Chapter 8
1928 Words
Kyla blinked several times, hoping to God all of this was an illusion. How could Taylan of all people be her boss?
So his father’s company he talked about taking over was here?
This was so messed up.
Freaking messed up.
Taylan, clad in a well-tailored professional suit, had a sweet smile on his face as he stood in front of them. Their eyes met, and Kyla’s throat went dry. It was like a bucket of cold water had been dumped on her head.
Someone nudged her from the side; only then did she realize she was still sitting.
“Oh,” the chair creaked behind her as she rose to her feet. “I’m sorry.”
Her fingers clutched onto the hem of her dress, her heart pounding in her ears.
Taylan began to address the crowd, introducing himself. Taylan Grason, a twenty-seven-year-old acting CEO of the company. It was pretty hard to tell it was the same man she had met at the club. The same man—she had told many things about herself, including her condition. She had strongly hoped they wouldn’t part, and now seeing him before her spins her world.
He glanced at her a few times as he spoke, so she tried her best to focus her gaze more on her file. What if Taylan was upset about that night? What if he brings it up?
Was she about to be sacked on her first day?
Besides, if Carlos finds out about this, it could lead to a problem.
After his speech, he excused himself for a meeting, giving her one last look before striding out of the room.
As they entered the elevator to the next floor, Kyla tried not to think of the unexpected boss. She distracted herself by counting the interns.
There are fourteen. Fourteen? Weren’t there fifteen who passed the application?
“He is hot,” a woman beside her said.
At first, Kyla wasn’t sure she was referring to her until those siren night eyes met with hers. She has beautiful light skin, full lips, a sharp nose, and long black hair that falls over her shoulder.
She’d seen her somewhere. Felt that sassy vibe.
The woman took her silence as a question. “I’m talking about the CEO. I saw the way you stared at him earlier.”
“Oh. I… I… No. Don’t get me wrong.” Kyla laughed nervously. “He just looked like someone I knew.”
“It’s fine. I mean, he is handsome, tall, rich, and sweet. Any woman would fall for him,” she said.
Kyla shrugged, unsure what to answer.
“I’m Shayla, by the way.”
Kyla’s smile flattered. Shayla?
Her head snapped to her, sighting the smirk lingering on her red lips. It was her. The weird unicorn woman at Jayden’s party, who had directed her to Jayden’s room. It was the same Shayla, the girl screwed by Jayden talked about.
“I’ve always wanted to meet you, country girl.” Shayla’s smirk widened. “Jay talks a lot about you. Kyla Harper.”
Kyla clutched her file close to her chest. “What are you doing here?”
“What do you mean, what am I doing here? I’m an intern, of course,” she shrugged. “You’re not the only smart person in the world, country girl.”
“Don’t call me that. I don't know how you got here or whatever strings you'd pull, but I'll advise you to stay away from me.” Kyla averted her gaze and took a deep breath to calm her nerves.
Why was she getting riled up all of a sudden? She wasn’t even with Jayden anymore. They’ve split. Seeing a total skank he'd hooked up with shouldn’t upset her this much.
What a great day to start her internship.
“I heard you are hooking up with his uncle.”
Kyla's jaw ticked. Oh, this b***h.
She continued, her voice a whisper for only her to hear. “And now you are hitting on the CEO. Men in suits are your type, huh?”
Before Kyla could give her a snarky reply, the elevator opened, and their supervisor, Elizabeth, was already waiting at the threshold, causing Kyla to shut her mouth.
They were taken on a tour, guided through different sections like the treatment rooms, the surgery wings, recovery kennels, and research labs. The great facilities made Kyla feel awe and nervous at the same time. It was both exciting and intimidating.
But each time she met Shayla’s gaze, her blood ran cold.
How was she going to work with this b***h around? She was even surprisingly taking the training well.
“Only a few of you would become a full employee,” Elizabeth said. “You are all dismissed for a twenty-minute break.”
While waiting for her food at the company’s cafeteria, Kyla checked her messages from Carlos. The Captain-nowhere had finally replied.
CARLOS: Be home on or before 8 pm. Don’t be late.
Kyla almost rolled her eyes. He didn’t even acknowledge her appreciation of the dress he had bought for her or ask how her first day at work was going.
The rest of the day went on with a few training sessions and tasks, and Kyla made sure she didn’t make any mistakes. And for Shayla, they didn’t exchange further words until the end of the training.
“Miss Harper”
Kyla paused at Elizabeth’s call.
“The CEO would like to see you in his office.”
Oh s**t. She'd almost forget about this man.
Elizabeth led her to a private elevator, one that led straight to the top floor. The CEO office. It was grand as expected, with polished ground and high walls. They stopped in front of a double French door. Elizabeth announced her presence, and Taylan’s deep, gentle voice followed with permission.
