Chadwick
After that angry redhead walked out of my office, Ken walked in and I transferred my aggression to him, venting about how I felt insulted that a semi-literate girl insulted me.
Ken sat opposite me, silent for a second and burst out lauhhing like a demon on steroids the next second. The more he laughed, the more my annoyance fueled.
Crossing my arms, I drew in slow, steady breaths irritated that he had the guts to laugh at my expense.
"How's this funny?”
"You poor thing. What do you want me to do? Breastfeed you?” he said between fits, his shoulders shaking as he tried to calm down.
"It's your damn fault, you pie face," I wagged a finger at him. "Because what else would give that girl the audacity to walk in here and challenge me with such an insult “
“You're making it sound even more ridiculous when you put it like that,” Ken regarded me with amusement. “Maybe this is a wake-up call for you to loosen up, Chad. It feels like nobody can challenge you, and that's not always a good thing."
“So you're saying I should let others treat me poorly and disregard my authority just because I crave their validation, even though I don't actually need it?
"No, just reevaluate your approach to leadership. There were other ways you could have expressed your displeasure."
He kept on laughing and my heartbeat pounded with anger. “I'll have to deduct some money from your salary for this gross misconduct. We may be best friends but I'm still your boss."
"You wish," he chuckled, drumming his fingers on the table. "If you ask me, I think it's good to hire the girl to fire you up and keep you on your toes."
"Thanks, but I'll pass. My son's constant request for a mom and the company's faceless shareholders who think they can mount pressure on me for higher dividends is enough of a headache. As my vice president and best friend, you should work on reducing my stress rather than compound it."
“Fair enough, but I've not had a good laugh in such a long time. Especially the wolf part. Imagine a high school holder mocking someone holding several degrees in his portfolio.”
“Whatever,” I grumbled under my breath.
“That aside. Let's discuss Elen. When are you going to tell him the truth?"
I bristled. “Tell a five-year-old kid that his mother does not want him? He's going to get traumatized.”
Ken nodded all traces of amusement gone. “At least something good came out of your mistake. You have a healthy boy who loves you to death. But I think it's high time you went into the dating pool."
I threw him the middle finger, and he leaned in.
"I'm serious, Chad. Elen needs a mom. If he's already feeling that absence at five, just think about how it could affect him when he's twice that age.”
"He'll be fine. He's got me, you, and my mom.”
"Come on, Chad,” Ken pleaded. “You're loaded with cash, and you've got the looks. You're so handsome that it hurts my eyes... “
“Ew, I've told you countless times never to call me handsome. It's giving fruity vibes."
His gaze narrowed to slits."I'm not gay! Do I have to beat this into your head a thousand times?”
"Hey, relax, man. It was just a joke,” I said, stunned by his response.
He sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face. “Back to Ashanti. I'm hiring her whether you approve or not. I suppose you might want your little slice of revenge."
That kind of made sense.
"Fine, hire her and put her on probation. If she underperforms, I'm kicking her ass off my property.”
"Yes, sirrr!" he mockingly saluted, and I turned away, focusing on the pile of work I've got.
After work, I headed home. My boy jumped on me, happy that I was home. Children were indeed saints on earth.
Unlike adults who would bear a grudge forever over the slightest issues, take me, for instance, whose ego was bruised because of that woman, my kid had totally forgotten that he was supposed to be mad at me.
"Sonia baked a vanilla cake for me, and I had lots and lots of ice cream,” he said when I crouched beside him in his toy room.
"Yum," my fingers raked across his hair. "Sounds like you had lots of fun."
"I played soccer around the yard,” he bounced with excitement. “Then Grandma called me and promised to spend the weekend with us.”
A silent groan escaped my lips. I picked up a Lego brick from the numerous ones scattered on the floor in my son's room. I love my mom to death, but she never stopped going on and on about me needing to settle down and have a girlfriend.
I usually didn't want Elen to hear her and get the boy's hopes up. Ever since I messed up by having an affair with my ex secretary, got her pregnant, and inherited a truckload of problems, I avoided women like the plague.
Casual sex was my go-to. I made sure I used the best condoms available and was careful with my partners.
Elen and I prepared for dinner at Ken's parents' house for a Jewish dinner called the Passover seder, where all of Ken's family members gathered to hold the liberation of their country from slavery.
Sarah and Ezra Cohen, Ken's parents, were great hosts, and because I've been best friends with Ken since forever, his parents were automatically mine. Although Ken wasn't a practicing Jew, he obeyed and pleased his parents to the core.
Elen and I drove in my Bugatti Chiron, with Ken in his Range Rover ahead of us. Sarah welcomed us as usual with warmth and hugged me. She had a permanent smell of exotic spices.
