12: DON'T THINK ABOUT HIS HANDS
1169 Words
Kayla didn’t breathe properly until the elevator doors slid shut behind her.
She let out the breath she didn't know she was holding, then she screamed. Stomping hard on the floor.
“i***t”
Stomp.
“Arrogant”
Stomp.
“Infuriating idiot.”
Stomp.
She slid on the floor covering her face in embarrassment. His smirk, like he knew exactly what was going through her head.
"You seriously can't stop thinking about putting your hands all over me. Can you Kayla?"
No, absolutely not. She was not thinking about his hands.
She was thinking about how close he’d gotten. About the way his voice dropped when he said her name. About how stupid it was that her heart had skipped three beats like a teenager at her first crush.
“Get it together, Kayla,” she muttered standing up and smoothening her now wrinkled dress like it could fix anything.
The elevator dinged showing the lobby.
She stepped out fast, shoulders squared, pretending she was okay. As she had convinced herself to be.
Her phone buzzed before she hit the revolving doors.
Kayla pulled it out, half-expecting it to be Andrian.
It wasn’t.
*Unknown Number :Careful who you trust, Kayla. A*
Her stomach dropped.
The number was different but the initials were the same, the same as yesterday. ‘A’.
She stopped walking. People flowed around her like she was a rock in a river. Her palms went sweaty.
She was having a mid panic attack, her chest heaving as she tried to take in deep breaths to calm herself down.
“Stop it,” she whispered to herself. “You’re spiraling.”
But the text didn’t help.
She didn't know if she should go back and seek refuge in the arms of Andrian or tough it out like she's always done.
She then straightened her coat and her spine.
Whoever this was, this A they had tabs on her, they were monitoring her every move and she wasn't going to show them she was a chicken
She took in a deep breath one last time, shoved the phone back in her pocket and pushed through the doors into the afternoon heat. Vance Industries towered behind her,it looked too clean, too perfect.
Maybe it was a trap dressed up as an opportunity.
Kayla was soon lost in thought almost forgetting the A incident.
Signing that contract meant stepping deeper into it.
But not signing meant watching her mom’s company get picked apart piece by piece.
Kayla chose the lesser evil. For now.
She took the subway instead of a cab.
Andrian’s words kept coming back.
“It’s business, Kayla. Everything with us is business.”
Liar.
If it was just business, why did he look at her like that? Like he was annoyed she affected him at all. Like he wanted to say something and bit it back.
She hated that it mattered so much to her and she was so bothered about it.
Her stop came up too fast. She got off
Her mom’s company was two streets over. Or what was left of it.
Kayla’s fists clenched.
She was going to get it back, she was sure of it
The front desk was empty when she walked in.
She walked further and she met who was supposed to be at the front desk doing something else.
What she had in hand fell down with a thud.
“K-Kayla? You shouldn’t be here.” She uttered, almost trembling.
“Why not?” Kayla asked with a raised brow, she turned back since she had her back to her.
The receptionist looked like a rock was stuck to her throat.
“Your… your stepmom said you weren’t allowed in the building without her permission. Something about liability.” she said her voice as tiny as a rabbit.
Liability. Right. Liability like her existence was a problem.
Kayla’s fist clenched hard her veins popping out of it.
Not only was she making things difficult for her. She was blatantly trying to kick her out.
She didn't even say a word to the person inside anymore, she walked in fast, without breaking stride.
The receptionist didn’t stop her. Nobody did.
She let herself in.
Halfway down the hall, her stepmom stepped out of the office as if knowing Kayla was coming to her.
“Well, well,” her stepmom said, smiling like a shark. “If it isn’t the prodigal daughter. Snooping where you don’t belong again?”
Kayla stopped walking and glared at her hard.
“I want to know why I'm being stopped from entering into the company”
Irene smirk giving an ‘I thought you'd never ask look’
“Well Kayla I must at least thank you right, you've made everything easier for me” Irene slurred and gave her a condensing look from head to toe then slowly started walking around her. “You're overconfident or should I say stupid. You think Andrian Vance is someone you can see and talk to at will. The board and shareholders have finally come to a conclusion to kick you out if you mess this up” then she laughed mocking her tone raising, “and it's so obvious that's you're going to mess this up”
Kayla stopped two steps in front of her a smirk on her face, her body had stop trembling by now. She looked almost relieved a playful smirk on her face even.
“Did you perhaps forget about the agreement we made mother? I get a place in the company and you get Lucas and the engagement agreement”.
Irene laughed again, hard. Hands on her stomach
“That's your trump card? Oh Kayla you're so naive.” Then she stepped closer her mouth almost touching her ear.
“You don't know how easy it is to get rid of you. To get you killed. Just like I did with your mother. She whispered.
Kayla's well maintained temper snapped like a thin thread.
She grabbed Irene's hair.
“You bitch.” She screamed “I'm going to kill you” Kayla continued still dragging her hair, tears streaming down her face. But Irene didn't look scared or panicked. She had a satisfied smile on her face. She had everything under control.
Security soon came to separate the two of them.
“Kick her out, she's unstable” Irene said calmly dusting her now rumpled suit like it's going to help.
“You better make sure you get rid of me first Irene, cause if I get to you first, I'm going to torture you till you can't recognize yourself” she said whilst being dragged by security guards.
Irene smiled, evily and mouthed ‘till then’. Her face soon changed to a cold look and she walked towards the opposite direction.
Kayla was soon kicked out. She looked at the company’s logo with resentment
She was never going to forget this day in her life, ever.
Irene, this Is full blown war.
- Writer
