Malea’s POV
As soon as I walked into the office the next morning, I ran into Lucian. I gave a little yelp of surprise and he stabled the coffee cup in my hands, the hot liquid nearly scorching my hands. His hair was disheveled and he looked like he needed to get something off his chest.
“I’m so sorry, Malea.” Lucian said, his voice sincere but his eyes distant. His suit jacket was tossed in the corner and his button-down white top was wrinkled and the first few buttons were unbuttoned, revealing his toned chest. I gulped, trying to divert my attention from his chest.
I opened my mouth to ask him what was wrong but before I could even get the chance, he’d brushed past me and left his office.
Confused and agitated, I dropped the coffee cup onto his desk and slumped into my desk. I lifted my phone to call Levi but as if he read my mind, the door opened and Levi walked in.
I flew into his arms and wrapped him in a giant hug. He stood stiff and motionless in my arms. My heart pounded erratically. Why wasn’t he hugging me back? Didn’t he miss me? I pulled away from him and took a step back. I swallowed past the rock in my throat.
His blonde hair was styled differently and made him look crisp and… unfamiliar. Levi’s brown eyes were emotionless as he looked at me. He swallowed.
“What’s wrong Levi?” I choked out, my voice uneven. What was he keeping from me?
Levi’s POV
“What’s wrong Levi?” Malea asked unevenly. Today Gina had insisted that I break up with Malea and that was what I came to do. But standing here, looking at Malea, her skin tanner than before and her dark hair fanning around her beautiful face, I couldn’t find the words to tell her.
“Malea. We need to talk.” I said hesitantly. I clenched my fist and silently cursed myself for getting into this situation.
She nodded her head, but she still looked like she was expecting bad news. And bad news was what she would get. I ushered her to a two seater tan couch in the corner and urged her to sit down. She sat.
“Malea, I don’t think we–”
“Malea we need to talk.” Lucian burst into the room. I spun around to face him. He was flushed, color rising up his exposed upper chest and into his face. I clenched my fist absently, anger beginning to seep into me. Did he just walk around here with his shirt open like that around my girlfriend? Just thinking about what they could be doing while I was wasn’t here made me even more furious.
Malea shot up from the couch, her lips parted slightly. “Lu–I mean Mr. King.” She said.
Lucian recoiled as soon as he realized that I was sitting so close to her on the couch.
“Is there something you needed?” She asked, stepping forward. I know it’s her job to be at his beck and call but seeing her jump up at his name made me more jealous than I’d like to admit.
Lucian shook his head and sighed. “Nevermind. We can talk about it later… You and Levi can carry on. I’ll be back soon.” He grabbed his suit jacket and left the office.
Malea’s shoulders slumped before she turned back to me. She sighed, defeated. “What was it you were going to say, Levi?” She tried to smile, but it didn’t reach her beautiful green eyes.
I felt so guilty. Maybe I could wait a little while before telling her that things aren’t working out. I crossed the room and wrapped her into a hug. She stood stiff but soon relaxed in my arms and returned the hug. I sighed deeply.
“You’re the best, Levi.” She mumbled softly against my chest. “I missed you so much.”
What am I doing? I was supposed to break things off with her and now I’m comforting her? Next week I’ll tell her. Yeah. Next week seems good.
Lucian’s POV
I revved up my Audi R8 and sped out of my reserved spot and onto the freeway. I needed to get away and clear my head. I feel so conflicted. I really would like to tell Malea about what’s going on with me but that would be weird. She’s my assistant. I’m her boss. As a matter of fact, I’m the CEO and I shouldn’t be seen messing around with my assistant.
I couldn’t tell her that I was beginning to have feelings for her. She has a boyfriend. I have a “wife”. She’s too good for me. She probably wouldn’t feel the same way. I squeezed my eyes shut for a second before returning my attention to my speedometer. I was pushing 100. I eased off the gas a bit.