My son glanced around, curious, and just like his father, ready to fire off questions. There were several symbolic items that he couldn't stop staring at. When everyone settled around the table, Elen, looking puzzled, asked Sarah why they were eating bitter herbs without serving us.
Everyone around the table burst out laughing, and I shook my head at Elen's innocent curiosity.
"Honey, during Passover, we eat bitter herbs to remember the bitterness and hardships our ancestors faced when they were slaves. It's a way to honor their journey to freedom, but you don't have to eat it. That's why I specially made the matzo ball soup for you and your dad."
"He's so smart," Ken's sister Lisa cooed while rubbing her pregnant belly and leaning against her husband Jonah. "I can't wait to have babies," she said to him with affection in her gaze.
"Amen to that," Ezra, who was an older version of Ken, agreed and turned to face his son. "Son, you also are going to have an amazing child just like your friend Chadwick. All we need from you is a good woman, Jewish or not. Bring her home and let us give our blessings."
"Dad, good things happen to those who wait, you say this all the time, don't you?"
"Cliche," Ken's sister Lisa snorted. "I've introduced you to over six of my friends, and I mean the most beautiful ones among them, but you rejected them all. Perhaps you need to reevaluate your sexuality."
Ken banged the table, spilling his glass of water. "This is the second time in a row that someone is questioning me about my sexuality, and I don't appreciate it. I love women, and I will find one at the right time."
Everyone in the dining room fell silent, watching Ken storm off, but trust Elen to be the first one to speak up.
"Dad, what is sexuality, and why's Uncle Kenneth worked up?"
Fuck me.
Sarah scolded Lisa for ruining her brother's mood and I offered to go talk to him.
"Don't blame yourself, Lisa. Ken doesn't have to be so touchy about a joke. After all, he teases me all the time and has a good laugh while at it.”
Ken's father disagreed. "He does not appreciate that joke. He knows I would have a heart attack if he goes against our beliefs."
I wanted to school Ezra and tell him that we were in the twenty-first century where everyone was sexually liberated. There was no crime in being gay.
Ken returned on his own accord, apologizing to everyone. Lisa sighed in relief. My weirdo friend never ceased to amuse me because how in the world can someone with an even temper only get angry for something as insignificant as his own family jokingly teasing him about his sexuality?
After dinner, Elen was knocked out in my arms while I respectfully waited for the family to recite their prayers, sing songs, and share stories of their ancestors' liberation. I was glad my son wasn't awake, else he was going to yap off with questions.
"Don't forget what I said, boys," Sarah smiled at me as she accompanied me to the car. "You are both successful in your endeavors, and you have more than enough money to feed a community. Look around you, pick good girls, and bring them for our blessings."
"Ken will keep that in mind," I said, rushing towards my car while Ken called me a traitor.
Ashanti Tonight was one of those nights where my wolf refused to align with me. Instead, it tormented me to the point that I lost my spatial movements. A burning sensation like fire hit my chest. My breathing became shallow and rapid as I struggled to catch my breath, and tears welled up in my eyes, threatening to spill over. "Bea, please stop," I pleaded to my wolf, leaning against the wall for support. "I'm tired of having sex with random men, and even if I had the means to do so, we have found our mate and the urge for other men has evaporated." "I want him," Bea howled while my body quaked with the force of held-in pain. My fingernails bit into my palm so I could focus on the pain instead. "I want to fuck my mate. Get him for me!” "Selfish bastard," I said out loud. "Sometimes I feel like ripping you away from me and leaving you to die." "If wishes were horses," Bea mocked. The full moon was just around the corner, and Bea was itching to break free, causing a mania that I co
Ashanti My gaze went distant, and I became confused like a broken compass. What the heck was going on? To be sure that I was not dreaming, I stared at the text, reading it again and again until the lines became blurry. How is it possible to reject an unqualified applicant on the spot and call them back? It didn't make any sense to me. I wanted to call Ken to be sure this wasn't a prank but it was almost midnight. Biting back my excitement, I wondered what Ken had said to Chadwick that made him change his mind. Feeling proud and jittery at the same time, I became aloof, raising a corner of my upper lip. Proud because Chadwick insulted me. It hurt to hear my mate utter nasty words to me. I tsk, wondering how else I expected a snobbish, pompous human to behave. Despite his rudeness, this was a miracle and worth sharing with my housemates. I bounced out, rushing forward to the living room. Harrison and Carmen were sprawled on the three-seater sofa watching a recent blockbuster re
