Taming My Ruthless Alpha

Chapter 4

"Amelia"

I tore my eyes away from the screen of my desktop to look up at Mr. Harold, who was currently beaming down at me. His eyes were literally shining in excitement.

"Yes, Mr. Harold?" I asked, curiously. What was he so excited about?

"You won't believe what just happened," he started. "I just handed over the files you have submitted to Mr. Zahn, and he was more than satisfied with your work. It was a rare sight to witness him nod in approval for a file just within seconds."

I felt a pang of excitement washing over me. "You're kidding," I said in disbelief, but my lips were forming a grin.

He shook his head. "No, I am not," he chuckled. "He was so impressed that he even asked me about the person behind the file. A.K.A., you."

"Really?" I asked, my eyes going round with surprise.

Mr. Harold nodded in response, "You're doing great so far, Amelia. I hope you keep up your hard work and exceed everyone's expectations all the time," he said with a warm smile before shuffling away.

As I watched him walk away, a sense of accomplishment filled me. It felt like I had achieved something within days of being here. At the same time, a bubble of fear formed in my stomach as I realized I had to continue giving my all to earn the recognition my work deserved.

"No pressure at all," I mumbled to myself.

"Psst, we just heard what Mr. Harold told you," I heard Emma say from behind me.

I couldn't help but smile. "That's called eavesdropping, you know?" I chuckled as I turned on my office chair to look at my colleagues.

"It is not eavesdropping if we are all in the same room," Andrew stated. "Anyway, we are happy for you. Congrats on not being on Mr. Zahn's wrath list yet," he winked at me. "Even Leo got yelled at within days of joining the company," he said, glancing towards Leo.

I looked at Leo, who seemed a bit embarrassed. "That must have been tough, but you must have persevered and given your best because you're still here," I said, wanting to lift his spirits.

Leo smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Yeah, you could say that," he said before turning to face his computer.

"You're going to teach me how to be better too," Emma chimed in before I could say something more to make Leo feel better.

I smiled at her. "I don't mind pitching in where I can," I said to her, and she returned the grin.

With today's tasks completed, I already had a glimpse of what tomorrow would bring. Mr. Harold had mentioned a new project and how Mr. Zahn had high expectations for the team, so I needed to research some ideas to stay ahead.

We were scheduled to have a brief but crucial meeting with Mr. Zahn today to discuss the new project and his expectations for us.

This would be my first time meeting him.

"Are you looking forward to meeting Mr. Zahn, Amelia?" Emma asked as we rode the elevator to the meeting room.

I shook my head. "Thanks to all your warnings, I've lost my excitement about meeting him," I sighed. "I'm actually quite nervous."

"He can be short-tempered, but let me tell you something that's kept me going, even when I've been yelled at a couple of times," she said, moving closer to whisper in my ear. "He's definitely easy on the eyes. With his looks, I wouldn't mind being nagged all day long," she giggled like a teenager.

I could only laugh at that.

Once we arrived in the meeting room, I went to the seat that I was assigned to and took out my tablet before glancing down at my watch. We still had a few minutes left. "Is he punctual?" I asked Emma in a small voice while scanning the room to see that everyone was here already.

Except for Mr. Zahn.

"On the dot," she replied. "It's almost like he is perfect and has no flaws at all," she sighed. "He is the only one that is not here yet. He should be here any minute from now."

Before I could say something in return to that, I heard the door being pushed open. My eyes snapped towards the door, eager to finally see the CEO of Zahn Innovations, and my eyes widened in surprise.

No way.

The aura of authority that he carried as he stepped into the room was palpable. He walked in with confidence and power; his back was straight and head held high. As my eyes followed him with every step he took, I watched him freeze in his steps and then take a breath before instinctively turning to look right at me, across the room.

It felt like my breath had caught in my throat. It was the man I met at the pharmacy. The same man I bumped into in the elevator earlier.

The world is surely a small place.

His intense gaze was fixated on me, and I visibly shuddered under it. The air around me suddenly felt thick again as he refused to break his eye contact with me. He kept his eyes on me for a few more seconds before finally giving me the mercy and looking away to sit on his chair.

It was only then I felt like I could breathe again. I exhaled a sharp breath and noticed how everyone had sat up straight, ready to listen to whatever Mr. Zahn had to say. I took my stylus out with a shaky hand and waited to jot down anything important.

