“Thank you for your time, Miss Cassandra. We will get back to you in a few days.” The HR manager smiled at me out of formality as she handed me my file.One look at her face could reveal to me that I was not going to get this job as well. It was my third interview this week, and it made me realize how cut throat the competition in the job market is these days. One would be surprised to know how unwilling people could be to employ freshers, especially a beginner like me who had a few years of gap between graduating and starting my first job.The internship programme that I was a part of was not as brutal as this one, as it was landed to me due to my father’s influence. Only now do I realize how fortunate I was back then. From here on, surviving all by myself in this world cannot be as easy as it was for me all these years,
I blinked my eyes open to better make out the face looming over me. He had a concerned expression on his face as his eyes ran over mine. He pulled out a piece of cloth and rubbed my mouth, wiping away the blood that trickled down. I couldn’t help but wince in pain at that.“Hey, Miss.” Said the stranger. It was a middle aged gentleman, I realized. “Are you okay?”I nodded, groaning, as suddenly, it felt as though my entire body hurt. I could feel tears prick at my eyes as the sting in my nose intensified. I also grew aware of the cold air striking against my wound on the knees and forearms, making me shudder against the pain. I could sense that the man was worried, a look of helplessness crossing his face.He looked around frantically, seeing if he could ge
“It does not take a genius to figure out who did it.” Enzo said as he poured me a cup of hot chocolate.I was sitting by the counter, watching him fill the cup to almost the brim before he walked toward me. Handing me the cup, he fetched one for himself and settled down in front of me. I knew that he could read me like an open book at this point, so when a small smile nestled on his lips, I didn’t wonder why.“You don’t want to accept it, do you?” He asked, amused at my blinded faith in my husband.“I know Calvin is mad at me, but I don’t think he hates me so much that he would send a goon after me.” I tried to reason, “What if it is a coincidence. What if it was a robber?”
A knock came on my door in the early hours of the morning, making me groan. I squinted my eyes at the partially closed curtains, fighting against the bright beams of sunlight slipping through them. As I looked at the clock on the wall above it, it revealed 8:30 am.That wasn’t so early after all. Perhaps it was the exhaustion from last night that put me to a good sleep way beyond my normal wake up time. Brushing the sleep from my eyes, I got up and straightened my clothes. Roughly combing my hair, I went to the door and opened it.Enzo was busy typing something on his phone on the other side. He was decked up in a polished black suit with a crisp white shirt underneath. He sported his usual Rolex on the hand that he shoved into his trouser pockets. His sharp eyes looked toward me in impatience, and I understood that
Later that afternoon, while I was lazing around in my room, I heard some commotion outside. I could hear some muffled voices, and I realized that one of them belonged to Lawrence’s and it was slowly rising. Wondering what it could have been about, I stepped out. As I walked into the living room, I realized that he was speaking to some on the other side of the door.In fact, it looked like he was blocking someone from entering.“Excuse me!” The voice said, “You better move aside right freaking now if you wish to keep your job. You don’t know who you are talking to.”As soon as I recognised that unforgettable voice, my eyes widened. Wow. What was happening?“That’s precisely what I’m worried ab
Becky's POV“Have you heard the news?” Calvin’s father, Peter said as he folded the newspaper. Tossing it on the sofa, he came to join us at the breakfast table.Calvin looked up in confusion. He had no idea of what he was talking about. But I did. And I couldn't wait to let this conversation unfold. “What?” He said.“News about Cassie.” Peter said, “She was attacked yesterday.”“Attacked?” Calvin exclaimed, dropping his spoon on his plate. “By who?”Peter raised his brows at him, giving him a sly smirk, as though he caught the culprit. “That’s what I’m wondering. Do you have anything to say?”“Me? Why would I…” Calvin’s eyes widened in realization, “You can’t possibly think I was the one behind it?”“Why not? It fits the plot.”
Cassie's POV “Ahhhh!!!!” I screamed in horror. I got up and sat straight at once. I frantically looked around, searching for my perpetrator. But he was nowhere to be seen. I then realized that I was not in the middle of nowhere. I was in my bedroom. I could feel sweat dripping from my face, and my breath becoming erratic. It was yet another nightmare. It was my third time today. In every dream, the same scene repeated in my head. I was taken to a dark lane and was attacked continuously. Before it could get any worse or before Peter could come to my rescue, I would wake up from sleep, utterly drenched with sweat and gasping for breath.Right then, the door to my room opened. Enzo walked in. “Cassie!” He said as he sat on my bed, “What happened?” “I’m sorry, it was nothing.” I said, “Another nightmare.” “Another?” He asked, surprised. “This is getting out of control. You need to see a doctor. They might help you.” “No,” I said, “I don’t want to start therapy again. I just need t
It took about an hour and a half to get done with the paperwork. The HR manager was a kind woman who seemed to have prepared a speech to talk me into accepting this job, but I didn’t need any convincing. Any qualms I had about working here right about vanished when I realized that it was Enzo who owned it. Nothing could be fishy about this place when the leader was so capable and trustworthy.However, I did take my sweet time reading all the documents before putting my sign on it. After all, it was always better to be safe and sensible about these things. After all, I checked with Lawrence if I could meet Enzo, but sadly, he was still in a meeting and had asked us to proceed for lunch without him.“We’ll go to your office next.” He said.“My office?” I asked. “I got an office room?”He winced, “My bad. I meant the tech department. Nobody there has an office room yet.”
