Chapter 6

“Tessa!” Chloe's scream jolted me out of my thoughts. My gaze snapped widely, as I realized everyone’s eyes were on me. But none were more intense than Damien’s and Aiden’s. Damien’s lips curled into a wicked smirk, his eyes filled with wicked pleasure, while Aiden’s gaze stared daggers, he was angry. I knew it.

I cleared my throat, but the sound was strangled, barely escaping my lips. “I’m really sorry for this. Please excuse me,” I managed to say, my voice cracking, betraying how resounding I wanted to sound.

I turned and fled from the conference room, My cheek flushing out of embarrassment.

Chloe followed behind, holding some piece of the glass cup she could manage to pick.

As I hurried to my office, my heart pounded violently in my chest, each beat echoing the humiliation I felt.

“Am I seeing things, or was that really Damien in the conference room just now?” Chloe began speaking, her voice laced with confusion as I opened my office door.

“How? When? This can’t be happening!

“ Tessa? Tessa?, are you even listening to me?” She tapped my shoulder urgently, her touch feeling unsettling and annoying.

“Shut up, Chloe! For once, just shut the fuck up and let me think,” I snapped, my voice trembling with barely contained tears. My chest heaved with the intensity of the situation. Chloe’s eyes widened in shock, her face palling as if she’d seen a ghost.

“Tessa,” she said, her tone softening as she tried to calm me. “Are you okay?”

“Just leave, Chloe. I need some time to think,” I said through gritted teeth, my voice strained with frustration and anger. Chloe’s expression shifted to one of disappointment and hurt, but she nodded, calmly.

“Okay, I’ll leave. But if you need me, don’t hesitate to call. I’ll inform Aiden that you’re sick and couldn’t continue with the meeting.”

I didn’t say anything, Her words filled with the sadness that I had caused as she walked away, leaving me alone in the suffocating silence of my office.

As the door clicked shut, I sank into my seat, my body trembling uncontrollably. The tears I had been holding back began to pour freely,

i held my chest in pain as the memories of damien flooded my mind.

It hurts so bad, my heart hurts so deeply, what cruel fate is this? Why me?

I spent what felt like an eternity crying, my cries draining the energy from my body until I didn’t even notice my office door creak open. When I finally looked up, my heart nearly stopped. I jolted out of my seat when I saw who had entered.

It was Damien.

“Please, leave,” I choked out, but Damien’s smirk only widened as he took a deliberate step closer to me. The sound of his shoes on the floor was the only thing I could focus on as he closed the distance between us.

“Why so serious, Theresa?” he purred, his voice oozing with malicious delight. “It’s been so long, hasn’t it?” His fingers traced a chilling path along my cheek, sending a shivers down my spine. “You really didn’t have to make a scene at the meeting,” he ridiculed. “Such an attention seeker.”

I lowered my head, shocked by the effect he still had on me after all this time.

“No, no, no, princess,” he said in a voice that was both condescending and commanding, “you know better than anyone to look down when I’m speaking to you.” His tone was a twisted echo of the control he once wielded over me.

I remained silent, unable to meet his gaze.

“I said look at me!” He thundered, and I looked up frightened, my gaze locking with his piercing gray eyes.

“That’s a good girl.”

“Why? Why, Damien? We’ve broken up. This can’t be a coincidence. It feels deliberate. I don’t know how you did it, but it was intentional.”

Damien’s just laughed mischievously as He leaned in on me, his breath hot and heavy against my ear. “I did it to stay closer to you, Theresa,” he whispered, his breath fanning my cheek.

I shuddered with fear, trying to push him away, but he was relentless. Just then, the door flew open, Aiden barged in.

His face fullied with unrelentless anger. As he took in the scene before him, His Face formed a new look-a look of disgust.

“What the hell is going on here?” Aiden thundered, but Damien just looked at him as if he were a circus clown.

“We were just having fun, little bro,” Damien said, his eyes trailing down at me with lust. “Just trying to make the employees feel comfortable around their new boss. No need to be so serious, little bro.” He laughed mockingly as he tapped Aiden on the back and left the office with a wide grin.

Aiden’s gaze locked onto me, his anger unmistakable. His jaw was clenched tight as he approached me, his presence looming and intimidating.

“I’m sorry for what happened at the conference room,” I managed to say, my voice barely a whisper. But Aiden’s expression remained unmoved, his silence a heavy weight between us.

He stepped closer, his eyes never leaving mine. “What were you doing with my brother?” His voice was rough, barely controlled.

I struggled to find the right words, feeling trapped between fear and humiliation. I didn’t know what to say. How could I tell him that his brother was my abusive ex-boyfriend, someone I’m still terrified of and who still has control over me?

“Answer me!” Aiden’s voice brought me out of my thoughts.

“Nothing, nothing,” I mustered urgently.

“Nothing? Nothing, you say, but both of you were alone in your office, and you were wrapped around him like a fucking whore.”

My eyes widened. I had expected reprimand, but him calling me a whore without even hearing the full story was just wrong.

I tried to speak up, but he cut me off with his words.

“Where the fuck do you think you are? A brothel? It seems you find pleasure in throwing yourself at every man you see in a suit with money to his name. How am I so sure you haven’t made a move on my father? You’re despicable.”

Before he could finish, my hands raised out of instinct and I slapped him, my hand stinging from the impact, tears once again filling my eyes as I struggled to hold back my sobs.

“Mr. Ryan, with all due respect, I won’t allow you to talk down on me without even hearing my side of the story. It’s so wrong, and as much as I hate to say it, it hurts. So for once, i would appreciate it if you please stop being a jerk and start acting like a boss.”

Before he could say anything, I sprinted out of my office, my heart racing and my whole body trembling. My eyes were blurry from the tears, but more importantly, my heart ached—not just from Aiden’s words but from the realization that I couldn’t find peace in this company anymore. Not with Damien here, and not when Aiden sees me as a whore.

Unless I quit.

If that’s what it takes to find peace, then I’ll gladly quit.