Taming My Ruthless Alpha

Chapter 8

Emma had been giving me the side-eye all morning, and I was starting to feel like a character in a mystery novel. I finally turned to her and asked, "Got something on your mind?"

She played innocent, batting her eyelashes. "I have no idea what you're talking about," she said, casually tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She started to smile suggestively, "I was just curious about your little car ride with Mr. Zahn last night-"

I interrupted her, setting the record straight. "Hold up. He didn't whisk me away for a romantic evening, Emma," I whispered, hoping to keep this conversation under wraps.

"Sure, sure. That's what I meant," she giggled. "I just wanted to know what happened after we left you with him."

I arched an eyebrow at her. "He dropped me home, end of story," I deadpanned.

She narrowed her eyes, clearly not satisfied with my response. "Claire mentioned something about a grocery adventure or some such thing," she prodded, scrutinizing my face for any hint of a reaction.

"Yeah, I waited in the car while he did his shopping. I already told Claire that," I shrugged.

"I see," she said, pressing her lips together in a disbelieving manner. "Did he say anything to you at all?"

I was about to spill the beans on last night's car chat when Mr. Harold swooped in with an urgent message. "Amelia, the CEO needs your latest sketch for the upcoming project," he called out before dashing off.

I let out a sigh, turning to my computer to print out the files that I had been working with. "I guess I'll tell you later, but it wasn't anything important or interesting," I said, gathering the freshly printed papers and putting them in a clear file.

"Still, don't leave out even the smallest detail," she winked at me as I stood up to leave.

I shook my head at her and walked away, clutching the file against my chest as I headed straight to the elevator. It was my first time going down to the fifth floor, where the CEO's office was located.

Just as I was about to knock on the door of his office, it pulled open to reveal a young man. "You must be Amelia Jacobsen," he said. "Go on, Mr. Zahn is waiting for you," he added, walking out of the room to let me in.

I nodded and walked into the room, shutting the door behind me. Mr. Zahn looked up from the file he was going through. "Ah, there you are," he said, shutting the file. "Did you bring the sketch?"

"Yes, Mr. Zahn," I said as I crossed the distance between us. "I just started working on it, so..." I trailed off, uncertainty ringing in my voice as I handed him the file.

He took it from me, "That's okay," he reassured me with a nod. "Have a seat while I go through it." He said, going through the file.

I nodded and sat down in one of the seats in front of him. As he looked at the sketch, I took my sweet time to look around the interior of his office. It was furnished in an inviting way with cream-painted walls and matching beige curtains. There weren't many unwanted furnishings around, so the room looked aesthetic just the way it was.

I glanced up and caught him already staring at me with those intense eyes. "Oh, sorry. I didn't realize you were finished with that," I said, sitting up straight.

He cleared his throat, "I have to say, this looks promising," he began, "but I'd like to see more creativity. For example..."

I paid close attention to his feedback, nodding along as he spoke. I asked a few questions to make sure I understood his expectations, and I could see why people said he's hard to please.

"I see," I said. "I'll redo the sketch, Mr. Zahn." I glanced down at my notes, new ideas already swirling in my head. "If that's all, I'll head out-"

"Wait," he interrupted as I started to get up.

I looked at him questioningly. "Yes, Mr. Zahn?" I asked, waiting for him to speak. "Is there anything else you need?"

"Yeah, could you take a look at this project?" he asked, turning the laptop toward me. "Tell me what I can do to improve it."

I pulled the laptop closer and began reviewing the file, feeling his gaze on me the whole time. "You can email me the file, and I'll review it from my cubicle, Mr. Zahn," I suggested, looking up to find him already watching me.

"I'd rather have you do it here," he said.

I narrowed my eyes at him suspiciously but didn't say anything. Instead, I asked for a piece of paper and jotted down key points where the file could be improved. "Here you go, Mr. Zahn. Anything else?"

He seemed to be trying to keep me there on purpose. After looking around for an excuse and coming up empty, he shrugged and shook his head. "I'm afraid that might be all for now."

Thank goodness.

I smiled and got to my feet. "Alright. It might take me a day or two to get the file ready. I'll let you know when it's done," I assured him, taking the file and exiting the room before he could say anything else.

I let out a breath as I stepped out of the room, shaking my head to myself.

"Did Mr. Zahn give you a hard time?" I heard someone ask.

Looking up, I saw the man from earlier with a small smile. "I am Louis Gordon, the chief operating officer of this company," he introduced himself when our eyes met.

"Hello, Mr. Gordon. It's a pleasure to meet you," I said politely. "About Mr. Zahn, no, he did not give me a hard time at all," I shook my head. "He is just very... specific," I said, trying to find the right word for Mr. Zahn.

Mr. Gordon chuckled at that. "Yeah, he's like that most of the time, but deep down, he just needs to get some rest," he joked.