Ashanti He walked away, and I stood there like a fool until I noticed the receptionist's gaze on me. She gave me a kind smile. "Is he always in a foul mood?" I asked, and she shook her head. "Not that I know of. He has never spoken to me before, and he's always very busy. Maybe he just has a natural dislike for you because you still have an extra five minutes' grace before the lateness line is ruled." I frowned, wondering why my mate loved to belittle me. Was it because I dared to challenge him yesterday? Toxic experiences with my dad and Dave made me think twice, but this dude was my mate. I wasn't so keen on the money and benefits that came with working here, even though it was a bonus, but my main reason for being here was to be close to my mate. A miracle I had Ken on my side. Ken was busy behind his desk, he gave me a thumbs up, asking me to give him a second. "I see you got my text," he smiled when he was done typing. "Welcome aboard." "Thanks," my smile faltered, and he
Chad’s POV Rage burned in my heart and choked my vision. I couldn't tell if this company I inherited from my grandfather was a blessing or a curse. I wasn't born rich; I never met my dad, and this sudden transformation took me years to grasp, but it was choking me now, and I needed to cry out. "Seriously, guys, I can't take it anymore," I said, sweating despite the air conditioning. "How can those faceless toads send their minions here to drive me crazy every time there's a shareholders meeting and turn the place into a battleground? Today they ask for higher dividend payouts, tomorrow they ask for a larger portion of the company's this or that." "Honey, please don't get worked up over them," my mom pleaded, her tone soothing and filled with sympathy. "Why won't I? I am human with flesh and blood running in my veins, and I walk here tirelessly, yet they keep demanding more and more. It's like they're trying to drain the life out of me." My mom stood behind my seat, placing a hand
AshantiBoredom and lack of stimulation were killing me in this office. I yawned and doodled, feeling a heaviness in my muscles.Ken and Chadwick had gone for a business lunch, and from the look of things, I suspected they wouldn't be coming back. I tried everything possible to keep myself busy: bought a novel on Kindle, listened to true crime podcasts, and even rearranged the workspace to make it visually appealing. The only thing I didn't do was connect with colleagues because I knew that was going to be a disaster.Before Ken stepped out, he walked into my office. I thought he was going to bring up the weirdness in Chad's office, but he didn't."I need to introduce you to some important people, John, James, and Jude. They are among top executives whom you have to get acquainted with.""What's with the similar names?" I grinned. "Were they part of a secret naming club or something?"Ken cracked up into a wide smile. "A unique coincidence. I never stop teasing them about it."We wal
AshantiMy heart raced like an overwound clock as I waited for Harrison to say something, but he remained silent, and the silence was eating at me."Harrison, please, I beg you, say something," my voice trembled. "I know this revelation will change everything between us, but I need to hear your thoughts. I won't blame you if you are disgusted or even hate me."He remained mute as if there were a stone in his tongue. Cars drove past, and the more Harrison remained silent, the more my dread grew.Why the hell did I open my big mouth to traumatize him? Plus I was going to get kicked out of the apartment for sure. "I... My thoughts are blank. I don't even know what to say or where to begin. Is this some sort of prank?"I shook my head. "That's what I am, Harrison.""Hold on, werewolves like in the movies?"I was this close to saying movies did not depict half of what real werewolves looked and acted like, but I swallowed my words.Harrison's mouth opened and closed like a fish, lightly t
AshantiMy eyelids were heavy with exhaustion, and I sagged into my chair at the office. It wasn't even midday yet, and all I wanted was to sleep. I had drowned myself in coffee, but that barely kept me awake, and I had to constantly move around, making sure to use excessive concealer under my eyes.Ken called for me, and I lightly slapped my cheeks to wake up and got my ass up to his office. Ken was always busy, and I hadn't seen Chad all morning."Have you ever handled calendar and schedule management before?" he asked me without lifting his head off the laptop."Of course," I cleared my throat."Good, you're going to manage my meetings and that of the executive members. Make sure the appointments and events are properly organized and communicated, and henceforth, you'll have to handle some of my emails, phone calls, and messages."I nodded, forgetting that he wasn't staring at me. He lifted his head, meeting my eyes. "Will that be overwhelming for you?""Of course not; it's someth
Chadwick's POVAfter Ashanti chose me, Ken's lips twisted in a tangled knot, and he gave me a slanted look. The more he did that, the more my laughter intensified. I laughed so hard that my stomach hurt.'Why in the devil's name are you so selfish, Chadwick? I can't believe you're stealing her away. Ashanti; you better watch out for your boss because he's a sly one.'I watched Ashanti fiddle with the file in her hands. Her lashes dropped, and slowly she opened her eyes. Shame and desire mingled hot in my throat. I had no idea what had gotten over me, but even a blind person would be able to see her beauty.Her skin was milky like peach-tinted cream, making her look like a flower, and her hair was a rich glowing ginger color.'Suck it up, Ken,' I said, peeling my gaze away from Ashanti. 'I'll get you another secretary, one with a master's degree if you wish, but for now, sip your tears.'Ken rolled his eyes, grumbling under his breath, and I turned to face Ashanti. 'I've got an importa