My Sister’s Alpha

Familiar heat

NAIDIRA POV

"Naidira," a familiar voice called out, its rushed tone filled with urgency, jolting me out of my thoughts.

I stared at the hot cup in my hands—the steam rising wildly from the coffee—before lifting my head to look at Julie, who wore a worried expression on her face. She nodded toward the platform. My gaze followed hers to everyone present who was staring at me, then to the tall, elegant man standing calmly.

I gulped, knowing I had zoned out in the middle of the meeting and had probably missed a question directed at me.

"Ahmm...Ahmm," I muttered, turning to Julie, who was whispering a string of words. Thanks to my sharp ears, I was able to pick out one in particular—"proposal,"

I sprang to my feet, adjusting my black plaid skirt and suit. My heels clicked softly against the marbled floor as I made my way to the platform, ignoring the twenty pairs of eyes fixed on my every movement. Years ago, my anxiety would have spiked to its fullest, but now my eyes were fixed on the man at the center of the large office, Amon Daenara.

I held out my hands to collect the pointer so I could begin my presentation when his eyes dropped to my hands, something flickering in his gaze before he walked back to his seat.

Immediately, I took a deep breath, composed myself and started my proposal with ease and confidence.

If there was something I had come to love over the years, it was my job. It had been a breath of fresh air, and the countless promotions reminded me that I was nothing short of great at what I did.

When I finished presenting the new fashion design proposal, the audience, who had previously stared at me like I was a joke, nodded in approval. Julie shot me a thumbs up.

The meeting quickly came to an end. I was about to meet up with Julie to catch a ride back home when Amon intercepted me.

"See me in my office," he said before walking off.

I signaled Julie to wait and hurried to catch up with Amon's long strides.

We reached his office. Amon unlocked his door and immediately began searching through his drawer.

I walked in, bracing myself. And just as expected, his deep voice ranged out, loud and taunting, immediately after the door clicked shut behind me.

"How many times have I told you not to zone out like that?" he hissed, walking toward me with something in his hands.

"You guys were boring me out," I chuckled.

Amon grabbed my hands and examined them before opening a box that contained ointment and a bandage.

Amon carefully applied the ointment to my palms, where the coffee had burned me—something I hadn't even noticed earlier- then wrapped a bandage around it.

"I'm not going to cut my meetings any shorter for you..." he glared.

I burst out laughing, knowing exactly what he meant.

When I first started working, the planning team meetings usually lasted over two hours. Everytime I complained to Amon, the next meeting would mysteriously become ten minutes shorter. Eventually, it became an hour long.

A smile danced on my lips at the memories, ones that were filled with gratitude for this man who took me in when even my blood relatives abandoned me.

The rogue... my boss...my friend.

When he finished, he flicked my forehead lightly.

"Are you coming for tonight's dinner?"

"No, I have something important to attend to," I lied plainly. My only plan was to go home, binge-watch a movie, and fall asleep on my soft sofa. I mean, that was far better than attending a dinner filled with a bunch of uptight socialites and businessmen.

"You're a terrible liar, Naidira. Be there by seven, and you can come with Julie if you wish," he said, taking his seat behind his desk.

"Argh! Remind me why I have to be there again?!" I grumbled.

"Because you're my date," he said plainly, making my heart skip an unnecessary beat. I quickly regained my composure knowing it was just for formalities. Girls hovered around Amon like moths to flames, yet he never showed interest in any of them.

Dinners like this are when their antennae are on full alert. So Amon usually takes me as his date to avoid that-though it does little to nothing, as they always seem unbothered by my presence. At all.

Curse the earth for giving me a best friend who was a hot, wealthy bachelor!

"I think I should be getting paid for this," I muttered.

Amon was about to reply with something snarky when a knock sounded at the door. We both turned toward it as the person opened and entered. It was the company's manager, he had a file in his hand, so I knew they had business to discuss.

I quietly excused myself from the room, nodding at the manager, who had a sly smile on his face until the door closed behind me.

I made my way to the garage where Julie had packed, got in, and then she drove off. Julie and I stayed at the house the company provided. We were supposed to be neighbors but quickly bonded right from day one and, unintentionally, ended up having a room in each other's apartment where we rotated.

Julie kept stealing glances at me throughout the ride. When we stopped at a traffic light, she turned.