"Maybe you're right," I smiled. "Alright, Mr. Gordon, I have to start working on these right away. I guess I'll see you around," I added before walking away.

I went up to my department and straight to my cubicle. Sitting down, I let out a breath and looked down at the file in my hands. It looks like I have to redo everything.

"You were gone for a long time," Emma noted in a quiet tone.

"Please don't start now. I have to work on this project first," I let out a sigh and started my computer with determination.

The rest of the day passed by quietly as I continued to work on the same project. I realized that I hadn't finalized the file yet, so it looked like I would have to pick up where I left off tomorrow. As I glanced around, I noticed that Emma's seat was empty, and it dawned on me that I was the last one in the department. I had been so focused on my work that I hadn't even realized everyone else had left.

In a rush, I quickly packed up my things and left my cubicle. When I checked the time, I was shocked to see that I had stayed over two hours past the end of the workday. My stomach growled loudly, reminding me that I had missed lunch. I hurried to the elevator and then out of the building, hoping to catch the bus.

Unfortunately, luck wasn't on my side. I watched in frustration as the bus drove away just as I reached the bus stop. My stomach grumbled again, and I realized I needed to find something to eat.

Taking a deep breath, I scanned the area for any open restaurants. Normally, I preferred not to eat out, but I didn't have much of a choice at that moment. It felt like finding food was the only thing standing between me and losing my sanity.

My eyes practically sparkled with joy when I spotted the convenience store open. I dashed over, hoping to snag some cup noodles, but just as I was about to cross the street, a sleek black car pulled up in front of me.

The window rolled down to reveal the familiar, dashing face of Mr. Zahn. "Where are you off to? I can give you a lift home-"

I shook my head before he could finish, "I'm just going to get something to eat," I said, not caring about coming off as rude. I was too hangry to worry about manners. I didn't even wait for his reply as I had already stepped away from there and ran across to the street.

I hustled into the store, zoomed through the aisles, and finally found a cup of instant noodles. I made a beeline for the cashier and paid up.

"Is there hot water around here?" I asked, and she pointed to the back of the store where a water filter sat, along with a few tables and chairs.

I didn't waste a second. I sprinted to fill the cup with hot water and plopped down at a table, eagerly awaiting the noodles to soften up. According to the cup, it was going to be a torturous three-minute wait.

"I hope you don't mind if I join you," a voice said.

"Not at all," I replied without looking up.

Two minutes left.

"Is it really that good that you sprinted in here?" the voice asked.

This time, I glanced up to see Mr. Zahn sitting across from me with his own cup of instant noodles. "Mr. Zahn? What are you doing here?" I asked, completely baffled.

"I was hungry, so I thought I'd tag along," he shrugged, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

I didn't know what to say, so I just nodded, stealing a glance at my watch. A grin spread across my face when I realized three minutes had passed, and I carefully opened the cup, releasing a puff of steam.

The first slurp of those cheap noodles was pure bliss. I almost let out a moan of delight. I quietly savored a few more bites, taming my ravenous stomach.

"You shouldn't make a habit of eating those," Mr. Zahn commented.

I gulped down my food, "Actually, I don't eat these every day. I just happened to be famished today, so I popped in here," I explained, "Normally, I whip something up at home," I shrugged.

He narrowed his green eyes at me, "You were that hungry?" he asked, and I nodded, "Did you have lunch?" he inquired.

I shook my head, "Skipped it."

His eyes widened, "You really shouldn't have done that," he shook his head disapprovingly, "Why did you skip it?"

"I didn't mean to," I sighed, "I got so caught up in work that I didn't even realize the time. One minute it was morning, and the next, everyone had already clocked out."

"Have you always been a workaholic?"

I chuckled, "You make it sound like a crime. If I'm not mistaken, you might be in the same boat," I sighed, "I don't have much else to do besides work," I shrugged.

He didn't say anything, just dove into his instant noodles. "Still, you should eat on time. Never skip a meal. It's not good for you," he said, genuine concern shining in his eyes.

I smiled and nodded in agreement.

"I'll give you a ride home," he said after a comfortable pause.

I sighed, "You really don't have to-"

"I know you take the bus. It's already late. If you take the bus, you'll be wiped out by the time you get home. So, it's only logical to accept my offer and ride home with me so you can unwind a bit more."

I know he was right about that, but still, it felt like I would be taking advantage of his kindness if I accepted his offer. "I don't mind taking the bus-"

"Amelia," he said, making me gulp.

I don't know what sorcery he had used to make my name sound like that, but it was enough to make my heart skip a beat.

"Let me drive you home," he said. It was not an offer anymore. It was an information.

I nodded at him, knowing I had no other choice. "At this rate, people might start to assume you're my personal driver, Mr. Zahn," I said to him.

"It's a good thing that I don't give a single care about what people think of me then," he said, taking another bite of those noodles.