The ruthless CEO
1315 Words
It was the traffic police department’s call.
Ariel’s car had been towed for illegal parking outside the bar, the situation forced her to drag herself out her apartment despite wanting nothing more than to curl up in bed.
She got to the station, paid the fine, endured their long boring lecture, and left with her patience worn thin.
****
The next morning, though, her body still ached from exhaustion and night of sobbing. Ariel arrived at work on time,
She had studied marketing in university, but interior design had always been her passion.
After graduation, she soon took online courses and got a certificate.
Even though it was hard to get a job, she refused every ounce of help the Haltons tried to push her way. No doubt that they loved her, Mason's parents treated her like their own, she was like an adopted daughter. But she didn’t leverage that.
She’d built herself from the ground up, two years of sweat and stubbornness, until she became one of the company’s most admired interior designers.
Her colleagues adored her, especially the male designer who hovered around like moths drawn to her quiet fire.
Normally, she handled it with ease. But today her sneezes gave her away.
“Ariel, are you sick? I’ve got some cold medicine if you want it?” her colleague asked gently.
She accepted with a tired smile, and slipped away to the pantry for water, and downed the pills. Her chest still felt heavy.
Just as she sat back at her desk, her phone buzzed. It was a text from Brittany Myer. Mason's fiancée, inviting her out for a little get together in the evening.
Ariel hesitated, fingers pausing over the keyboard.
Ariel: I'm sorry I can’t. I'd be working overtime this evening and you'll be fine without me.
The response was immediate.
Brittany: Overtime, huh? Then what about tomorrow? It's a public holiday. Dinner, then the park. You love the park, please don’t say no.
Brittany: We haven’t had a gathering since I came back. You’re always busy. What are we… strangers now?
Ariel’s grip tightened on her phone.
Brittany wasn’t just some old friend. She’d been her closest friend since childhood, the kind you thought you’d grow old with.
But they had been distanced for a while now. Brittany went to London to further her studies and Ariel remained here.
Although they were far from each other, they talked once in a while.
But Brittany had never once mentioned Mason. How come about her sudden agreement to his proposal?
When Ariel didn’t reply, Brittany sent another text that made Ariel’s throat tighten:
Brittany: Ariel, baby, don’t you love me anymore? She sent a crying emoji along side
Ariel’s fingertips trembled. She took a breath, forced her emotions down, and typed back slowly. Fine.. we'll see tomorrow.
******
Ariel buried herself in her work until the office was nearly silent. Most of her colleagues had already left, the laughter and chatter from earlier replaced by the faint sound of her computers. She rubbed at her temple, her head still foggy from the cold.
“You sure you’re okay, Ariel?” One of the remaining interior designers poked his head in, concern in his tone. “You look pale. Maybe you call it a night?”
She forced a small smile. “I’m fine. Just need to finish this layout before leaving.”
He lingered, clearly unconvinced, but finally left her alone.
Ariel leaned back in her chair, staring at the screen through watery eyes. The lines blurred until she blinked them clear. Her whole body ached to rest, but she hated leaving things unfinished. If she wanted to stand here on her own merit and not as anyone’s charity case then she couldn’t show weakness. Not even to herself.
But deep down she knew the reason she was still engrossed in work was because her thought would be clouded with Mason when she gets home.
By the time she shut down her computer, the clock struck past nine. The office was already empty. She gathered her bag, wrapped her scarf tightly, and made her way down the dim corridor.
As she passed the glass wall near the executive floor, muffled voices caught her ear. A group of employees from another team who were working overnight, were talking in hushed tones as they left a nearby conference room.
“The CEO just got back from an overseas trip…” Voice one said.
“He’s stricter than anyone I’ve met. Cold as hell, but he's very brilliant…” Voice two replied.
“Did you see him? Those eyes, like he can see right through you but he's sexy as hell, he's the perfect man for me” Voice three muttered dreamily.
Their voices faded as they walked away, leaving her with a shiver she couldn’t explain. CEO? She’d worked here for two years and had never for once seen him.
The higher floors were a different world altogether and regular employees didn't get the privilege of interacting with him and Mason Halton hated the CEO of her company, in the past, they used to be friends, until a business deal made them become rivals and they weren’t even in the same level anymore, Mason was beneath him now.
He tried multiple times to pull her out but she remained adamant, she loved working here and as far as she didn't bump into him, it was fine..
Ariel shook her head, why was all her thoughts entangled with Mason.
Brushing it off, she pressed the elevator button. Her head still throbbing, her knees weaken from exhaustion.
Ding!
The elevator doors slid open, and she stepped inside without looking and she walked straight into a hard chest.
Her nose was filled with the expensive cologne he wore. Her body reacted before her mind did but her legs buckled, and she grabbed fistfuls of his shirt to steady herself.
A low, dangerous voice boomed in the enclosed space.
“What is this? Throwing yourself at me again?”
Her head snapped up, but her fever fogged vision betrayed her. She blinked once, twice only to find herself staring into a man's eyes, so dark and sharp.
His expression was unreadable, except for the disdain tugging at his mouth.
She remembered him, the stranger from that night.
Heat flushed her cheeks. “I.. I’m sorry,” she stammered, quickly releasing his shirt. “I wasn’t..” She wished the floor would open up. Today was indeed a great day for her.
“You weren’t?” His gaze swept over her, it was dismissive, like she was nothing more than a nuisance. “Learn to watch where you’re going. I don’t tolerate carelessness.” He said as he adjusted his shirt and cufflinks with precision.
His voice and authority made Ariel’s knees weaken for a different reason.
She ducked her head, mumbling an apology, and pressed herself to the other corner of the elevator.
Ariel couldn't really tell if this was his normally demeanour because she was drunk that night, she just stayed put, preparing to dive out when she reaches the last floor.
The silence inside the elevator was unbearable. She could feel the weight of his presence beside her, it was heavy and suffocating. The faint gleam of a silver watch caught her eye; the initials engraved on the clasp made her chest constrict with an unfamiliar unease.
What ordinary worker would be able to afford that kind of wrist watch?
She breathed in relief when the elevator immediately halted. The doors slid open, and two suited men immediately straightened from their positions in the hallway.
“CEO Lorence,” they greeted, bowing slightly.
Ariel froze. Her eyes darted between the men and Lorence.
The man standing next to her was the CEO of Land-Star Corporation?
And she had asked him to have s*x with her.
- Writer