I felt my dress slip away from my body with ease at the mercy of his hands. I looked up at his hooded eyes, taken aback by the hunger in them. I never felt so desired by a man before. And oddly, it stirred a new confidence in me. I did not feel shy to finally get intimate with a man. Rather, I felt like I was meant to share this experience with him.“Having second thoughts yet?” He asked, rolling my hair into a thick bun behind my head. I felt a weird sensation travel down my entire body as he pulled at my roots.“No,” I said, “Just wondering why I resisted this all these days.”He raised his eyebrows up at me, “Because you’re an idiot.”H
Mr Lee's party did not fail to surprise me. I widened my eyes at what looked like a mini casino.“Damn,” I said, “Look over there. It looks like Mr Lee has just won a round of poker.”Enzo followed my gaze to look at Mr Lee holding a stack of notes in victory. His eyes fell on us then and he gestured for us to come over.“Come on, Mr DeLuca. Join us.” He said, pulling a chair beside him.“I don’t play poker, Mr Lee.” He said.“Ah, that’s too bad.” He clicked his tongue before looking at me. “Perhaps Miss Harper can join us?”
Mr Lee was not kidding.His beach property a few kilometres away from his residence was astounding. It was a member’s only resort, meaning only the wealthy had access to it. Mr Lee’s friends were also here for a small get-together, and we would be joining them to have some fun.“My staff will guide you to your villa, Mr De Luca.” Mr Lee said as we got out of his car. “This is mine. I’ll be heading in. See you in the evening for dinner. Don’t be late.”“Sure. Thank you, Mr Lee.”Only when we reached our villa did it occur to me that I would have to share it with Enzo. After all, in Mr Lee’s eyes, we were a couple.I humped
Warm rays of sunshine woke up the next morning.And as soon as I did, I realized that my body was pressed against Enzo's!I widened my eyes in surprise. Our legs were entangled, and our bodies were cuddling against each other.How did we end up like this?Somehow, I got out of his hold and went to the bathroom to take a quick shower. When I came back, Enzo was wide awake."Shit." I muttered to myself, holding the towel closer to my chest.Enzo's eyes lifted to steal a glance at me, and surprise was evident on his face. I watched as his jaw clenched. I knew too well that his gaze was not an innocent one. Grabbing my bag, I almost ran to the walk-in closet to change.After a while, we were on our way to meet our client.“It’s an unusual place to set up an office, isn’t it?” I asked once we got into the car.“Yes, which is why it's not here.” Enzo said, “It’s in Seoul. Just that Lee
By the time Enzo returned, I managed to regain some of my composure.I found a movie to watch and was about to play it when I heard someone giggle near the aisle. It was right outside mine, and it was two girls, possibly in their teens, who were gushing.The brunette said, “Oh, my god. Did you look at that man? He looks like a Greek god!”“I know right!” The blonde replied, “He’s like chiseled to perfection. I’m sure he’s european!”“Probably, but wow. He’s so hot. I wonder if he would be up for a quick snog in the washroom.”I widened my eyes in amusement. Who could be this handsome hunk they were talking about?
The weekend arrived sooner than anticipated.I barely had enough time amidst all of this to process that I was going on a business trip with Enzo. What the hell! How was I going to survive it?“You're carrying your passport, right?” Enzo asked as we arrived at the airport.“Yes.” I said and pointed to my shoulder bag, “Right here.”Nodding, he walked us to the private lounge area reserved for business class passengers. We took a seat by the couch, and instead of making conversation with me, Enzo opened his laptop and started working.Although he asked me to accompany him, Enzo barely made any effort to make things less aw
Cassie’s POVNext day at the office was rather awkward. Enzo and I ended up travelling in the same lift along with Emma, yet we didn’t exchange any words. As we got off on our floor, Emma asked me,“Is Enzo okay?”“Er… yes. Why do you ask?”“He seemed grim.” She said, “Didn’t you notice the circles under his eyes?”Well, I did. And it pained to know that I was the reason for it. I wish I could help him. But how? I was the reason he was suffering. How could I alleviate his pain?“Work stress, perhaps.” I said.
I exhaled in disbelief.Enzo wanted… me? I could not believe it!“Me?” I asked, “But… you were trying to get back with Liza, weren’t you? That night when you went to her house… I thought you were-”“No, Cassie. I didn’t go there to make things right with her. I went there to permanently break things off. To tell her that her and I can never be a thing.”“Why?” I asked, “You were serious before she went abroad right? You wanted to give it a chance when she came back.”“Well, that is partly true. But things were different back then.
Cassie’s POV“Enzo?” I said, perplexed. “Leave me!”But he didn’t. Instead, he threw a nasty glare at Ryan and dragged me out of the dance floor.“Where are you taking me?” I asked but he didn’t stop nor did he respond. He just kept moving. He only stopped when we reached a dark area in the club where nobody was around.“Enzo-”“What the hell are you up to, Cassie?” He asked in a dangerous tone.“Me? I was just dancing-”“With who?” He asked, “Who was that bastard?”