Chapter Seven-Cairo
1560 Words
Could someone be exhausted after only one week of joining a company?
Yes.
Absolutely yes.
I was living proof.
It was Friday afternoon, and I was sitting behind my desk staring at the clock like it had personally offended me.
Five o’clock couldn’t come fast enough.
I was tired.
Not because of the work.
The work was actually going surprisingly well.
The people at Harris Holdings had welcomed me warmly. My meetings were productive. I was learning quickly. I liked the environment.
I liked my job.
What I didn’t like was Xander.
Xander was doing too much.
Way too much.
The staring alone was enough to drive me insane.
Whenever I walked into a room, I could feel those dark eyes following me.
Whenever a male employee smiled at me, I could practically feel the temperature drop.
And whenever a male employee stood beside me for too long, Xander would appear from nowhere with that terrifying expression on his face.
People were scared of him.
I was scared of him.
And apparently, Xander enjoyed making sure I remembered exactly why.
I had thought about boundaries.
I had.
Several times.
I had even practiced what I wanted to say.
Xander, I appreciate your concern, but I’m an adult.
Xander, you can’t decide who works for me.
Xander, stop monitoring me.
The problem was that every time I imagined actually saying it to him, I remembered that voice.
That final tone.
That absolute certainty.
Xander didn’t argue.
He declared.
And somehow, once Xander decided something, the discussion was already over.
It was infuriating.
It was exhausting.
It was Xander.
And it had only been one week.
One.
Week.
⸻
Lunch had become another problem.
Every single day.
Every day since Monday.
Food arrived at my office.
Beautiful food.
Expensive food.
Usually something I actually liked.
And there was always a note.
Eat.
Sometimes:
Don’t skip lunch.
Once:
You’re working too hard.
Who did that?
Who ordered lunch for another adult every single day?
I could have ordered my own food.
I had a credit card.
I had money.
I had a perfectly functional phone.
But Xander had apparently decided that I couldn’t be trusted to feed myself.
Then came the messages.
Have you eaten?
What are you doing?
Are you still at the office?
When are you leaving?
Who are you with?
It felt less like having someone care about me and more like being investigated by a private detective.
The worst had happened earlier in the week.
I had gone to an external meeting.
Nothing unusual.
Just a business meeting.
Halfway through, my phone vibrated.
Xander: Where are you?
I had stared at the message.
Me: At a meeting.
His response came almost immediately.
Xander: Good. I’m sending my driver.
I frowned.
Me: Why?
Xander: He’ll pick you up when you’re finished.
I typed quickly.
Me: I have my car.
His response:
Xander: I don’t care.
I stared at the screen.
Then another message.
Xander: Tell your driver to return to the office. Mine is coming.
I had actually sat there wondering whether I was dreaming.
That was Xander.
My life had somehow become a situation where another grown man was assigning me transportation.
I was beginning to understand why people were afraid of him.
⸻
My phone rang.
I looked at the screen.
Caleb.
Finally.
I answered.
“Hey, Princess.”
Just hearing that nickname made me smile.
Caleb had been calling me Princess for years.
Since we were teenagers.
And somehow, after all these years, it remained one of my favorite things.
“Hey.”
He immediately frowned through the phone.
“Why do you sound like that?”
“Like what?”
“Like somebody stole your happiness.”
I sighed.
“Your brother.”
Caleb burst out laughing.
“I knew it.”
“Your brother is frustrating me.”
“I told you.”
“He’s irritating me.”
“I told you.”
“He’s terrifying.”
“I told you.”
“He’s controlling.”
“I told you.”
I leaned back in my chair.
“You gave me a briefing, Caleb.”
“What?”
“A briefing.”
“What do you mean?”
“You didn’t give me a heads-up.”
I sighed dramatically.
“What I’m experiencing is a life-changing crisis.”
Caleb laughed so loudly I had to pull the phone away from my ear.
“Don’t laugh!”
