Chapter 3
1567 Words
The morning light spilled in through the curtains, casting a soft glow on Ariana’s fair skin. She stirred in her sleep, her eyes squinting as a sharp ache pounded in her head. Her eyelids fluttered, finding it hard to adjust to the brightness amidst the headache.
Her throat was dry, her body was heavy and her mind was blank.
For a moment, she couldn’t place where she was. Then, she threw her hands to the side…and froze.
She wasn’t alone in the room.
There was a warmth beside and she knew it wasn’t from the duvet. She turned her head slowly to see what it was and her eyes widened immediately.
There was a man beside her, with his broad shoulders rising and falling in slow and steady breaths. The duvet covering them had slipped slightly and that was when she realized with a shocking gasp…that she was naked beneath the covers too.
Her hands clasped around her mouth as the memories from the previous night came flooding in.
“Oh my God!” She whispered to herself, her voice lighter than a feather.
She remembered it all! The way he gave her a listening ear and shared in her pain. The way he held her when she spoke. The comfort of his touch. The way he kissed her. The way he made her forget about Dennis. They had spent the long night together and there was nothing romantic about it.
Her cheeks felt so hot as she recalled him rising above her and sliding into her as he stroked her repeatedly.
Dennis had never made her feel that good! Ever!
He had made a promise to make her forget and that was exactly what he did.
“Oh dear. What came over you, Ariana?” She slapped her forehead slightly, wondering where she found the bravery to do such a thing.
She had been a virgin up until her twentieth birthday when she finally agreed to have s*x with Dennis after his countless pleas. But, nothing he had done during their sessions felt half as good as what the stranger made her feel.
She carefully slid out from under the duvet and tiptoed around the room naked, searching for her top and blouse—the same one she had used for her job interview.
As she quietly changed into her clothes, she prayed silently that he wouldn’t wake up as she wasn’t sure she would be able to face him.
He would probably think she was a slut.
Once, she was done, she moved closer to him and held both her hands together. “I’m sorry, Sir.” She apologized.
Instead of leaving, she found herself staring at the stranger. She couldn’t shake off the feeling that he looked familiar.
“I’m probably just overthinking.” She thought and grabbed her purse.
Once she walked out of that door, she would never see him again and that was all that mattered.
She hurried out of the building and waved a taxi…she had been doing that a lot recently. She called out her home address to the driver and leaned back into the seat, relieving the memories from the night before.
“We’re here, Miss.” The driver said calmly. This time around, she wasn’t too lost in thought so, she quickly handed the fare over to him and stepped out.
“I can’t believe I’m back here.” She whispered as she stared at the house that was meant to be her marital home.
She didn’t have a choice. She had nowhere else to live as all her savings had been put into getting the building. Now, she had to face the same people who had betrayed her without any remorse.
She dug out her keys from her purse and opened the door. As she entered, she looked outside again and realized that Dennis had already left for work.
Good.
There was a high chance that Stacy would be gone too as she resumed early and it was already past 10 am.
She sighed in relief and hurried to her room, hoping to rest for a bit before thinking about what to do next.
Because, one thing was certain.
The wedding was off.
Her butt had just made contact with the bed when her phone dinged.
With a strained sigh, she picked up to see that she had over twenty missed calls, texts, and voicemails from Dennis. Not caring to hear what he had to say, she clicked on the unknown number.
Unknown Number: [Good day, Miss Ariana Blake. Please, be reminded of your interview at the Blackthorn Enterprise Tower tomorrow by 12 pm.]
A shriek left her lips as she read the message. She had completely forgotten about her interview. The text had been sent the previous day which meant the interview was to happen today!
How could she forget?!
She had been so caught up with her emotions that she had forgotten something that important.
It had been her dream to work in a company like Blackthorn Enterprise and even though their CEO, Vincent Blackthorn was known for being cold, arrogant, and a devil in human form, his company was the biggest in the whole of America.
Vincent Blackthorn was the richest man in the country!
Working in his company would set her up for life!
Throwing her phone to the bed, she jumped to her feet and hurried into the bathroom to freshen up. It was 10:30 am which meant she had an hour and thirty minutes to get there as the Blackthorn Tower was thirty minutes away from where she lived.
Less than ten minutes later, she came running out of the bathroom and threw on a black pencil skirt and a beige shirt to go with. Her hair was brushed into a sleek ponytail, her face bare with only a lip gloss.
She grabbed her purse and hurried out of the house, calling yet another taxi.
At exactly 11:45 am, she stepped into the Blackthorn Tower, one of the tallest and most exquisite buildings in the city. She barely had the time to ogle at the state-of-the-art architecture as she had to prepare for the interview.
She hurried to the reception where she was met with a strikingly beautiful brunette who suddenly made her self-aware. She cleared her throat and straightened her skirt, hoping she didn’t look out of place.
“Good day, Miss. Welcome to Blackthorn Tower. How may I help you?” She asked politely, her arms crossed professionally.
“Good day. I’m here for an interview at the main office.” Ariana responded with a smile of her own.
“Alright.” The brunette nodded and handed her a card. “This will get you into the elevators temporarily. The office is on the 35th floor. Door 5.” She said, her smile unwavering.
It made Ariana wonder if her cheeks didn’t hurt.
“Thank you.” She replied and took the card before heading to the elevator.
By the time she arrived at the 35th floor, she only had ten minutes to settle. She saw some of the other applicants seated at a corner and joined them, taking her time to go over her responses and calm her nerves.
As the interview kicked off, the first three applicants who went in all came out crying, making her nerves spike.
“What’s going on? Why are they all crying?” She asked another blonde beside her.
“The interview is being handled by Vincent Blackthorn himself. I guess they weren’t prepared to face a man like him.”
Ariana’s heart nearly stopped as the new information completely destabilized her.
“Fuck.” She whispered, her heart racing.
“Miss Ariana Blake?” The secretary, another strikingly beautiful, dark-haired lady, called out and Ariana jumped to her feet, almost losing her footing.
“Here!” She raised her hand.
“You’re next.” The woman said and shut the door, returning to her station.
“You’ve got this, Ariana.” She whispered to herself as she walked towards the door. When she turned the handle, she expected to be met with the office but, she was greeted by the secretary's office instead.
“Mr Blackthorn’s office is over there.” The secretary pointed to the door at the front.
“Thank you.” She smiled sheepishly and walked to the door, back straight and chin up.
She knocked once and opened the door, anticipating the rumored devilish look of the thirty-three-year-old Vincent Blackthorn.
Instead, she was met with his back as he faced the large window that gave a perfect view of the city.
She cleared her throat and clasped her hands together. “Good day, Mr Blackthorn.” She greeted.
No response.
Only the click of what seemed to be his fingers. She opened her mouth to greet again when the chair suddenly spun.
The sight she was met with knocked the air out of her.
Her breath seized at once and her blood ran dry. The air conditioning in the room suddenly felt too hot. She could barely breathe!
What were the chances?!
Her legs froze and she could barely stand or run as she came face to face with the person she least expected.
‘The man I had a one-night stand with is Vincent Blackthorn?!’
It was at that moment, she knew she was f****d.
- Writer