"Greetings, everyone," he began from the head of the table. "I am not going to drag this for long," he said, motioning someone to turn on the projector so he could start explaining.

For the next half an hour, I watched him as he briefed on this next project. I couldn't help but marvel at how he had spoken exactly what he wanted straight to the point, making it easier for everyone in the room. It is clear that he knew what he wanted.

That wasn't the only thing that I had noticed.

Throughout his brief, I caught his eyes flitting towards me more than a few times. I thought I was imagining it, but after a couple of times, I could have sworn his eyes stayed on me for a few seconds before he looked away to the screen again.

Was it because I was new? Was he checking if I was paying attention or not?

The meeting finally came to an end, and I felt a sense of relief as I longed to escape the suffocating feeling of being under his scrutinizing gaze. Like everyone else, I gathered my things and prepared to leave, but Mr. Harold stopped me in my tracks.

"Amelia, a moment please," he said, causing me to pause and turn to face him.

"Mr. Zahn would like to meet you," he informed me, sending a chill down my spine.

I glanced over at the CEO, who appeared engrossed in the files before him, and then back at Mr. Harold. "Why?" I asked, my confusion evident.

Mr. Harold attempted to reassure me with a smile. "There's no need to worry. Perhaps he's just interested in getting to know his newest staff member," he suggested, though it was clear that he didn't have all the answers.

As everyone else filed out of the room, it became apparent that it was just the CEO, Mr. Harold, and myself remaining.

"I guess I will see you tomorrow," Mr. Harold said out of the blue and then dashed out of the room before I could even react.

I stood there, frozen for a few seconds. Did he just leave me all by myself with the most intimidating man in the company? I slowly spun on my heels to see Mr. Zahn watching me with his piercing green eyes.

My throat went dry, and I gripped my bag tighter. "Yes, Mr. Zahn?" I asked.

"Amelia," My name rolled out from his mouth in the most captivating way it has ever been pronounced.

I blinked, feeling dazed as I was suddenly overwhelmed with a foreign emotion. A strange sensation went down my spine, and I stood there, rooted to the ground as he stepped towards me, his eyes never leaving mine for a moment.

"Nice to meet you," he said, coming to stand right in front of me. "I didn't know we would meet again. Here of all places."

Why was he talking as if he hadn't seen me in the elevator earlier?

It took me a few seconds to gather my thoughts. I might have looked like a dumb person as I gaped at him. "It's nice to meet you too, Mr. Zahn," I said, taking a step back to put some distance between us. "Galveston is such a small place," I said awkwardly.

I had no clue what I was supposed to say.

I saw him stiffen a little when I stepped away, but he didn’t say anything. "I saw your work. I just had to meet the person behind it. It is impressive for a beginner to excel this soon after joining."

I bowed my head slightly. "Thank you. It is truly an honor to know that my work exceeds the CEO's expectations," I said politely. "I assure you that I will be committed to this project with all I have, Mr. Zahn."

His eyes darkened again as he nodded. "That is good to know," he said, his lips pressing into a thin line. "I heard that you're new in Galveston."

It just felt a little bit weird to be talking about the most trivial matter with the most important man in the room. "Yeah. I just moved," I kept my reply short, shifting my weight from one leg to another as I grew more uncomfortable with the conversation.

He continued to watch me as if he was studying everything that was on my face. It made me feel insecure for some reason, and I had this sudden urge to bring my hand up to my cheek to block my face from his view, but I held it back.

"Feel free to ask for any help if you're in need," he offered kindly after a few seconds of pin-drop silence.

I was actually taken aback by the sudden hospitality. From what I have heard, everyone described him as being the strict and intimidating person, so offering help was the last thing that I had expected from him.

"I—uh, thank you, Mr. Zahn, but I am quite settled now. Galveston is an easy place to get adapted to," I said, pushing a free strand of hair to the side. "Is that all, Mr. Zahn?" I hoped I sounded polite when I asked that.

"Yeah, you may go now," he said, his eyes tightening once again as if he was holding back from saying something more.

I smiled in relief. "I guess I will see you around, Mr. Zahn," I said with a pleasant smile before turning on my heels and finally leaving the room.

Once I stepped out of the room, I released the breath that I didn't realize I was holding. I wondered what that was about as I walked away from there.