AFTER I WAS LEFT ON THE ALTAR

CHAPTER FIFTEEN: BUSINESS MEETING

(THALIA'S POV)

Luna stood there at the bathroom door completely drenched, moving from side to side repeatedly causing water to splash everywhere from her hair.

The white cat got off the bed and hid behind my legs from the water splashing everywhere.

“Luna get inside now and have a bath. Why would you drench yourself in water for no reason?” My voice came out higher than usual, while my foot tapped continuously against the floor.

My words did the exact opposite of what I wanted because the next thing I knew Luna let out a fit of giggles. “ Sorry, Momma” she choked out amidst the giggles.

“You little–” I took quick steps towards her causing her to let out a yelp, ran into the bathroom and locked it immediately. I let out a sigh and picked up the cat from the floor and sat on the sofa.

A few minutes later, Luna came out with a white towel tied around her. Her little feet ran across the room with one hand in the air and the other holding the towel in place.

“Luna! Would you quit running around and put on some clothes?” Like I had pulled a trigger, she let go of the towel and flung it in the air and ran across the room with me chasing after her frantically.

“Dinner would be ready in five minutes, are—” Alexander's words died as soon as he saw the state we were frozen in.

I used that opportunity to grab Luna, wrapped the towel around her, and ran straight into the bathroom without sparing Alexander a glance.

___

I had been walking back and forth inside the room for the past fifteen minutes trying to mentally prepare and encourage myself for what was to come before fully getting dressed.

My chest felt tight and my stomach twisted into knots. I took deep breaths trying to regulate my heartbeat but nothing was working. Every time I convinced myself I was just overthinking, another worst-case scenario would casually pop into my head.

Okay, Thalia, it's not really a big deal. I would just go in and listen to men sit on a table talking about numbers then I can take some notes and be absolutely invincible through the entire meeting– is what I have been chanting with absolutely no effect.

I looked at the clock and realized time was running out and Alexander could waltz right in any moment. I finally decided to put on the outfit I had laid on my bed and ironed to perfection.

Twice.

Yeah, I know a second time was a bit extreme but there's nothing like being too careful at all. I was done putting on an outfit, my hands stretched out as I turned my focus to Luna.

She let out a gasp, “ Momma looks so pretty.” Luna squealed.

A smile made its way to my lips, “ Thanks, baby. I really needed that” I rubbed Shiro's chin carefully causing it to purr. Luna finally came up with a name or rather looked at a random word and named the cat Shiro.

I walked towards the full-body mirror and nodded at my reflection, the knot in my stomach loosening instantly.

I wore a cream-colored shirt that had been tucked neatly into a charcoal-colored skirt that had stopped right above my knees. I had rolled the sleeves to my elbows which exposed my wrists with nothing but a simple silver wristwatch.

I quickly picked up my things and arranged them into my handbag carefully and neatly. Alexander was already out in the corridor when I had stepped. My eyes briefly swept over him as he wore the same design of suit as yesterday but in a darker and sharper color.

His eyes moved to me when I had closed the door. His gaze swept over me briefly before looking away. The glance lasted for barely five seconds, yet my stomach tightened all over again.

We walked side by side to the elevator in silence. None of us found the need to break it and I honestly enjoyed it. We did silence really well, it was something I had always had my suspicions about.

Not finding the need to fill the quiet with noise the way most people did, and somehow that made the quiet feel comfortable rather than heavy.

The elevator doors opened and we stepped in.

“You ironed your clothes twice.” His gaze swept over me and heat rushed to my cheeks.

I froze just for a split second and quickly regained myself, my eyes shifting to look at the floor.

“ I don't know what you're talking about,” I said

"The crease on the left sleeve is slightly different from the right."

I looked at my left sleeve then back at the elevator doors.

"That's just how it is," I said.

He said nothing more after that and just turned away. I let out a quiet huff facing forward for the remainder of the ride.

___

I had seen Alexander in a lot of scenarios, I had seen him in his office, I had seen him in a shopping mall and a convenience store and crouched at a pond looking at fish with a four-year-old. But none of that prepared me for this.

The moment Alexander and I were closing in on the conference doors, I suddenly felt my chest twist tightly and I involuntarily started playing with my fingers. I suddenly noticed the air around Alexander shift to something heavy, and the only word that came to mind was —Dominance.

The doors swung open and every conversation seemed to die a quiet death.

The room was glass-walled, so that one could overlook the entire city from where we stood. Seated around an oval table were seven people who sat in their own specific postures. They carried an air of importance and you could tell just by looking at them.

The moment their gaze fell on Alexander, they suddenly sat up a slightly straighter, and I had to blink twice to be sure I wasn't imagining things. Their eyes followed Alexander’s movements in not what one would call fear but rather acknowledgement. It was more like the involuntary movement the body has when it recognizes a significant figure.

Alexander simply walked to an empty seat at the head of the table and sat down. I took a seat slightly behind him, my notebook open as I willed myself internally to focus.

The meeting started in a heartbeat, alternating between English and Japanese repeatedly. An interpreter stood beside the conference table translating to both sides without an emotion on her face. She is definitely not new to the business.

I focused dearly on taking notes, as much as I could not wanting to miss anything that Alexander may find important. As the meeting went on, I noticed that the way Alexander gave his full focus and attention when someone spoke, you could feel it in his gaze.

His ears not only picked up words but his eyes analyzed body movements, which alone was enough to make one nervous. Alexander did more listening than speaking since the meeting started. He spoke only when needed or felt it was needed.

He added no gestures, showed no emotions and added no extras to back up any statement he would make and the entire room never questioned any statement this far.

A man I was sure was an investor wearing a pure golden wrist watch, his entire demeanor oozing out pride decided to ask a question about projected figures with the tone of someone laying a trap rather than asking a question.

The air shifted instantly, My eyes scanned the room and I realized all eyes had landed on Alexander waiting for a response. Four seconds passed–yes, I counted. Alexander addressed the question with ease, tearing down the problem bit by bit and giving solutions to each piece then reconstructing it all over again.

The investor nodded his head afterwards and the meeting continued at a regular pace. All through those seconds that Alexander explained I couldn't write anything down. I was completely immersed in what he was saying and how he handled it so easily.

The room slowly emptied as people left not before delivering a handshake to their fellow business partners. I gathered my things and was checking my notes when Alexander appeared beside me.

“ Why did you stop writing at a point?” Alexander asked.

He noticed? But his gaze didn't shift to me at all. I considered lying but decided against it.

“ I was listening” I placed my things into my bag.

“ To what specifically” He pressed further.

“The way you use silence after you speak," I said. "You don't rush to fill it. You let the other person actually process what you said instead of immediately burying it under the next thing." I looked at my notebook. "Most people don't do that.”

He looked at me longer than a second and asked, “ You studied art?”

“ Just for a year,” I replied, turning away.

He didn't press any further than that, something in my shoulders released instantly.

I definitely didn't want to talk about some parts of my past that still felt too embarrassing to say aloud, especially to someone whose opinion had begun to matter far more than I wanted it to.