CHAPTER 21

Beatrice’s POV

I didn’t know how long I could take this in this office. I had to work overnight on this proposal, and it was rejected with only one word: re-do it. Who does Xander Thane think he is?

He owns the company—not me or my hardwork!

I can't even explain how I'm feeling. I've had no sleep or dinner, yet everything I worked on got rejected. 

I made my way to my cubicle, where everyone looked at me from time to time and whispered, but who cares? I have to rewrite this proposal!

I think I'll get the ideas from the last proposal and edit it. 

I moved my cursor to bring out the extracts and implemented them, then went to the demon's office to tell him I was done. 

I knocked on the door and opened it. I was about to submit it when he said to re-do it, but... You haven't checked it!

“ I am the boss here, not you."

I immediately turned out of the office before I broke into tears. I buried my head and stared at the colourful tiles until I got to my cubicle.

The office lights buzzed overhead as I sat at my desk, my fingers aching from the countless revisions I had made to the proposal. Each time I submitted it, Xander would find minor flaws and insignificant details that warranted a complete redo. He was torturing me, and we both knew it.

By the fifth revision, I had to fight back tears of exhaustion and frustration. But I refused to let them fall. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing me break.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Pearl approached my desk with a small, nervous smile. "Xander wants to see you," she said hesitantly.

I exhaled sharply and pushed myself up from my chair. My body ached from lack of sleep, but I forced myself to move, my legs carrying me down the long hallway to his office.

The door was slightly ajar when I arrived. Taking a deep breath, I stepped inside, closing it behind me.

Xander was seated at his desk, flipping through the pages of the proposal I had just submitted. His expression was unreadable, but his piercing blue eyes flickered up to meet mine the moment I entered.

Then, without a word, he set the document down.

"It’s acceptable," he finally said.

A breath of relief left my lips, but it was short-lived. I knew better than to expect kindness from him.

"You managed to do something right for once," he added, his tone laced with condescension.

My relief quickly morphed into frustration, but I swallowed it down. There was no use in arguing with him.

"If that’s all, I’ll be going—"

Before I could finish my sentence, Xander rounded his desk. He was in front of me in an instant, towering over me with an intensity that sent a shiver down my spine.

"Not so fast," he murmured.

My breath hitched as he moved, caging me against the wall with a single, fluid motion. His arms came down on either side of my head, broad hands pressing against the cool surface. I could feel the sheer power in his body, the restraint it took for him to keep from touching me.

The space between us was nearly nonexistent, his body so close that his heat seeped into mine, sending shivers down my spine. My heart pounded, and for my life, I hated that he could probably hear it.

His breathing was slow, controlled—but I wasn’t fooled. Beneath that icy exterior, there was something else lurking. Something restless, something untamed.

Something I had spent years trying to forget.

Our wolves stirred beneath our skin, drawn together by the mate bond we both had spent so much time ignoring.

A deep, primal growl rumbled from his chest, and my wolf whimpered in response.

Damn it.

I clenched my fists, trying to fight the pull, the way my body betrayed me despite everything he had done—despite everything he had said.

His scent was intoxicating, filling my lungs and making my head spin. Cedarwood, raw masculinity, and something else unique to him. Something I had once found comfort in.

Now? It was a weapon.

I should have pushed him away. Should have clawed my way out of this moment.

But I didn’t.

Because for one fleeting second, I saw something in his eyes.

Longing.

It was there, and then it was gone, replaced by his usual mask of indifference, the same coldness he had perfected over the years.

He tilted his head slightly, lips hovering dangerously close to mine. His rough and raw voice slithered into my ear like a whispered confession.

"Tell me, Beatrice," he murmured, his tone unreadable. "Do you still feel it?"

A sharp pang twisted in my chest.

The mate bond crackled between us, electric, charged, suffocating. I just found myself drawing nearer to him, with his hands on my waist; our lips were on each other. 

For a fraction of a second, I almost gave in.

Almost.

But then reality crashed down on me like a tidal wave, drowning out every foolish, lingering desire.

I shoved against his chest, putting as much distance between us as I could in the tiny office. My breaths came fast and unsteady, my heart hammering against my ribcage. 

His gaze burned into mine, waiting.

"Stop," I said, my voice trembling with barely contained rage.

Xander's expression darkened. "Stop what?"

"Stop using the mate bond as an excuse to mess with me," I snapped, fury and hurt, tangling in my chest like barbed wire.

His jaw ticked, but he remained silent.

"You hate me, don’t you?" I demanded, my voice rising. "You take pleasure in watching me suffer. So don’t you dare act like you care now."

A muscle feathered in his jaw, his grip on the wall tightening slightly.

"I never said I hated you," he finally said, his voice eerily quiet.

I let out a bitter laugh. "You didn’t have to. Every action, every look, every cold shoulder was loud enough."

He exhaled through his nose as if trying to hold something back. His eyes flickered—like he wanted to say something but didn’t know how.

And I hated that it still got to me.

I scoffed, shaking my head. "You can’t have it both ways, Xander. You can’t treat me like dirt one moment and then act like you want me the next. I won’t let you."

His expression flickered for the briefest moment—so fast I almost thought I imagined it.

And then he stepped back.

The air between us grew thick and heavy with everything we couldn’t say.

"You think I want you?" he asked, voice dark, quiet, almost mocking.

My throat tightened, but I refused to back down. "I think you don’t know what you want."

A slow smirk curled his lips, but no humour existed. "Is that right?"

I held my ground. "Yes."

His eyes darkened, and for a second, I thought he might admit it. He might finally say words to whatever the hell had been simmering between us for years.

But instead, his face turned to stone.

"Get out," he said flatly.

I blinked. "What?"

"You heard me." His voice was devoid of emotion. "Get. Out."

A sharp pain stabbed at my chest, but I masked it with anger. With frustration.

I stared at him, waiting for anything to break the tension.

But there was nothing.

Just cold space where something had once existed between us.

With a shaking breath, I turned on my heels and stormed out, slamming the door behind me.

But even as I walked away and put as much distance as I could between us, my hands trembled.

I had officially prepared to go back to my cubicle, but one thing stopped me from staying at the entrance to listen to what he had to say.

My body still hummed from his presence.

And the worst part?

I knew that no matter how much I tried to fight it, a part of me still wanted him.

I didn't hear him say anything, so I prepared to believe but was stopped by his voice.

"Because the truth was, no matter how much she wanted to deny it…

I hope she felt it, too

The bond.

The pull.

The need.

I gritted my teeth, turning to face the window. The city stretched beyond the glass, distant, uncaring.

Just like I needed to be.

Just like I had to be.

But the problem with pretending not to care was that, eventually, the act started to crack.

And Beatrice?

She had always been the only one capable of breaking me.

I let out a humourless chuckle, shaking my head.

She thought I didn’t know what I wanted. 

She had no idea.

Because the truth was, I had known since the moment I first laid eyes on her.

She was mine.

She had always been mine.

And no matter how hard she tried to run…

One way or another, I would make her remember that."

Wow, was Xander into me, and was this his way of claiming me?