Jannah
I can't stop glaring at his back as he disappears into the crowd.
Who the hell does this brute think he is?
I scoff, dragging my sweaty palms down the sides of my dress.
"Bully," I mutter under my breath, heat rising to my cheeks until I feel them burn. Jesus Christ. I'm not even sure if it's from anger or sheer humiliation.
I hate to admit it, but I'd actually been enjoying the flirting - the push and pull, the tension. He just had to ruin it. Of course he did.
He's my boss. He doesn't like me. He doesn't want me with his brother. And most importantly, he doesn't even pretend to be nice. Why the hell did I think he was going to kiss me?
The thought alone makes my confidence plummet. Ten out of ten, minus ten. I actually tilted my neck toward him like some starstruck intern? Am I that delusional? Delusional enough to believe a man who's ignored me for weeks and avoids me like I'm radioactive is somehow attracted to me?
My chest tightens. I drag my teeth along my bottom lip, fighting back the stupid sting in my eyes.
Anger slowly creeps in, replacing the shame. I start to see Aaron in a different light - not Aaron Steele, the sexy, frustrating CEO - but Aaron, the emotionally stunted bully. The last time I checked, only Blue Cyber employees were prohibited from having workplace relationships. Clinton and I? We're definitely not a thing,at least on my own end. Not employees either. So he needs to back off and get his facts straight.
We're two grown-ass adults, free to do as we please.
"Okay, what the hell was that?" Anastasia jabs a finger at my arm, almond shaped acrylic nails poking at my bones, her bright eyes wide with excitement. "You guys looked like you were about to rip each other's clothes off."
I force a smile, the sides of my lips twitching upward like a Barbie doll. Perfect. Just perfect.
"Yeah, girl, what in the world? I thought you were about to follow him home or something," Kaitlyn adds, smirking as she does a little chest shake that has both of them giggling like we're fifteen.
My smile dies right there.
If I were in a better mood, I might've cracked a joke or rolled my eyes, but instead, I clear my throat and tug down my dress.
"You okay?" Anastasia's warm hand presses gently against my bare shoulder, grounding me for a second.
"Yeah," I reply quickly–my tone a bit dry as I nod. "I'm just a little flustered. Guess I was expecting... the same thing."
I tack on a chuckle at the end, praying she doesn't catch the bitterness in my voice. The last thing I want is to ruin Kaitlyn's birthday. She deserves a drama-free night, not me spiraling over a man-child in a tailored suit.
"So who was that?" Anastasia asks, tilting her head. "Clinton? I swear I still can't tell them apart."
Kaitlyn starts to answer, then pauses, lips parting but no sound coming out. For a second, her brows pinch like she's genuinely confused.
"It was Aaron," I say flatly, cutting in. My tone comes out a little too sharp, but I don't care.
Kaitlyn's head slowly turns toward me. "Oh."
Yeah, oh. I watch her lips as teg remain parted for sometime like she's piecing the pieces of a puzzle slowly. I can almost ready her thoughts; oh you mean the guy who no longer calls you Jannah but M.s Cole?
Yeah, him.
Just that. One word, but her eyes are locked on me, full of quiet concern. She knows. I can feel it in the way her gaze lingers, trying to read the thoughts I haven't said aloud.
Her lips press against each other in a thin line and I look away.
"I swear, someone better fill me in on this Clinton and Ashton drama. I'm so lost," Anastasia pouts, clearly fishing for gossip.
But I can't. Not right now.
The urge to leave the building hits me hard. He's spoiled my night. Just like that.
I could've been flirting with the hot blond guy who actually looked like he wanted to kiss me. Maybe I would've let my guard down - let him kiss me long and slow, gotten his number, maybe never texted back. Who cares? It would've been fun.
But no. He had to mess it up.
And the worst part? It wouldn't have hurt if Aaron had actually kissed me. Sure, it would've complicated things - but I didn't want him to kiss me. Not really. I only tilted my head because it felt like the right thing to do in that weird, intense moment.
Who kisses the damn owner of the company they work for, anyway?
You. My conscience pricks at my thoughts.
" Shut up." I mutter under my breath.
I fold my arms tightly across my chest and release a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.
I'm not going to stop talking to Clinton just because he told me to - ordered me to. His control over me ends inside that sterile glass building he calls an empire. It doesn't extend here.
If - when - I stop talking to Clinton, it'll be because I want to. On my terms. Not because his highness gave a royal decree.
What's the worst he can do?
Tsk.
My tongue clicks against the roof of my mouth. My confidence starts trickling back in through my pores.
Fire you, a dark voice in my head mutters.
A cold shudder snakes down my spine. Can he really do that? Do people actually get fired for personal reasons? I've made achievements - real ones. I've been valuable to that company for the last four years, that's why they promised me a spot after my internship , that's why I was able to rise in ranks pretty quick. I wasn't another's pretty face with an empty barrel brain.
Still, my mind swirls with horrible possibilities, spiraling into a tornado of what ifs.
But then I pause. Would he really go that far? How much does he care? What's the extent he'd go to keep control?
"A pair of annoying twins obsessed with making Jannah's life miserable," Kaitlyn says suddenly, voice laced with teasing.
I turn to find her grinning like a big oaf, and against my better judgment, I smile too.
She's not wrong. Not exactly.
Her grin slowly gives way to a sober expression. She gives me that look - the one where her eyes narrow ever so slightly, locking with mine like she can see right through me.
Maybe she can.