Howard’s POV
1506 Words
After my brother was crippled because of a woman, I swore never to have anything to do with them again. To me, women are sly snakes—helpless in one moment, venomous in the next.
The day had been long. Meetings, inspections, documents that needed my signature—things I couldn’t entirely leave to my assistants. And now, this was the last meeting of the day. Normally, I would have had Jack handle it since it involved a woman, Mrs. Clara Moretti. But this deal required my presence.
I never liked malls. The noise, the crowds, the flashing lights—it was a circus for people with too much time. Time, to me, was money. I only came here because I wanted to acquire it. The biggest mall in Veloria City.
Walking in with Jack, I could feel the stares. Women blushed, gossiped, and gave me hungry eyes. Their faces disgusted me. I scoffed, and Jack, ever cautious, asked if I wanted to wait in the car while he handled things. I waved him off. If I were here to entice anyone, I’d have cleared the whole place beforehand.
The elevator took us to the seventh floor. From there, a left corridor led us to a small lobby. A man in a brown suit greeted Jack and led him in. Jack blended easily, always friendly with the staff—unlike me.
The so-called office we entered was pathetic compared to mine. My first thought: if the air conditioner isn’t working, this meeting is over.
“Hi.”
A woman’s voice pulled my gaze. She leaned against the table, seductively dressed in a short gown that exposed her thighs, her face caked with makeup. No professionalism whatsoever. My temper spiked.
Jack avoided my eyes—he knew me too well.
Ignoring her greeting, I sat down and crossed my legs.
“Can we get this started?” My cold tone startled her. Did she really think her flirtatious gestures would move me?
Her appearance disgusted me. Heavy makeup, cheap perfume. It reminded me of someone else. That helpless girl at the hospital—the one I got fired. Unlike this woman, she had shown no effort at beauty. Overwhelmed, messy, bare-faced. Yet she kept creeping into my thoughts since that day. And I hated it.
“Mr. Smith? Mr. Howard Smith?” Jack’s voice pulled me back.
“You okay? You’re spacing out.”
Damn it. I swore and looked at the file in front of me. For one hour and twenty minutes, we discussed numbers, projections, and paperwork with the sharp focus I gave every deal.
When the meeting ended, I stood to leave. But Clara grabbed my arm. My control snapped. I had endured her “accidental” touches, sly smiles, and flirtatious words all through. Now she had the audacity to ask me for a drink.
The audacity.
I flung her hand off. She fell with a cry that drew her assistant rushing in, but he froze when he saw me. He mumbled an apology and left.
“She’s out of this building tomorrow morning,” I said coldly and stormed out. Behind me, she begged Jack to plead for her job. But tears never moved me.
Jack hurried after me. “Mr. Smith, calm down. I understand you’re enraged.”
I didn’t reply. Rage surged through me—memories of betrayal, heartbreak, lies, my brother’s tragedy, my own childhood scars. It all came crashing back.
Storming out of the mall, I waited for the driver to ignite the car. That was when I saw her.
The girl.
The one haunting my thoughts.
She stood across the road with her luggage, dressed in worn-out jeans and a loose blue top far too big for her. Her messy ponytail and bare face showed she cared nothing about her looks.
Then her eyes met mine. She glared—sharp, unflinching, with an intensity that almost amused me. No one had ever dared glare at me like that. My face turned cold. If she was new here, she had better avoid me if she truly wanted to last long.
“You’re coming? That’s an innocent woman you’re glaring at,” Jack teased lightly.
Jack knew how to balance professionalism with humor. That was why I valued him.
We got into my luxury rolls royce, and the driver sped us off.
HS Global Enterprises was my empire—one of the biggest in Veloria City. Fashion, hotels, schools, restaurants, airports, hospitals, investments, real estate—my companies touched everything. I had left my father’s empire to my brother, Paul. Everything I had now, I built from scratch. Being a billionaire in my twenties told my story.
At my office, my so-called friends had already invaded. Bruce was laughing so loud it echoed, while Marcus sat in my executive chair, provoking me as usual. Oscar was asleep, drained from hospital work, and Robbins whispered jokes to Bruce, making him roar with laughter.
“Hi, buddy!” Marcus greeted, finally leaving my chair.
“Hey!” Bruce raised his vodka with a smirk. They were early—we had agreed on 6 p.m., yet they were here by 4.
“Bruce, you’ve disorganized my office again,” I frowned.
“Bad day? Or did you run into a woman?” Marcus teased. They burst out laughing, loud enough to wake Oscar.
Oscar glared at them. He was the serious one among us, the only one who could tame Bruce’s wildness.
“You’re back?” Oscar stretched a hand to me.
“Yes,” I said briefly, shaking it.
I walked to my desk to grab my suitcase, but froze.
“What the hell is this?” I growled.
On my desk lay a woman’s undergarment.
Bruce and Robbins burst into more laughter.
“Bruce? What the f**k is this pant doing here?” Fury surged in me.
“Man, I’m not your assistant,” Bruce rolled his eyes, sipping his drink, a smirk plastered on his face.
“Who put this here?” Oscar asked sharply.
“Oh, come on, how would I know?” Bruce snapped. His moods changed like a chameleon.
“Robbins? Marcus?” Oscar pressed.
Marcus sighed, looking drained. “My firm just lost a case. I don’t have time for this nonsense.”
“I don’t know anything about that,” Robbins raised his hands in surrender.
“I’ll handle it.” I pressed the button on my desk.
Minutes later, Samuel, one of my assistants, entered.
“Sir?”
“Who kept this here?” I pointed coldly.
“Actually… I tried stopping her, but she was too fierce. Sir, Bruce tried to help me.”
“Who?” My voice hardened.
“E… E… Elizabeth, sir,” Samuel stammered.
“She’s never allowed in this building again,” I said flatly.
“Yes, sir.”
“Clean this place. Now.”
Samuel hesitated. “But sir—”
“Leave.”
He left at once.
I turned to Bruce. He already knew what I was asking.
“She wouldn’t stop thrashing around. I told her I’d inform you, but she insisted. So I told her to leave something behind as proof she came. She dropped that. Sorry, man.”
My jaw tightened. “I don’t need to remind you how much I despise this kind of thing.”
“Sorry, bro,” Bruce and Robbins muttered together.
“Can we get going?” Marcus asked.
“Sure,” we chorused, heading out.
Elizabeth.
She had been nothing but a contract—an arrangement to meet my desires. No love attached. But she wanted more, tried to cling. I cut her off immediately. Since then, she’d become a pest. Now, I’d have to involve security. I couldn’t let her mess with me.
“You coming?” Marcus called as I trailed behind.
I caught up, my face hard. But even as I walked with them, her glare—that girl’s glare from across the road—burned at the back of my mind. I hated how it unsettled me. I hated how it made me feel… seen.
And that was dangerous.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD