Chapter 10: He is coming.
1297 Words
The moment hung in the air. Every sound in the conference room faded into silence. The only audible sounds were the tick of the wall clock and the distant hum of the city outside.
“What? Mr Alexander Maxcold? I hope he doesn't recognise me.” I muttered to myself, trying to bury my face. But I was met with those eyes and his smirk.
Holy s**t.
I gripped the table firmly, lowering my face. My chest pounded louder—the fear of messing up the meeting, and now Alexander.
“Now we can proceed,” A member from the board said.
“Yes, surely we can.” Alexander gave a warm smile, went to the other end of the table and sat down. “Mr Marcus, shall we begin?”
Marcus stood frozen like an iceberg, but he remained composed and unreadable.
I've reviewed the company's files on partnerships, and a partnership with Maxcold Empire had never been documented. So why is Marcus stunned at the sight of Alexander?
“Yes, let's begin,” Marcus replied, adjusting his blazer and going back to his seat.
Both men sat opposite each other—powerful, influential. Marcus's jaw tightened as Alexander leaned back slightly, crossing his legs and that smirk didn't leave his face.
My heart pounded. I didn't dare to look up as my hands brushed against the pages, but I could feel the weight of both their eyes pressing down on me—one is calm and flirty, the other is cold and mysterious.
Marcus's voice was sharper and precise; his movement was tense and swift, as if this were a competition rather than a partnership.
I tried focusing but my mind kept screaming. Alexander Maxcold. Yesterday, he gave me a flirty, calm, feisty vibe. But today, he is dominant, powerful yet attractive in all ways. Which is weird, because I don't like men.
“Miss Wellington! The slide presentation.” Marcus's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
The conference room was quiet, all eyes were on me including Alexander. The meeting dragged on for minutes. No one dared interrupt. I typed as fast as I could to get all the information, not leaving any behind.
Marcus finally stood and adjusted his blazer. He glanced at me—I sat still, our eyes locked. “Prepare the partnership paperwork,” He said coldly, his eyes drifted from me and focused on the board.
“That concludes the meeting. Thank you.” He added and gave a curt nod to the board and walked out.
Just like that.
No explanation, no staying back to exchange pleasantries. Just gone.
I blinked faintly with confusion across my face. “It was unlike Marcus to leave the meeting without talking to one or two afterwards. What changed? He looked angrier than happy after signing a high deal contract.” I whispered.
The room gradually became empty as the board members filed out one. I gathered the files together, but just as I was about to stand, I felt a figure behind me.
I spun my seat back in terror. It was Alexander, with his flirty smirk like yesterday.
“So we meet again.” He spoke, with his hands in his pockets, looking down at me.
“Uh, I-uh.” I wanted to speak but didn't know what to say.
“Secretary to the famous Marcus Voss. CEO of Starlak Corporation. Hm… that explains your exhausted self from yesterday.”
“Mr Maxcold,” I replied, trying to act professional, meanwhile I couldn't explain why I felt restless around him.
He leaned in closely. My heart hammered and sweat dripped down my chest. Now his tattoo was more than visible, and his cologne was like incense that possessed me. “Call me Alex.”
My breath caught in my throat.
My eyes closed shut. I felt his breath on my neck and all I could see at that moment was his face. Slowly, I opened my eyes, and our eyes met.
Who are you, Alex? No one had made me feel this way. I hate men, but why not you?
He straightened and adjusted his cufflinks. “You know where to find me, Ama.” He mentioned and left.
I sat in my seat motionless until his cologne faded away, then I grasped heavily for air. Ama, no, no. Pull yourself together. Every guy is just like my father. I hate men, I hate men.
But my mind kept reminiscing about his breath, his smirk, his physique, his whispers. Maybe he is different…No, they are the same. I need air. I gathered the files and rushed out to my desk and out of the building.
The moment I stepped out, the cold air hit my face, snapping me back to reality. “It's just business, Ama. Life in New York is to make it. Get yourself together.” I told myself and sighed.
***
When I got home, tension was still all over my face.
Emilia sprawled on the couch, phone in hand, scrolling through her socials and her face glowing from the light screen.
“Rough day?” Emilia asked without looking up.
“You have no idea,” I muttered.
I got to the room and collapsed on the bed “Urgh!” My legs were weak and my hands hurt from the meeting, but I couldn't get Alexander off my mind.
I struggled up to where I kept my diary. The pages smelled faintly of ink, I wanted to write down, but flipping back to the unknown handwriting, the place I once called mine wasn't mine any more.
But I couldn’t help myself from writing, listing how my day went: Marcus, the meeting, Alexander, and why Marcus' attitude changed when he saw Alexander. Is he jealous of Alexander’s company?
“Hmm.” I exhaled heavily. Gently tracing the edges of my diary, I placed it in another position and went to the kitchen.
“So, Marcus again?” Emilia asked as I got to the kitchen.
I gulped the glass of water and stared at Emilia. “Marcus is a lot of—”
Buzz.
My phone buzzed continuously. I leaned in to check who it was.
Six unread messages.
All from one name: Mom.
The glass cup in my hand fell to the ground and shattered into pieces. My stomach twisted. I had promised myself that part of my life was behind me—the running, the fear, the unanswered questions. I wasn't going back.
“Ama? What's wrong?” Emilia asked, her face filled with worry.
I dropped my phone on the counter, gasping for air. But just before I could steady my breath, it buzzed again. But this time I saw the message clearly.
Be careful at Starlak. Be careful at home. Be careful in New York. He's coming.
My heart pounded harder. I didn't even flinch, but a storm surrounded inside me—dark and thick.
“He's coming? How does she know I'm in New York? How does she know about Starlak?”
“Ama, what's wrong? Who’s coming?” Emilia said, rushing towards me.
I turned towards Emilia, my eyes pale and wide.
“Did you tell my mom I work at Starklak?” I asked Emilia.
“Your mom? No, I didn't. Why would I—”
I didn't wait for her to finish. I backed away slowly like I was being controlled, with my lips trembling and my body fidgeting.
“He's coming. He's coming.” I muttered, barely audible.
Emilia frowned, taking a step further. “Ama. Who is coming?”
But I didn't answer, I walked back slowly to the room like I had just seen a ghost and I kept saying, “He's coming.”
- Writer
