SIXTEEN
For some reason, Yalda had overslept. She awoke to the sound of her alarm ringing, and after pulling herself upright, she realized her alarm had snoozed quite a number of times. Her eyes widened on realizing that she was running late; she sprinted out of bed at once.
What was wrong with her? She had only just begged to keep her job, yet she was already running late. She almost stumbled as she tried to put on her flip-flops, and after reconsidering, she kicked them off and hurried to the bathroom.
Thirty minutes later, she was all dressed and ready for work. Knowing Alexander had left already, she didn't bother checking on him. She was relieved to see Carl waiting for her outside.
"Good morning, Ms. Harris," he greeted as he opened the door for her.
She nodded quickly as she slid in. "Good morning, Carl. Thank you. When did the boss leave?"
"About an hour ago," Carl replied.
She couldn't even ask if he had seemed upset because she knew Alexander never let anything show; she'd like to think that no one except her ever knew when he was upset.
"Thank you," she said once more.
Her heartbeat was fast and almost erratic when she finally arrived at the office. She hurriedly set her things down on her desk before making her way to Alexander's office. She opened the door and stepped in cautiously.
Like always, he was seated at his desk tending to his business, and like always, she took in his looks, noting how sharply his black shirt contrasted against his skin, how his temple creased slightly in concentration. She cleared her throat quietly to get his attention, though he probably already knew she had stepped in.
"Good morning, sir," she greeted quietly.
His gaze flickered to hers briefly before returning to the screen of his MacBook. "Good morning, Yalda," he replied. "Trust you slept well."
She nodded. She had indeed slept well. She had fallen asleep the very second she climbed into bed, and she had dreamt of absolutely nothing, yet her sleep had been immensely relaxing. Perhaps it was nothing new; seeing that her relationship with Alexander always affected her mood and literally everything else about her.
"I did. Thank you," she replied.
"Good," he said simply.
She cleared her throat once more before speaking again. "Sorry I'm late," she apologized quietly. "I overslept."
He shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Just look into Sarah's reports from yesterday," he said.
She nodded immediately. "Will that be all?" she asked him.
"No, that will be all for now," he replied.
"I'll be at my desk," she said before turning around and walking out quickly.
She was glad he was too busy to care about the fact that she had been late. Or perhaps he was still in the mood he had been in when she had returned yesterday. Perhaps she wasn't the only one who had been stressed out for some time now.
The thought had only just occurred to her; she had been so occupied thinking about herself and no one else, perhaps she had even been selfish. But what did it matter if she knew he was stressed out? It wasn't like he would tell her what bothered him.
And besides, he only kept her around for his physical pleasure and nothing more. She had no business worrying about his mental well-being; that was how it was supposed to be. But even she knew it could never be so, not when he was everything to her.
She'd definitely talk to him about it when they were done for the day. With that in mind, she settled down and emailed her assistant to send in the reports from yesterday. And the very second the reports arrived, the all-too-familiar ping of the elevator distracted her.
She watched as Jaxon Cole, Alexander's friend from the nightclub, stepped out of the elevator. Unlike the last time she had seen him, he was dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, a sharp contrast to the casual outfit he had on the last time.
Today, he gave off the 'businessman' aura as he made his way up to her desk while smiling fondly. She hadn’t thought much about him since Friday night; she had hardly thought about him at all. But now that he was walking up to her, she remembered how intrigued she had been; perhaps she still was.
"Ms. Harris," he greeted on getting to her. "Lovely seeing you again."
She returned his smile warmly. "Good morning, Mr. Cole," she replied.
"Mr. Cole?" he asked while chuckling faintly. "Don't mind the suit. Please call me Jaxon."
There was probably nothing funny about what he had said, but she found herself chuckling as she nodded.
"How have you been, Yalda?" he asked her. "I told you I'd find you."
She nodded once more. "I've been well, thank you," she replied. "Trust it's been just the same with you."
"Yes, yes," he said.
And nothing more was said as he stood there staring down at her with his deep and intriguing eyes, which had her unable to look away. It wasn't that she was smitten; she merely liked how his eyes looked.
She cleared her throat after snapping out of her thoughts, and she snapped him out of his. "Monroe's in, right?" he asked her.
She nodded. Of course, he had come here to see Alexander. She knew it was highly unlikely for him to have come here to 'find her.' She wanted to laugh at the fact that she was even thinking about it.
"Do let him know I'm here, please," he said.
She nodded once more. "On it," she said as she dialed Alexander's number and held the telephone against her ear.
It wasn't long before he answered. "Yes?"
"Sir, Mr. Cole is here to see you," she told him.
"Alright. Please show him in," he replied.
She nodded, though he couldn't see her. "Alright," she responded before the line went dead.
She carefully set the phone down before rising to her feet. His gaze raked over her quickly as she stepped around the desk to stand before him, his lips curving in a smirk.
"You look like a different person," he said, referring to her outfit.
Her own lips curved in a smirk and she shook her head. He was one to talk? "As do you," she told him as she began ushering him towards Alexander's office.
"Fair enough," he said. "I get that a lot."
She smiled as she pushed the door open and led him into the office. Alexander's gaze flickered to them, and a smirk curved his lips as he stood up and met Jaxon halfway. They shook hands fondly as they said a thing or two which Yalda didn't bother listening to.
"I'll be at my desk," she told Alexander before turning around and walking out.
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