Enthralled and Entangled

Chapter 12

Arthur froze when he heard me. He kept his head lowered as he stared at the documents in his hand for a long time without speaking.

His silence made me anxious, so I repeated again, “I’m willing to pay any amount of money as long as I can resign.”

I still had some savings in my bank. I initially saved them for Sofia’s living expenses but from the looks of it, leaving this place was more important right now.

Arthur’s face sank. He slowly set the documents down on his desk, then lifted his eyes to look at him. “Are you sure you want to quit, Riannon?”

I nodded firmly. “I’m sure.”

With a frown on his face, Arthur paced back and forth twice in the room then said, “Your position was personally appointed by Mr. Braydan. You’ll have to get his approval first if you want to resign.”

At the mention of Braydan’s name, I felt a squeeze in my heart. “What will happen if I just leave this company without seeking any approval from Braydan?”

Arthur looked at me, his eyes wide with terror. “You still don’t get it, do you? Braydan is the one who wants to keep you here. None of us dare to go against his wishes. Even if you walk out of this company today, he’ll find a way to make you come back again. Riannon, I’d advise you against doing something so pointless.”

His words caught me by surprise and immediately rendered me speechless.

Arthur softened his tone and said, “No matter where you go, Braydan will surely have a way to bring you back here.”

He made sure to really emphasize the word “bring” and it was quite concerning.

I grew nervous when I heard Arthur’s warning. I had seen Braydan getting mad, so I could easily imagine how he would tear me apart when he found me again. The thought scared me a little.

Arthur patted my shoulder. “This is actually not a bad job. You should really consider staying here, Riannon.”

Staying here?

Impossible. Eddie would discover Sofia sooner or later. I must leave this place.

With a smile, I thanked Arthur for his kindness then went to Braydan’s office with my resignation letter.

I pushed open the door. Braydan was leaning lazily against his couch, crossing his long legs with a cigarette perched between his fingers. He seemed to be in a bad mood.

Sitting across from him was Eddie.

I was so shocked that I nearly dropped the resignation letter I was holding.

Eddie had a cup of coffee in his hand. He looked at me indifferently, his handsome face more composed than usual.

Why was he here?

My heart started racing and my hand holding the resignation letter trembled slightly.

Braydan’s sharp gaze fell on me. I froze when I met his cold eyes.

Then I heard Eddie say, “Bray, my company is really short-staffed lately. Can you let Riannon come over to help out?”

I was completely baffled. I never expected Eddie would directly ask Braydan for me.

It seemed like not only Braydan was a lunatic, Eddie was one too.

The atmosphere in the office grew even more tense. I was so nervous that I was at a loss. I did not even dare to look at Braydan.

“What do you think, Miss Riannon?” Braydan’s cold voice rang out.

I lifted my gaze and looked toward him. He was staring at me in silence with his frosty eyes. Under the white lights in the office, his blue eyes seemed like a turbulent sea. They sucked me in and a wave of unknown fear immediately hit me.

I felt like a rabbit trapped in an iron cage, waiting to be torn apart and devoured by the hunter.

The sense of imminent danger grew stronger.

I clutched the hem of my blouse as I fought to keep calm. “Mr. Braydan, I’ve already signed a contract with your company to take on the role of your personal assistant.”

My answer seemed to please Braydan greatly. Upon hearing my response, he snuffed out his cigarette then slowly walked over to Eddie’ side and patted his shoulder. “Hear that, Eddie?”

He looked at him with superiority. Even without saying anything, he could make the room feel suffocating with his presence alone. I was standing further away from both of them, but I could still feel his overwhelming aura.

Eddie frowned as he balled his hands to fists. A few seconds later, he stood up and said, “If that’s the case, then please excuse me, Braydan.”

Without waiting for Braydan to say anything else, he took his suit coat and left in a hurry.

Now, the office was only left with Braydan and I. The atmosphere was still tense. It would seem to be unwise to bring up my resignation at this moment.

I cowardly hid my resignation letter behind my back.

Braydan turned his back on me then walked to the ceiling-to-floor window. “Arthur told me that you want to resign.”

There was no emotion in his voice. No anger and no accusation, but it made me even more uncomfortable.

I looked down at the resignation letter in my hand, and finally decided to give it a try. “That’s right.”

With a click, Braydan suddenly pulled the blinds. The office immediately went dark.

