Still My Weakness
1554 Words
Damien’s POV
I hated orientation days.
They were repetitive, unnecessary, and usually a complete waste of my time. The company had competent managers for a reason.
If I attended every orientation personally, I wouldn’t have time to run a billion-dollar corporation.
Yet there I was, walking towards the orientation hall with Theo beside me.
The moment the doors opened, the employees erupted.
“Boss!”
“Boss!”
“Boss!”
I acknowledged them with a brief nod, and my eyes met hers. Adeline.
She was seated among the new employees, dressed in the company orientation uniform. The moment my eyes landed on her, I forgot every word of the speech I was supposed to give.
The company's orientation uniform was simple. It was just a blue shirt and a white skirt. Nothing special.
Unfortunately, Adeline somehow made it look unfairly good. The blue shirt brought out her eyes and fit her perfectly without trying too hard and the white skirt stopped just above her knees, giving her a youthful appearance that made it impossible to believe eight years had passed.
She was smiling at something Julia said, a real smile and not the guarded expression she always wore around me.
The sight hit harder than I expected. Eight whole years, and somehow she was still the most beautiful woman in any room she walked into.
I clenched my jaw immediately. I was a grown-up man and a CEO, not some teenager getting distracted during orientation. Yes, there I was, standing on the stage in front of hundreds of employees while staring at a woman who wasn't looking at me.
“Boss,” Theo called, pulling me out of my fantasy.
“Good day, newbies.”
The hall immediately became quiet. I delivered the speech exactly the way I always did. Professional, short, and direct. Yet my eyes kept finding her again and again.
By the time I finished speaking, I was already mentally exhausted, not from the speech, but from fighting myself.
I stepped off the stage and sat in the front row. Unfortunately, that was where my suffering truly began.
“Now, shall we add a little entertainment to this room?” Mr. Kay said as he climbed the stage.
The employees cheered and I grabbed a bottle of water. Entertainment wasn’t my concern, I planned to sit quietly until the orientation ended. Then Mr. Kay smiled and disaster arrived.
“Mrs. Adeline Orlov. Why don’t you do us the favor?” He said and my hands froze around the bottle.
No, absolutely not.
I watched Adeline stand and the employees immediately started clapping. She looked hesitant at first, then she started walking toward the stage and I suddenly regretted sitting in the front row.
The music started; for the first few seconds, she simply stood there, smiling. The smile alone was enough to make my chest tighten.
Then she started dancing, nothing dramatic or outrageous, just simple movements, and yet somehow, she immediately captured everyone’s attention.
The hall became completely focused on her, especially me. I leaned back in my seat trying to appear unaffected, trying to look like a normal CEO watching a staff performance.
But Inside? I was fighting for my life.
The more she danced, the more I regretted coming to work that morning. Things that should not affect me, but unfortunately, Adeline had always been dangerous without even trying.
She wasn’t dancing for attention or for anyone’s impression. The happiness on her face was genuine and everything looked effortless.
Why was it suddenly hot in here? The air conditioner was running and the employees looked perfectly fine. I turned my eyes to check Theo and Mr. Kay but they looked fine. Only I was slowly melting into my chair.
Three minutes into the performance, she raised both arms above her head. What a very bad decision. The movement caused her waist to become more visible and for a second my brain completely forgot every financial report I had reviewed that morning.
I grabbed my water bottle. Adeline jumped lightly and her hair flowed behind her like something straight out of a commercial and my grip tightened around the bottle.
On stage, Adeline moved with the music again and the entire hall cheered. Then she pushed her hair behind her shoulder and that was it. I need water immediately. I uncapped the bottle and took a long drink. The kind of drink a man takes when he’s trying to cool down both physically and mentally.
Everything was going well until Adeline suddenly bent slightly with the rhythm. I looked up at exactly the wrong moment and the water entered the wrong pipe.
I exploded into a coughing fit and water sprayed everywhere. The entire hall froze.
“Boss!” Alexander nearly jumped over three chairs.
“Boss!”
Stefan looked seconds away from fainting and Theo grabbed my shoulder. Meanwhile, I was coughing like a man experiencing his final moments.
“Call an ambulance!” I heard Stefan scream.
An ambulance? For choking on water? Were these people insane? I continued coughing. The more I tried stopping, the worse it became.
Across the hall, Adeline had stopped dancing completely. She was staring at me looking confused and innocent as if she hadn’t caused this entire disaster.
Finally, I managed to breathe again and I stood up immediately.
“I’m fine” I told Alexander who was about to call an ambulance, and he dropped his phone.
“We need to talk, Adeline,” I said as I walked out.
I wasn’t even aware of when she came so she had to clear her throat to make me aware, and I turned immediately.
“You wanted to talk about …
“Oliver” I cut her off.
“I already told you I’d just meet him as your PA for now. I’m not ready to…
“I know how you feel. I know you’re hurt because of everything I said that year, but…”
“Damien,” she interrupted.
I stopped talking.
“This isn’t about what you said to me. I experienced something far more painful. Compared to that, your words meant nothing.”
The statement hit harder than I expected. “But getting introduced to Oliver as his mother right now wouldn’t go well for me.” She said firmly.
I stared at her for a moment before reaching for my phone. Without saying another word, I unlocked it and pressed play.
“Find me my mom!” Oliver’s crying voice immediately filled the office and she froze.
The pain in his voice made even my chest tighten and I watched her lips tremble. Then she bit down on her lower lip so hard that a small drop of blood appeared.
“You hurt yourself,” I said instantly.
I stepped forward and raised my hand to wipe it away, but she stepped back immediately. My hand froze midway. And once again, my eyes landed on the ring on her finger.
The reminder felt like a slap and silence settled between us.
“I heard we can clock out after orientation,” she said quietly. And I clenched my jaw.
“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, Mr. Hartley.”
Then she turned and walked out. The office door closed behind her.
And once again, I was left staring at a woman who kept walking away from me.
Oliver sprang up immediately when the main door opened, and I entered.
“Dad” he rushed to me.
“You punched a classmate Oliver, what exactly is coming over you?” I said and he stopped in his tracks.
“I hate it when people talk badly about you.”
“When did you become violent? The Oliver I trained might be a spoiled brat but would never raise his hand on anyone.” I replied seriously and he went quiet.
“Don’t try it again” I warned and started climbing the stairs, but Oliver rushed after me and hugged me tightly from behind, making me stop.
“You told me my mom left because of you, but he was saying she left because you cheated. I know my dad is not a w***e, and I hate it when people say trash about my family. Please don’t get mad at me, Dad.” He apologized, and I sighed before facing him.
“I’m not mad at you big man” I said and he hugged me immediately.
I reciprocated, stroking his hair gently and he smiled.
“Dinner is ready” the two new maids announced.
An hour later, after a warm shower and a delicious dinner, Oliver fell asleep on my bed since he insisted on sleeping in my bed tonight.
I covered him well before going to my working table. I still have things to take care of. So I opened my laptop, and that brought back the memories of eight years ago.
I closed the laptop immediately since I couldn’t seem to concentrate and covered my face with my palms, sighing out.
“Why does it seem impossible now that I’ve met her” I muttered, gently taking my palms away from my face.
The scene of her dancing earlier replayed in my memory, but I shut it down and stood, going to bed.
- Writer