My hands shook as I overtook a slow, red Honda. I can’t have distractions. Malea is a distraction. I can’t have feelings for Malea. I shouldn’t. I refused to. It would make everything so complicated. I don’t have feelings for her. In fact, as of today, the only way to stop being distracted by her is to despise her. I told myself. I need to focus on my rank as CEO and not on Malea.
Third Person POV
She wasn’t sure why this happened to her. One moment she thought she had everything and then it all slipped through her fingers like water slipping through cracks in a foundation.
She hated them so much. She hated how they took everything from her. She wants revenge. And she will get it. And she doesn’t care who she has to hurt to get what she wants. And she doesn’t care how many friends she’ll lose getting what she loves most, back.
***
Malea’s POV(A day later)
All I could think about as I was driving to work, was that Ales hasn’t talked to me since the news report in Rome. I didn’t ask for people to force an unwanted relationship on Lucian and I. Is it really an unwanted relationship, though? I’d blown up on all my social medias, gaining thousands of followers and comments about Lucian and I. It was mentally and physically draining trying to ignore the fact that other people–I don’t even know–want me to live up to their expectations.
I turned off my car, grabbed my belongings and Lucian’s coffee before heading inside the huge building and into his office.
I opened the door. Lucian sat in his desk, a pair of glasses perched on his nose. Oh God. When did glasses become so sexy? Instead of a plain black suit, he had on a dark, navy blue that made his eye color a lighter shade of gray. His hair looked neat and newly trimmed. His muscular arms strained against the arms of his suit jacket. My cheeks began to heat up as my eyes scanned his body.
As if he could feel my eyes on him, his head snapped towards my direction, his gray eyes flickering with an emotion I’d never seen on him. Hatred. Uneasily, I placed his coffee onto his desk but froze once I realized someone had already brought him coffee.
“Did you get yourself coffee today?” I asked stupidly.
Lucian looked up from his documents for only a second. “You are no longer are required to bring me coffee. I have someone for that, now.”
Dumbfounded, I opened my mouth to reply but before I could, a knock sounded at the door.
“It’s open,” Lucian called.
Two burly men walked in. “Mr. King. You asked us here to move some furniture?”
Lucian clenched his teeth together, a muscle flexing in his jaw as he stood up. “I know what I called you here for, you imbeciles. No need to remind me.” He pinched his nose bridge. The men exchanged a look. What was going on here? “Move that desk over there into Tessa’s office.” Lucian was pointing at my desk.
What the hell? Realization dawned on me. Lucian was planning on moving me out of his office.
Without thinking I sat on top of the desk the men wanted to remove. “What the hell so you think you’re doing, Lucian?” I shrieked.
“Get the hell off the desk, Malea. Now. Or else they’ll move you with it.” He hissed through his teeth.
I couldn’t believe this bastard. I folded my arms across my chest and crossed my legs, face set with determination. “I’m not moving.”
Lucian looked at me for a beat longer, his cool, gray eyes, hard with anger. Then he turned to the men and nodded once. The men moved forward almost immediately. The blonde one took one end of the desk and the red head took the other. Wait. Were they actually going to–
Suddenly, they lifted the desk off the floor, carrying me with it. I jostled with imbalance on top of the desk. Before they could get to the door, I jumped off, landing unsteadily on the marble floors.
I brushed my hair out of my eyes and looked over at Lucian who was staring at me. “Why are you doing this?”
“Because you make it hard for me to focus.” He swallowed. “You aren’t professional enough or worthy enough to stay here.” He said firmly.
I hope he understands just how stupid he sounds right now. “That didn’t even make any sense.”
“Just get the hell out, Malea.” He stepped away from the doorway, leaving a path for me to leave.
“I swear you’re bipolar.” I mumbled, squeezing my eyes shut. “You need to sort yourself out, because I can’t work here if you’re going to be this way.” I choked out through the frog in my throat.
Lucian raised an eyebrow happily. “Are you quitting?”
I shook my head. Was he always this dense? “I’m not quitting, Lucian. I never will. But I swear that if you’re going to make this job hell for me, I’ll make it hell for you also.” I pushed past him and out into the hallway.
If Lucian wants World War III, then I’ll give it to him.
***