The sudden change in brightness made me reflexively take a few steps backward. I turned around in a panic and reached for the door. “Mr. Braydan, we’ll talk about my resignation next time. I have to go now.”

“Get over here!” Braydan’s icy voice came from behind me.

I gritted my teeth and reluctantly turned my head around to look at him.

His handsome but gloomy face drew closer to me, and my heart raced nervously. I could even hear my ears ringing.

“Why are you quitting?” He lowered his gaze, scrutinizing me like I was a prisoner.

I took a deep breath then replied, “I want to leave here and live somewhere else.”

“Riannon, do you remember what I told you? You’re not going anywhere without my permission.” Braydan stopped in front of me. Even in the dim room, I could make out the look of disapproval on his handsome face. It made him seem even more terrifying than usual.

I flinched a little at his reminder, then held my breath before shouting, “You’ve no right to do this to me, Braydan!”

I had no desire to continue living my life in fear of Braydan while being constantly pestered by Eddie. I must resign and leave them behind.

After saying that, I turned around and walked toward the door. With his approval or not, I was determined to leave today.

The office door was just in front of me. The moment I reached for the door handle, I felt a tight squeeze around my wrist. It made me gasp in pain.

I looked to the side, Braydan had grabbed my wrist.

I ignored the raw pain in my wrist and forcefully tried to pull open the door. In the next moment, I felt my entire world spin as Braydan threw me on the couch.

When I landed on the couch that was made of cow leather, I thought my bones would be shattered by the strong impact.

“Let me go, Braydan!” I screamed at him in terror. As soon as I lifted my head up, I met his deep blue eyes. Feeling short of breath, my chest started heaving.

I could not believe that Braydan managed to throw me onto the couch from the door. He was really strong and I stood no chance against him.

Braydan took a seat on the edge of the couch, then leaned over and pinned my hands against the couch. There was anger on his grim face.

“Do not test me, Riannon!”

I resisted him and tried to free my hands. “Braydan, I’m only your employee! You can’t take away my freedom!”

Braydan lowered his head and smashed his lips against mine. He stuck his tongue into my mouth. When I was feeling almost out of breath, I stuck my tongue out and reciprocated the kiss.

What seemed like a passionate kiss turned into a battle. I followed his example, fighting his tongue with mine for dominance. I bit his lip hard, drawing blood. Soon the faint taste of iron spread in our mouths.

He let go of my lips then cupped my face, forcing our eyes to meet. “What exactly is your relationship with Eddie? Is he the reason why you want to resign?!”

His voice was filled with anger that he could hardly suppress, forecasting an impending storm.

I reached out to grab his wrist and tugged at the sleeve of his shirt. “I’m not going to lie to you, Braydan. Eddie is my ex-boyfriend, but we’ve broken up so there’s nothing between us now!”

“Nothing? Then why do you have his scent on you?” Braydan released my face, then brought his nose close to the nape of my neck and started sniffing.

Scent? What scent? I was baffled. I recalled that Eddie never had the habit of wearing cologne. We barely interacted today, so there was no way he would get his scent on me.

It was at this moment, Braydan suddenly bit my neck again on the same spot where he and Eddie bit me last time.

A tingling pain spread throughout my body. Realization finally dawned upon me. He must be talking about the teeth marks! He already noticed it after Eddie bit me last time. At the time, he was not sure who it was so he let me go after taking a bite.

Now that he found out it was Eddie who bit me, he was livid.

I put my arms against his chest and tried to push him away. I craned my neck and stopped him by saying, “You’re mistaken, Braydan! I don’t smell like Eddie! Let me go!”

Braydan lifted his head. He grabbed my jaw and looked down at me. His eyes were filled with anger. I was quite intimidated.

A stinging pain started spreading in my jaw and I tried to turn my head away to free it from his grip.

“Riannon, I told you not to lie to me. I know everything you did. He was the one who took you to the hospital and answered my call right?” He tightened his grip on my lower jaw. His eyes glinted dangerously, like a frenzied beast in the wild woods.

I could not move my body under him and even found it difficult to breathe. My head started hurting from the lack of oxygen. My body writhed under his.

Braydan suddenly squeezed my waist hard and gave me a final warning.

“Let me tell you this, Riannon. Things won’t end well for those who defy me. I’ll give you one last chance. Was that person Eddie or not?!”