SEVEN

At exactly 9 a.m., Alexander got into the car just as Yalda did. They sat quietly as Carl veered the car out of the compound and onto the road; not much had been spoken between them since their engagement in the kitchen last night. Yalda had returned to her room and cried herself to sleep, while Alexander had found a bottle of the most expensive wine in the house to tend to for the rest of the evening.

It was a new day today; a bright day with many prospects, and Yalda had showered and washed herself of the humiliation as she always did. She looked flawless as always; she had once again forced everything aside and hid behind her mask of perfection, and it was easy to pretend like last night never happened.

“I’ll be having some company over at the penthouse after work today,” Alexander broke the silence.

She knew what that meant; she had to return to her apartment to give him all the privacy he needed to entertain whomever he would be bringing over. A part of her was actually glad, perhaps she needed a break more than she knew.

“I’ll return to my apartment after work then,” she replied.

He nodded simply, and that was all it took for them to lapse into silence again.

It was Friday, and the fact that she didn’t have to be at the penthouse with him tonight meant she could do other things; she could enjoy the evening like everyone else. She would probably watch some movies or do whatever made her happy, whatever took her mind off him, and if she failed in doing that, she would simply force herself to fall asleep.

Force herself to fall asleep...

Who was she kidding? Even she knew that was impossible. Last night, she had tried her best to fall asleep, she had tried like her life depended on it, but her efforts had been in vain; each time she closed her eyes, she remembered his eyes, how dark they had been, how he had glared at her like he hated her, how he looked at her like she had wronged him in a way she could never atone for.

What bothered her was the fact that last night hadn’t been the first time he had looked at her that way. She had seen that look in his eyes from time to time, and it scared her all the time. She had asked him about it once, right after he had made her come undone, right after her body had ceased its pleasurable quaking.

“Are you mad at me?” she had asked him.

“Should I be mad at you?” he had in turn asked her.

And she hadn’t known what to say to him, so she lay there breathing heavily while he watched her with those demeaning eyes of his. He had eventually blown out a breath before shaking his head.

“It’s not you I’m mad at.”

That had been two years ago. She hadn’t asked him further questions and she hadn’t spoken of it again, but lately, she was getting truly bothered. She wanted to know why he was the way he was towards her; why he derived pleasure from demeaning and hurting her feelings.

It wasn’t like they were in a sado-masochistic relationship, and even if they were, wouldn’t that just mean that he would derive pleasure from physically inflicting pain upon her body? Their relationship was different, it was twisted, and it was beginning to affect her.

“You’re brooding, Yalda,” his voice snapped her out of her troubling thoughts.

She cleared her throat quietly as she tried to regain her composure when she realized that she was indeed brooding.

“I was just… thinking,” she told him.

She inclined her head to face him and found he wasn’t looking at her; he was casually scrolling through his phone, but she could tell she had his attention.

“What about?” he asked her.

She cleared her throat once more.

What was she to tell him? How was she to tell him that he had her losing her mind? How was she to bring up yesterday without seeming pathetic?

“Never mind,” she replied quietly.

It was only then that his gaze flickered to hers.

“Talk to me,” he encouraged to her surprise.

She shook her head.

“It’s nothing,” she said.

A faint smirk curved his lips, and he tilted his head so he regarded her from a different angle.

“I have a feeling you have something you’d like to say to me,” he said.

She averted her gaze from his, but he easily reached out and slid his fingers underneath her chin.

“You do, don’t you?” he asked as he nudged her head up to face him.

His eyes gave nothing away regardless of how deeply she stared into them. She had no idea what he was thinking or where he was headed with this. Was he playing with her again? It was too early for this; she was in no mood for this.

She shook her head and watched his eyes darken considerably.

“I don’t,” she said, her tone decisive.

His darkened gaze remained on her for a moment longer before he nodded and returned his gaze to his screen.

She forced down a lump that had materialized in her throat as she cast her gaze ahead. She wasn’t ready for this; it was a new day, and she hadn’t prepared herself for this. One wrong word leaving her mouth could upset him, and he’d take immense pleasure in breaking her all over again.

~~

“Mr. Monroe, good to see you this morning,” Maya Blackwood greeted as Alexander and Yalda walked into the conference room.

She was already seated with her team, and Yalda noticed a few new faces.

“Good morning, Mrs. Blackwood. Good to see you too,” Alexander replied as he walked to his seat and settled down. His gaze flickered from one new face to another, and he offered them a courteous smile. “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome aboard.”

They all responded in their own way, and Maya did a quick introduction of the new members of her team.

“And finally, we have Ryan Blackwood, my husband’s only son. He will be joining us as the president of our company in the absence of his father,” she concluded.

Yalda’s gaze flickered to the young man who had been introduced as Ryan Blackwood. Like Maya, he was good-looking and had an air of arrogance around him; she didn’t like him.

“Looking forward to working with you, Mr. Blackwood,” Alexander said to him.

“Likewise,” he replied.

He had an attitude. Or perhaps it was just Yalda noticing things that weren’t there. She didn’t like him mainly because he was Maya’s stepson, but she convinced herself that his cold and arrogant attitude was the problem.

He looked no older than her, yet he carried himself like some god. She hated his lazy eyes and the tone he spoke with.

Pleasantries were exchanged briefly, and it wasn’t long before they dove into business. Soon enough, the meeting was concluded, and the finalized deal was to be celebrated with a soirée next weekend.

The congregation dispersed, and only Alexander was left along with Maya and Ryan. Yalda quietly stood behind Alexander as he conversed with the pair smoothly.

“It was a pleasure working with your father, and it’s been just the same working with Mrs. Blackwood,” Alexander was saying to Ryan. “I’m sure it will be no different with you.”

Ryan nodded.

“I’ve heard a lot about you, perhaps even too much,” he said. His tone was mild, but the look in his eyes was rather deep and dark, almost accusing. “My dad never stopped talking about you.”

A smirk curved Alexander’s lips, and his gaze flickered to Maya’s briefly before returning to Ryan’s.

“Well, I happen to have that effect on people,” he said.

Ryan chuckled, a rather dry and humorless sound.

“I see,” he said simply.

Maya chuckled lightly; she was about to speak, but Alexander spoke first.

“We’ve spent quite some time chatting here while there’s work to be done,” he said as he glanced at his watch. “What’s next on my schedule, Ms. Harris?”

She was glad he asked; she was just about getting tired of the Blackwoods. She filled him in on his schedule efficiently, and it was only then that Ryan Blackwood’s gaze flickered to hers for the first time. He regarded her coldly, and she held his gaze; she had never been one to shy away from eye contact.

Well, Alexander always made her shy away, but he didn’t count since he made her do so many other things.

Their stare-off was broken when Alexander stepped in front of her fully, so she was shielded from Ryan’s sickening blue eyes. He had probably noticed Ryan had been staring at her, or he simply wanted to shake his hand. They shook hands firmly, and there was undoubtedly a hint of tension between the two.

“Please excuse me,” he said to Maya before turning around and walking out.

Yalda wasted no time in following him.