a mix of indignation and frustration slipping past my usual control. "I was… under the influence. I didn't… I..."
His voice cut through my stammer like ice. "That is not an excuse. Intoxication does not void obligation."
I exhaled sharply, running a hand through my hair. My mind raced. He can't be serious. This is ridiculous. "You… you're actually insane," I said again, more firmly this time. "I can't… you're… wow. That's..." I stopped, shaking my head, then forced out, "Sick."
Aec didn't move, didn't flinch, didn't even smile beyond that tiny, infuriating smirk. "Sick, bold, defiant… choose your descriptor. It changes nothing. The agreement stands. Your compliance is required."
I swallowed hard, my chest tightening. My instincts screamed to bolt, to refuse, but a tiny voice inside me told me this wasn't the moment to play games. And yet… I couldn't stop the heat rising in my cheeks, the defiance curling in my chest.
I gave him a level look, even as my hands fisted at my sides. "You're crazy, you know that? Seriously. You… you're actually insane," I said, this time quieter, but every word dripped with sharp, biting boldness.
He didn't respond. He just stared, cold and implacable, letting the words hang between us like a blade.
And I couldn't decide if I hated him or the way my pulse thudded every time he looked at me like that.
I squared my shoulders, meeting his glare. "I don't care. I'm not your property. You don't get to decide when I follow your rules." My voice was bold, defiant, though a part of me trembled at the authority in his stance. "I don't even have any memory of the kind of contract we signed" I tried to lie now
Aec's smirk was infuriatingly calm. "Bold," he said softly, the word almost a caress and a threat at the same time. "Dangerously bold. But irrelevant."
Before i could respond, movement caught my eye. Zion, stepping out of his car a few meters away, speaking animatedly on his phone. I felt my chest constrict with a warmth I didn't expect. I turned slightly, just enough for my eyes to meet his.
He saw me. A small, teasing smile tugged at his lips as his gaze softened. My lips parted in a blush, subtle, fleeting but my attention snapped instantly to the presence that had just dominated my world moments ago. Aec could tell something was distracting me and noticed the distraction... A man
"Are we done with this… conversation?" I asked, voice firm, cutting through the tension like a knife. I didn't wait for an answer; i wanted to get to Zion.
Aec's hand shot out, catching my wrist with a grip firm but controlled. "There's something urgent about the business we're handling. Step into the car. Now."
I tugged slightly, . "I… I have a guest waiting..."
"No," he interrupted, voice low and icy, the kind that brooked no argument. "You will come with me. It's urgent. There's no discussion."
Zion, still several steps away, didn't notice the drama unfolding. My fingers clenched, tugging lightly against his grip. "Please… just a moment. I ..."
Aec's gaze bored into me, unyielding. "Enough. Into the car."
Before I could argue further, I found herself guided into the passenger seat. The door closed with a soft thud, and i turned toward Zion just in time to see the flash of disappointment cross his face.
Through the half-rolled window, I whispered, "It's work… urgent. I'll text you, I promise."
Aec's fingers flicked the window button, sealing the glass between me and the world outside, cutting off even that small connection. The engine roared to life, and we were moving. My heart thudded loudly in my chest as I leaned back, tension radiating through my in waves.
Zion's eyes lingered on the car as it disappeared down the street. His expression was a mixture of worry, frustration, and something else, something deeper, something unspoken. I couldn't see it now, trapped as I was in Aec's world, the distance between us stretching both physically and emotionally.
Inside the car, Aec's presence was suffocating, commanding. My jaw tightened, but my gaze held steady. I refused to let him see her fear, refused to let him feel i was anything less than bold, even as the hum of the engine and the city noise faded into the background.
"You'll find, Sharon," Aec said softly, almost conversational, though each word carried weight, "that avoiding responsibility is never an option."
I opened my mouth to reply, boldness sparking in my chest, but the window slid fully up, separating me from the outside world, leaving the parking lot and Zion behind.