GAME OF CONTROL
961 Words
CHAPTER TWO: GAME OF CONTROL
"A CEO WHO WON’T LISTEN"
Zyrah Vexley prided herself on being patient. She had dealt with difficult bosses before. But Aziel Rune? He was a different breed of trouble.
By 9 a.m., she was already dealing with a chaotic mess.
Aziel was nowhere to be found, despite having a board meeting in twenty minutes. His office was empty, his phone went straight to voicemail, and—worst of all—she had a bad feeling.
She stormed out to find Titan Corp’s executive secretary, Eleanor Greaves, who barely glanced up from her coffee.
"Where is he?" Zyrah asked, exasperated.
Eleanor smirked. "Let me guess—he disappeared again?"
Zyrah’s eyes twitched. "Where. Is. He?"
Eleanor sighed dramatically. "Penthouse suite, probably with some poor woman who made a terrible decision last night."
Zyrah wanted to scream. Instead, she grabbed her phone and sent a single text:
Zyrah: If you’re not in this office in 15 minutes, I’m coming to drag you out myself.
She didn’t expect an immediate response.
Aziel: Kinky. But maybe buy me dinner first, sweetheart.
Zyrah inhaled deeply, counted to five, and marched straight to the penthouse.
---
"RESCUING A CEO FROM HIS OWN CHAOS"
When she arrived, she wasn’t even surprised.
Aziel was lounging on the couch, shirtless, a stunning redhead wrapped in his bedsheets. His penthouse was a mess of expensive whiskey bottles and designer clothes, the aftermath of a very wild night.
The woman blinked sleepily at Zyrah. "Who are you?"
Zyrah gave her a tight-lipped smile. "His assistant. You have five minutes to leave before I call security."
The woman huffed but grabbed her dress and stormed out. Aziel, still half-asleep and looking sinfully attractive, grinned up at Zyrah.
"You always this aggressive in the morning?" he murmured.
"You have a meeting in ten minutes."
Aziel stretched, his toned muscles flexing as he leaned back. "Cancel it."
Zyrah crossed her arms. "You skipped three meetings yesterday. The board is already questioning your leadership, and if you don’t show up today, they’ll—"
Aziel grabbed her wrist suddenly, tugging her forward until she nearly toppled onto his lap.
"Tell me something, Miss Vexley," he murmured, voice dripping with amusement. "Do you always follow the rules?"
She refused to flinch. "Do you always break them?"
Aziel smirked. "I like you."
Zyrah yanked her wrist free and tossed his dress shirt at his face. "Get dressed, Mr. Rune. Now."
Aziel chuckled but, to her surprise, actually listened.
---
"ENEMIES IN A BOARDROOM"
By the time they arrived at the Titan Corp boardroom, the tension was thick.
The board members sat stiffly, waiting. Among them was Dorian Lancaster, the company’s cold-hearted CFO, and Cassandra Moreau, the ruthless VP who had wanted Aziel fired for years.
Dorian tapped his pen against the table. "Mr. Rune, nice of you to finally join us."
Aziel smirked, completely unbothered. "Wouldn’t miss it."
Cassandra’s lips curled. "Really? Because from what I’ve seen, Titan Corp’s CEO is more interested in partying than actually running a company."
Zyrah felt the tension shift. Everyone was waiting for Aziel to explode.
Instead, he leaned back, all calm arrogance. "I appreciate your concern, Cassandra. But since profits are up 30% this quarter, I’d say I’m doing just fine."
Cassandra’s jaw tightened. "That’s because your father left behind a stable foundation. But we both know you don’t have the discipline to keep it that way."
Zyrah held her breath.
For the first time, something flickered in Aziel’s eyes. Something dark.
But just as quickly, he smirked. "Thank you for your input. I’ll take it under advisement."
Meeting adjourned.
As everyone left, Zyrah stayed behind, watching Aziel.
"You didn’t say anything back," she noted.
Aziel exhaled slowly, looking out the window. "No point arguing with someone who’s just waiting for me to fail."
There was something off about the way he said it.
Something… deeper.
Before she could press, a new voice interrupted.
"Miss Vexley. A word?"
Zyrah turned and found herself face-to-face with Jex Marlow.
Aziel’s rival.
And the man who had warned her about him.
---
"THE RIVAL CEO’S INTEREST"
Jex led her to a quieter corner of the building, hands in his pockets. Unlike Aziel, he was sharply composed, his dark blue suit crisp and perfect.
"Still alive?" he asked, smirking.
"Unfortunately," Zyrah muttered.
Jex chuckled. "I have to admit, I didn’t expect you to last a full day. Aziel isn’t easy to handle."
She folded her arms. "Why do you care?"
Jex’s smirk didn’t fade. "Because you’re interesting, Miss Vexley. And I don’t like seeing interesting people wasted on someone who doesn’t deserve them."
Zyrah narrowed her eyes. "If you’re here to make me spy on Aziel, you’re wasting your time."
"Who said anything about spying?" Jex stepped closer, his voice dropping. "I’m just saying… if you ever get tired of working for a reckless playboy, there’s always a place for you at Apex Industries."
Before she could respond, another voice cut in.
"Funny. I don’t remember auctioning off my assistant."
Zyrah turned to find Aziel standing there, his usual smirk nowhere to be seen.
He looked furious.
Jex simply smirked. "Relax, Rune. Just a friendly conversation."
Aziel stepped between them, his presence dominant, possessive. "Zyrah doesn’t need your offers. She’s mine."
Zyrah stiffened. "Excuse me?"
Aziel didn’t take his eyes off Jex. "You heard me."
Jex chuckled, completely unbothered. "We’ll see about that."
He walked away, leaving Zyrah and Aziel alone in thick silence.
She crossed her arms. "I don’t belong to you, Rune."
Aziel turned to her, his expression unreadable.
"For now," he murmured.
Zyrah wanted to punch him. Instead, she stormed off.
Aziel watched her go, lips curling into a smirk.
This was going to be fun.
---
- Writer