“I’m sorry.”
“No, you’re not.”
“No, I’m really not.”
I could hear him smiling.
“So what did he do now?”
“Do you know your brother bought me an entire wardrobe?”
There was a pause.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Is it that intense now?”
“Yes.”
“How much did he spend?”
I stared at the ceiling.
“That’s what you want to know?”
“Obviously.”
“Caleb.”
“Are the clothes expensive?”
I couldn’t help laughing.
“Unfortunately, yes.”
“How expensive?”
“Very.”
“Are they nice?”
I hesitated.
“Yes.”
“Do you like them?”
I looked down at my shirt.
I was wearing one of the new ones.
The fabric was incredibly soft.
Smooth against my skin.
Elegant.
Sophisticated.
Exactly my taste.
Except…
I sighed.
“They’re perfectly my taste.”
“I knew it.”
“But…”
“But?”
“They don’t have the little details I like.”
Caleb laughed.
“The lace?”
“Yes.”
“The slightly sheer ones?”
“Yes.”
“The feminine cuts?”
“Yes.”
“Xander probably had a heart attack.”
I laughed.
“Probably.”
“So you’re wearing one now?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
I looked down again.
“It’s actually incredibly comfortable.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“The problem is that your brother is a menace.”
Caleb laughed again.
“He’s always been a menace.”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“He’s the actual definition of a menace.”
“Okay.”
“He is.”
“I believe you.”
“He fired my secretary.”
“I know.”
“He orders my lunch.”
“I know.”
“He monitors when I leave work.”
“I know.”
“He sends his driver after me.”
Caleb laughed.
“I told you.”
“Stop saying that!”
“Princess, I warned you.”
I sighed.
“I can’t believe I have to deal with him.”
“You’ll survive.”
“I’m not sure.”
Caleb was quiet for a moment.
Then his voice suddenly brightened.
“Actually…”
I immediately became suspicious.
“What?”
“Let’s go out tonight.”
I blinked.
“Where?”
“There’s a new club opening tonight.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“Caleb.”
“They have a DJ I’ve been crushing on for months.”
I laughed.
“You have a new crush every week.”
“This one is different.”
“Of course.”
“And I want to go.”
I hesitated.
Then he said the words that changed my mind.
“You should come.”
I smiled.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“You’re taking me out?”
“Princess, I will take you anywhere away from Xander.”
I laughed.
“Okay.”
“That’s a yes?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
I could practically hear his excitement through the phone.
“What time?”
“Probably around ten.”
“Ten?”
“Yes.”
“And how long?”
“Until three.”
I sat up.
“Three in the morning?”
“Princess.”
He laughed.
“You don’t have work tomorrow.”
I smiled.
“Saturday.”
“Exactly.”
“The weekend.”
“Finally, you understand.”
I laughed.
For the first time all week, I felt genuinely excited.
I needed this.
I needed one night where I wasn’t thinking about Xander.
No dark eyes watching me.
No intimidating footsteps.
No lunch appearing on my desk.
No texts asking where I was.
No one telling me what to wear.
Just me and Caleb.
Music.
Dancing.
Fun.
Freedom.
“Okay,” I said.
“I’m in.”
“Yes!”
Caleb practically shouted.
I laughed.
“What time are you picking me up?”
“Ten.”
“Fine.”
“And Princess?”
“Yes?”
“Wear something nice.”
I smiled.
“Something elegant?”
“Something that will make Xander lose his mind.”
I laughed.
“Absolutely not.”
“Fine, fine.”
He paused.
“Just look beautiful.”
I shook my head, smiling.
“You’re ridiculous.”
“See you tonight.”
“See you.”
The call ended.
I placed my phone on my desk.
For the first time that week, I wasn’t watching the clock because I wanted to go home.
I was watching it because I wanted the night to begin.
I was going out.
I was going to have fun.
And most importantly—
For a few hours, I was going to forget Xander existed.
At least, that was the plan.
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