Chapter Two

Two days later.

"Can I speak to you?" Noah asked as he stood by the doorway of her office, both hands tucked into his pockets.

Alessia looked up, meeting his blue eyes. Her gaze drifted down his body unconsciously, admiring how good he looked in a button-down shirt.

Just like with blazers and suits, he looked effortlessly attractive. Her eyes fixated on his wrist, noticing ink peeking out from beneath his sleeve.

Does he have a tattoo?

Noah cleared his throat, snapping her out of her thoughts. She immediately flushed, realizing she’d been caught checking him out. So what? The man knew he was attractive and wasn’t above using it to his advantage.

"No," she croaked, quickly clearing her throat. "No, I’m busy." She turned her attention back to her laptop, staring at the same blank screen she had been fixating on for the past hour.

She heard the door close and sighed in relief—until she realized...

Wait, what? She looked up again. "I said I’m busy. I can’t talk right now," she protested. As usual, Noah ignored her, pulling out a chair and sitting down.

She glared at him, but he stared back, expressionless. Folding her arms, she leaned back in her seat. Since he was already in, she might as well hear him out.

"Fine. You have one minute," she muttered. He crossed his legs and leaned back, mirroring her posture.

"I’ll need more than a minute," he said flatly. Her nostrils flared in frustration and annoyance.

"No. You don’t get to waltz into my office and demand my time. One minute—that’s all you’re getting. Use either make use of it wisely or get out," she snapped, pointing at the door. She was already on edge, mentally counting the days until she could leave for Italy and how she hadn't been able to find a boyfriend. The last thing she needed was to deal with Noah.

He remained unfazed by her outburst, his calm gaze unwavering. She pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Figlio di puttana," she cursed under her breath. "Fine, two minutes," she muttered. Noah nodded.

"Good," he replied dryly. "I’m going with you." His tone gave nothing away. Alessia blinked, confused.

"Excuse me?" She asked, her annoyance growing by the second.

"Brielle told me you needed help," he explained. It took a moment for his words to sink in. And when it did, her mouth fell open.

"What?!" She squeaked, bolting out of her chair. "She didn’t!" She muttered, more to herself than to him.

"She did. It would be helpful if you sat down so we could discuss what to do next," Noah said calmly. She glared at him.

"First of all, there is no ‘we.’ Second, she is going to hear from me." Humiliation burned her cheeks. She hated appearing weak in front of Noah, especially since they were almost rivals for the CEO position. Not like she was interested in getting the position but, she couldn't lose to Noah.

And Brielle had gone ahead and told him everything that was going wrong in her life.

"You’re wasting your two minutes," Noah pointed out. She shook her head.

"Well, I’m no longer interested in anything you have to say. Get out," she snapped. He didn’t budge. Everything about him was perfectly controlled, while she was on the verge of a meltdown.

"Unless you want me to report this to management, you should probably leave," she added, hoping to scare him off. But she had forgotten—Noah was just as stubborn as she was.

"I’m going with you, as I said earlier. Book the tickets. We’ll leave together."Alessia stared at him, incredulous. The nerve of him to think she would let him tag along.

"Thank you for volunteering, but believe me, it was unnecessary," she said, stepping behind her chair to distance herself from his gaze.

"Have you found someone else?" he asked, his tone was sharp. She opened her mouth to tell him that she hadn't but changed her mind at the last minute.

"I’ll figure something out—"

"So, no, you haven’t. I’ll go with you," he interrupted. She groaned."No, no, no. You’re not coming with me," she said, trying to sound firm, though her tone faltered.

"Why are you so against the idea of me going with you?" Noah asked. For a moment, she thought she detected hurt in his voice. But again, this was Noah.

"It’s simple. We. Are. Not. Friends," she replied, emphasizing each word."We’re not enemies," Noah countered, frowning as he studied her face.

"Wait, are we enemies?" He asked, sounding genuinely confused. Alessia snorted."You’ve hated me from the start, so yes, I think we’re more like enemies," she said.

Noah’s frown deepened.

"I never hated you, Alessia," he muttered. And a tightness grew in her chest. She cleared her throat, uncomfortable with this version of Noah—one that made her feel things she didn’t want to acknowledge.

"That doesn’t change the fact that you’re not coming with me," she insisted. She preferred the brash Noah she knew, the one who kept grating on her nerves.

"Ale—"

"Case closed! Your two minutes are up," she interrupted, plopping down into her chair in a decidedly ungraceful manner.

Noah stood after a few seconds of silence, towering over her, his face was unreadable like it had always been from the start.

"I’d like to think I’m your only option. Unless you want to look like a loser in front of your family and your ex, you’d reconsider," he said before walking out.

Long after he left, Alessia found herself staring into space. His words had struck a nerve, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that he had done it on purpose. Of course, he had.

A question lingered at the back of her mind: Was she a loser?