A CEO'S OBSESSION

14

The next morning, Anna stretched and yawned as she lay on the bed, but her relaxation was short-lived. A sharp pang shot through her head, causing her to wince in pain and sit up. She clutched her temples, her voice cracking as she whispered, "Ah... My head..."

Julie walked into the room just in time to see Anna complaining. "You didn't know the repercussions of drinking until just now?" She teased and dropped the tray of chamomile tea on the bedside table. "How are you feeling?"

Anna whined, still clutching her temples and her eyes welled with tears.

Julie smiled. "I'll take that as 'bad.'"

Anna eyed her and reached for the cup of tea before sipping from it slowly. After a few gulps, she made a sound with her mouth and looked up to Julie. "Why didn't you stop me from taking so much alcohol? You know I am not good with alcohol." She scolded.

Julie laughed. "Oh really?! You're going to blame me for your clumsiness, is that it?" She asked.

Anna rolled her eyes at her and sipped from the cup again before asking. "What time is it?"

"10:00.a.m."

Anna's eyes scanned her with a teasing smile. "You're joking, right?" She asked.

Julie laughed and shook her head. "No."

Anna immediately swung her legs to the floor without minding the pang in her head and quickly reached for her phone. It was charging by a corner in the room. When the phone screen came on and she saw the time, she screamed. "Oh Julie! You're going to get me fired..."

Julie laughed out so loud the room shook. "I am...going to get you... fired? Seriously?"

Anna almost cried as she quickly dropped the cup on the table, grabbed her towel, and rushed into the bathroom.

Julie couldn't hold her laughter. She kept laughing while Anna had her bath. When Anna stepped out, she gazed at laughing Julie on the bed and raised an angry eyebrow. "What's so funny? Please tell me, I'll like to laugh too."

Julie burst into another round of laughter and asked. "You.. don't remember... what happened yesterday, do you?"

With a towel wrapped around her chest, Anna raised a questioning eyebrow. "What happened yesterday?" She repeated, trying to remember if anything out of place had happened yesterday, but her memory was blank.

After a while, Julie stopped laughing and sat up on the bed with a smile. "You don't remember your encounter with the CEO?" She asked.

"What?" Anna asked before her expression turned to fear. "I didn't have a one night stand with anyone, did I?"

Julie smiled and shook her head before saying. "It would have been nice if you did, though."

Anna eyed her. "You're crazy." She said before moving to the wardrobe.

"Last night you were crazy indeed. I really feared for your life. I thought he was going to strangle you or something."

Anna turned to face her from the wardrobe, and with a serious expression, she asked. "What happened last night, Julie?"

Julie smiled at her, and with a teasing smile, she said. "You told CEO Frank Williams that he had pretty eyes."

Anna's eyes widened in shock, her gaze flying upward as her mouth dropped open. She seemed to be piecing together Julie's words in her mind, and suddenly, comprehension dawned on her. "I did what?!" she exclaimed, her voice laced with incredulity.

LAST NIGHT

The convoy sprang to life, a procession of sleek black cars gliding smoothly into motion, one after another, in a row.

With the help of the rearview mirror, Ian kept glancing occasionally at Frank, who was sitting behind with a serious expression and an iPad in his hand. Anna, on the other hand, had woken up and was now crying.

"I just want to go home." She cried, but Frank didn't spare her a glance. He was seriously replying to pending emails on his iPad while Ian navigated through the traffic with the convoy.

The car would have been silent if not for Anna's wailing and the occasional hum of the air conditioner. The seatbelt helped Anna stay in place on her side of the seat, even if she tried to reach Frank a few times.

Ian's patience was wearing thin. He felt really uncomfortable to be driving both the lady sitting next to him, and the one behind, to their residence. "How far is your house, miss Julie?" His exhaustion and irritation were already evident on his face. He kept wondering why the CEO had decided to drop them off. It was something he never did. Very unusual behaviour.

"Just a few more... distance." Julie answered with a shaky tone. She felt like she was in a den with her enemies, and any wrong move is off with her head. She also wondered why the CEO had decided to drop them off. The iron-fisted CEO taking the trouble to drop off his employees himself was a gesture that completely contradicted his tough, unyielding reputation.

In the back seat, Anna reached for Frank's hand on his iPad and squeezed on it gently. The gesture made Frank reluctantly shift his attention from the iPad to her face. Her red eyes gazed at him with so much vulnerability that he had never seen. His heart made another slow thump in his chest. He had been trying to avoid that gaze, that gaze that made him feel like he was letting his guard down. That gaze that made him realise that beneath her tough exterior was a really vulnerable being.

'Oh, Frank! You're so doomed.' His conscience screamed at him.

Catching Frank's gaze, Anna smiled softly and reached for the seatbelt, her fingers brushing against the buckle as she gestured for him to unfasten it. With tender precision, Frank reached for the seatbelt and released the catch. Anna's smile deepened as she realized she was still holding onto his hand as he freed her from the restraint.

Frank didn't shake her grip off. Instead, he let her hold him while gazing at her eyes and wide smile. Was he really doing this?

Anna shifted close to him gently, still holding his hand. Slowly, she leaned to rest her head on his chest and inhaled his cinnamon scent. "I like it here." She said in a voice barely above a whisper with her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

Frank's body tensed at her words and their closeness, but he remained silent with his ipad in one hand and the other resting on his lap. His expression remained unreadable. As the minutes ticked by, the soft hum of the engine was punctuated by Anna's gentle snores, a soothing serenade that filled the vehicle.

PRESENT DAY

Julie laughed at Anna's funny expression after she told her all she did the night before.

With the towel still wrapped around her chest, Anna fell the ground with her mouth opened, and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. How could she lose control of herself in front of the CEO?

Julie laughed again before saying. "Anyway, he carried you to the bedroom and gave us a day off."

Anna looked like she wanted to cry at all the information Julie gave. "He carried me?" She asked with her cheeks flushed and her voice barely audible.

Julie smiled. "Twice."

Anna covered her mouth in shock. Julie wasn't helping matters.