"You were thinking about him, weren't you?" She asked.

"Who?"

"Don't play ignorant with me. You were thinking about him...your mate." She bit down on her lip as if trying to suppress her anger by not mentioning his name.

I had told Julie what had happened, and she hated every single one of them as if she were the one who was brutally betrayed.

"It's not that... a cruel question just popped into my head, that's all." I said, remembering why I had zoned out. It was a cruel question. I had imagined it over and over again—if I weren't born this way would what happened years ago be different? Would my parents have given me the same amount of care as...Calanthe?

I bit my lip, taking my eyes off Julie and focusing on the side-view mirror instead.

"Yeah, a cruel question involving them," Julie rolled her eyes. "It's been two years, they are happy, so you should be too. Live!"

"Who says I'm not living?" I shot my head back at her in confusion.

"Baby girl, you're twenty-three and still a virgin. Oh wait...you haven't even had your first kiss...right??!" Julie froze at the realization while I froze at her shamelessness.

"That's my private life!" I yelled, wishing I could disappear. Instead I sank back into the passenger seat while Julie muttered profanities about how she needed to spring into action and change my boring life.

We soon arrived at our apartment. I went straight to my room to take a quick shower, and once done, I was about to change into comfortable pajamas when the door burst open, revealing Julie with her hair rolled up and a beauty mask on her face.

I raised an eyebrow at her questioningly.

"We got invited to the dinner launch of Saints," she said, her voice filled with disbelief.

"Oh..." I mumbled, remembering that I had forgotten to tell her about it-on purpose though, as it would have been an excuse to not attend.

"Oh?" She face palmed herself. " Why do I keep forgetting you're Amon's arrangement!"

I shrugged, picking up the pajamas from the bed.

"Are you going?" She asked, but before I could answer she placed her hand over my lips. "Don't... I already know what a party pooper like you is going to say."

She dragged the pajamas from my hand before pulling me toward the wardrobe, yanking out my gowns one by one and dropping them on the floor.

"Can't you just go and leave me alone?" I whined. Amon really played his card right by inviting this party clown.

"What kind of friend would I be if I did that?"

"A nice and caring one," I grumbled as she placed a blue dress over my towel-clad body. "No... we want something that screams hot...single but not desperate and lastly....wet."

I blinked rapidly, knowing what she meant. Immense shame washed over me.

Julie finally settled for a wine colored, handless dress. The soft fabrics hugging my curves, the hem resting above my mid-thigh. If not for the constant reminder of who we were going to meet, I would have sworn Julie was dressing me for a club.

Time went by fast as Julie took her precious time doing both her makeup and mine. It was already past seven when Amon sent his driver to pick us up.

The dinner was held in a luxurious hotel, its tall glass exterior overlooking the main city.

We were ushered in, and once we reached the main hall filled with elegantly dressed men and women, Julie automatically disappeared from my sight.

I made my way to the wine bar—the heels Julie forced on my feet were already digging into my skin.

I sat on the stool as the bartender smiled, offering me a cocktail.

"May I have a dance with you, mademoiselle?" a voice rang behind me, his breath brushing against my bare shoulders and sending a cool shiver down my spine.

I turned to find Amon, his eyes scanning my appearance.

When his gaze returned to mine, it lingered on my nude lip gloss. He cleared his throat, offering his hand, which I took as he led us to the dance floor.

The crowd parted as he made his way to the center. I held onto his neck as his body swayed to the soft rhythm of the music.

There was something in Amon's gaze tonight—something I couldn't quite place.

"Are you okay?" I asked, concerned.

His brow arched, then a smile formed on his lips.

"Certainly. I have the most perfect woman dancing with me, so why shouldn't I be?"

His unexpected words rattled me. Short of words, I turned my face away while Amon moved me by my waist closer to him.

Why was he suddenly acting this way?

My heart fluttered when I felt his breath brush against my cheek, then his lips trailed closer to the edges of mine.

Was he going to kiss me? Was Amon going to take my first kiss?

My mind went into a frenzy as I squeezed my eyes shut, not knowing how to react. But just before I could feel his lips on mine, a sharp jolt ran through me, from my heart, then spread to all parts of my body like an electrical current. A current all too familiar to me.

My eyes immediately sprang open, searching for it—searching for him.