The door groaned lightly as she opened it. And there he was. Behind the desk, head buried in his file with a serious look.
Was she in trouble?
“One moment,” he signed off the last file. “And… Done,” he mumbled.
He dropped his pen and met her gaze with a smile, which Kyla tried to mirror but might have looked awkward.
“It’s good to see you again, Miss Harper. I hope this isn’t overwhelming.”
“Maybe,” she swallowed. “Are you going to fire me?”
His eyes flew wide. “What? No. No. I’ll never do that. Our first encounter doesn’t affect this. I mean, I saw your resume and already knew we’d meet.”
“So you accepted me because…”
“Because you’re brilliant,” he completed. “Your file stood out among the others. There wasn’t any favoritism if that is what you were worried about.”
She breathed out in relief.
“Have a seat,” he offered.
She contemplated for a moment before obliging.
“If you aren’t sacking me, then… why am I here?”
Her voice cracked at the end. She cursed herself for it.
Taylan leaned back in his chair. Gaze unreadable as they pierced through her. One finger tapping his desk repeatedly sounded louder than it should. On his seat, he looked more like a CEO than a regular sweet guy she'd met in a crazy club.
"You here," he began firmly. "So we can clear the air before this becomes more complicated than this."
"Complicated?" Kyla's throat bobbed, her tone much lower. "You mean the club?"
A beat of silence. He nodded.
"Yes. The club. That night"
Her heart sank in her stomach. Fingers clutching her file closer. She knew they would talk about it but never expected it to be this soon.
"I don't regret it," he continued. "What I regret was walking away without a proper explanation."
Kyla blinked. Stunned. Unsure if he was apologizing or making it worse.
"Mr. Grason I won't say a word. We don't have to talk about this. I'll just pretend it never happened. I promise I..."
"Miss Harper," he stopped her, leaning forward. If she could guess the look on his face, she must have misunderstood him. "I'm not trying to erase. I'm just trying to say I shouldn't have left the way I did. I wanted you to know that I left because I had to. No choice."
Kyla pulled her lower lip between her teeth. Should she be relieved?
"Look, like I said, you won this position fair and square, and I'm not going to jeopardize that. I want you to succeed. But I'm not going to pretend that night didn't matter," he paused, then firmly added. "It did."
Kyla took a deep breath. "Mr. Grason"
"Taylan," he corrected gently.
Kyla's lips parted with no words. This felt like she was stepping on ice.
Taylan smiled. Subtle. Soft.
"Welcome to the company, Kyla."
~~~~~~~~~~~
"Oh s**t, babe, that is messed up," Chelsea said on the video call.
"Yes, it is. How am I going to work with all of these happening?" Kyla said, picking her fingers as she paced the room.
"How come you're just telling me this? About what happened with Taylan. About your guardian showing up and turning out to be Michael's boss. The freaking owner of the club."
"I have no excuse, and I'm sorry. I kinda freaked out and don't know how to tell you."
"It's almost a week since we went to the club, Kyla. I took you there and should have known everything."
Kyla sat in front of the dresser. Her phone was facing her. "I'm sorry. Scratch that. What am I going to do? Taylan is my freaking boss. A man I almost had a one-night stand with."
"Does that bother him?"
"No. He is fine with me working. He doesn't mind as long as I do my job. He was surprisingly calm and sweet while I thought he was going to fire me."
"Then why are you freaking out?"
Carlos. He was the reason why she was freaking out. She doesn't know the exact reason. That man scares her and also doesn't. She hates him, yet her body felt safe around him.
"Maybe you should quit if it's too awkward," Chelsea added. "I mean, your guardian is freaking rich."
"Have you seen this company? Chels It's great. More like my dream coming true. They have all kinds of facilities. I could secure a great role and earn big."
"You sound like you're loving the city."
Kyla gave an eye roll. "No. Just the job, but every other thing else is choking me."
"Including me?"
"Stop being dramatic."
"Just be yourself, stronghead." Chelsea smiled. "By the way, my mom will be back from Paris soon. Told her about you already. She can't wait to hang out."
"Yeah. Thanks. Bye, Chels."
After the call ended, Kyla changed into a red bikini and headed to the private pool at the back of the house. Swimming was one of her hobbies. It helps her think.
So much had happened today. First, her therapist's advice. Jayden's b***h is her coworker and her new boss, who seem to still like her. Mostly the first bothered her.
‘I can’t give you what you want.’
Kyla recalled Carlos’s words as she swam. True, he can’t. He is not even into her gender. What if he keeps on denying her? Does that mean she has to find another man whose touch works on her?
Kyla emerged out of the water and gasped at the sight of Carlos.
- Writer
