35. Cutting Off All Ties

Laura - Wolves Inc Office Building, 3 weeks later
“How long will Paul keep avoiding me?” I ask as Dan stops the car in the underground parking lot.
“What do you mean? You see Paul every day.”
Dan stuffs a golden lock behind his ear and turns to me once the engine is off. I can see why Alisa can’t take her mind off of him.
“We may work in the same building and live in the same house, but he’s avoiding me. I mail his schedule and send him messages on the phone or through Irina. At the villa, he’s either away or always locked inside his room.”
“He used to do that when he was a teenager after his parents left. He’ll come around.”
I don’t want to poke into Paul’s past, so I drop the subject. Dan locks the car and follows me into the elevator.
I raise an eyebrow. “Where are you going? Do you have orders now to escort me everywhere?”
He chuckles. “No. I have to pick up a new laptop for Paul from the tech department. He tends to destroy them way too often these days.”
"Allow me. I'll get his laptop. Maybe I'll be able to strike up a conversation with the all-powerful boss this way."
“Alright.” Dan nods as the elevator’s doors open. “You go for the laptop. I’ll wait for you in the evening. Don’t ditch me again!”
“You say that every day!”
"Of course, after the stunt you pulled on me three weeks ago."
As the elevator doors shut, he stays inside. I move my attention to the main reception area on the second level. Other employees are rushing from one location to another, attending meetings, or conversing with one another.
I don’t know this floor too well, so I follow the signs toward the tech department. The door is opened and I take a step inside. At the desk, there’s a young man with slumped shoulders and sandy hair covering a good portion of his profile.
A woman stands in front of the desk with what I assume is a broken laptop. She wears a crisp, pin-striped suit and natural curls that somehow fall into perfect ringlets.
"Please check out my device. It isn't functioning properly," she stutters, her voice tinted with anxiety and timidity.
I try not to get in their way, so I stay a few feet away, waiting patiently for them to finish the problem at hand.
While the man at the desk tests her laptop, the woman is nervous, and her thoughts are almost tangible.
'He's got to open it. I hope I've messed around with it enough. He must locate the note I hid under the battery this time.' She is flushed. 'Please tell me to leave it here and return later. My heart will not allow me to be here when you read it.'
Barely able to suppress a laugh, I return my attention to the guy. From his mind, nothing comes my way. He's got to be a wolf.
"A software update should readily resolve the issue. I'll email you the instructions and documentation," he says without looking at her.
Oh, no, he’s preparing to give the laptop back to her. Instinctively, I take a step forward.
“Hi! I’m Laura Nedelcu. I’m here for Mister Paul Mateescu’s new laptop.”
“Just a moment, please,” the man says. “I have a little thing left to check here.”
“I’m in a hurry. Can you look at that laptop later and help me out? The boss is not in a good mood.”
The woman immediately steps in. “I can come back later. No worries. Bye!”
She almost runs past me on the way out. As her heels fade away in the corridor, I can’t help but chuckle this time.
The man looks on some shelves for a while and then hands me Paul’s laptop. As he sits again at his desk, I suggest, “Open the laptop that’s on your desk and check the battery. I’m sure you’ll find something interesting there.”
I exit the room and look back. He’s now reading what I suppose it’s a love letter. Pleased with my matchmaking skills, I smirk. Maybe love eludes me, but playing Cupid is something I can still do and makes me feel good.
An annoying and familiar voice chimes from behind me. “Well, what have we here? Are you reading the minds of other employees?”
"Not on purpose, and no harm has been done." I turn around and meet Paul's eyes. "What are you doing here?"
“I called Dan, and he wasn’t in the building. So I decided to pick the laptop myself.” He looks down at my hands. “I suppose that’s mine, right?”
I nod. It seems like ages since we last stood this close. Oh, how I long to run my fingers through his smooth hair.
"You’re not allowed to use your powers on other employees." He yanks the laptop from my grasp. "You’re fired! Come with me to make the papers or else you’ll glamour the girls from HR again."
He leaves me only a moment to register what I'm being asked before he turns around and starts walking.
"Do I need to repeat myself?" He looks at me over his shoulder.
Not wanting to cause a scene in the hallway, I follow him to his office. All the while, my head fills with questions and profanities. I close the door behind me once we're both in his office. Then I burst out.
"You've been waiting for the ideal moment to fire me. Okay, you can get rid of me at work. What comes next? Do you also kick me out of your villa? Do I need to tell you that you're the one who's forcing me to live there?"
He sits in his chair and pushes some papers across the desk toward me. "You are correct. Your letter of resignation is already here. Proceed to sign it. Don't worry, you'll also get reimbursed. After that, I'll drive you to your new home." His voice is as frigid as an iceberg, and his gaze is unwavering. "We're no longer going to live or work together."

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A/N:
Sorry for the delay. Here's Easter now so I'll be a bit lazy during the holidays :)