Chapter 5: Dinner (Continued)
991 Words
Chapter 5: Dinner (Continued)
Nira sat stiffly on the edge of the couch, her fingers tightly wrapped around her handbag. The silence in the house felt… heavy. Too quiet. Too controlled.
Her eyes wandered around his living room—everything was perfectly arranged, almost too perfect. Dark tones. Minimal. Cold.
“Just like him,” she whispered under her breath.
Footsteps echoed from upstairs.
Slow. Measured. Intentional.
Her heart betrayed her, beating faster with each step he took down. She hated it. Hated how her body reacted to a man she barely knew—and worse, one who treated her like she was invisible just hours ago.
Vincent appeared.
Dressed in a simple black shirt, sleeves slightly rolled up, exposing his veined forearms. His hair was still slightly damp. Effortless. Dangerous.
Nira quickly looked away.
“Why did you call me here?” she asked, her tone controlled but edged with irritation.
Vincent didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he walked past her.
Too close.
Close enough for his scent to wrap around her again.
Lavender… and something darker.
He stopped behind her.
“You took your time,” he said calmly.
Nira frowned, turning slightly. “I came as soon as your driver got to me.”
A pause.
Then—
“Stand up.”
Her brows furrowed. “Excuse me?”
His voice dropped, firmer this time.
“I don’t repeat myself, Kanira.”
Something in his tone made her stomach tighten.
Slowly, she stood.
Now they were face to face.
Too close.
Way too close.
“First rule,” he said, his eyes locked onto hers, “When I call you for work, you don’t question it.”
Nira scoffed softly, folding her arms. “This is not work. This is your house.”
His jaw tightened.
For a second, the air shifted.
Dangerously.
Then suddenly—he stepped closer.
Nira instinctively stepped back… but her back hit the wall behind her.
Trapped.
Her breath hitched.
Vincent placed one hand beside her head against the wall, leaning in just enough to cage her in without touching her.
“Careful,” he murmured, his voice low, almost threatening. “You’re crossing lines you don’t understand.”
Nira swallowed hard but forced herself to hold his gaze.
“Then maybe you should explain them,” she shot back, her voice softer now—but not weak.
A flicker of something passed through his eyes.
Interest.
Challenge.
Desire.
His gaze dropped briefly to her lips.
That small movement didn’t go unnoticed.
Nira’s fingers tightened at her sides.
“Is this how you treat all your employees?” she whispered.
Vincent leaned in slightly closer—just enough for her to feel his breath against her skin.
“No,” he said quietly.
A pause.
“Just you.”
Silence.
Thick. Electric.
Nira’s heart pounded so loudly she was sure he could hear it.
She hated how her body reacted—how she didn’t push him away… how part of her didn’t want to.
“Why?” she asked, barely beyond a whisper.
Vincent pulled back slightly, his expression hardening again—like a mask snapping back into place.
“You’re here to work,” he said coldly, turning away from her as if nothing just happened.
Just like that.
The shift gave her emotional whiplash.
“Unbelievable…” she muttered under her breath.
He walked to the table and picked up a file.
“Come here.”
She hesitated… then walked toward him.
“Sit,” he instructed.
For the next hour, Vincent explained schedules, meetings, contracts—but his tone was distant again. Professional. Controlled.
As if he hadn’t just had her pinned against a wall.
Nira tried to focus… but her mind kept drifting.
To his voice.
His closeness.
The way he said, “just you.”
Suddenly—
“Are you even listening?”
She snapped back. “Yes.”
Vincent leaned back in his chair, studying her.
“Then repeat what I just said.”
Nira froze.
He smirked slightly.
“Exactly.”
She clenched her jaw. “Maybe I’d focus better if you didn’t drag me here at night for something that could’ve waited till morning.”
Silence.
Then—
Vincent stood up slowly.
Too slowly.
He walked toward her again.
And stopped right in front of her.
“You talk too much,” he said quietly.
Nira looked up at him, her breath uneven. “And you—”
Her words got stuck.
Because this time…
He didn’t stop at just standing close.
His hand lifted—
And gently tilted her chin up.
The touch was soft.
But it sent a shock through her entire body.
“Yet you still came,” he murmured.
Her lips parted slightly.
No response.
No defense.
Just silence.
Vincent’s eyes darkened.
For a second… it looked like he was about to lose control.
But then—
He dropped his hand.
Stepped back.
“Go home, Kanira.”
Her heart skipped.
“What?”
“You’re done for tonight.”
Confusion. Frustration. Something else she didn’t want to name.
“You called me all the way here for this?” she asked.
He didn’t answer.
Just turned his back to her.
Dismissed.
Nira grabbed her bag, anger rising in her chest.
“Goodnight, Mr. Shah,” she said sharply.
He didn’t turn.
“The driver will take you.”
She walked to the door, opened it—
then paused.
For a second… she almost looked back.
But she didn’t.
She left.
Vincent stood still long after the door closed.
His jaw clenched.
His hands curled into fists.
“Damn it…” he muttered.
He ran a hand through his hair, pacing.
He had been close.
Too close.
Losing control wasn’t part of the plan.
Not with her.
Not again.
His expression darkened.
A shadow passing through his eyes.
“Stay away…” he whispered to himself.
But even he didn’t believe it.
- Writer
